Review: Left Drowning by Jessica Park

Left Drowning
By: Jessica Park
Publisher: Skyscape
Published: July 16, 2013
Genre: New Adult Romance
Rating:

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Weighted down by the loss of her parents, Blythe McGuire struggles to keep her head above water as she trudges through her last year at Matthews College. Then a chance meeting sends Blythe crashing into something she doesn’t expect—an undeniable attraction to a dark-haired senior named Chris Shepherd, whose past may be even more complicated than her own. As their relationship deepens, Chris pulls Blythe out of the stupor she’s been in since the night a fire took half her family. She begins to heal, and even, haltingly, to love this guy who helps her find new paths to pleasure and self-discovery. But as Blythe moves into calmer waters, she realizes Chris is the one still strangled by his family’s traumatic history. As dark currents threaten to pull him under, Blythe may be the only person who can keep him from drowning.

 

 

 

Blythe's parents have been dead for four years but she still blames herself for her parents deaths. She's been in a drunken stupor since then and finds that the alcohol makes the pain go away. However, that all changes when she meets a strange guy in a coffee shop. He drinks her coffee, talks circles around her until she's confused and then invites her to his play. Then right after that she goes to the beach and bumps into a hot guy skipping stones on the water. After hours hanging out on the beach she blurts out how her parents are dead and he responds with the fact that his mother is dead as well. This is where the beautiful romance begins.

I liked the idea of the story but unfortunately, some parts were way to fast paced while others were drawn out. For instance, I feel like Blythe's darkness wasn't portrayed enough. The story starts with her stumbling up to her dorm room plastered out of her mind. She calls her brother who is clearly not surprised by his sisters behavior and even seems to dislike her to a degree. So you get the sense that she is a train wreck and has some deep issues. However, the next morning she wakes up, meets these two guys, goes to a play and totally does a 180. She went from having no friends except for a bottle of vodka to a group of friends within a day. It's as if the beginning never happened. I would have liked to have seen a bit more of the dark Blythe with a slower transition into the happy Blythe.

The Shepherd characters were engaging if not a little bizarre... okay a lot bizarre. Their mannerisms, the way they interact with each other and pretty much everything about them was not normal. However, when you get towards the end of the book and you are caught up with their full background, and then you start to understand their personalities a bit better.

There weren't a lot of surprises in this one for me. I pretty much knew what was going on towards the beginning. The only thing that was different from normal new adult (broken h/H, H who isn't "boyfriend material", lots of sex) is that the secondary characters were a crazy (in a coo-coo way) bunch. Other then that, this book follows what now seems to be the new adult pattern. I wish there was more to it than that, but after Blythe masturbates to the memory of Chris a couple of times and they lock themselves in a hotel room for 5 straight days to boink, the only thing I could think of was "she must have a vagina of steel". There is no way I could do the horizontal tango multiple times in a day on the day I toss my "V card" out the window. It makes my hoo-ha hurt just thinking about it.

Aside from the predictability, the new adult "color in the lines" plot and all the sex that a prostitute can handle, the story was good. I would have liked more depth to the story but in the end it was still an enjoyable read.

"Rum. I hate rum. Nobody should like rum. The only time rum should be consumed is at a tropical resort. And then you have to have those asshole little umbrellas and mini plastic swords that hold fucking fruit chunks."

 

Review: White Trash Beautiful by Teresa Mummert

White Trash Beautiful
(White Trash Trilogy, #1)
By: Teresa Mummert
Publisher: Gallery Books
Release Date: July 9, 2012
Genre: New Adult
Rating:


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Cass Daniels isn’t waiting for her knight in shining armor. She knows that girls like her don’t get a happily ever after. Not if you live in a trailer with your mom, work at a greasy spoon diner, and get leered at by old men. Maybe that’s why she puts up with Jackson—her poor excuse for a boyfriend, who treats her like dirt. Cass has learned to accept her lot in life. That is, until he walks into her diner. . . .

