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3.78 AVERAGE
3.78 AVERAGE
I don’t think I’ve read anything by Park before, and wow, does she have a distinctive style! In this contemporary New Adult romance, we are immersed suddenly into College junior Allison’s life at a small-town liberal arts college. Or, more accurately, we’re immersed into her inner emotional life as a wary, battle-scarred graduate of the USA foster care system who finds it terribly, terribly difficult to trust other people and hides from all social interactions in her dorm room despite being adopted by a loving father as a teenager and having one bestie (also foster care survivor) who supports her from afar.
I think that with the heavily angsty inner dialogue, allusions to traumatic assault, and unbelievable understanding and patience shown by her love interest, Esben, her adoptive father Simon, and fellow dorm friend Cam, this is most likely a polarizing book/style. You’re either going to gleefully jump into the hotwater bath of Allison’s emotions or you’re going to find it wearisome and unbelievable.
I’m all about the angst so I liked it. The headlong style of Allison’s inner voice just drew me in, and I wanted her to trust, and to enjoy her life, open up to friendship, and all that positive stuff so it was easy to follow along as she did so. In an amazingly sweet but slightly trite meet-cute, Allison gets pulled off the street to participate in a youtube stunt by a social media influencer who happens to go to her college: sit in a chair for 180 seconds with eye contact, saying nothing.
What happens at the end of that 180 seconds (and truthfully, Allison’s inner thoughts during that 180 seconds were the hardest to endure in terms of making me suspend disbelief) changes her life forever.
There’s some predictable tragedy at the end I saw coming, and Allison of course freaks out, but there is HEA to this with a tinge of bittersweet. Beautiful romance with sexual assault allusions and some descriptions of heavy petting but with most fade-to-black.
I think that with the heavily angsty inner dialogue, allusions to traumatic assault, and unbelievable understanding and patience shown by her love interest, Esben, her adoptive father Simon, and fellow dorm friend Cam, this is most likely a polarizing book/style. You’re either going to gleefully jump into the hotwater bath of Allison’s emotions or you’re going to find it wearisome and unbelievable.
I’m all about the angst so I liked it. The headlong style of Allison’s inner voice just drew me in, and I wanted her to trust, and to enjoy her life, open up to friendship, and all that positive stuff so it was easy to follow along as she did so. In an amazingly sweet but slightly trite meet-cute, Allison gets pulled off the street to participate in a youtube stunt by a social media influencer who happens to go to her college: sit in a chair for 180 seconds with eye contact, saying nothing.
What happens at the end of that 180 seconds (and truthfully, Allison’s inner thoughts during that 180 seconds were the hardest to endure in terms of making me suspend disbelief) changes her life forever.
There’s some predictable tragedy at the end I saw coming, and Allison of course freaks out, but there is HEA to this with a tinge of bittersweet. Beautiful romance with sexual assault allusions and some descriptions of heavy petting but with most fade-to-black.
Um hello yes this book is exactly what my heart needed:
-gay dads
-getting drunk and admitting your feelings
-baking
-realistic college setting
-dogs getting adopted
-gay dads
-getting drunk and admitting your feelings
-baking
-realistic college setting
-dogs getting adopted
*3.5 stars
I LOVED the first 2/3 of this book. Perfectly paced, loved the characters, totally swept up in the story.
Then the “big reveal” happens and it’s all down hill from there, until the very ending which was semi-satisfying. But the whole last chunk felt so cliche and it also brought in a trope that I really hate to read about and the whole thing just hit a huge brick wall.
I’m still giving this a relatively high rating, because I think for some people, the ending won’t annoy them as much, and I still loved the main part of this which was the main character’s growth and her relationships, especially with her foster father.
Overall, not bad I guess. Just mostly bummed I didn’t love it as a whole as much as I loved the first half.
I LOVED the first 2/3 of this book. Perfectly paced, loved the characters, totally swept up in the story.
Then the “big reveal” happens and it’s all down hill from there, until the very ending which was semi-satisfying. But the whole last chunk felt so cliche and it also brought in a trope that I really hate to read about and the whole thing just hit a huge brick wall.
I’m still giving this a relatively high rating, because I think for some people, the ending won’t annoy them as much, and I still loved the main part of this which was the main character’s growth and her relationships, especially with her foster father.
