Always Choosing You

Scoops #2

by K. Sinko

Nothing has felt normal for Rory Michaels since that big fight last summer…and when certain big secrets were revealed.

Now the ice cream shop where she works is closed for the season, yet things are still icy with her coworker—and boy next door—Tyler Chapman. Sure, she may now know that her childhood bestie has been harboring a crush on her for years, but she just misses having Ty in her life. So they agree to move on and let things go back to normal…until a cheerleading stunt goes horribly wrong at Haverport High’s Homecoming football game, and Tyler catches the captain’s fall. The entire town swoons, and soon, Tyler is dating the Homecoming queen.

Rory told Tyler she wanted to move on and go back to the way things were, yet why, when it seems Ty has finally moved on, is she feeling bitter? And why, after years of pining for him, is Jay Sanchez finally hitting up her phone and admitting he misses her?

ALWAYS CHOOSING YOU is a young adult romance featuring a girl on a journey to find herself during her senior year of high school, and all the choices she’ll have to face. Between choosing what to do after graduation, which boy she’s meant to be with, and finally learning the true identity of her father, Rory finds herself at a crossroads in life. Should she choose the path she always thought she wanted, or should she choose to follow her heart?

Genres: Romance, Friends To Lovers, Young Adult, Found Family, Contemporary

320 pages, Kindle Edition

Published April 9, 2024

About the author

K.Sinko is an indie published author with a deep love for love stories. She is the author of Call Of The Loon, Sunday Supper, Please Be Mine, and the Scoops Series—a trilogy of stand-alone romances featuring the of a fictional ice cream shop. Her debut novel Safe Harbor became an Amazon best seller for young adult contemporary romance and is the winner of two Indieverse Awards. Follow her on Instagram and sign up for her newsletter to get the latest book updates.

Reviews

[Kay marie · Rating 5 out of 5]

i was lucky enough to receive an arc for this book!!

i read the first book last month and seriously fell in love, i am so sad that i finished this book. i didn’t want it to end, i love the small town vibes i love the friendship and the group of friends is so special to each other. This book honestly had me giggling, crying and smiling so hard, i absolutely love these books. i just want to pick it back up and start it again because i am just so into these characters lives i need more!! i am READY for the next book 🫣

this series is one of my favorites, can’t wait for more by this author 🫶🏼

[K. Sinko · Rating 5 out of 5]

Always Choosing You is officially available to purchase! This messy high school YA romance has everything you want in a dramatic read: girl making lots of mistakes and finding herself, love triangle with two boys who can’t get enough of her, a group of friends that feel like family, a cozy New England small town, Friday night football games, prom, yearbook, senior year…it has it all. 🤗

ACY is now available via paperback, ebook, and Kindle Unlimited. 👟✨

Signed copies (with free bookmarks and stickers!) are the same price and available in my paperback shop: tinyurl.com/ksinkoshop

[vickie · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars!
Thank you K. Sinko for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review

This book was such a fun read.
K. Sinko did an amazing job of tackling complicated family issues, relationship issues and even friendship struggles all in this book so well.

Although this book has so many characters they all have their own personalities and quirks that makes them distinct and memorable.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75/5 stars

[Kayla · Rating 4 out of 5]

Okay 1. Jay’s evolution as a person: immaculate.

This book gave me all the butterflies. K. Sinko really has a way of making her readers swoon & make them mad all in the same sentence. I loved the way this story was written with the pretense of fake dating & chasing after someone you love.

I will say it was interesting to see someone “fake date” that wasn’t the main character. I really loved this aspect of the book & feel that it added some banter and suspense to the story.

To end, f*** Walker.