His name is Tucker White, and he’s different from any man Cass has ever known. Tall, tattooed, and bad-ass gorgeous, he’s the lead singer of the rock band Damaged. From the moment they meet, Tucker sees something in Cass he just can’t shake. Something beautiful. Something haunted. Something special. And he’s determined to find out what it is—if only he can get her to open up and let him in. 

Cass has been dealt a nasty hand in life. After her father left her and her mother to fend for themselves, she found herself living in a trailer park, working at the local diner barely making ends meet, with a heroine addicted mother and boyfriend. But everything changes when a new guy shows up at the diner. Not only is he nice and good looking but he continues to come back to the diner to see her. Pretty soon she finds herself swept up in the Cinderella fairy tale.

Cass was definitely an interesting character. She has a lot of fight left in her considering how long she's been dealing with the abuse and I don't mean being surrounded by addicts. Her boyfriend beats her and always talks down to her. She pushes it off as the drugs talking but deep down she knows that without him willing to get help and change, he will never be the guy that she originally fell in love with. So when Tucker shows up and genuinely seems to care about her even though he doesn't even know her, she latches onto that little bit of hope.

Tucker was also an interesting character. We get to see him through Cass' eyes. When he comes into the diner he immediately recognizes Cass as someone who is in need of help. It doesn't help when her boyfriend starts man-handling her for money right there in the diner. So he makes it a point to keep coming back so that he can keep an eye on her. He takes it upon himself to be her protector.

"I know what it's like, Cass, to feel like nobody gives a shit about you. I also know that sometimes we need someone else to make us feel like we're worth something... to make us feel special, you know."

I really enjoyed this story. I can't say that I was overly surprised by what takes place in this book but it was a pleasure to read. I'm pretty excited that this is part of a series since I would love to know more of Cass' story. Not only that but I will definitely be checking out the author's other books. I like her simplistic writing style. She doesn't try to dazzle the readers with crazy descriptions or fancy words that you need a dictionary for. 

"If I wanted to get my life together, I needed to be my own white knight for once." -Cass

Excerpt & Giveaway: Zombie, Incorporated by Jill Elaine Hughes

Zombie, Incorporated
By: Jill Elaine Hughes
Publisher: Hackberry Books
Published: March 25, 2013
Genre: New Adult/ Paranormal

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Eighteen-year-old Katie Allred is socially awkward and unpopular at school. The only child of parents who had her right out of high school, Katie is herself about to leave the nest, even though she hardly feels ready.

Katie’s new after-school job at the Zimble Box Corporation draws her into the complex social strata of high school cliques and backstabbing friends in ways she never imagined. Katie soon discovers there’s something very strange about the “in” crowd at school---and about her employer, too. Shortly after starting her new job, the Contagion breaks out, plunging her town and the entire nation into chaos as zombie shadow forces come out into the open, ravaging the streets. Katie goes into hiding and her parents disappear, along with almost everyone else she knows.

But Katie soon discovers she has special powers that help her survive. She’s a Beacon, someone with the innate ability to help zombies produce children. It’s a power her employer — and what little remains of the U.S. government — both want to exploit for their own ends. Not only that, it runs in her family---which has a secret past Katie never knew about until now.

Enter Agent Morehouse of the FBI Special Zombie Control Unit. A reformed zombie working undercover, he suppresses his urge to eat human flesh in order to serve and save humanity. But Agent Morehouse can’t help but be attracted to a Beacon like Katie, and she to him. Even as they fight zombies the world over, they must fight their intense attraction to each other, hoping to keep Katie from suffering Agent Morehouse’s terrible zombie fate.

I froze. Nobody had ever kissed me before. I didn’t know what to do. I’d often wondered what my first kiss would be like. (Yeah, I was eighteen and never been kissed. Talk about a late bloomer). And you can sure as hell bet that I never once would have guessed that my first kiss ever (especially with tongue) would come courtesy of Steve Bosch, the most popular guy at school at an exclusive invitation-only party at Lily Carmichael’s house.

