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A review by curlymunroe
Cream of the Crop, Volume 2 by Alice Clayton
4.0
3.5 out of 5 stars.
As HUGE fan of book one in the Hudson Valley Series, NUTS, I couldn’t wait to get my hands on Cream of the Crop and Oscar.
Let me start by saying I loved the fact that Natalie was curvy, and not a toothpick. I feel like too many of these authors dish out a huge misrepresentation of what the norm is. Big boobs, big or fake hair, an hour glass figure, legs for days, and a size 2. We all can’t be Kim Kardashian, and in my opinion that isn’t even real. Natalie is career driven, loves her job, her city, her family, her life and she owns her curves. What’s not to like, especially if you can be that person, and own your size with confidence. I loved her sassy attitude, and how she and Roxy related to one another. Their friendship banter, mixed with Natalie’s lack of filter made for some great conversations. Those two girls are day and night. High maintenance versus low maintenance. There are aspects of Natalie, that I didn't always enjoy, and at times it was off putting. It was definitely difficult not to eye roll, but it didn't detract from the story itself.
Lets move on to the Oscar, the dark, handsome and somewhat mysterious dairy farmer, the whole town of Bailey Falls swoons over. He is everything I'd hoped him to be, and more. You know what they say about the quiet ones. Oscar brings it and the brings it some more. I love how Alice writes these guys. These farmers are intelligent, well versed, well thought out, hardworking, job loving, hard loving men. He's definitely a guy who knows what he wants and goes after it. Oscar's back story is definitely not what I expected, but it all makes sense once it's woven into the story.
The heart of the story, is one full of twists and turns emotionally. My take away from this book, is that you can't be on point all the time, without sacrificing certain parts of yourself. Meaning, Natalie has lived her life a certain way, since she was younger. The wall she has put up is safe, and it's helps her keep control. Letting someone into that tightly controlled world, completely takes her off her axis, and forces her to think about something other than herself. From where Oscar sits, he's content with his life, and adding Natalie to the mix works for him in Bailey Falls, and he's not sure how he fits in her life in NYC. Relationships are about give and take, and Natalie needs to learn how to give again.
Overall, I liked this book, but it just didn't have the same appeal to me, as NUTS. I am looking forward to the third installment. I give this a rating of 3.5 out of 5 stars.
An ARC was provided in exchange for an honest review.
As HUGE fan of book one in the Hudson Valley Series, NUTS, I couldn’t wait to get my hands on Cream of the Crop and Oscar.
Let me start by saying I loved the fact that Natalie was curvy, and not a toothpick. I feel like too many of these authors dish out a huge misrepresentation of what the norm is. Big boobs, big or fake hair, an hour glass figure, legs for days, and a size 2. We all can’t be Kim Kardashian, and in my opinion that isn’t even real. Natalie is career driven, loves her job, her city, her family, her life and she owns her curves. What’s not to like, especially if you can be that person, and own your size with confidence. I loved her sassy attitude, and how she and Roxy related to one another. Their friendship banter, mixed with Natalie’s lack of filter made for some great conversations. Those two girls are day and night. High maintenance versus low maintenance. There are aspects of Natalie, that I didn't always enjoy, and at times it was off putting. It was definitely difficult not to eye roll, but it didn't detract from the story itself.
Lets move on to the Oscar, the dark, handsome and somewhat mysterious dairy farmer, the whole town of Bailey Falls swoons over. He is everything I'd hoped him to be, and more. You know what they say about the quiet ones. Oscar brings it and the brings it some more. I love how Alice writes these guys. These farmers are intelligent, well versed, well thought out, hardworking, job loving, hard loving men. He's definitely a guy who knows what he wants and goes after it. Oscar's back story is definitely not what I expected, but it all makes sense once it's woven into the story.
The heart of the story, is one full of twists and turns emotionally. My take away from this book, is that you can't be on point all the time, without sacrificing certain parts of yourself. Meaning, Natalie has lived her life a certain way, since she was younger. The wall she has put up is safe, and it's helps her keep control. Letting someone into that tightly controlled world, completely takes her off her axis, and forces her to think about something other than herself. From where Oscar sits, he's content with his life, and adding Natalie to the mix works for him in Bailey Falls, and he's not sure how he fits in her life in NYC. Relationships are about give and take, and Natalie needs to learn how to give again.
Overall, I liked this book, but it just didn't have the same appeal to me, as NUTS. I am looking forward to the third installment. I give this a rating of 3.5 out of 5 stars.
An ARC was provided in exchange for an honest review.