Tag Archive | New Adult

REVIEW: Arrowood by Laura McHugh

Nov30

 

arrowood

Arrowood by Laura McHugh

Read: November 20 – 24, 2016

Format: ARC Ebook (Kindle)

My Book Rating: 3 Stars

Publisher: Spiegel & Grau (Random House)

Genre: Mystery

 

ABOUT THE BOOK

A haunting novel from the author of The Weight of Blood about a young woman’s return to her childhood home—and her encounter with the memories and family secrets it holds

Arrowood is the most ornate and grand of the historical houses that line the Mississippi River in southern Iowa. But the house has a mystery it has never revealed: It’s where Arden Arrowood’s younger twin sisters vanished on her watch twenty years ago—never to be seen again. After the twins’ disappearance, Arden’s parents divorced and the Arrowoods left the big house that had been in their family for generations. And Arden’s own life has fallen apart: She can’t finish her master’s thesis, and a misguided love affair has ended badly. She has held on to the hope that her sisters are still alive, and it seems she can’t move forward until she finds them. When her father dies and she inherits Arrowood, Arden returns to her childhood home determined to discover what really happened to her sisters that traumatic summer.

Arden’s return to the town of Keokuk—and the now infamous house that bears her name—is greeted with curiosity. But she is welcomed back by her old neighbor and first love, Ben Ferris, whose family, she slowly learns, knows more about the Arrowoods’ secrets and their small, closed community than she ever realized. With the help of a young amateur investigator, Arden tracks down the man who was the prime suspect in the kidnapping. But the house and the surrounding town hold their secrets close—and the truth, when Arden finds it, is more devastating than she ever could have imagined.

Arrowood is a powerful and resonant novel that examines the ways in which our lives are shaped by memory. As with her award-winning debut novel, The Weight of Blood, Laura McHugh has written a thrilling novel in which nothing is as it seems, and in which our longing for the past can take hold of the present in insidious and haunting ways.

REVIEW

 

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

 

Arrowood is sort of difficult for me to review. I liked it, but for the most part I wasn’t left with the OMG I NEED TO KNOW WHAT HAPPENS NEXT feeling.

Part mystery, part ghost story, Arrowood is the story of Arden Arrowood. After the loss of her two year old twin sisters when she was just eight years old, she’s spent the last twenty years stumbling through life. I don’t want to say too much, but the disappearance of her sisters set the stage for her entire life.

What was cool about this story was that it was a ghost story, without being a ghost story. There are no actual ghosts or paranormal investigators looking for cold spots, but there are plenty of spooky happenstances that occur in the house which the reader is led to believe is the work of ghosts. That was pretty cool. The reader can decide if ghosts are at work or not.

As far as the mystery, as we get to know Arden and the cast of characters around her, everyone becomes a suspect. There were so many red herrings, any one of them could have done it. I was actually surprised by the actual ending – and it’s a doozey of an ending!

I wish I could pinpoint exactly what wasn’t working for me. It could be all of the time Arden spent reflecting on her past. I like a book to be told in the present, but a lot of this book was Arden reflecting on her childhood friendships, the loss of her sisters, her time at college, and so on. Every scene was important to the story, and I can’t think of another way to get the information across, but I think it pulled this readers attention away from the book at times.

In the end, I did enjoy this story but I don’t think it’s going to be one that stays with me long after I’ve read it.

END NOTE: I think this would be a really interesting book for a book club to discuss. In fact, I sort of wish now that I belonged to a book club so we could dissect this book as a group!

Get the Arrowood here:

Amazon | Nook | iBooks | Kobo

~ Add to Goodreads ~

 

QUOTES

I worried that the old me would vanish if there was no one left to confirm her existence.

I wished that I had been taken, too, so they wouldn’t have been alone. Instead, I was left behind and they went on without me, their lives from that moment a whispered secret that would never reach my ears.

It’s a date, I typed. Moments after clicking Sent, I had texter’s remorse. Should I have phrased it differently?