Wow, I had hit the ‘in’ crowd jackpot. This really was too good to be true. All I could think about was what I might have done to bring this incredible chain of events about—and I was totally at a loss.

So we made out on the bean bag for a few minutes. I was scared at first, but Steve was really sweet and patient, and eventually I seemed to get the hang of things. I relaxed a bit and even let my mouth open a little so Steve could get his tongue all the way inside. I didn’t really tongue him back, just let him explore my mouth as he liked and enjoyed the sensations. My whole body felt warm and tingly, and I started breathing hard. I remembered from our Sex Ed unit in Health Class that this was all normal when it came to this sort of thing, but I’d never really made out with a boy before, so it still felt strange. Wonderfully strange.

But when Steve reached under my blouse to grab my boobs, I put on the brakes. I pulled away from him abruptly and turned to face the wall. “I’d rather you didn’t do that,” I heard myself say.

Steve bit his lip and looked sheepish. “Sorry,” he said in a small voice. “I thought you would like it.”

I shrugged. “Maybe next time.” I tried to sound nonchalant, like I made that kind of remark to hot popular boys trying to feel me up every other day or something, but I just ended up sounding stupid.

But Steve seemed to take it in stride. “That’s cool,” he said. “I like a girl who takes her time with things.” He reached over and patted me softly on the back of the hand. “Do you want another beer? Or maybe some food? If you’re hungry I can go see what they have.”

This day just got weirder and weirder. Just when I thought Steve was going to ditch me and find some other more attractive and popular girl to make out with, he started waiting on me hand and foot. And I was sort of hungry. I’d forgotten my lunch money that day at school so I’d only eaten a few leftover tater tots from somebody else’s plate since breakfast. “Sure, I’ll eat something,” I said.

“Cool. What do you like to eat?”

I shrugged again. “Oh, anything I guess. I’m not picky.”

Steve smiled again and left the room, giving my shoulder an affectionate squeeze first. I glanced around the room and saw that most of the other necking couples had disappeared, and the loud music that had been blaring from somewhere in the house when we arrived was gone, too. Plus the room seemed a lot darker than before. I glanced out the only window and saw that the sun was almost down.

Gee, time really flies when you’re having fun, I thought to myself with a chuckle. I glanced at my watch and saw that almost two hours had passed while Steve and I were sucking face. Boy, no wonder people were so into making out—it was more entertaining than going to the movies.

I unwedged myself from the beanbag and tried to figure out what the hell was going on. How long had I been there, exactly? And what had happened to everybody else? God only knew where Stacey had disappeared to, or if she was even still here at all. I thought about going off to look for her, but then how would Steve find me when he came back with the food? Would Steve come back at all? Or was he just messing with my head and this whole thing was some sort of sick joke perpetrated by the popular kids onto lowlifes with no social standing like me?

Just as I was weighing the merits of sticking around to see what happened next versus making a mad dash for home, Steve reappeared, carrying two Styrofoam dinner plates. “There wasn’t much left,” he said. “Looks like we missed most of the good stuff while we were, um, you know.”

He handed me my plate, and reached around to take two more beers that he’d stuffed in his back jeans pockets. It was the same beer as last time—Busch Light— but the food was, well, not like anything I’d ever seen before.

 I'm an independent author of New Adult (mature YA, 18-26) fiction as well as a full-time freelance journalist based in Chicago. I've contributed to the Chicago Tribune, Washington Post, Chicago Reader and many magazines as a journalist over the past 15 years.  And like most New Adult fiction authors these days, I've gone the self-publishing route for my work since most publishers haven't caught up to the readership trends in this emerging shelf category. My writing is usually laced with humor and also often has sexual and/or dystopian elements.

