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3.83 AVERAGE
3.83 AVERAGE
While I enjoyed the premise of this story, I didn't enjoy the execution, nor the love story really at all. The tension felt very surface-level and the depth of characters weren't explored in a meaningful way.
EDIT: I TOTALLY forgot about this until right now, but I am lowering in my review to 1 star because an adorable dog who is rescued from drowning by the main characters after it was thrown in a sealed box into a lake is THEN shot and put down. WAS THE DOG ONLY IN THE BOOK TO BE TORTURED AND KILLED TO DELIVER THE PLOT??
EDIT: I TOTALLY forgot about this until right now, but I am lowering in my review to 1 star
3.5 Stars!
REBLOG @ TUMBLR {X}
While this didn't become an instant Katie McGarry favorite of mine, it still ended up being an enjoyable read. Drix and Elle were really cute together. I liked their back and forth banter when they were getting to know each other and once they were together as well. And I loved seeing how two people from two different worlds could understand each other so well. They both were basically going through the same thing, just in different ways. They went through some serious self discovery. Elle trying to find herself again after being under her parent's thumb for so long. And Drix trying to discover who he is after being someone else in the eyes of the public. It was great to see them both going on their separate journeys but also helping each other along the way. They were captivating and interesting protagonists as were the supporting characters in the story. I kind of hope we get a book for some of Drix's family and friends - Dominic, Marcus, and Holiday in particular. But, if we only get this one book I'd be okay. Once again, Katie provides me with a touching and heartfelt young adult contemporary romance. I always like how her characters go through real world problems. Stuff that we do need to shed light on in order to help our youth succeed. Her stories are emotionally gripping and leave you feeling something by the end. In this case I felt hopeful. I felt hopeful for Elle and Drix's futures. I was satisfied with how everything worked itself out and how both Elle and Drix grew as characters from start to finish.
I would definitely recommend giving this book a go if you're into young adult contemporary romance! Especially if you love the forbidden romance / star-crossed lovers trope!
“For the rest of my life, I will always be the guy who robbed a convenience store. I will always be my past. I will always be my mistakes. I will never be anything more.”
“That’s not true!” I exclaim. “You’re more than that. You’re so much more!”
“And only five other people see that. I’m changed because of your dad, but I’m also damned because of your dad. I will always be the mistake.”
“You are not a mistake!”
Drix swears and my lower lip trembles. He strides around the car, and I expect him to keep walking, past me and into the house, but he doesn’t. Instead, he gathers me into his arms. One hand pressed against my back, the other guides my head into his chest. I collapse into him, holding on as tight as I can because he needs me and I need him. We need each other.
“I don’t know how to fix this,” I whisper, “but we’re stronger together, Drix. I promise we are. Please don’t give up on us. Please don’t give up on yourself.”
“I don’t know,” he says into my hair. “I don’t know where to go from here. I don’t know how to be the man you deserve when we can’t even be seen together in public. I don’t know who I am, especially when I’m never going to be anything more than who I was.”
REBLOG @ TUMBLR {X}
While this didn't become an instant Katie McGarry favorite of mine, it still ended up being an enjoyable read. Drix and Elle were really cute together. I liked their back and forth banter when they were getting to know each other and once they were together as well. And I loved seeing how two people from two different worlds could understand each other so well. They both were basically going through the same thing, just in different ways. They went through some serious self discovery. Elle trying to find herself again after being under her parent's thumb for so long. And Drix trying to discover who he is after being someone else in the eyes of the public. It was great to see them both going on their separate journeys but also helping each other along the way. They were captivating and interesting protagonists as were the supporting characters in the story. I kind of hope we get a book for some of Drix's family and friends - Dominic, Marcus, and Holiday in particular. But, if we only get this one book I'd be okay. Once again, Katie provides me with a touching and heartfelt young adult contemporary romance. I always like how her characters go through real world problems. Stuff that we do need to shed light on in order to help our youth succeed. Her stories are emotionally gripping and leave you feeling something by the end. In this case I felt hopeful. I felt hopeful for Elle and Drix's futures. I was satisfied with how everything worked itself out and how both Elle and Drix grew as characters from start to finish.
I would definitely recommend giving this book a go if you're into young adult contemporary romance! Especially if you love the forbidden romance / star-crossed lovers trope!
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
A very beautiful book with a beautiful message. I don't really think this book might be for everyone since I think it is kind of cheesy at times, but I would still recommend it and encourage people to give it a try. The plot twists were predictable but I enjoyed the book and every page of it.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Drug use
Minor: Alcoholism
This is about discovering who you are and standing up for what you believe in. It’s not easy, by any stretch of the imagination, but your life will be better once you realize this. It’s also about family and all the disfunction that goes along with it. But it’s also about how, no matter what you do, your family should stick by you.
