Audiobook Review: Ugly Love by Colleen Hoover

Publication date: August 5th, 2014

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio

Links: Goodreads | Reado | Simon & Schuster

Stars: 2/5

Source: Reado.com

When Tate Collins meets airline pilot Miles Archer, she knows it isn’t love at first sight. They wouldn’t even go so far as to consider themselves friends. The only thing Tate and Miles have in common is an undeniable mutual attraction. Once their desires are out in the open, they realize they have the perfect set-up. He doesn’t want love, she doesn’t have time for love, so that just leaves the sex. Their arrangement could be surprisingly seamless, as long as Tate can stick to the only two rules Miles has for her.

Never ask about the past.
Don’t expect a future.

They think they can handle it, but realize almost immediately they can’t handle it at all.

Promises get broken.

Rules get shattered.

Love gets ugly.

REVIEW

This is a really difficult review to write because I love Colleen Hoover. I love how butterflying transformative her writing is; how it turns even the most tired cliches into something wholesome. And yet nothing could pretty up Ugly Love. 

Ugly Love is your classic New Adult redemption story: girl, Tate Collins, who's new to San Francisco meets boy, airplane pilot Miles Archer when he's drunk, huddled outside her brother's apartment door. Right from their first meeting, it's clear that something about his past haunts him; making him renounce love. When the chapters alternate with Miles' point of view, to "six years earlier" when he meets a girl called Rachel in high school, there are no doubts about the "who", just the "how" and "what". 

Tate and Miles, who's incidentally Tate's brother's best friend, soon embark on a relationship that's plain sex. But between Miles' smoldering gazes, Tate's fervent hope that it turns into something more and all the boundaries that they set only to break, they're not fooling anyone. The alternating perspectives, which shift from present to past, were a welcome relief as I didn't want to spend all of the time on either time period. There's just a lot of build up, characters that are "technically" well developed but don't mesh and poetic prose that falls flat.

This was also my first audio book ever, and "listening" to it might've only accentuated everything I disliked about the narrative structure. Miles' perspective, especially, was filled trite repetitions in his unconditional devotion towards Rachel. It felt empty, as there's nothing we actually know about Rachel other than Miles' idealized and rosy-eyed-to-the-point-of-corny account; half of which I felt like skipping. Tates' perspective felt more Miles' perspective of Tate because I cannot for the life of me get a picture of who she is, despite living inside her head for a good part of the book. 

The heart of the story is every bit of the redemption story you're promised: there's confrontation, tragedy and confrontation of tragedy. And yet, as a whole, it felt dissatisfying.  

This isn't going to stop me from reading Maybe Someday, the only Colleen Hoover book I haven't read, but Ugly Love flat out didn't work for me.

Rating: ★★☆☆☆

This post is sponsored by Reado.com, India's largest audio book store, where you get one free audio book on sign up. :) All of the opinions expressed in this post are my own.

Review: Stir Me Up by Sabrina Elkins

Publication date: 1st October, 2013
Publisher: HarlequinTEEN
Links: Goodreads | Amazon | B&N
Stars: 3.5/5
Source: NetGalley

Cami Broussard has her future all figured out. She'll finish her senior year of high school, then go to work full-time as an apprentice chef in her father's French restaurant, alongside her boyfriend, Luke. But then twenty-year-old ex-Marine Julian Wyatt comes to live with Cami's family while recovering from serious injuries. And suddenly Cami finds herself questioning everything she thought she wanted.

Julian's all attitude, challenges and intense green-brown eyes. But beneath that abrasive exterior is a man who just might be as lost as Cami's starting to feel. And Cami can't stop thinking about him. Talking to him. Wanting to kiss him. He's got her seriously stirred up. Her senior year has just gotten a lot more complicated…

REVIEW

Keywords from the blurb that made me decide to read Stir Me Up despite my ambivalence towards New Adult fiction:

apprentice chef

ex-Marine

all attitude, challenges, intense-green eyes

stirred up

Quite simply, the concoction to die for! Sabrina Elkins' writing only strengthens the surface-level awesomeness of the premise. She thickens it with characters you can think around rather than cardboard cut-outs with default-pasts and actual, in-depth conversations between the characters at crossroads anyone can relate to.