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Review: Torn by K.A. Robinson

Torn
(Torn, #1)
By: K.A. Robinson
Publisher: Atria Publishing
Published: May 7, 2013
Genre: New Adult
Rating:


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Chloe hasn't had the best life. With a mother who is gone more often than not, she has had to raise herself. After graduating high school, she leaves to start a new life away at West Virginia University with her best friends Amber and Logan, determined to leave her demons in the past.

On her first day, she meets a stranger who takes her breath away at first sight. Until she met Drake, no one had ever sparked her interest. Now this tattooed and pierced bad boy is all she can think about, no matter how hard she fights it.

Falling for Drake was never part of her plans, but when it happens, things seem to do anything but fall into place.

Dealing with a tragic past, Drake has never cared about anyone else but himself and his band. But when Chloe takes the empty seat next to him in class, things start to change. Instantly drawn to her, he begins to wonder if one girl can take a cold hearted womanizer and change every part of him?

Long hidden feelings are revealed and friendships tested to the brink.

Chloe's mother resented her for being born. At a very young age, Chloe learned to fend for herself. So, now that she's finally free to start over in college, she finds herself in the center of a major drama bomb. Her best friend is in love with her, the sexy lead singer from the local rock band is giving her mixed signals and her mom decides to try to pop back into her life.

This story read a lot like Beautiful Disaster for me. Which wasn't a bad thing since I really enjoyed that story. But if that story wasn't for you, then you may want to skip this one. The writing style is similar in the fact that it's very simplistic and straight forward. There's no fancy writing to woo the reader into another world. Another similarity are the main characters. Chloe is a girl who's trying to start their college experience in a fresh new light when she meets the mysterious bad boy who is a total man whore. Now granted Drake is the lead singer of the popular local rock band, everyone knows who he is, and every chick wants to do him. Heck, there is even a reference to "Mr. Maddox" when one of the character's are reading a book. So yeah, there were a lot of similarities.

The one thing that irritated me about this story was Chloe. She ping pongs between her best friend Logan and Drake. Back and forth it went, throughout the whole story. A little angst is always welcomed in a story but I am not a fan of love triangles. At the beginning when we meet Logan, I instantly knew that he was in love with her.

"He pulled me into a tight hug. 'Don't ever worry about that Chloe, you will always have me. We will be old and gray and still together.'

I hugged him back. 'I'm glad. Hopefully my future husband and your future wife won't mind us being permanently attached to each other.'

His face grew tight at my words and I looked at him in confusion. 'What'd I say?'

His face quickly relaxed and he smiled at me. 'Nothing, I was just thinking that you will never find a guy good enough to be your husband.'"

Then when she picks between the two of them, she constantly finds herself going back to the other one. God, I really wanted to smack the girl. I'm not one for cheating or that uncomfortable on the edge of cheating. Eeeesh

Aside from the whole uncomfortable parts, I did enjoy this story, a lot. I fell in love with the characters (minus Chloe) and was really invested in their story. I loved that the author has very simplistic writing style. Plus, I loved the rock references, since I myself, am a fan of that genre of music. So when Chloe requests that Drake and his band play a cover of Theory of a Deadman's "Gentleman", I was mentally cheering on the authors choice of music.

"When you give a girl respect
Treat her like she is the best
You're nothing to her
She'd rather have you playing games
Piss her off and make her wait
If you want to do her

Girls don't want a gentleman
They say they do but in the end
Girls don't want a gentleman
They want a loser like me
Girls don't want a gentleman
If you want to get to them
Girls don't want a gentleman
They want a loser like me"   



I don't know if the author could have chosen a better song to have Drake sing. I mean, she really hit the nail on the head and I feel like this should be the theme song to a ton of NA books that are out. These girls are always attracted to the bad boys but resist their advances until the guy decides to stud around and then the girl's are like "Why are you always sleeping with all these girls!? Don't you care about me?" Ahh... it drives me nuts.

Will I be picking up the seconds book to this story? Hell yeah!