[Noemi Salazar · Rating 4 out of 5]

Always Choosing You
By K. Sinko
⭐️: 4.5 Genere: YA Romance
Received as an ARC

The characters:
Rory (Ry) - main female character - total sweetheart
Tyler (Ty) - main male character - totally hot football player and a total gentleman!
Jay - wannabe main male character but he’s not!
Melanie - the best friend - grieving the loss of her twin brother
Vanessa - introvert -works on the yearbook with Rory
Jess - Works at Scoops with Rory - listens when Rory needs to vent.
Calvin - Melanie’s sweet boyfriend - manager at Scoops
Zoe - Tyler’s girlfriend ... maybe
Penelope - Lead on the yearbook - kind of annoying but nice
Blake & Zach - friends of Rory who also work at Scoops
Gina - plays soccer with Rory then joins yearbook with Rory
Gabby - Rory’s mom - workaholic, obsessed with Gilmore Girls (can’t say I blame her)

My thoughts:
This was such a cute book! I really enjoyed it. I think this series would be great in high schools. It talks about a lot of tough decisions & life situations like, college, sex (holding out or not), coming out (by choice & sometimes not), grief of losing a loved one due to alcohol/drugs, the struggles of not knowing one (or both) parent. I think this book was really well written and it was a ton of fun to read.

Rory fell for the same thing that so many girls/women fall for, a guys looks and they completely miss the guy that’s right in front of them. The one who will love her through thick and thin and will always be there to support her. I love how Rory was able to finally come out and just say how she really felt about Ty, about Jay and about her moms obsessive need to work to get Rory into a fancy college when Rory doesn’t even know if that’s what she wants to do after high school. The whole thing with her dad sucks and unfortunately there truly are assholes out there that can walk away from their kids and feel no remorse and it just sucks. Sweet Melanie is such a good friend to Rory. She is dealing with the loss of her twin brother because of alcohol and she’s trying to learn how to live her life for herself now without her other half, but somehow in the middle of that she still is able to be a friend to Rory when she complains about her boy troubles and her mama drama. And, Calvin is a saint, he’s helping Melanie and he’s also stepping up for Rory too... Love!

I can go on and on about loving this book but ultimately the best thing I can say is read it for yourself. I promise you wont be disappointed (unless you‘re looking for spice, this is a YA Romance. A very, very cute and sweet YA Romance.

[Aleira · Rating 5 out of 5]

Always Choosing You is such a fun coming-of-age YA novel set in small town, costal CT. While Safe Harbor gave us amazing summer vibes, Always Choosing You captures the crisp cold of fall football games, snow-covered winters, and the beautiful new beginnings of spring.

There are big topics that are handled delicately and with so much intention. Just like in Safe Harbor, K. Sinko's writing is raw and true to the teenage experience. It was incredibly nostalgic despite being set in 2024.

There's something about K. Sinko's writing that fully transports me to Haverport. I simply adore these characters and this world. Rory reminded me a lot of my senior year self, so my heart hurt for her so much during these inevitable messy, dramatic high school moments. There was a point where I felt like I couldn't breathe because I was fully consumed by this book and I could so easily experience Rory's emotions. I cried (a lot) and I laughed (even more) and I genuinely feel like it healed part of me. I think purchasing a copy just saved me the cost of a therapy session, so that's a pretty great deal imo.

Thank you to K. Sinko for an ARC in exchange for my honest opinions.

A Suggested Playlist
You Belong with Me - Taylor Swift
jealousy jealousy - Olivia Rodrigo
Sparks Fly - Taylor Swift
Home - Phillip Phillips
traitor - Olivia Rodrigo
A Place in this World - Taylor Swift
More Than This - One Direction
The Other Side of the Door - Taylor Swift
1 step forward, 3 steps back - Olivia Rodrigo
Looking Back - This Wild Life

[Karina Serrano · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received this as an Arc for my honest opinion, thank you author K Sinko.

This was a really cute nostalgic Young Adult romance read! It took me back to my highschool days with the friendships and drama and the boy problems. Lol.
I loved reading about Rory, how she was trying to find herself in High school, honestly reminded me how I struggled like her too.
I also loved seeing the family type of friendships growing and getting stronger. Everyone seemed to always be there for each other, thought that was really cool.
Def check this series out , I can’t wait to see what’s going on with Jess and her story.

[Staci Hicks · Rating 4 out of 5]

First loves, drama, friendships, high school clubs, all the nostalgia. I love this series so much. I’m looking forward to reading Jess’ story this summer. If you haven’t read this series you’re missing out. The character development is on point, the storyline is incredible and the twists are so good they suck you in and make you really think. There are some tough topics in this book. But I feel like Sinko did a great job handling them delicately and respectfully. I loved all the references to Gilmore girls. All in all this was a good feel good romance.