Darkness was kind, cloaking disappointing truths in mystery.

It didn’t feel right to move forward, to be happy and fall in love, to fill in the empty spaces, and so I had stood still and saved their place while the rest of the world moved on.

 

 

REVIEW: The Season by Jonah Lisa Dyer & Stephen Dyer

Jul5

The Season by Jonah Lisa Dyer & Stephen Dyer

Read: June 9-13, 2016

Format: ARC Ebook (Kindle)

My Book Rating: 3 Stars

Genre: New Adult – Modern Pride & Prejudice

 

I received an ARC of this book from Penguin First Reads in exchange for an honest review.

 

When I saw this book up for grabs on Penguin First Reads, I had to have it. Pretty girl in a dress? Debutantes? Yes and YES!

And then I received the book and started reading. Wait a minute…. She’s in college? Wait… How could her parents FORCE her to do this whole debutante thing if she’s a legal adult no longer living under their roof? I was confused.

Early on there is a legitimate reason for Megan going along with her mothers desire for her to make her debut among Texas society, but it still felt like sort of a stretch.

As I read in another review on Goodreads, the targeted audience for this book is confusing. It’s listed as a young adult novel, but it deals with a lot of adult themes that I don’t think most high school kids would identify with. There’s also a lot of sex talk, nothing too graphic, but also really not something all that appropriate for teen books. (Yes, I believe in clean teen reads! I don’t like casual sex in books at all, especially teen books!)

Anyway, once I was able to get past the whole NOT REALLY A TEEN BOOK thing, I started to enjoyed the book. It’s not one that’s going to stay with me forever, but I certainly enjoyed looking for the parallels between this book and Pride & Prejudice. I thought the chapter headings were the best part of the book, witty little one liners such as, “In Which Megan Takes a Long Look in the Mirror” and, “In Which Megan Puts Away Serious Groceries.”

I did appreciate that Megan, who was incredibly prejudiced in the beginning, looking down on the debutante society and all they stand for, was able to gain a new perspective in the end. As I said before, this story won’t stay with me forever, but I always appreciate when the protagonist of the story grows into a better person, and that was very much the case here.

The other thing that bothered me was the lack of interaction between the “Elizabeth” and “Darcy” characters. I wanted more interaction between them, especially earlier on, to really base their relationship/interactions on.

So, would I recommend this book? Yes and No.

I would not recommend The Season to younger teens, but those nearing 18 and through their early 20’s would probably enjoy this book.

Special thanks to Penguin Publishing for the chance to read an advanced e-galley for review.

The Season goes on sale July 12, 2016

~ Add to Goodreads ~

Preorder:

Amazon | Nook | iBooks

QUOTES

 

Several girls used this pause for a dainty sip of tea. Prissy bitches.

 

If I had to put myself in someone’s hands, better this French lunatic than my mother.

 

I ran for hours, lifted weights, rode my bike everywhere, and now this broad was threatening me with standing for five minutes? Bring it on!

 

“NO! I AM NOT OKAY!” Was I shouting? I couldn’t hear very well because my ears were frozen, but my voice sounded really loud. “I am cold and wet and I look like road kill!”

The douche bag laughed.

 

REVIEW: The Glittering Court by Richelle Mead

Apr8

ALERT: One day only – December 7, 2016 – This book is on sale EVERYWHERE for only $1.99!

Check it out on Kindle here: http://amzn.to/2gbq2Bq

All images borrowed from Richelle Mead’s Facebook fan page!

I’m skipping Friday Favorites today in lieu of posting my review of my favorite author, Richelle Mead’s, latest release, The Glittering Court. It’s all good though, because this book has instantly become one of my favorites!

The Glittering Court by Richelle Mead

Series: The Glittering Court #1

Read: April 5 – 7, 2016

Format: Ebook (Kindle)

My Book Rating: 5 Stars

Genre: YA Romance

 

This book! Be still my heart, this book!