"Not that I was the type to fall for the body-modification, bad-boy type-despite my own appearance-but this guy could have worn his hair dyed pink and in pigtails and pulled it off looking hot."

 

Review: A Midsummer's Nightmare by Kody Keplinger

A Midsummer's Nightmare
By: Kody Keplinger
Publisher: Poppy
Published: June 5, 2012
Genre: New Adult
Rating:


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Whitley Johnson's dream summer with her divorcé dad has turned into a nightmare. She's just met his new fiancée and her kids. The fiancée's son? Whitley's one-night stand from graduation night. Just freakin' great.

Worse, she totally doesn't fit in with her dad's perfect new country-club family. So Whitley acts out. She parties. Hard. So hard she doesn't even notice the good things right under her nose: a sweet little future stepsister who is just about the only person she's ever liked, a best friend (even though Whitley swears she doesn't "do" friends), and a smoking-hot guy who isn't her stepbrother...at least, not yet. It will take all three of them to help Whitley get through her anger and begin to put the pieces of her family together.

Yup, Kody is one of my favorite authors. I don't care what that chick writes, I'll read it. She keeps the teen scene real. She doesn't write her characters the way that society thinks they should be written, she writes them the way that teens are. She even gives her characters real life issues who do really stupid things. I LOVE Kody's writing.

Okay now that my author gushing is out of the way, lets talk about Whitley. Whitley has some serious daddy complex issues. Her parents got divorced when she was young and she never sees her father, except during the summer months. Her mother never remarried and her brother moved away and got married so there was never a male figure in her life. She doesn't realize that she has any issues though, to her, life is a bunch of drunken nights and hookups. Her mom doesn't care about what she does and it isn't until she finds herself meeting her father's new family that she realizes what a difference a "family" can make.

I like that the author gave Nate some struggles of his own. After his father passed away, Nate took to drinking and drugs. He was out of control for a few years and it isn't until he hooked up with a chick who totally brushes him off the next morning that he realizes that his partying isn't so great anymore. Then the poor guy gets kicked in the balls when he meets his soon to be step-dad's daughter, the one and only "bang & bounce", Whitley. (okay I totally made up the whole bang & bounce, that's not her nickname) So now he's saddled for the summer with the chick who totally blew him off after they slept together and to make matters worse, her crazy party ways are having a negative impact on his 13 year old sister.

The cast of characters were awesome in this book. I thought the secondary characters were great, from the gay friend who wasn't your typical stereotypical "gay guy" in a book (You know what I'm talking about) to the younger sister who is excited to have an older sister and looks up to Whitley and even the step-mom who is trying to be attentive and make Whitley feel comfortable in her new environment. Very rarely to I like ALL of the extra characters in a story but I did with this one.

It seems like sex is a huge theme with Kody. The DUFF was a girl who has sex with the guy who called her the "designated ugly fat friend", Shut Out was a jock chick who gets her team members and friends to withhold sex from their boyfriends for the season, and then of course this one with Whitley who is so majorly messed up and out of control. However, with all the other stories, the characters see their ways, right the wrongs and they get a HEA. In this case, it took her scandalous behavior being broadcast via a Facebook group page in order for her to see how wild she'd become.

Yes there is a lot of drinking that takes place in this story but the author shows the consequences of such behavior. She didn't sugar coat what happens due to Whitley's partying. She always shows the fall out to everything that happens in her books. This is a great book and I cannot wait to see what she comes out with next.

I'm sure everyone is going to say that they like Harrison but the moment that Whitley sat down at The Nest (teen club) and starts flirting with with him, I liked him instantly and hoped that he was in the story. Thank you Kody for keeping him around because he was hilarious! For instance the scene at the club...

He shook his head and looked down the bar. "Joe!" he called. "Hey, Honey, can you get the pretty girl a coke?"
"Only if you stop calling me honey," the bartender, a bearded man in his thirties, replied. "We've had this discussion before, Harrison."
"Aw, Joe. It's so cute that you think I listen."
The bartender poured some Coke into a glass and slid it toward me. Harrison winked and handed the cash to Joe, who rolled his eyes before walking back to the other end of the bar, where more customers waited.
"He hates it when I flirt with him, Harrison whispered to me. "Which just makes it funnier."