[Mélissa Levert · Rating 5 out of 5]

and k.sinko strikes AGAIN!!!! j’ai vraiment beaucoup aimé ce roman. ce que j’ai aimé :
- les petits « flashbacks » en lien avec le premier tome
- le caractère de la personnage principale : bold, courageuse, indépendante, la vie non-parfaite mais réaliste de rory
- l’histoire d’amour entre rory & tyler (évidemment!!!) qui nous a tenu en haleine tout au long du livre, comme dirait rory « the boy next door)
- le vibe « cozy » d’automne, les parties de football, la nostalgie du secondaire s’est emparée de moi à quelques reprises
- les amitiés qui deviennent la famille

« you’ll always regret if you don’t try »
🍦🤝🏼🏈🎓🍂🍕🍨🎂🧋⚽️🎨🗳️📒🧡

[Jess · Rating 3 out of 5]

Oh the nostalgia! This book really brought me back to my high school days. From high school drama, messy relationship/friendships, Friday night lights and more. I loved it all.

I only gave it 3.5 stars because this not my go to type of book, but that should not stop you from reading this book. It was very well written, and the character development was immaculate. This is a very relatable and and wonderful story.

If you haven’t checked out the Scoops series, do it!

[Diane Lawson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book has so many heartwarming moments of self-discovery. It reminds you that even if you don’t know how things will turn out you won’t regret taking a chance on yourself. The journey each character is on will have you falling in love with them all. This story of friendship and life in a small town high school will have you wanting to keep reading to find out what is going to happen next!! Loving this series and can’t wait for the next book!

[Cait | GoodeyReads · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to the author for an eARC.

SUCH GROWTH.

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I had the chance to beta read this book and seeing it in its final glory was something special. I love the way K. Sinko writes the complexities of growing up and how messy things can be in high school. I loved that Rory is kind of an unlikeable FMC but you get to see how she makes those mistakes, learns to apologize and find where her passion for the future lies. It’s a beautiful story of hope in the future and the road ahead.

The love triangle will bring the angst and tension. I love kind of knowing where things are leading (or I often get frustrated) and seeing who we all know Rory was going to end up with melted my heart. I loved their relationship and the push and pull. Not to mention the fiery kissing scenes.

And I adored getting to see the whole Scoops family again. I loved the side characters as always and especially seeing more of Calvin and Melanie. They have a special place in my heart and wove into Rory’s story well too.

I liked seeing Rory struggle with her Mom in realistic and honest ways. And how much Rory didn’t know what she wanted to do after high school (because I still feel that way). The pressures of life can feel especially heavy and chaotic at this coming of age time and I loved the way K. Sinko approached it all.

Overall audience notes:
- YA Contemporary Romance
- Language: low-moderate
- Romance: Steamy kisses
- Violence: low

[Rachael · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this, but I loved the first one more! This one felt more YA, except for the sexual content. But if you’re okay with the levels in Lynn Painter’s books, you’d be okay with this.

Rory has a lot of issues that I had less patience for. But the story was still so well crafted I loved it just the same!

[Leticia Johnson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was ADORABLE, and the perfect second book to safe harbor. I absolutely loved Rory’s story and I loved her relationships with all the characters. This was one of those books that I couldn’t put down.

[KayAnne Zoch · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book! It follows Rory as she navigates her last year of high school with boys, friendships and family issues! She overcomes all of it with her best friend Melanie at her side!

[Ashley Simon · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was so nostalgic!

The drama, friendship, and relationships are the prime example of what high school is. I enjoyed the relatability of this book and the characters.

[Kelsey Low · Rating 5 out of 5]

CUTE. The author did an amazing job of encapsulating high school and drama and friendship and falling in love! I loved all of the tropes and the way that the characters developed. It was just a refreshing, good read. And the Gilmore girls references? Icing on the cake. Can’t wait for the next one!

