Today is the final day of my Indie/New Adult feature where I share my thoughts on some titles that have been published recently in the New Adult category. I've read so many it was just easier to do mini-reviews and bunch them together. Hopefully you have enjoyed the feature and have found several books you'd like to read. My most surprising finding with these was that most of the New Adult books we see as popular, were not my absolute favorites. Most of my 5 star reviews (which posted Monday) are more obscure titles that haven't had as much success. It really shows me that books shouldn't be judged by covers or blurbs. Some really can end up surprising you. I can't imagine the past year without having read these Indie titles. My advice would be DO NOT shut Indie books out. I'm thrilled to see that Indie authors are now having so much success and I do believe this has opened up doors for bloggers to be more accepting of these titles: )
The books featured today got a 3 star rating from me. They may not have been favorites but they were still enjoyable.
The Wild Ones by M. Leighton
Add to Goodreads
This book is about Camille and Trick. Camille is from a well-off family and Trick is not. He works for her dad but she can't help but notice how hot he is. Trust me, she mentions it a lot. Trick was okay in this book but Camille was annoying as heck. Her internal ramblings about Trick's hotness was just too much. The plot is a little too dramatic during some parts. Other parts bored me a bit. I felt that with a little more work this could have been much more well-rounded and enjoyable. I know Michelle has had huge success with her books, which is great, but this one just didn't grab me as much as I would have liked.
Lengths by Steph Campbell and Liz Reinhardt Add to Goodreads
I really liked this book cover and that's what originally made me want to read it. The story itself, however, was a bit disappointing. There is a crap-ton of cursing in this book. I'm an adult so it's not like they are new words to me but it was just too much. I don't need to read the F word a million times. It just made the characters seem immature. Deo was an okay character but Whitley didn't grab me. Her backstory was important and heart-breaking but I just never really felt bad for her. There was something missing and the story just never really took off for me. Lots of potential but the characters and language really brought it down.
The Crimson Hunt by Victoria H. Smith
Add to Goodreads
I was really interested in this story in the beginning. I wanted to know the mystery behind Luca and I did enjoy reading about Ariel and how they were somehow connected, due to her past. This book does have quite a few surprises and twists. I would say that the first half was much better than the second. Once I stopped reading for a while I realized I had no desire to pick it back up. It took me a while to actually jump back in and see what happened. I'm not sure why that was. I even skipped a few parts towards the end. But I wouldn't count this one out. I'm a hard sale on science fiction titles so it could have just been me. I do plan to see what else this author writes in the future.
Bound Together by Eliza Jane Add to Goodreads
Such a cute cover and the summary really made this book seem interesting. It starts out with Zoey trying to escape her homelife. She takes care of her siblings and has a lot of stress on her plate. I enjoyed the whole set up to this story. I felt bad for Zoey and couldn't imagine being seventeen in that situation. She goes on a class trip and has a friends-with-benefits relationship with Matt, even though they never get along. Zoey really uses him for the affection she's missing, then she throws him away after she's done. It hurts Matt a lot. I think the way Zoey treated Matt was really the downside of this book to me. I didn't understand why she was so mean but then would mess around with him? Why not just leave him alone? Without that aspect of the story I would have really enjoyed it a lot more.
Bound Together by Marie Coulson Add to Goodreads
Yes, another book, same title. Another book that had huge potential but just fell off after a while. Here we meet Layla, an"independent" co-ed who meets rich, handsome Jared. The writing in this book was okay. The biggest turn-off for me was just how darn obsessed the characters became with each other. It was a bit scary. Layla was in a million pieces every time Jared did something stupid and Jared bought her the world to make up for it. Yes, I've read Fifty Shades and actually enjoyed the series. This felt like a sort-of interpretation of that but just not as good. I would have ran from Jared as fast as I could if I was Layla. I actually didn't want them together. I wanted her to find another guy who was actually nice and didn't try to buy her off. But again, it was much more fun in the beginning of the story when they just hated each other.
High School Hangover by Stephanie Hale Add to Goodreads
This book reminded me a lot (A LOT) of From What I Remember by Stacey Kramer & Valerie Thomas. But while I loved that story, I wasn't as fond of this one. Laney goes to a party, gets drunk on an energy drink, and ends up kidnapped. The set up for this plot was okay but parts just seems missing in it. I did really enjoy Jack, the guy who ends up on this journey with her. He was great and a fun addition to the story. I just wasn't as invested in the story as I should have been. By the end I was just waiting for it to all be wrapped up so we can see what really happened the night of the party. I would probably still see what this author comes up with in the future though.
I'll Be Here by Autumn Doughton Add to Goodreads
This book starts with Willow being dumped by her long-term boyfriend. An old friend, Alex, comes back in her life and they are able to re-connect. I would say that overall this book was cute but that's about it. A nice read that brings back all the feelings of high school and first loves. Some things got a bit repetitive with the way Willow saw Alex and she could be annoying at times, but I'm still glad I read this one. I will saw that Willow was hilarious! She really made this story for me. It would have been much better with some more plot work and edits in writing but the characters were pretty enjoyable and nice to get to know. I'll be checking out more of Autumn's work.
Everything Changes by Shey Stahl Add to Goodreads This one is hard for me to review. I loved the plot and story line. A quiet boy, races motorcycles, love it. However, some parts of the story are very, very repetitive. We are told that she is seventeen… often. Other parts just seemed to tell the same bit of story over and over. Ex: how much Ro missed Parker when he was away. There are also still quite a few errors in this story. I can overlook a few but honestly, I felt that if this book would have been edited better it may have been incredible. I did enjoy the first part much better than the last. I didn't understand their conflict completely. I felt they just needed to say"HEY, here is what I am feeling". I know they were young but it just got a little old after a while. But again, the plot was great. I loved how the characters got together and that we get to meet them years before now (90s). The first part had me completely hooked and it brought back fond memories of that first love. Ro's best friend and Parker's brother were great. I enjoyed getting to know them. It just needs some work. I'm still glad I read it though.
Rush Me by Allison Parr Add to Goodreads Ohh, I loved this book in so many ways. Truly, I did. Ryan was fantastic and his football teammates? OMG I'd marry them all! The biggest issue in this story was Rachel. She starts off by calling them all dumb jocks and then wanting to hang out with them? Umm, sorry, I'd be kicking your butt out! She was so judgmental and hard to like. But the rest of the characters? Fantastic!! Who doesn't love football players? Especially when they are so darn cute and nice. With some adjustments to Rachel's personality I would have really loved this book a lot more. Sometimes I didn't understand her decisions or internal dialogue. But I'd still like to see what else this author comes up with.
Born to Fight by Tara Brown Add to Goodreads
I reviewed the first book in this series yesterday and gave it 4 stars. I just felt like everyone was spinning their wheels in this one. The characters made very little progress with anything and there are a lot of scenes that we re-visit from book one. The biggest discovery is about Emma and where she came from. That was surprising but a lot is still the same with Will, Jack, and Anna. By the end of this book I felt they were in the same spot as the end of book one. A ton of potential with this series and I do want to know how it ends but I just hope book three gives us something new to look forward to.
ALL OF THESE BOOKS WERE RATED