Okay, so I’ll be honest, from the books description, I wasn’t sure I was going to like The Glittering Court. All of the comparisons to The Selection had me weary, because I really didn’t like that book very much. The early reviews weren’t looking all that good either. (But really, they were mostly complaining that this is labeled a fantasy, when it’s really not. It’s a fantasy world, but contains no fantasy elements like magic or dragons.) But you know what? I took a leap and preordered. On April 5, release day, I dove right in and ended up staying up until two am the night of April 7th finishing. #WorthIt

 

THIS BOOK IS AMAZING! Never again will I ever doubt Richelle Mead’s storytelling abilities. I will read anything and everything she writes.

 

If the TV shows Reign and When Calls The Heart had a baby, it would be The Glittering Court.

When the young Countess of Rothford is forced into an engagement with her “itchy” cousin, she panics. Taking a risky leap, she assumes the identity of her maid, Adelaide, and takes her place in The Glittering Court. The Glittering Court is basically a finishing school for young women of the lower castes. For a year they are trained to behave like noble women, and eventually are to be sent to the overseas to Adoria to wed the wealthy men who have made their fortunes in the new world.

The first half of the book takes place in the finishing school of The Glittering Court. Adelaide makes friends with her roommates, Tamsin and Mira, and ends up with an enemy in mean girl Clara. You’d think this school would be easy for her, considering she already excels at everything they’re teaching. However, in order to keep her true identity a secret, she has to purposely fail to avoid attention, which is sometimes easier said than done.

Along the way, the only person who knows her true identity is Cedric, the son of the man who co-owns The Glittering Court. Their relationship is tenuous at first, if she is caught they’ll both be in trouble. Big trouble. But along the way they become friends as well as partners in crime. Adelaide and Cedric partake in some not so legal activities, but as a reader I couldn’t help rooting for them, hoping they’d pull it off!

The second half of the book takes place in Adoria, the new world. Think of it as the wild frontier of America. Everything is new and dusty, men are staking their claim of land in search of gold, and taming the wild frontier.

As much as I love everything about the nobility, it was the second half of the book that won me over. Seeing Adelaide so out of her element in Adoria was great. And Cedric, poor pampered Cedric, such a good sport with where life leads him!

 

“Don’t you know that I’d lie with you in groves, under the light of the moon? That I’d defy the laws of gods and men for you?”

 

The romance was the best part of this book. It’s obvious from the beginning that Adelaide and Cedric are meant to be. I spent the whole book with my fingers crossed, hoping they could find a way to be together.

And the ending! Oh my, the ending! I can’t say much, except it opens the doors for the next book(s?) in this series, which I’ve heard will follow Adelaide’s friends.

 

“You need to stop this. Stop . . . Um, being a heretic.”

“It’s not something I can just stop being. It’s part of me.”

“They could kill you if you’re caught!”

 

Richelle also explores many themes in the book, weaving them seamlessly into a beautiful story I couldn’t put down. There’s the yearning for true love, and changing your fate to make your own destiny; religious persecution; friendship and betrayal; she even touches lightly on same-sex relationships.

Something that is very common in books these days, especially YA, is to end on a cliffhanger and keep the audience waiting for the next book. This book could have ended any number of times, but it didn’t. Richelle Mead chose to keep the story going until the actual end of Adelaide’s adventure. Having that true ending helped (a bit) with my P.B.D. (Post Book Depression) upon finishing.

 

This book is 100% worth the read. So much so that even though I already purchased the Kindle edition, I’m going to be buying the hardback as well to have Richelle sign when she’s in town next month.

Romance is in the Air…. Propose To Me! (Giveaway)

Feb3

February. The month of Valentine’s Day, Romance & Love.
And what’s more romantic than a marriage proposal?

In my short story debut to the publishing world, Running Late, featured in the anthology Propose To Me, Paige is expecting a breakup, but like all of the heroine’s in the anthology, receives a marriage proposal instead.