Excerpt & Giveaway: In Spades by K. Pinson

In Spades
(Mirrored, #1)
By: K. Pinson
Publisher: Self-published
Published: April 15, 2013
Genre: New Adult

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Avalynn has been running from her past for a couple of years now....never very far but always extremely fast. With an alcoholic father, a void of a mother and a town full of gossip, she struggles to find her place in the world.The only thing that saved her on her path of self destruction is her beautiful little sister, her miracle. Desperately trying to save Abby from a life that Avalynn has been trying so hard to escape from, she plots to take Abby away.The plan going dangerously astray, leaving Avalynn beaten and broken in what once was the hallway mirror in her childhood home. Avalynn finally comes to in the hospital after nearly being beaten to death. Father-Dead, Mother-Missing, Abby-In foster care--Everything changing in the blink of an eye.

Avalynn immediately sets to work to get her life in order , receive custody of precious Abby and focusing every ounce of attention, giving Abby the the life she deserves. Avalynn, now a 22 year old Elementary School Teacher and New Mommy, struggling to raise a beautiful and feisty five year old whom was just diagnosed with Mild Autism Disorder. Lots of challenges for her to face in the midst. Avalynn is ready to go at them all head on if it means Abby is raised in a happy and healthy home. Abby is the only thing she cares about...not even caring about herself or her life...that is...until she meets him. The man that can shatter her entire world with one glance. Their relationship a roller coaster ride from start to finish. One that Avalynn never wants to get off of..but she may not have a choice. Her happily ever after coming to a screeching halt yet again. Heartbreak, love, loss and hope--This story has it all, In Spades.

His hands were now working their way down my spine and lingering around my hips, massaging with his calloused hands. I loved every second of this attention. My body was tingling all over. I was losing all train of thought. My worries drifting miles away.

“You have no idea the effect you have on me.” The words slipped from my loose lips. I was so zoned out from the wonderful massage I was getting, the only thing I wanted to do was take him back to my bedroom.

“Good to know I just have to give you a massage to get you to loosen up. I’ll remember how easy you are.” He told me in a playful tone.

I scoffed and reached back to swat at him. I gave him my best mad face and before I knew it, he had me thrown over his shoulder and heading straight towards my bedroom. He was constantly surprising me with how he knew his way around my house like he belonged here. I squealed and my hair whipped around my face at the sudden rush of air. I felt instantly childlike and happy. He threw me down on the bed and rushed to close the door. He strides towards me, almost doing what would I would visualize a male model to do on the runaway. A cocky smirk touching the corners of his lips. I laughed out loud when he started dancing around my room and lifting up the bottom of his shirt showing off the V he had and teasing me. I threw my hand over my mouth to keep myself quiet so I wouldn’t wake Abby. But my stomach was hurting so bad, shaking the bed with laughter.

“I told you what would happen if you gave me the mad face.” He teased, smiling.

“Well I didn’t realize you were going to go all caveman style on me. Me Jane, you Tarzan!” I cracked up at my own joke and he shook his head in amusement.

“Only you would laugh at your own joke. You’re such a nerd.” He laughed.