Overall, not bad I guess. Just mostly bummed I didn’t love it as a whole as much as I loved the first half.
2.5/5 Stars
I just want to say that I really wanted to love this book. I feel like I gave it a fair chance, and made it halfway through before I decided to DNF it. I didn’t hate the concept; I loved the idea of reading about a college-aged YA contemporary story. I feel like there aren’t a ton of those out there (or I haven’t come across a lot at least). However, I just couldn’t get into the story. Allison and Espen meeting and getting to know one another just didn’t feel like it could be a realistic experience, and I would find myself missing an entire moment in the book and would get confused about some of the character developments. I couldn’t feel any sort of real connection with them. I’m not at all saying that this book was “bad”, it just wasn’t for me.
I just want to say that I really wanted to love this book. I feel like I gave it a fair chance, and made it halfway through before I decided to DNF it. I didn’t hate the concept; I loved the idea of reading about a college-aged YA contemporary story. I feel like there aren’t a ton of those out there (or I haven’t come across a lot at least). However, I just couldn’t get into the story. Allison and Espen meeting and getting to know one another just didn’t feel like it could be a realistic experience, and I would find myself missing an entire moment in the book and would get confused about some of the character developments. I couldn’t feel any sort of real connection with them. I’m not at all saying that this book was “bad”, it just wasn’t for me.
A sweet YA read about first love and coming into one's own. A bit heavyhanded at the end but overall enjoyable!
relaxing
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
This book needs way more than 5 stars
Where to even start with this - love it!!!!
We all need an Esben. He is actually using social media and doing good things with it. His mission started out of something bad that happened to his sister and he believes he is to blame. Esben may not be an alpha guy but he sure is one of the best guys I've come across in all the books I've read.
Allison has been bounced around the foster care system from birth until 16, when Simon adopts her. I love Simon. She is a definite work in progress and is trying to break out of her shell.
It's hard to review this story. Read it, you'll love it I promise. There are some tough spots though but it will totally be worth it.
Where to even start with this - love it!!!!
We all need an Esben. He is actually using social media and doing good things with it. His mission started out of something bad that happened to his sister and he believes he is to blame. Esben may not be an alpha guy but he sure is one of the best guys I've come across in all the books I've read.
Allison has been bounced around the foster care system from birth until 16, when Simon adopts her. I love Simon. She is a definite work in progress and is trying to break out of her shell.
It's hard to review this story. Read it, you'll love it I promise. There are some tough spots though but it will totally be worth it.
180 Seconds is a very cute romantic contemporary novel about love, loss and heartbreak with a good amount of cheesiness and fluff, finding your place and yourself, coming out of your shell and finding love in the most unexpected situations.
Allison is an introverted girl who isolates herself and avoids social situations like the plague. Since she is a foster child and has been sent from one home to the next, she never felt like she belonged anywhere and with every passing year she grew wary of trusting people. She was finally adopted by a loving, gay, single father but the past experiences still left their mental scars.
Allison's adoptive father Simon is a very sweet, kind and loving man. He respects her boundaries and makes her feel loved and cared for at all times. Their father-daughter relationship is AWESOME and I especially loved how it developed throughout the story as Allison grows as a person. At first she has a hard time forming a close connection to her adoptive father but by the end of the story, Allison and Simon have formed a very tight and strong bond. She learns how to trust him and she even starts calling him Dad! I just think the development of their relationship was so beautifully done and it has even made me tear up a couple of times! :’)
“If I could throw an invisibility cloak over myself and attend college that way, I would.” Same, Allison. Same.
The thing I loved the most about this book was Allison’s wonderful character development that was exerted so perfectly. She turns from an introverted outsider into a confident and happy young woman with newfound friends and a great family support system.
One person who is probably the catalyst of her development is Esben Baylor – popular social media star and the guy she shares a very passionate kiss with after staring each other down for 3 minutes for one of his social experiments.
And that 180 seconds scene. WOW. Reading that was so intense and powerful and MAGICAL, I was so fully invested in that particular scene. I don’t know how else to explain it – other than it literally left me shaken. It took my breath away. It was so incredible to read like wow. Just wow. I encourage everyone to read this book simply for that one 180 seconds scene! 😛
And I know what you might be thinking – “they shared a kiss and now they’re dating/in love?! *cough* INSTA-LOVE *cough*” – but that’s not how it is!!! The development of Allison and Esben’s relationship felt very realistic. It developed at a slow pace and they both took their time to really get to know each other.