What I love about Paige and Will’s relationship is that it’s very normal. A couple who meets in college and falls in love. I normally write (and read) about vampires and witches and other paranormal creatures, but writing about a completely normal couple was a refreshing change. Some relationships can stand completely on their own.

 

Scroll down to enter an ebook copy of the book (Kindle, EPUB or PDF.)
AND be sure to check out the rest of the great blogs participating in this blog hop!

But first…. enjoy a short excerpt from Running Late!

 

After a shower and a wardrobe change, followed by hair and makeup, Paige was ready.“There,” Lauren said as she bobby pinned the last stray hair out of Paige’s face. “He’ll wonder if you’re even the same girl!”

“Hopefully that won’t scare him off,” Paige said with a laugh. “He did buy coffee for the me with the untamed hair and grunge clothes.”

“He probably thought you were homeless,” Lauren joked.

Paige glared and punched her friend playfully in the arm. She couldn’t be too offended since she’d had the exact same thought after all. “I don’t do mornings.”

“Believe me, I know.”

At 5:40, the girls headed down to the front entrance of the dorm. Lauren insisted on escorting Paige, under the pretense of being a witness, just in case Will was actually a serial killer. Paige knew the real reason; her friend wanted to get a good look at Will, to see if he lived up to Paige’s description.

It was exactly 5:45 when a green SUV pulled to a stop in front of them. Paige waited with baited breath until she saw Will step around the front of the vehicle and smile at her. He looked delicious in a nice pair of blue jeans and a crisp button down dress shirt. Until that moment, she hadn’t been aware that college guys even owned dress shirts. She hadn’t been quite sure what to wear herself, but Lauren had insisted that you can never be overdressed. She had said, “It’s best to look better than everyone else, versus looking like a slob in comparison.” Therefore, Lauren had helped her pick out an earth tone print dress from Paige’s closet, paired with Lauren’s brown cowboy boots and brown leather jacket.

“You look amazing,” Will said as he stopped directly in front of her. They stood awkwardly for a moment, neither quite sure of the appropriate greeting. A hug? A handshake? Surely it was too soon for a kiss.

Lauren broke the tension. “Hi, I’m Lauren, Paige’s roommate.”

“Will,” he introduced himself, offering Lauren his hand.

“Now, I want you two to have a good time, but I expect her home by 9:30,” Lauren deadpanned.

Will looked confused for a brief moment before Paige cut in. “She’s kidding.” She forced a laugh, then glared at her friend.

Lauren grinned innocently. “But seriously, before you go, stand next to each other and smile!”

Will put one arm around Paige’s shoulder. Even through her jacket, she could feel the warmth of his hand on her skin, sending tingles of pleasure straight down her arm. She looked up at him, a smile on her face. Lauren quickly snapped a couple photos on her phone and said her farewells.

“Shall we?” Will gestured to the SUV.

“Let’s shall.”

Will opened her door and helped her in, then returned to the driver’s side.

“Where are we eating?” she asked to fill the silence.

“Have you ever been to Donatelli’s?” he asked.

She shook her head.

“It’s a family restaurant in a suburb northeast of here. They’ve been around for years and years. My parents took me and my sisters there a lot as kids.”

“Sounds good,” Paige replied. “How many sisters do you have?”

“Two. I’m in the middle. Rachel is twenty-five and Sarah is seventeen.”

“Do you get along with them?”

“For the most part. I think there’s a big enough age gap between each of us that we don’t have as much sibling rivalry as we would have if we were closer in age.”

Paige nodded.

“What about you?” Will asked.

“What about me?”

He chuckled. “Do you have any brothers or sisters?”

“Nope. It’s just me.”

“Do you like being an only child?”

She shrugged. “I don’t have anything to compare it to.” She paused in thought for a moment. “I always picture myself having at least three kids though, in the future.”

Was it bad dating etiquette to talk about how many kids you want on a first date? She blushed, afraid she’d made a faux pas. Too late now.

“Only three?” Will asked. She looked up at him in surprise, his face was dead serious. “I want at least seven. Maybe more.”