I scowled at him. I hated being a called a nerd. It was my biggest pet peeve. I felt as if he was putting me in the friend zone instantly and it totally cooled down my sexual overdrive. He laughed at the look on my face and lunged himself on the bed next to me. Lying flat on his back, making himself comfortable. I’m pretty positive he enjoyed pissing me off. I rolled over and leaned onto my elbow to study his face up close. He had a dark shadow lining his perfect jaw, still in the stubble stage. He was scruffy and I loved it. His tan skin was as smooth as it could be with the exception of the hair. He had no flaws or imperfections. Unlike my own scarred skin. I ran my hand over his cheek and down his jaw. He sucked in a deep breath and closed his eyes tight. It seemed as if he was fighting every shred of self-control he had left. But,I wanted him to lose it. I loved when he took control. I wasn’t the take control type of girl. At least not in this facet of life. I loved to have control over my own destiny and the life that Abby would have, what I was building for her. But as far as relationships went, both emotionally and physically, I was shy, reserved and completely in the backseat. I needed to be steered in the right direction or else I would drive off a cliff. I had never been very good about explaining my emotions and feelings. I consistently kept everything bottled up. It was easier that way. Not having to deal. Just going through the motions. I liked it that way, past tense. I even confused myself.

I am 22 years young. I live in a small, farm town. I love to read, write and sing. I am an assistant manager for an assisted living program. I have high hopes to get my degree in Music Therapy as I enjoy helping people. I have a crazy cockapoo dog that I consider my bratty child. I'm from MI born and raised, never really traveled anywhere else but would love to someday.

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Review: Dragonfly by Leigh T. Moore

Dragonfly
By: Leigh T. Moore
Publisher: Self-published
Release Date: June 6, 2013
Genre: New Adult/Romance
Rating:


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Three bad things I learned this year:
-People you trust lie, even parents.
-That hot guy, the one who’s totally into you, he might not be the one.
-Things are not always how they appear.

Three good things I learned this year:
-Best friends are always there for you, even when they’re far away.
-That other hot guy, the one who remembers your birthday, he just might be the one.
-Oh, and things are not always how they appear.
Anna Sanders expected an anonymous (and uneventful) senior year until she crossed paths with rich-and-sexy Jack Kyser and his twin sister Lucy.

Pulling Anna into their extravagant lifestyle on the Gulf Coast, Lucy pushed Anna outside her comfort zone, and Jack showed her feelings she’d never experienced... Until he mysteriously withdrew.

Anna turned to her internship at the city paper and to her old attraction for Julian, a handsome local artist and rising star, for distraction. But both led to her discovery of a decades-old secret closely guarded by the twins’ distant, single father.

A secret that could permanently change all their lives.

Anna's best friend moves away, leaving Anna to finish her senior year without her. However, she finds herself not only gaining the attention of the gorgeous rich twins, Jack and Lucy, but the hottest guy in school, Julian. Meanwhile, she discovers that there is a secret behind Lucy and Jack's father, one that no one wants let loose.

I was really enjoying this story in the beginning. I mean, Anna finds herself swept off her feet by Jack and Lucy. However, I wasn't a fan of Jack at all. Sure, at first he was charming but he would pull Anna close one day and then push her away the next. After the third time, I was pretty irritated with Anna. She kept going back to him. He would dump her, find someone else and the second he showed her the time of day, she was putty in his hands. Meanwhile, Julian is always there to pick up the pieces and to tell her that he's there for her and will wait for her until she gets Jack out of her system.

"One wouldn't give me a chance, but the other was only waiting for a chance."

Aside from the whole back and forth relationship between Anna & Jack and Anna & Julian, Anna is also working for the school paper. She decides to do a piece on Julian and his sculptures and then later on decides to do some sleuthing when it comes to Jack's father and Julian's mother. I think at this point, I was pretty much done with Anna. She started off with such a good head on her shoulders but all of a sudden was snooping around, looking up personal records and harassing Julian's mother and Jack's father. At one point Julian's mother tells her to stop and Anna just continues to keep pushing.

"I don't know what you're thinking, but just stop right there."
"That's enough!"
"You don't seem to listen."

I think if Anna acted a little bit more mature I would've enjoyed the story so much more but at a certain point, I just couldn't excuse her behavior any longer. I still enjoyed the story but Anna has a lot of growing to do. 

"I exhaled, and was I stood staring far out at the horizon, I wished something exciting would happen to me. Just once. Something to take my mind off the monotony or at least make my life a little more exciting."