[Leslie · Rating 5 out of 5]

OMGGG K. Sinko has done it yet again! Alllll the messy high school romances, friends, love triangles (in the best way), found family, family drama, ahhhhh. I ate this up! There’s so many kick your feet, smiling cute moments mixed with the drama, frustration and tears of high school, family life and feeling like you have to be someone else to please others. I have never annotated a book like I did this one. So many wonderful moments that made me feeling like I knew these characters personally.

If you love all things A Cinderella Story, Taylor Swift’s “You Belong With Me”, and Gilmore girls, you need to read this like now!!

The Scoops family is forever my favorite. I fell in love with Melanie and Calvin’s story last year and have been anticipating Rory’s story since. This book will not disappoint I promise! I cannot wait to continue this series in July.

Thank you K. Sinko for allowing me to read this as an ARC. Literally one of my MOST anticipated books of the year!

[Brooklyn Harker 🌃 · Rating 5 out of 5]

K. Sinko doesn't miss! Always Choosing You was such a great addition to the Scoops series, and I can not wait for The Offer! Rory's story was messy, but I could relate to it in so many ways that it made me tear up, laugh, and cringe (in the best way!) all in one. High school is a crazy experience sometimes, and this book encapsulates the ups and downs of all the little aspects of it. I loved seeing Melanie and Rory's friendship up close and what Melanie and Cal were like from a different lens. It was a great book, and I will most definitely read anything K. Sinko writes. I can't wait to see what she has in store for her readers in the future!

[Jennifer Hyman · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am so happy I was picked for an ARC copy. I knew this book would be everything it was supposed to be, that I went and bought the physical copy to add to my collection before I even sat down to read Rory’s story.

This was such a cozy story to get lost in. It brought back so many memories from high school, first loves, heart breaks and everything in between.

Jess’s story will be nothing less then perfect and I can’t wait to add her to my collection ❤️

PS:Thank you K.Sinko for not making me wait a WHOLE year for the next book in your collection. I’ve never been so happy for my birthday month to get here💕

[Brandi Thomas · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was my first book by K Sinko and ARC read. I loved this coming of age story. It was so appropriate for the age group. The romance is so sweet. I love the characters dynamics and growth over the story. The love and support that friends can provide each other. I will def read every book by this author.

[Hannah Crosser · Rating 5 out of 5]

ARC Review
I thought this book was so cute and reminiscent of high school days. 🥹 K. Sinko’s writing made me feel like I was immersed in the story. The main character in the story Rory, is nothing like her namesake from Gilmore girls. She’s not school obsessed and headed for Yale. She is just a normal girl in high school not sure what’s next for her. With her mom wanting her to head to college and two different boys confusing her heart, she has some big decisions to make. This book had me teary eyed throughout and also left me wondering who she will choose. The best friend she is falling for or the boy she has liked for many years?
More about this book:
💚Set in a small beach town
👟 Friday night football
💚 Love triangle
👟 Friends to lovers
💚 Soccer games
👟 Senior year in high school
💚 Second book in the Scoops series

[Ann · Rating 5 out of 5]

Always Choosing You is the perfect romance for those of us who prefer our football with a side of swoon. This was my second K. Sinko novel and l'm officially hooked. Her Scoops series is the type of contemporary YA I miss from the 2010's. It's deep, complex, romantic, angsty and, yet, it's still completely joyful. A definite must if you love authors like Sarah Dessen, Stephanie Perkins, Jenny Han, John Green, and Rainbow Rowell.

The story is about a high school senior named Rory. No, not THAT Rory. In fact the Rory in this book wishes her mom wasn't quite so obsessed with Gilmore Girls. This Rory is artsy, loud, opinionated, and doesn't remotely want to live up to her namesake. Although, if you love Gilmore Girls as much as I do, you'll love the loose parallels and references woven in. The romance is messy and complicated, but involves the sweetest all star high school football player and a friends-to-lovers plot.

"Because somehow, softly, like a gentle fall breeze rushing through golden leaves, she'd fallen for her best friend."

[pinky · Rating 2 out of 5]

please this was so over the top corny :( i liked tyler and rory much more in the first book tho.

[Carisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

"True friends are the kind who sit in the hard places with you, carry grief with you, hold you when you cry, make you feel welcome and seen and loved."