Cami's senior year was supposed to be clear-cut: with classes ending by afternoon, her part-time job as an apprentice chef and time with her boyfriend. Her future is just within reach; she's going to work full-time at her father's restaurant. Then the worst of circumstances brings Julian, her stepmother's nephew and ex-Marine to Cami's home and from that point on, the year is nothing like what she thought it would be. Everything Cami thought she had figured out is put to test and there's verbal spars, reluctant truces, attraction, confusion, self-doubt and worries about her future.

There's also plenty of unbelievable hotness, mouthwatering food and an idealistic (highlight to read possibly spoiler-y adjective) resolution of things... as suggested by the blurb and cover! And honestly, anything less and I would've been disappointed.

Whether it's Cami's stubborn but doting father, her theater-loving best friend who's there at a moment's notice or even Luke, the boy she thought she would be with forever... Stir Me Up is filled with characters you will come to care about, if not instantly like. It may not be a game changer in its genre, but it never promises to be anything but an engagingly romantic read in the first place. It's well written, thought provoking, extremely fun to read and in Julian, you might just find a potential book boyfriend!

Rating: ★★★1/2

~

Also, if you have been following my blog/ are reading this:

On Books! has been shortlisted for the BlogAdda Blog Awards (category: Entertainment) and it would be awesome if you could vote for my blog by clicking on the below graphic and hitting Like/tweet:

Thanks and hope you have a great weekend! :)

Review: Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell

Publication date: September 10th, 2013
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Links: Goodreads | Amazon | The Book Depository | Infibeam (India)
Stars: 4.5/5
Source: Bought

From the author of the New York Times bestseller Eleanor & Park.

A coming-of-age tale of fan fiction, family and first love.

Cath is a Simon Snow fan.

Okay, the whole world is a Simon Snow fan . . .

But for Cath, being a fan is her life — and she’s really good at it. She and her twin sister, Wren, ensconced themselves in the Simon Snow series when they were just kids; it’s what got them through their mother leaving.

Reading. Rereading. Hanging out in Simon Snow forums, writing Simon Snow fan fiction, dressing up like the characters for every movie premiere.

Cath’s sister has mostly grown away from fandom, but Cath can’t let go. She doesn’t want to.

Now that they’re going to college, Wren has told Cath she doesn’t want to be roommates. Cath is on her own, completely outside of her comfort zone. She’s got a surly roommate with a charming, always-around boyfriend, a fiction-writing professor who thinks fan fiction is the end of the civilized world, a handsome classmate who only wants to talk about words . . . And she can’t stop worrying about her dad, who’s loving and fragile and has never really been alone.

For Cath, the question is: Can she do this?

Can she make it without Wren holding her hand? Is she ready to start living her own life? Writing her own stories?

And does she even want to move on if it means leaving Simon Snow behind?

REVIEW

Okay, so. This book!

I don't even know where to start with it. I don't know whether to gush about it incessantly... that would come naturally because I am definitely containing myself from gushing along various incoherent tangents right now... or I could collect my thoughts and write something that resembles coherence.

But. Really. Fangirl demands squealing. *points to the title* It embodies awesomeness in a way that's inarticulate, gushworthy and epic.

It's about Cather, this girl, who's a devout Harry Po Simon Snow fan. Like in a my-life-depends-on-it-and-it-sucks-that-I-can't-attend-Hogwarts-Watford-School-for-Magicks way. She writes Simon Snow fanfiction... really good slash fan fiction that's read by millions of fans over the world. And yeah, she's going to a college a few hours away with her twin Wren, who does not want to be roommates because they "need to meet other people".

Real life was something happening in her peripheral vision.