Her mouth fell open. “Seriously?”

He broke into a grin, then laughed. “No. I don’t think I could handle that many. I want at least two—that much I know.”

Paige tried not to smile. She failed miserably and broke into a fit of giggles as well.

Despite her first date nerves, Paige found it easy to keep up a conversation with Will. By the time they arrived at the restaurant twenty minutes later, it felt as if they were old friends. Almost. She was still a little nervous, but she was feeling more and more comfortable with Will as the night wore on. They talked about their hometowns, their school careers, their childhood friends. They discovered that both of their families spent a week or two each summer driving up to Northern Minnesota and renting a cabin on one of the many lakes. For all they knew, it was possible they had spent time at the same resort at one point during their childhood. Not likely, but it was fun to imagine.

When Will returned her to the dorms later that night, their bellies full and leftovers in a box, Paige was both sad the night was over, and relieved to be able to relax in her dorm and tell Lauren all about the date.

“So, this is me,” Paige said, looking out the passenger side window at the dorm looming before them.

“This is you,” he echoed.

Paige turned to face Will.

“I had a—” they each started at the same time. They both stopped and laughed.

Will gestured for Paige to go first.

“I had a really good time.”

“Me, too.”

Paige stared into his eyes and melted. She seriously felt like her insides were turning to goo. Her heart sped up as she stared at the smile playing on his lips.

Will leaned forward and Paige froze. Was he going in for a kiss?

He continued to lean closer and finally she snapped to it and leaned forward to meet him. Their lips met and Paige savored the warmth of his mouth on hers. The kiss was short, but intense. Paige felt like she was soaring. She felt like she could run a marathon. She had no idea how she would possibly sleep tonight after experiencing this kiss.

They slowly parted, eyes opening and staring at each other. Paige felt a smile tugging at the corners of her mouth. It matched the one she saw on Will. They took their time, just staring at each other.

A horn honked somewhere outside their world, breaking the moment.

Will quickly opened the driver’s door and climbed out, walking around to open her door.

He offered his hand and helped her out.

“I had a great time,” she said.

“You already said that.” He grinned at her.

She blushed and looked down at her boots.

“Will I see you tomorrow?” he asked her. “At the coffee shop?”

She nodded. “You can bet on it.”

He walked her to the door, and as she made her way down the hall, she could feel his eyes still on her. She looked back before she turned the corner and waved. He waved back, then returned to his SUV and drove off.

Paige rounded the corner and let her body sink back against the wall.

Wow.

 

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REVIEW: The Bride Wore Size 12 by Meg Cabot

Nov19

The Bride Wore Size 12 by Meg Cabot

Series: Heather Wells #5

Read: October 11-12 2015

Format: Audiobook

My Book Rating: 5/5 Stars

Narrator Rating: 4/5 Stars

Genre: Contemporary Romance (New Adult)

 

Meg Cabot’s Mediator and 1-800-Missing series’ are two of my all time favorites. The last time I ventured into her adult books I was less than impressed. So, I shied away from them for a while. Therefor, this is my first Heather Wells book, and after reading (rather listening to…) this book, I’m kicking myself for not picking them up sooner!

Former pop superstar Heather Wells is in the midst of planning her wedding to PI Cooper Cartwright while working her job, helping run a dorm at the local collage. Things are going smoothly until a resident in her building ends up dead.

The events in this book are improbable and crazy, but Meg Cabot has a way of making them work. She makes a book about a murdered girl seem lighthearted. Her characters are fun, interesting and at times, down right hilarious.

Possibly my favorite character was Detective Canavan. He wasn’t in the book much, but he stole his scenes. I laughed out loud when he told Heather she has a habit of “kicking up shit.”

This book is definitely for the older teens to new adult crowd, but while there is sex, it’s pretty much innuendo and “off camera.” Which is what I prefer.

I’m eager to read the rest of the series and would recommend this to anyone who enjoys lighthearted mysteries with romance and humor.

