Published: 31st May 2016
Source: Netgalley
Genre: Contemporary, Romance, Young Adult
My Rating:
From #1 NY Times bestselling author Jennifer L. Armentrout comes a deeply powerful and emotional story about struggling to overcome your past and find where you belong.When Mallory was a kid, she was bounced from one horrible foster home to another. At thirteen, a terrible accident got her removed from the group home where she was living to a hospital where she met the parents who would adopt her. But when she starts a new school and encounters an old friend from the foster system sparks start to fly.
I am always a bit wary of Jennifer Armentrout. I both love her books, but dislike them in many ways too. I have had far more luck with her contemporary reads, especially her NA books (which I have a real soft spot for as they were the first NA books I properly loved). As such, I was both nervous and excited for her newest YA book. I was optimistic, as it was a contemporary read, that I would enjoy it as that is the work from her I find least frustrating. Thankfully, I was proved right in my thoughts.
The book is a tad dramatic and angst filled and I could see some getting a bit frustrated with the character of Mallory as she is so very timid. That isn’t to say she isn’t strong, but she is not so obvious in the strength of her character which could lead to some being frustrated by her. I think her timidity really demonstrates her character growth, and also how hard it is to have the courage to move forward. Mallory has it tough in a lot of ways, and sure, who doesn’t, but she is strong enough to recognise her flaws and try to overcome them despite those around her doubting her, even those closest to her sometimes. That’s so true of life, sometimes the people making us feel the worst and holding us back the most can be those we love the most. It’s not intentional, but you can get placed in a box and categorised and people can be unwilling to see you’re actually taking the steps to break free and be more. I just want to throw that out there for people to be aware of. Also, the other frustrating thing is there are so many things unsaid in the book, which adds to the mystery of learning about our characters, but can leave you annoyed, but will keep you reading.
A Brief Summary Of Why It Was Good
I really enjoyed the book, though. I mean, way more than I initially expected. I think, because I went in with these doubts over whether or not I’d like the book any enjoyment came as a bit of a surprise. It was an enjoyable YA read and I actually liked Armentrout’s writing in it. Often, when I think of Armentrout’s writing, my mind leaps to the witty banter she always has going with her characters. He characters are sharp, this isn’t the case in this book. This is a well written story with interesting characters and it’s hard to fault it. I can strongly recommend it for fans of YA contemporary and if you’re one of those people who likes ‘like for like’ recommendations then this is a book for fans of Colleen Hoover and Katie McGarry. There is definitely elements which remind me of some of their books, but really this book is awesome all on it’s own and fans of contemporary reads should check it out.
Have ever been completely surprised by a book from an author you thought you knew? And do you like being surprised by a book?
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