What follows is a girl-meets-roommate's-"boyfriend", girl-writes-a-story-that's-not-fan-fiction and girl-sorts-out-family-stuff plot in a way that's most layered, complex and non-cliched. It reads like your favourite fantasy novel minus the fantasy with the warmth and once-upon-a-time-storybook-like comfort it brings. It begs you to highlight almost every line and scream "ME TOO!" because if you picked up this book, you are a fangirl in some way, aren't you? Rowell does a brilliant job integrating Simon Snow snippets as well, which makes you truly feel the way you felt when you were hooked on to something... when it began, when it was happening and when it ended and then never truly ended! 

Rowell also gives us a way more holistic picture of college than most books of this genre do. She does not forget the roommate, the initial cluelessness/social awkwardness and the people you leave behind. What more, she gives us LEVI, who shaped up to be perfect... not Gary Sue perfect, but quirky perfect! There were passages about him that made me smile so much and others that had me swoony and teary eyed. He's so good natured and charming, there's this part where Cath describes his face as the "smilingest" and it does not sound wrong at all!

While it's not without occasional lapses in momentum, Fangirl is what Rainbow Rowell's Attachments was to romcom novels and the Y2K era and what Eleanor & Park was to coming-of-age: a pretty darn amazing addition to its genre! It's wholesome in its depiction of college life (whether it's Cath's or Wren's side of the coin) with sensitively etched out characters and if you've ever geeked out about something or read/written fan fiction, pays rightful homage to that phase!

“Happily ever after, or even just together ever after, is not cheesy,” Wren said. “It’s the noblest, like, the most courageous thing two people can shoot for.”

~

 

"Okay." She turned around and unlocked the door. "You can come in. I'm not sure yet about all the other stuff."

"Okay," Levi said. She heard the very beginning of a smile in his voice -a fetal smile- and it very nearly killed her.

-Fangirl, Rainbow Rowell

Rating: ★★★★1/2

Review: Friday Night Alibi by Cassie Mae

Publication date: July 29th, 2013

Publisher: Flirt

Stars: 2.5/5

Links: Amazon|Goodreads|B&N

Source: NetGalley

Rising star Cassie Mae introduces New Adult readers to a practical soon-to-be college freshman who seems to have everything—until a special guy shows her what she’s been missing.

In the wealthy town of Sundale, Kelli Pinkins has hatched the perfect plan to capitalize on her sweet reputation. For a generous fee, she will be every trust-fund baby’s dream: a Friday-night alibi, the “girlfriend” or “BFF” that parents dream about. With college approaching in the fall, Kelli’s services are in demand more than ever, which means that her social life is nonexistent. But Kelli is A-okay with that. She’s raking in cash for school. Besides, relationships are tricky, and sometimes very messy. She’d rather be at home on Xbox LIVE, anyway. Then the unexpected happens: She meets college stud Chase Maroney.

Chase isn’t like the preppy, privileged guys Kelli usually meets in Sundale. For starters, he’s twentysomething, always wears black., and he shoots back one-liners as fast as she can dish them out. But Kelli’s attempts to drive Chase away falter when she realizes that he treats her like he really knows her, like he cares about knowing her. When Kelli finally gives in to the delicious kiss she’s been fighting for so long, she faces a tough decision: make Chase a real-life boyfriend and risk her heart . . . or keep her clients and lose her first true love.

REVIEW


Friday Night Alibi ended up being a standard New Adult affair with the two main characters with lonely and painful pasts respectively, kisses, quarrels and a predictable reconciliation. The protagonist, Kelli Pinkins, uses her squeaky clean rich girl reputation to act as people's Friday Night Alibis -all for good pay, of course- when they are out partying or with a girl their parents don't approve of instead. This is until twentysomething Chase walks into her life with his terrible pick-up lines and threatens to put her job and heart at stake. 

Do you believe in judging a book by its cover?

Do you believe in judging a book by its blurb?

Then, chances are you'll get exactly what you're looking for if you decide to read Friday Night Alibi. Me? I expected a little more Veronica Mars-style snark and a little less fluff, given that the main character has a rather clever side business going on! That, I did not fully get but to be fair, I shouldn't have expected.