I’ll admit, I was STRESSED as I was reading. This actually had a bit angst. But it was so worth it.
As I’ve said before, Katie is the queen of the YA/coming of age books. Brilliant and emotional. I loved every moment.
I received an arc for an honest review.
I’ll admit, I was STRESSED as I was reading. This actually had a bit angst. But it was so worth it.
As I’ve said before, Katie is the queen of the YA/coming of age books. Brilliant and emotional. I loved every moment.
I received an arc for an honest review.
DNF no rating. I found it very middle grade in terms of the narrative voices. The story didn't draw me in. It just didn't work for me.
Another wonderful book from Katie McGarry! I can always depend on McGarry for a rather emotional story filled with characters I grow to love, but she also gave me a lot to think about with one. I loved Drix and Elle, adored Drix's "family", and really appreciated the messages built into the story.
Full review to follow.
ARC received in exchange for an honest review.
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Full review to follow.
ARC received in exchange for an honest review.
BLOG | INSTAGRAM | BLOGLOVIN | FRIEND ME ON GOODREADS
4.5 stars... nearly perfect!
It's been ages since I've read a straight up contemporary romance, without a gimmick or a twist, no bells or whistles. And it was exactly what I needed! I devoured it within two evening sittings. Katie McGarry is my go-to for sweet romances without all the teen angst. I could feel the characters' frustration, but it didn't have the same hormone-driven desperation that you find in a lot of teen love stories. Entirely clean, McGarry proves that you don't need sex or swears to create a swoon-worthy story that will appeal to both teens and adults.
The chapters are split between Elle and Drix, star-crossed (or is it politically-crossed?) lovers who meet through the Second Chance Program. Elle's father is the governor, and is trying out a new program to help rehabilitate teens who have committed crimes. Drix was handpicked to be the poster boy, shown to be compassionate and a natural leader. What they don't know is that Drix, though a womanizer and a drug user, was wrongfully convicted of the crime. It's hard to properly judge how his character changed, since we jump into the story after the Program has already finished and don't get any flashbacks to his past behavior. I definitely adored his rehabilitated character though! I felt so much sympathy and compassion for him, for his dedication to his family, even when that meant getting a raw deal.
Elle was also a character I could sympathize with. Her parents keep such a tight leash on her, constantly making her decisions for her "best interests", when really it's more about keeping up appropriate political appearances. I was so frustrated for her! I wanted her to just tell everyone where to shove their well-meaning choices for her future. What I loved about the alternating chapters is that they never felt wasted. Sometimes when a book alternates chapters like this, it feels imbalanced, where a chapter is slipped in for the sake of going back and forth, but the scene feels pointless and empty, like a token. However, when McGarry does it, the voices and scenes fall into a kind of harmony, giving me the inner voice I need most in that scene.
A copy of this book was provided in exchange for an honest review.
It's been ages since I've read a straight up contemporary romance, without a gimmick or a twist, no bells or whistles. And it was exactly what I needed! I devoured it within two evening sittings. Katie McGarry is my go-to for sweet romances without all the teen angst. I could feel the characters' frustration, but it didn't have the same hormone-driven desperation that you find in a lot of teen love stories. Entirely clean, McGarry proves that you don't need sex or swears to create a swoon-worthy story that will appeal to both teens and adults.
The chapters are split between Elle and Drix, star-crossed (or is it politically-crossed?) lovers who meet through the Second Chance Program. Elle's father is the governor, and is trying out a new program to help rehabilitate teens who have committed crimes. Drix was handpicked to be the poster boy, shown to be compassionate and a natural leader. What they don't know is that Drix, though a womanizer and a drug user, was wrongfully convicted of the crime. It's hard to properly judge how his character changed, since we jump into the story after the Program has already finished and don't get any flashbacks to his past behavior. I definitely adored his rehabilitated character though! I felt so much sympathy and compassion for him, for his dedication to his family, even when that meant getting a raw deal.
Elle was also a character I could sympathize with. Her parents keep such a tight leash on her, constantly making her decisions for her "best interests", when really it's more about keeping up appropriate political appearances. I was so frustrated for her! I wanted her to just tell everyone where to shove their well-meaning choices for her future. What I loved about the alternating chapters is that they never felt wasted. Sometimes when a book alternates chapters like this, it feels imbalanced, where a chapter is slipped in for the sake of going back and forth, but the scene feels pointless and empty, like a token. However, when McGarry does it, the voices and scenes fall into a kind of harmony, giving me the inner voice I need most in that scene.
A copy of this book was provided in exchange for an honest review.
Rating: 1.5
I wanted to like this book. By the cover and synopsis alone, I went in with pretty good expectations and came out of it so horribly bored.
