Review: To My Hero by Danielle Sibarium

To My Hero by Danielle Sibarium 
Release Date: April 2013
Pagecount: 260 pages
Publisher: KFR Communications
Source: Author in exchange for an honest review
Buy It: Amazon | B&N

Description from Goodreads:
It would’ve been different if I had courage, even an ounce of it. But I was a coward from the day I met you, Ryan Crowley. I still am. In the end it doesn’t matter. The bottom line is the same. It’s my fault.

When the unthinkable happens Carly Cavanough is left beaten, betrayed, and devastated. Her best friend doesn’t understand. Her parents won’t listen. Everyone in her life turns against her. She’s alone. Completely alone, except for Ryan Crowley, the boy she’s been crushing on for years. She won’t admit to him what she can’t admit to herself. But he understands without words. He knows more about what she’s going through than she can possibly imagine and he knows what it will take to start the healing.

With Ryan’s help Carly begins to piece together the fragments of her once perfect life and embarks on a journey of love and healing, just long enough for the rug to be pulled out from under her again. Can she find the strength and will to pull herself together to save Ryan and herself when their lives are on the line?

I tend to be a fan of books in second person POV. I haven't really read a bunch written that way (the only two coming to my mind right now are Stolen and this one, though I am certain there was at least one or two more), so I don't have a huge pool to prove this, but I do know that I love the idea of a whole book written TO one person. And that is what this book is--one big letter (blog, technically) to a guy. Her hero. And yeah, I loved it.

The writing was very well done. It wasn't glaringly obvious that this story was written TO someone, except for every now and then. And by that I mean that I didn't spend the whole time being annoyed by seeing "you" did this and "you" said that. The writing was done well enough that I was immersed in the story enough that all the "you" talk didn't bother me. Plus, the story was so intense. Right away, I felt the impact of the story, and that held true throughout the whole thing. Danielle Sibarium also did a great job of approaching a serious topic, from the situation to the characters' actions and reactions, the situation worked and the serious tone was felt.

The plot hit the ground running, which I was thankful for. There wasn't a supremely long amount of time spent introducing us to everything. We just hopped in and caught up as things moved along--I was cool with that. I didn't get bored with the beginning of this book in the slightest, which is honestly an accomplishment. Beginnings can take some time to truly win me over sometimes. 

Carly wasn't a bad MC. I felt like she jumped to conclusions sometimes, like when she stopped being friends with her best friend so easily, and I thought she kind of needed to stop being so pessimistic, but I'm going to excuse the majority of her annoying qualities because her situation had to have been a struggle. I mean, DANG. It was cray cray. But she handled it well, and I liked that. The only thing I really fault her for is ever distrusting Ryan. He was clearly a good guy, and he was clearly 100% there for her no matter what. She needed to chill out before accusing him of stuff. Speaking of Ryan, I totally heart him. He was an awesome hero to have, and Carly was so lucky to know him. I respect this guy something fierce, and I loved reading about him. If there were ever a book boy who deserved a whole novel written to him, Ryan could definitely be the one.

The romance was slow at first, understandably, but the gap in which the romance would normally fit was filled with sweetness. Caring. All Ryan. Once they started being actually romantic with each other, things were so, so great. Ryan was patient and kind, and I approve of this couple so much. I would approve of just about anything that made Ryan happy. That's how much I adore him.

There were, of course, a few things that I did not like. Carly's best friend, first of all. I think she gave up to quickly on trying to figure out what was up with Carly. I understand that she had a problem with Ryan, but wouldn't she care enough for her friend to at least put some more effort into helping her? And Carly's parents. It felt a little far fetched that they'd jump into siding with her ex-boyfriend so easily. I mean, I get they had issues, but that was crazy. I did like that her parents seemed to not totally suck at the end, but still. And lastly, the whole drama with Ryan's ex-girlfriend. I kind of felt like that was over the top. We didn't need that little extra thing. I get that we needed something to test their trust for each other, but I didn't feel like that was the right thing. 

Overall, I highly enjoyed To My Hero. It's a well written story that seethes intensity the whole way through and is filled with characters I felt for, especially Ryan. I was already a fan of Danielle Sibarium, thanks to her Heart Waves books, but I am now seriously looking forward to when I get to read another novel by this author. :)

 Actual Rating: 3.5 hearts 

Blog Tour: Part of Me by A.C. Arthur (Excerpt & Giveaway)

 

Click the banner above for the full tour schedule!