While this is book 2 in the Scoops Series, I didn't feel like I had missed anything not having read book #1 first. This book had me in tears as the meaning of true, deep and meaningful friendships were revealed. A sweet coming of age story told through the eyes of our young FMC, she realizes her family is the one who she chose and who choose her over and over. This book gave me all the warm fuzzies for all the right reasons. I would recommend to anyone who loves tropes like found family, first love, friends to lovers and friendships. I can't wait to now read book 1 and really look forward to learning more about Jess's story in book 3!

[Jewnifer · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was okay. It started off good but just ok towards the end

[Ariana Spencer · Rating 5 out of 5]

“True friends are the kind who sit in the hard places with you, carry grief with you, hold you when you cry, make you feel welcome and seen and loved.”

I was sent an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I absolutely loved this book! Safe Harbor was one of my top favorites of the year last year, so I was really happy to get this one early!

I love being in the town of Haverport. It feels so cozy, charming, and relaxing. I kind of missed the summer and beachy vibes of the first book, but I also enjoyed seeing how fall, winter, and spring of a school year goes in this town. I hope the next one will follow their upcoming summer after high school. I'm a summer lover, but I don't mind whatever time of year it will be, I just love this town and these characters!

Speaking of characters, I love found family and a funny friend group! I already loved the characters and their workplace friendship in Safe Harbor, and this book solidified how much I love them. The way these Scoops workers banter, tease each other, and show up to support and help one another is amazing to read. Rory and Melanie’s friendship is one of my absolute favorite things about this book. You also see more of Melanie, her pain, and her and Calvin together. I love these two! And Rory and Melanie have my heart, as characters and friends. And even with a bit of a love triangle in this book with three members of the Scoops crew and the tension it causes, they still care about each other.

The fact that Rory and Tyler have been neighbors and best friends since childhood and also go to school together and work at Scoops together, already makes for a strong bond. And Jay also works at Scoops with them, and went to the same school, but is now a college freshman. This love triangle does get messy, but, to me, it doesn't feel like every other love triangle story, not that there's anything wrong with liking love triangles. I like them when they're done well. This one felt understandable. A love triangle that centers on being seniors in high school or a college freshman, being torn about what parts of yourself you want to show others, and who you want to be as a budding adult. Rory’s growth and realizations and standing up for what she wants in life, Jay's struggles and character development, and Tyler's kindness and the issues he causes by being selfless and keeping his insecurities to himself, are all so real. They feel like real people, the whole lot of characters throughout.

Always Choosing You gives not just a romance or a love triangle or friendship, but all of that, plus the realities and struggles of growing up, finishing high school, and figuring out what to do afterwards, what path to take for the best future. Painful things happen, families are not always whole, friends have their problems, and romantic drama can give someone whiplash. But you're also your own person with your own ideas for your future, and sometimes, you have to fight what you want, even when it causes issues with loved ones. Because they should understand why you want what you do. Friendship, family, and romantic love are important for a young adult, but so is finding and choosing yourself. Rory chooses one boy, sure, but she chooses her college, chooses to be more open with friends, and chooses herself when it feels like hardly anyone else is.

I think Always Choosing You has a few meanings to its title: choosing which romantic partner is best, choosing to stay with friends in the hardest of times, and choosing yourself. A love interest saying that he chooses Rory, Melanie saying she chooses to be friends with Rory, and Rory choosing her own path and happiness. I love this idea.

I love this book and these characters, and if you enjoyed Safe Harbor, I think you'll also enjoy Always Choosing You. I'm so glad Jess will get her own book, I just knew that's where it would go. Can't wait for the next Scoops adventure!

[Cami · Rating 4 out of 5]

“You’re not a mess, you just have two hot boys very into you.”

“Loved having her family together, no matter how sticky it got.”

“She knew down to her core that she would never regret choosing herself.”

***Thank you to the author for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.***

I’ve been wanting to travel back to Haverport ever since finishing Safe Haven last summer and this follow up did not disappoint.