My first issue: Elle wants to take coding classes. That's great! I just hated the way the author tossed that in there to make her appear nerdy/smart/whatever and then....nothing. It doesn't go anywhere. It annoys me more than it should that it was a big deal to her and then it just pretty much gets forgotten about. She could've mentioned to her parents that the classes can help her with her father's campaign, or his program, or anything else he's got going on politically. It bothers me waaaay more than it shouldn't that she didn't try.
I was a bit bothered by how much Elle seemed to worship her father. Every time she called him a hero or told Drix he's "saving the world" I couldn't help but roll my eyes. Maybe I'd feel the same way if he wasn't such an asshole. He's given me no reason to agree with Elle's opinion or even to see it from her perspective. Also I had a great laugh at the fact that she was surprised that people in politics were dirty. Like ??? Girl, everyone knows politicians are dirty. You’re the daughter of a politician, that shouldn’t even be a surprise. You should know how it works.
I think I impulsively cringed every time they made a remark about how mature she was being. Which I guess makes sense in retrospect because she is pretty childish.
She also seemed to have grown a spine as soon as she realized she was 18. It was like a switch was flipped and it put me off. I didn’t even enjoy her telling her parents off. Her parent’s reactions weren’t even believable to me.
Drix was marginally at better character. But at 17, it seemed like he lived a nonstop rock star lifestyle. I don’t know when he had time to sleep to be honest. It was beyond the realm of believability for me for him to have done everything he claimed to and only be 17/18 years old. It would’ve made more sense if Elle and Drix were college aged.
That's it really.
I got spoiled aboutwhat happens to the dog and my first reaction was “Why am I not surprised?” Seriously though, you put that dog through so much trauma and then have the nerve to kill it off? Really? That’s a bit much for a YA contemporary romance novel, man. Not to mention that it served absolutely no purpose whatsoever. Now that I think about it, you could've had Drix get shot (not killed obviously) and achieve more of a purpose storytelling-wise.
The pacing is terrible, I was bored throughout most of it, and I just honestly didn’t care about how it ended.
Nice cover though. It’s got that going for it.
I wanted to like this book. By the cover and synopsis alone, I went in with pretty good expectations and came out of it so horribly bored.
My first issue: Elle wants to take coding classes. That's great! I just hated the way the author tossed that in there to make her appear nerdy/smart/whatever and then....nothing. It doesn't go anywhere. It annoys me more than it should that it was a big deal to her and then it just pretty much gets forgotten about. She could've mentioned to her parents that the classes can help her with her father's campaign, or his program, or anything else he's got going on politically. It bothers me waaaay more than it shouldn't that she didn't try.
I was a bit bothered by how much Elle seemed to worship her father. Every time she called him a hero or told Drix he's "saving the world" I couldn't help but roll my eyes. Maybe I'd feel the same way if he wasn't such an asshole. He's given me no reason to agree with Elle's opinion or even to see it from her perspective. Also I had a great laugh at the fact that she was surprised that people in politics were dirty. Like ??? Girl, everyone knows politicians are dirty. You’re the daughter of a politician, that shouldn’t even be a surprise. You should know how it works.
I think I impulsively cringed every time they made a remark about how mature she was being. Which I guess makes sense in retrospect because she is pretty childish.
She also seemed to have grown a spine as soon as she realized she was 18. It was like a switch was flipped and it put me off. I didn’t even enjoy her telling her parents off. Her parent’s reactions weren’t even believable to me.
Drix was marginally at better character. But at 17, it seemed like he lived a nonstop rock star lifestyle. I don’t know when he had time to sleep to be honest. It was beyond the realm of believability for me for him to have done everything he claimed to and only be 17/18 years old. It would’ve made more sense if Elle and Drix were college aged.
That's it really.
I got spoiled about
The pacing is terrible, I was bored throughout most of it, and I just honestly didn’t care about how it ended.
Nice cover though. It’s got that going for it.
I love these books, but I get so frustrated with the MC's relationship with their parents. I know parents want the best for their kids, but they always go way overboard in Katie McGarry's books. In this one, Ellison's parents control pretty much her whole life. They decide who she can be seen with, what she looks like, including her mom making her dye her hair and get colored contacts which INFURIATED me. How are you going to tell your daughter that her hair and eye color isn't pleasing enough to people and you need to change?! I would've flipped out, but Ellison is this perfect daughter who does what she's told, until she meets Hendricks and begins to change. I loved that he thought she was perfect and wanted her for her real self. He was such a good guy, taking the fall for a crime he didn't commit and doing the best he could for his family. Their love story was sweet and adorable. Ellison and Hendricks really brought out the best in each other.
This was a fun story and I enjoyed listening to it.
This was a fun story and I enjoyed listening to it.
McGarry always hits me hard! Her stories are real. They talk about hard lives. And somehow, the characters manage to find a glimmer of hope where there appears to be only desolation.