Part of Me by A.C. Arthur 
Release Date: May 13, 2014
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin
Series: Damaged Hearts
Buy It: Amazon | B&N

Description from Goodreads:
Lidia Morales has always felt out of place. The one stable presence in her childhood has always been Brayden. Every major moment, every growing pain, everything in her life has been shared with him since they were little, so it makes sense to her that they will stay friends at college together. Until one night, emotions are revealed in a heated kiss, and Lidia’s world is turned upside down. Brayden has always been just a friend and she knows she should look somewhere else for love. But the memory of the passion between them is undeniable—and Brayden isn’t about to let her forget it. As trouble brews, Lidia may need Brayden more than she realized and Brayden will do whatever it takes to convince her that they are soulmates…bonded for life, in　Part of Me　by　 A.C. Arthur.

“I know this great game we can play,” he continued, trying to sit on the stool across from me but missing the seat entirely because, one—he didn’t have eyes in the back of his head and two—he was too drunk to possess any type of balance. His free hand caught the side of the bar just as his knees buckled.

     Now I was looking down at him instead of across, still at a complete loss for words.

     Brown liquid sloshed over the rim of his glass and down his arm. “Whoa,” he half-moaned, half-laughed, then to my horror, licked the rivulets from his hairy forearm.

     I closed my eyes, counting backward from ten and praying that when I opened them again he’d be gone.

     No such luck.

     “It’s called dare,” he whispered, hot liquor breath fanning over my face because that’s where he was now. Standing right next to me, leaning down so his face was in mine, his eyes aligned with mine, his lips too damned close to mine.

     “I dare you to take your clothes off. And then I take my clothes off.”

     “And then I vomit all over both of us,” I quipped, finding my words before actually vomiting on this dirtbag.

     His hair was greasy and lay in a haphazard yucky mess while his half-closed eyes continued to glare at me. He looked like he was actually thinking about that as an option. I flattened  my palms against his chest and the sweaty T-shirt with the totally outdated and faded band logo on front and pushed him away.

     “Not interested,” I said in the clearest and loudest English I could manage.

     “That’s because I haven’t showed you my piece yet,” he told me just before lifting his arm and pushing it down between where my arms were still extended toward him. Fearing he was going for his “piece,” I yanked my arms back, about two seconds after realizing the jackass had been using the arm with the hand that held the half-empty glass of liquor, which now spilled down the front of his pants.

     “Bitch!” he yelled as his “piece” was now outlined by a growing wet stain.

 Artist C. Arthur was born and raised in Baltimore, Maryland where she currently resides with her husband and three children. An active imagination and a love for reading encouraged her to begin writing in high school and she hasn’t stopped since.

Working in the legal field for almost thirteen years now she’s seen lots of horrific things and longs for the safe haven reading a romance novel brings. Her debut novel Object of His Desire was written when a picture of an Italian villa sparked the idea of an African-American/Italian hero. Determined to bring a new edge to romance, she continues to develop intriguing plots, sensual love scenes, racy characters and fresh dialogue—thus keeping the readers on their toes!

During the course of her writing career Artist has won the YOUnity Guild’s Best New Drama and Romance Author Award in 2005/06; been nominated 3 years straight for EMMA Awards, with the fourth time being a charm she took home the 2007 EMMA Award for Favorite Romantic Suspense; and has also received her first Romantic Times Reviewers’ Choice Award Nomination for Best African American Romance. She is represented by Christine Witthohn at Book Cents Literary Agency, LLC.

Author Links: 

Website | Goodreads | Facebook | Twitter

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

Dante Walker Readathon!

Hello, lovely people! Sorry I've been kind of absent this past week. I was siiiiiick. But I'm past the worst part and on the road to getting better, so I'M BAAAAACK. And I have plans. As you can probably tell from all the readathon talk in the title/at the top of this post. So let's get to it, yes?

As I'm sure you know, seeing as you follow my blog and all, the third and final book in the Dante Walker trilogy is releasing on May 6th. So Steph and I wanted to do something fun to celebrate. THIS IS IT. Stephanie from Ohana Reads and I are going to host a Dante Walker Readathon! WOOT!

The Details:
 -  The Readathon is from May 9th-16th, so there should be enough time for everyone to get their copies of The Warrior and mentally prepare themselves for the awesome.

- Through the Readathon, we'll be reading all three books in the series. I'm not sure how you don't know the reading order by now, given how much I talk about these books, but if you do not know, here they are in order:

 

- When reading the books, tweet your progress with the hashtag #ReadDanteWalker. Or tweet a favorite (non-spoilery) quote. Or tell us how you adore the eff out of Dante. Just be sure to use the hashtag so we all can see it!