Some things I did end up enjoying in spite of the predictable ups and downs of the plot:

• It's light and funny despite the angstiness that slowly creeps in
• The main character, Kelli, lends a good deal of sass to the book!
• Kelli and Chase do not have the worst chemistry
• It was just the sort of silly but harmless read that was right for the summer
• While the slang-laden writing felt a bit too much in the beginning, I warmed up to it pretty quickly. Towards the end, I think I enjoyed it

What put me off was that while Friday Night Alibi was a sunny read and impossible not to like... other than Kelli's job as your Friday-night Alibi, this book felt like every other New Adult book. Girl in college or heading to college- check. Tortured boy or seemingly normal boy with a sad past- check. Dependence on each other to work through their problems- check. 

Chase did have his moments, though. Chase and Kelli's first meeting made me laugh out loud! I had to give it to Chase for using the worst pick up line ever and infuriating the poor girl! While the characters were likable, their characterisation did not make up for the plot basically consisting of every love-hate situation you can think of. I also could not buy into Kelli's poor-little-rich-girl troubles.

All in all, I ended up liking Friday Night Alibi in spite of myself. I just wish it had stepped outside what seems to be the tried and tested formula of every New Adult book in the block.

Rating: ★★1/2

Review: Elite (Eagle Elite #1) by Rachel Van Dyken

Publication date: July 9th, 2013

Publisher: Forever

Stars: 2/5

Links: Amazon|Goodreads|B&N

Source: NetGalley

For Tracey Rooks, life with her grandparents on a Wyoming farm has always been simple. But after her grandmother's death, Tracey is all her grandfather has. So when Eagle Elite University announces its annual scholarship lottery, Tracey jumps at the opportunity to secure their future and enters. She isn't expecting much-but then she wins. And life as she knows it will never be same . . .

The students at Eagle Elite are unlike any she's ever met . . . and they refuse to make things easy for her. There's Nixon, gorgeous, irresistible, and leader of a group that everyone fears: The Elect. Their rules are simple. 1. Do not touch The Elect. 2. Do not look at The Elect. 3. Do not speak to The Elect. No matter how hard she tries to stay away, The Elect are always around her and it isn't long until she finds out the reason why they keep their friends close and their enemies even closer. She just didn't realize she was the enemy -- until it was too late.

REVIEW

Skimming through the blurb of Elite, I was... quite taken with the plot. It seemed mysterious and sexy. Very what I wanted my next New Adult read to be like: with some of the tried-and-tested New Adult formula, Gossip Girl-style drama mixed a dash of mystery and action. But once I started reading the book, I was... just... so...

I couldn't connect with the premise. And that's never a good thing.

Rachel Van Dyken sets Elite in Eagle Elite College; the destination of the rich and privileged. It is like a kingdom on its own and a gateway to opportunity. This mini-kingdom is however highly regulated as everything, from the cliques, lunch hall passes to elevator rides, are controlled by The Elect; consisting of Nixon and his posse.

Tracey Rooks is a country girl who, after spending half her life in a farm, is swept into the exclusive world of Eagle Elite College. Of course, since she's on scholarship, she is automatically treated like vermin by the populace there and dubbed Farm Girl. When she refuses to be treated like dirt and rebels against the "system", she catches the eye of Nixon. What follows is a capitalisation of how Everything is Not As It Seems, senseless attacks and slut shaming, regular students who behave like uneducated flakes, a surface-level love triangle, some mafioso-style action and Revelations (with a capital R) connected to Tracey's repressed childhood and lineage.

Agh.

I found nearly half of it highly improbable and the other half repulsive.

Why would things like the number of elevator rides a person is allowed per day or lunch room allocation be left to a group of students, however high up and powerful they are? What's with nearly. every. person. in the book having zero redeeming qualities?

Barring Chase and Nixon's sister, Monroe, every other character -however significant or insignificant their role in the scheme of things- was stereotypical and judgmental. They weren't beyond egg-ing the New Girl or depriving her of her lunch just because she was "poor", "farm girl" and -allegedly- a "slut". The drama had a pained and sickly edge to it, very unlike the deliciousness of scandals in Gossip Girl. The students of Elite were more a part of a mob than individuals, echoing each other at every turn in a way that made me want to tear my hair apart. What do they even teach them at this place?

