ARC, 483 pages
Release Date: January 7, 2020Published by: Inkyard Press
Read from: January 2-6, 2020Stand-aloneSource: Publisher (I received a copy of this book from the Publisher in exchange for a just and honest review. This did nothing to influence my review.)TW: Gun ViolenceFor fans of: Contemporary Romance, Romance, Heavier issues, POC MC, #OwnVoices African American, Action, Realistic Fiction, Multiple POV, YA
When they’re stuck under one roof, the house may not be big enough for their hate…or their love.
When Tyson Trice finds himself tossed into the wealthy coastal community of Pacific Hills, he’s ready for the questions, the stares and the feeling of not belonging. Not that he cares. After recovering from being shot and surviving the rough streets of Lindenwood, he doesn’t care about anyone or anything, much less how the rest of his life will play out.
Golden girl Nandy Smith has spent most of her life building the pristine image that it takes to fit in when it comes to her hometown Pacific Hills where image is everything. After learning that her parents are taking in a troubled teen boy, Nandy fears her summer plans, as well as her reputation, will go up in flames.
Now with Trice living under the same roof, the wall between their bedrooms feels as thin as the line between love and hate. Beneath the angst, their growing attraction won’t be denied. Through time, Trice brings Nandy out of her shell, and Nandy attempts to melt the ice that’s taken Trice’s heart and being. Only, with the ever-present pull back to the Lindenwood streets, it’ll be a wonder if Trice makes it through this summer at all.
*MY THOUGHTS*
My favorite genre is contemporary romance. Finding a YA contemporary romance about two teens who fall in love has been a struggle, but with this book and Kristina Forest’s books, I’m now super happy to see this trend and I really want it to continue.
“Getting shot isn’t the worst part. It’s the aftermath that really fucks you up.“pg. 1
Trice hasn’t had a great life, but he’s made it out of the streets and now he doesn’t know what he’s going to do next. An old family friend takes him in because of his Pops and he’s grateful, but still guarded. Nandy’s parents are the old family friend who take in Trice. She’s the girl everyone in Pacific Hills wants to be and having to parade this new guy her parents brought in around in not how she wants to spend her summer. But as the two get more acquainted, they both begin to realize things aren’t always what they seem.
“You got a second chance, my brother. Not alot of us get those.“pg. 101
As a character driven reader I can always tell whether or not I’ll like a book from the first few pages. This one was a bit different because its dual POV, but I still knew all the same. I LOVED Trice’s character and wanted to hug him and shake him so many times throughout this novel. As for Nandy, she rubbed me the wrong way from the very beginning. I was slow to come around to her, but eventually she grew on me. I’m still not going to be adding her to my favorite characters or anything, but she turned out ok. Her spoiled brattiness and getting everything she wanted just wasn’t ok to me.
“I guess it was true what they said. The prettiest people sometimes had the ugliest lives.“pg. 228
The writing style and the plot were ok. For the most part, I thought it was really drawn out. (Personal opinion, but I don’t think contemp romances need to be almost 500 pages.) There were chunks between the 250 and 400 page mark that I think could have been left out. I wanted a story about Nandy and Trice and instead we get that and all this other stuff going on. It would have been nice to maybe make them novellas that were spin-offs or something. But that’s just me. Everything else, like the writing style and the way she captivated me with what was going on was amazing. It felt so authentic.
“It was such a shame too many of us wanted the bad guy before the right guy.“pg. 260
The ending wasn’t my favorite, but it wasn’t bad either. I just wish she had went a different route with it. I thought that character had already been through enough and I just wanted to see them catch a break. The plot twist was obvious, but I think that’s because I read so much. Anyone who doesn’t read as much as me would probably not catch on to it though.
“You want a storybook romance, Nan? ‘Basically. That’s what we all want, right?’ ‘But [he’s] not your average hero, he’s been damaged and is trying to rebuid. That’s the downfall of all fairy tales. They make it all about the princess, when sometimes it’d be nice to get to know the prince and his story and journey.“pg. 364
This book was filled to the brim with love, representation, and so much raw emotion. This isn’t your average contemporary romance. Definitely a good read I didn’t want to put down.
Overall, I give this
BLOG TOUR EXTRA:
Throughout the novel Trice is gifted something from a guidance counselor. It’s a composition notebook. I felt a real connection with Trice because reading/writing has always been my escape as well. I had one that was very much like Amelia’s Notebook.
I used them as journals, not to write stories in though. It was definitely great to see a teen utilizing journals and I really liked the way Grandison showed them as a method of escape and theraphy. That definitely felt real to me as someone who STILL uses her composition books, just in a different capacity now.
Now I use all my composition books as notes for my reading. Even to this day when school supplies go on sale, my little sister always goes to Wal-Mart and stocks them up for me. It doesn’t matter if its compositon books or spirals and they can be decorative or plain, Black and white or color, I ALWAYS have a notebook with my while reading. I even use it with Nook even though I can take notes on my Nook directly. It just something about seeing the words on the page for me.
Here’s just a FEW pictures from my Bookstagram that feature SOME of my composition books! Some of my filled ones got lost in Harvey, but even though that’s heartbreaking, knowing I’m alive to fill more of them makes things a little more bearable.
What about you?
Do you keep a notebook on you while reading?
Do you like compositon books as well?
Let me know in the comments!