- We will be running a group on Goodreads and a group on Facebook, so there's MORE ways we all can chat about the awesome that is Dante Walker. I'll generally be running the Facebook group, while Steph will hold the reigns of the Goodreads group, but we can both totally join in and help out on either site if we want. It's going to be all kinds of fun!

**If you'd like to join the groups now, you can do so: Goodreads | Facebook

- There will be giveaways! We have a few super cool swag packs to give away to some lucky winners participating in the Readathon (they will be randomly chosen from Facebook, Goodreads, and Twitter).

- We will have a Twitter chat at the end of the Readathon, on May 16th! We're still working out specifics (because we want Author Chick--aka Victoria Scott--to be there, right?), but there WILL be more swaggish goodness to give away, and it WILL be a good time.

And that is all! If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me or Steph, and we'll get back to you as soon as we can.

I am seriously excited about this, you guys! I LOVE readathons, and I LOVE Dante Walker, so I have, like, double love going on right now. *flails*

April Monthly Re-Read (Cracked Up to Be by Courney Summers)

Monthly Re-Read is something I'm going to be doing every month in 2014. I'm going to re-read one book a month and then blogging about it. To learn more and see the post where I introduced the idea, click HERE. 

(So sorry this post is a few days late, y'all! I was sick, so I kind of got behind on some stuff--this included.)

Cracked Up to Be by Courtney Summers
Release Date: December 3, 2008

Pagecount: 214 pages

Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin

Source: Bought
Buy It: Amazon | B&N

Description from Goodreads: 

When "Perfect" Parker Fadley starts drinking at school and failing her classes, all of St. Peter's High goes on alert. How has the cheerleading captain, girlfriend of the most popular guy in school, consummate teacher's pet, and future valedictorian fallen so far from grace?

Parker doesn't want to talk about it. She'd just like to be left alone, to disappear, to be ignored. But her parents have placed her on suicide watch and her conselors are demanding the truth. Worse, there's a nice guy falling in love with her and he's making her feel things again when she'd really rather not be feeling anything at all.

Nobody would have guessed she'd turn out like this. But nobody knows the truth.

Something horrible has happened, and it just might be her fault.

Back in the day, before I started my blog or even knew blogging was a thing, I would look up books on Barnes and Noble's website. I would search a book I knew I liked, and then follow the suggestions that they "think you might like" all over the place. This was one of those books that popped up in that long chain of book-looking (so was Obsidian by JLA, by the way). I read the little preview on B&N's website and decided that I seriously needed to get my hands on this book.

Fast forward to the beginning of September of 2010 when my brothers, my sister-in-law, and my mom went to the Yankees game against the Texas Rangers at Arlington. I wanted to go so badly, but instead I was stuck at home with my dad and my nephew. (No worries--I ended up going the next May and it was wonderful.) Another thing I used to do back then (and wish I still did today) was go to Borders and look at books. For no good reason. I didn't always buy a book--because I didn't always have money for that--but I'd just look around and be cool with that because books are awesome.

**Sidebar: I think it was the website for Borders that I was on more. I mean, I KNOW I went on B&N's website, too, but I think I may have found this book (and Obsidian) on Borders. Hmmm.**

Back to my story...I was at home with my dad and nephew and so bored I could cry. Soooo we went to Borders. And at Borders, I was all grabby hands at this book, because I was so curious about the contents of the book. It looked amazing, but it also looked like I could want to chuck it across the room. I wanted to reeeeeeeead it. So I talked my dad into buying it for me. 

I proceeded to read the crap out of this book in the day and a half-ish before the rest of my family got home, and this story has stuck with me ever since.

Parker was such a poignant character, and even though she could be so mean, I wished I could be like her. I wanted to be confident like she was, I wanted to be funny just like she was, and I wanted to not care about the little things like she did. I must also point out that the summer of 2010 (and the fall, and my whole freshman year in general for various reasons I'm not going to get into at the moment) was a hard one for me. I wanted to be anyone but myself, and almost any of the main characters in the books I read were ones I wanted to mirror. I didn't want their bad qualities, of course, but their strong ones, their unique ones, the ones that made them characters I loved--I wanted all of that. And Parker rocked at being everything I wished I was. 

And her story, in general. Her story will never leave my brain. It hurt my heart so much, but I loved it at the same time. I loved the characters. I loved how much people cared about Parker--especially Chris and Jake--and how everyone interacted. One of my favorite things was when Parker fell out of the tree and Jake was all worried and then she started teasing him the moment she got her bearings. 