REVIEW: The Unfortunate Decisions of Dahlia Moss by Max Wirestone

Sep23

This one is for the gamers and geeks out there!

The publisher describes this book as: “for fans of The Guild, New Girl, Scott Pilgrim, Big Bang Theory, Veronica Mars, or anyone who has ever geeked out about something.”.

 

 

The Unfortunate Decisions of Dahlia Moss by Max Wirestone

Read: September 2015

Format: Ebook ARC (Kindle)

My Book Rating: 5/5 Stars

Genre: New Adult Mystery – humorous

 

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

 

Confession: I used to be a World of Warcraft addict. It’s true. I participated in lan parties in my boyfriend’s apartment with his roommates and their girlfriends. We were cool like that.

What does this have to do with The Unfortunate Decisions of Dahlia Moss? Well, this book is ideal for anyone with basic knowledge of MMORPG’s. (That’s massive multiplayer online role playing game’s for those not in the know.)

This book is absolutely ridiculous in all the right ways. Everything that happens is so completely unbelievable, it’s believable.

Dahlia has been out of work for over a year. She graduated college with her fancy business degree, then proceeded to spend a year interviewing and not getting hired anywhere. Enter Jonah. He offers Dahlia $1,000 to find out who stole a digital weapon in the MMORPG he plays. Why? She has no background in detective work – save two days as a temp answering phones. She’s the worst (wo)man for the job, but she’s broke. So she takes his money and gets to work.

I can’t say too much about the plot without giving anything away, but it’s a ride. There’s murder, crazy people, gamers (another variety of crazy people – trust me, I know) and learning to deal with the cards life has dealt.

Another confession: I didn’t read this book, while working I used text to speech on my Kindle and it was read to me in a very robotic female voice which I now identify as the voice of Dahlia Moss. I believe this made the humor in this book a thousand times funnier. I actually had a moment where I had to stop working and stifle my laughter, which was turning to tears. It was hilarious. There are references to MMORPG’s (obviously), Pokemon, gaming conventions and so much more. One of my favorite parts was while in the game gathering clues, Dahlia discovers one of Jonah’s guild members is pregnant, and another guild member says said pregnant gamer will be leaving the game soon, because that’s what happens when female players have babies. Real life takes over and they quit their MMORPG’s. I laughed a lot, and shared this part with my husband, because when I had a baby I quite playing WoW.

The best part about the book is Dahlia herself. She’s gotten to the the point where she just doesn’t care. Nothing is working out, so she’ll just roll with the punches. If that means dying her hair pink, so be it. If that means planning a virtual in game funeral for the death of a real person? Why not. She’s surrounded by an oddball cast that are too insane not to be real. Like her roommate Charice, who has completely spontaneous theme parties in her apartment (which incidentally lead to Jonah showing up to offer Dahlia the detective job).

The mystery in this book is resolved perfectly. The clues are all there, though I didn’t have an inkling of ‘whodunit’ until nearly the big reveal.

Seriously, anyone who has ever submerged themselves in geek culture must read this book. It’s a healthy dose of Veronica Mars (though slightly less competent) and The Guild. In a movie, Felicia Day would play Dahlia. There’s simply no other choice.

If there’s a sequel I want to read it to find out what mess Dahlia will get herself into next!

REVIEW: Ghost for Sale by Sandra Cox

Sep21

I recently joined NetGalley, which if you don’t know, is a service that allows authors and publishers to offer their books to reviewers. Anyone can join, but you have a better chance if you’re a blogger. So, I joined. Then felt guilty because I started my full time job and didn’t think I’d have time to read any of the books I was approved for. Then I discovered I could use text to speech on these books and listen to them while working! I don’t feel so guilty now, because while text to speech narration is pretty terrible, at least I’m getting the reading done! (And my local library’s audiobook selection is severely lacking the type of books I want to read.)

Below is my review for the first book I received from NetGalley. Unfortunately, my first experience was not a very enjoyable one, but I have hopes that I’ll be approved for some books I will enjoy.