Seventy five percent of the book is filled with such WTF moments that go WAY over your head. It is ridiculous. It is over the top. It is riddled with implausible extremities. Even the love story, which had its moments, was ninety percent garbage. I wonder if Nixon would've ever acted on his attraction for Tracey, or if it would've been more than a lust-filled affair, if he hadn't figured out who she really was. It's a pity as the writing is not half bad, Tracey's back story is laced with genuine charm and tragedy and there are some parts that have you swooning. Also, it's fair to say that the plot never dragged or felt dreary at any point.

Too bad most of it was downright ludicrous! Elite #1 almost ruined the whole lives-of-the-rich-and-privileged theme for me. I would definitely not want to attend Eagle Elite College... even for a day... nor am I curious about what's in store for these characters in the later books.

Rating: ★★☆☆☆

AToMR blog tour stop: Nearly Broken by Devon Ashley

I'm featuring Nearly Broken by Devon Ashley on my blog today as a part of the Nearly Broken blog tour organised by AToMR tours! Scroll down to read an excerpt from what looks like a pretty heartwrenching and intense addition to the New Adult genre. :)

Pub date: 4th June, 2013

We’d both gone missing at one point, but Claire had one thing I didn’t. Someone to notice. So why was I the one still here and she the one still gone?

Nineteen year old Megan Smith has spent the past year working in a small town diner in the middle of nowhere. Life is quiet, simple, safe. Then comes the news that her look-a-like has gone missing.

Claire.

Still damaged both physically and mentally, Megan's not looking to be noticed. Wherever she goes from here, it's a road she needs to take alone. But when Nickolas Ellis takes the job as the new nightshift cook, it scares her how easily her defenses crumble down, down, down for him. But there are secrets she can't bear to share with just anyone, unspeakable acts that continue to haunt, and when the similarities of Claire’s abduction couples with the fear of an unwanted visitor in town, the urge to run before it all happens again intensifies, threatening the only happiness Megan's ever found.

New Adult; Romantic Suspense/ Realistic Fiction
Recommended for 17+ for mature and disturbing situations, language and sexual content.

EXCERPT

      I thought I’d have enough time to shower and make it back to the safety of my room before he got back. No such luck. I gathered my dirty clothes and froze two steps into the living room, nothing but a towel wrapped around my body. I frantically debated whether to make a run for the bedroom or retreat to the bathroom.

      Sitting on the sofa reading a paper he must’ve picked up, his torso turned my way. I gasped, my heart suddenly putting in double the effort. His lips parted, and all expression fell from his face as he honed in on the last place I wanted him to look. My damaged skin was a stark contrast to the creamy beige complexion of my healthy skin. I hated the look of disgust most people gave when they caught sight of it, or the pity the others gave.

      I didn’t wait to see which was going to appear on him.

      Making a mad-dash for the bedroom, I roughly slid the doors closed behind me. Backing up, I sat on the edge of the bed, releasing a few silent tears, hating the splotchy spots randomly splashed across my arms, chest and abdomen, even getting part of my left breast. My right forearm got burned the worst. It was the spot I always covered first, to protect its deformity at all costs. That spot reminded me of a topographic world ball, similar to the raised peaks that marked the mountains and ridges, though mine were more subtle. At least I hoped they were, because my mind could sometimes be cruel with its interpretation.

      One year, five months, sixteen days since I singed my lungs, my skin melting before my eyes.

      But what I hated most about my burns was the constant reminder of why I had them. Of what I’d done.

Find this book on
Amazon|Goodreads|B&N|Kobo|Kindle

and enter the giveaway!
a Rafflecopter giveaway

ABOUT THE AUTHOR 

I’m a mom, wife, a lover and a fighter, coffee addict, wicked knitster, Microbiologist, baker of fine yummy treats, and someone who will fight you to death for that last twinkie bag of M&Ms during the zombie-apocalypse. Seriously, my addiction is that important to me. Oh yeah, and writing is cool too! Blog, Goodreads, Facebook