And Esben was a sweetheart! He doesn’t ever make Allison feel bad or embarrassed for her past and being the way she is. He caters to her, shows a genuine interest and treats her with the utmost care and respect. He is a genuinely a good guy and their interactions especially at the beginning were super adorable and cute and I couldn’t help but AWW out loud a lot!
Allison was a very relatable character and I felt connected to her on a personal level. Seeing her grow into this happy and open young girl – who keeps a circle of a few, but very close friends – can be very inspiring. It was delightful to read about her personal growth and I feel like it could inspire people out there who feel the same way!
Overall, I really enjoyed reading this book and I particularly loved the first half because it was so nice to read about the adorable-ness that was Allison and Esben’s relationship!
Full review is now up on my blog https://toomuchofabooknerd.wordpress.com/2017/04/24/review-180-seconds-jessica-park/ :)
*I received a free ARC from the publisher via Netgalley in exchanged for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion in any way!*
Allison is an introverted girl who isolates herself and avoids social situations like the plague. Since she is a foster child and has been sent from one home to the next, she never felt like she belonged anywhere and with every passing year she grew wary of trusting people. She was finally adopted by a loving, gay, single father but the past experiences still left their mental scars.
Allison's adoptive father Simon is a very sweet, kind and loving man. He respects her boundaries and makes her feel loved and cared for at all times. Their father-daughter relationship is AWESOME and I especially loved how it developed throughout the story as Allison grows as a person. At first she has a hard time forming a close connection to her adoptive father but by the end of the story, Allison and Simon have formed a very tight and strong bond. She learns how to trust him and she even starts calling him Dad! I just think the development of their relationship was so beautifully done and it has even made me tear up a couple of times! :’)
“If I could throw an invisibility cloak over myself and attend college that way, I would.” Same, Allison. Same.
The thing I loved the most about this book was Allison’s wonderful character development that was exerted so perfectly. She turns from an introverted outsider into a confident and happy young woman with newfound friends and a great family support system.
One person who is probably the catalyst of her development is Esben Baylor – popular social media star and the guy she shares a very passionate kiss with after staring each other down for 3 minutes for one of his social experiments.
And that 180 seconds scene. WOW. Reading that was so intense and powerful and MAGICAL, I was so fully invested in that particular scene. I don’t know how else to explain it – other than it literally left me shaken. It took my breath away. It was so incredible to read like wow. Just wow. I encourage everyone to read this book simply for that one 180 seconds scene! 😛
And I know what you might be thinking – “they shared a kiss and now they’re dating/in love?! *cough* INSTA-LOVE *cough*” – but that’s not how it is!!! The development of Allison and Esben’s relationship felt very realistic. It developed at a slow pace and they both took their time to really get to know each other.
And Esben was a sweetheart! He doesn’t ever make Allison feel bad or embarrassed for her past and being the way she is. He caters to her, shows a genuine interest and treats her with the utmost care and respect. He is a genuinely a good guy and their interactions especially at the beginning were super adorable and cute and I couldn’t help but AWW out loud a lot!
Allison was a very relatable character and I felt connected to her on a personal level. Seeing her grow into this happy and open young girl – who keeps a circle of a few, but very close friends – can be very inspiring. It was delightful to read about her personal growth and I feel like it could inspire people out there who feel the same way!
Overall, I really enjoyed reading this book and I particularly loved the first half because it was so nice to read about the adorable-ness that was Allison and Esben’s relationship!
Full review is now up on my blog https://toomuchofabooknerd.wordpress.com/2017/04/24/review-180-seconds-jessica-park/ :)
*I received a free ARC from the publisher via Netgalley in exchanged for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion in any way!*
I really liked this one. The love story between Allison and Esben felt very possible and sweet. I was hardcore rooting for those two crazy kids. I would say that it dragged a little for me in the middle, but for the most part, I could not put this book down. Jessica Park’s writing is very accessible and easy to read. She captures emotions well. Allison’s struggles felt very authentic and understandable, and I direly want an Esben to exist in the real world. He was layered, but wonderful. The side characters, from Steffi to Simon to Kerry, were also well-established. Definitely worth the read, and I’m sure it’s one I will re-read!