 

 

Ghost for Sale by Sandra Cox

Read: August – September 2015

Format: Ebook ARC (Kindle)

My Book Rating: 2.5/5 Stars

Genre: New Adult Paranormal Romance

 

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Confession. I got about 30% through this book and didn’t think I could finish. Then, I realized I could use the text to speech feature on my Kindle and listen to the book at work. Multi-tasking at its finest. If not for text to speech, I probably would have quit this book.

When I saw Ghost for Sale on NetGalley I had to read it. I’m a huge fan of Meg Cabot’s Mediator series, about a girl who can see, hear, and touch ghosts. In Mediator, the heroine moves into an old house with her family and discovers a ghost from the 1800’s living in her bedroom. The romance is a slow build throughout the series and the characters have more to their lives than just thinking about how hot the other is. Like, mediating ghosts and helping them cross to the afterlife.

While Ghost for Sale starts out great, with our heroine Caitlin’s cousin/roommate, Marcy, receiving two test tubes in the mail, supposedly containing ghosts, and upon opening said test tubes only Caitlin can see said ghost. From there, it goes downhill.

For starters, despite being told multiple times that Caitlin’s cousin Marcy is so beautiful and rich and all the guy want her, every single male in the book asks Caitlin out. In the beginning, in the club, she dances with and is asked out by two guys, minutes apart, if that. She gets hit on by a cop who pulls her over. Don’t even get me started on the “not really her boyfriend” guy who dates her, while seeing other girls because he “has needs” and Caitlin won’t sleep with him. It was downright unbelievable that the author couldn’t add in a single male character who didn’t fall all over himself for Caitlin.

Caitlin herself was completely impossible to relate to. See previous paragraph, then add in how shallow she acts. One guy actually tells her something along the lines of “you act ditzy, but I know you’re actually very smart” – how??? How does he know this because she acts like an idiot for 98% of the book. As stated before, we’re told multiple times how beautiful and rich Marcy is, and how Caitlin’s family doesn’t have money like them, yet her parents can afford to buy her a custom pink VW Bug for her birthday? Maybe she’s not as well off as Marcy, but it was irritating to be led to believe she’s not rich when she is.

Then, let’s talk about clothes and coffee. On second thought, let’s not. It felt as though every other page Caitlin was drinking coffee or thinking about coffee or her ghost, Liam, was bringing her coffee. Every time she changed clothes we had to hear what she was wearing, down to her jewelry and nail polish choice. As well as every other character. I DON’T CARE WHAT YOU’RE WEARING! If it’s not relevant to the story, and doesn’t drive the plot forwards, why waste my time?

Speaking of the story, after the promising opening, it slowed. It didn’t pick up again until almost halfway through. The beginning was us being told how much Caitlin loves Liam despite him making sexist comments and basically kind of being a jerk in my opinion. All while she’s dating this AMAZING guy she met in the club, Patrick, who was sweet, kind, caring, fun and most importantly, ALIVE.

I don’t want to give the whole story away, so I’ll be vague here. Basically, everything is tied up all pretty with a bow with our heroine basically having to do nothing at all, things just fell into place. The “villain” backed down in about two seconds. And Caitlin reacted like Bella in Twilight when Edward left her. At least Bella had the excuse of having had an intense relationship with Edward, whereas Caitlin knew Liam about a week. She was a complete drama queen and I never bought the romance for one second.

The ending…. Let’s just say there’s suspense of belief in fiction, and then there’s scoffing at the absurdity of what the author wants us to believe.

In all, I feel Cox has potential as an author, but this story didn’t work. There wasn’t enough of a plot to work with – it actually felt like most of the beginning was added as filler to make the book longer—and though she tried to build a romance between Caitlin and Liam, it just didn’t work. I didn’t believe it. When the characters act one way and the other characters don’t react reasonably, it just doesn’t work for me.

Ultimately, I’d say skip this one. If another book by this author appears on NetGalley I’d give it a shot, but I won’t expect much.