If you like:
-Found Family
-Love Triangles
-Beach towns in the offseason
-High school nostalgia
-Friends to Lovers
-Mom and daughter relationships
-FMC finally standing up for herself and what she wants
-Ice cream
-MESSINESS

Then look no further than Always Choosing You.

Some things I loved:
-the Scoops’ found family and the incredible friendship between Rory and Melanie
-the relationship between Rory and her mom
-the nostalgia of high school including yearbook, football games, prom, and more
-the love triangle! As a girl who had her share of love triangles in HS, the way K Sinko described the conflict of feelings and how to navigate through them was very accurate imo.
-how insufferable some of the characters were. Controversial I know, but I actually loved that the characters were messy and selfish because that’s what high school is! Everyone at that age is going through it, trying figure out who they are and what they want, and yes it’s selfish in a way. So from that aspect K Sinko’s characters actually matched with where they’re supposed to be in life.
-Rory choosing herself and making her own decisions for how she wanted her life to look. We all need a little more of that spunk.
-All the Gilmore Girl’s references

Some things I didn’t love:
-while Jay’s character got a redemption arc and I actually rooted for him at some points, I felt like his character had some big red flags that we were supposed to forgive?
-overall, this wasn't my favorite set of characters, to be honest. I loved Melanie and Calvin so much in the first book and they were still my favorite characters in this book.
-the storyline with Rory’s dad. It was over so quickly but still felt like a big part of Rory’s development, so I wished we got to see that develop a little more.
-I wanted more Scoops scenes and beach town life! There’s definitely some of that but I wanted a little bit more. The setting really made me love this book series, and it felt so visual and tangible in the first book but in this one I had a hard time picturing where we were setting-wise.

Overall, I thought this was a great follow up to Safe Haven and a great novel to send you back in time to high school messiness. I'd recommend, especially with warmer months coming up!

[book_meets_world · Rating 3 out of 5]

Let me just start by saying, the first book was a five star read for me, and even with some of the cons in this book, I still just absolutely adore this series. While this book and set of characters weren’t my favorite, please still give the series a chance! I absolutely love K. Sinkos writing and think you will too! Let’s get into the pros and cons!


Cons:

1) For the first 50-60% of this book, the main character, Rory, was absolutely insufferable to me. She was very self-centered, selfish, and gave off “everybody’s the problem but me” energy. I genuinely hated her for the first chunk of the book. She always reacted negatively before understanding why people did certain things they did and she was not a good friend to Melanie. It just felt like she burned every bridge she tried to cross.

2) I’ve always been very vocal in my dislike for bringing up politics in books. While I understand that it’s a real world problem, I turn to books to escape real world problems not continue to have to deal with them. So I did have a hard time with politics being brought up in this book, even if it was a very sparse amount of times. It just felt unnecessary to me.

3) I was a little upset that we didn’t get to see more of Rory‘s dad, and that storyline. It felt like a very quick thing to the book, and I didn’t really care for that. We only got surface details of what happened between him and Rory‘s mom, but we did get to meet him after Rory found him. But, I wish we got to see more to it. And I’m not gonna lie, I was hoping that either he would come back and redeem himself and step up as her father, or at least pay for her college since that was a big problem in this book.


Pros:

1) Jay got his redemption arc! I really did not like him in the first book, and I didn’t think there was any saving him, but this book proved me wrong. He actually ended up becoming one of my favorite characters in this book and it always surprises me in the best way when things like that happen.

2) Tyler was every woman’s dream! He knew the right things to say, the right things to do, etc. Whether he’s a woman’s best friend or woman’s boyfriend, that woman would be so lucky to have him in her life, because he would care for her so much. He was genuinely the sweetest and most thoughtful, bookish boyfriend.🫶🏻

3) I loved how much of a girls girl Melanie was. Even when she was dealing with her own grieving period. After losing her brother, she never shorted her friendship with Rory. She was always there for Rory. This also was kind of hard for me, since Rory was so self-centered, and wasn’t there for Melanie for the longest time in the book. But Rory did redeeming herself towards the last half of the book, and also became such a good friend to Melanie and I loved it. I also loved getting to see Melanie and Calvin in this book! Their book will forever, hold a place in my heart, and getting to see their story continue a little bit in this one was so fun for me!