I adored Jake. And Chris was a sweetheart. And I didn't even hate Becky. I am so excited to experience this story again. I don't doubt that it'll resonate through my mind much the same as it did the first time. I'll laugh and possibly cry and just fall in love with every single word, even the ones that sort of made me cringe, because I was a fan of Jake and Parker could be so cruel to him. 

But seriously, I think this is going to be great!      

I am so, so, SO glad I chose to read this book again. As I explained, it has always been one near and dear to my heart, but now I am declaring it one of my all-time favorite books. I am honestly and truly with the writing, and the premise, and this whole story in general.

Right off the bat, I already realized that there were things about this book that went right over my head the first time I read it. Seriously, on the very first page. Chris is asking about G-spots. Yeah, I didn't know what that was the first time I read this. HAAAAAAA. But it even goes beyond that. Little things that most people might have noticed the first time around, but it took me another read through to catch. Like how she says her counselor's eyes are like a dead sparrow's at the beginning of the book--and THAT is who was talking to her around the end of the book.

I also have a WAY better understanding of Parker now. There was something wrong with her. I'm guessing some type of anxiety disorder. I'm pretty confident she had some form of OCD. I mean, I'm not qualified to actually diagnose people or anything, but from my understanding of psychology (which is not very vast, but still, I have a little) that would be my guess. Parker had those problems BEFORE the whole thing with Jessie, and that is a huge part of why I am in love with this book. Parker didn't start having issues BECAUSE her friend went missing. No, she just reached her breaking point then--and this all lead to her actually getting help. I liked that this was something that was always a part of Parker. I mean, how many books feature perfectly fine characters and then BOOM tragedy strikes and they're not fine anymore? Not all characters can have perfect lives that are marred only by something bad happening to them. Making Parker flawed from the get go (i.e. even in the flashbacks) made her more easy to relate to, in my opinion. And I loved it.

Jake, Chris, and Becky. I adore Jake and Chris. They're such high school boys. They're funny and realistic, and I simply adore them. I have more to say about them, but first I want to talk about Becky. I feel like our view of Becky is skewed, because we're seeing her through Parker's eyes. I don't think Becky is the nicest person ever or anything, but I do think she was Parker's friend. Or the closest thing to a friend she had, at least. All four of these characters--one big group of super awesome friends, no matter how reluctant Parker is to admit it. SO YEAH. Becky did get on my nerves some, but I didn't hate her or anything.

Now back to the boys. I feel like Chris was the perfect representation for a high school guy doing all he can to get back the girl he fell in love with. I know he doesn't seem to try TOO hard, but what was he supposed to do? He's only an 18-year-old human male. He tried. And the biggest thing is that he's always there for Parker when she needs him. He messes up a little, but he's there and I freaking loved him. The way they parted ways at the end was fantastic. And Jake--another perfect representation, this time of a high school guy completely baffled by this situation he walked into after moving across the country. It's funny how his luck went--first person he met at him new school was Parker Fadley. The least helpful person he could meet. Poor guy. But he turned into another guy we could rely on and I fell in love with him, too.

After being immersed in the story I have loved for a long while yet again, I cannot be more glad I sat down and re-read this book. I see Parker for who she really is now, and I still kind of want to be like her in some ways. Not as many ways as before, because I realize now that she DOES care about things, just not the same things she forced herself to be good at before the beginning of the novel. But I like that she aimed to only care about things she deemed worth it. I also see that she didn't see herself worth caring about, which is why she was trying to make everyone forget about her in the first place. And I LOVE that this book is her realizing that she can't control who cares about her--not anymore than she can control anything else happening in the world--and she should be open to making relationships with people. It's healthy, it's normal, and it can be so incredibly rewarding.

So yeah. I definitely got something out of re-reading this book. Have you read this one? What do you think?

May I Suggest...Giveaway Hop

 

Hello lovelies! Time for another giveaway hop! 

As you can tell from the title, this one is for books that I would suggest to you. So that's what I'm about to do. Suggest a book. And then one of you awesome people will get chosen by the Rafflecopter gods (or something like that) and you'll get the book and it'll be happy and exciting and YAY! 

Okay? Okay.

Noggin by John Corey Whaley 

 

 I have not read this book. Yet. BUT I am completely taken by the premise of this story, and I am seriously dying to get my own copy and read the crap out of it. This book is the reason I have an "i-need-this-book-in-my-life" shelf on Goodreads. Honestly. This is the book I CREATED that shelf for. So, um, yeah. I'm going to just start pushing it into y'all's pretty little hands starting RIGHT NOW. :)

Details: 

- One winner will be randomly selected to recieve a copy of Noggin

- This giveaway is INTERNATIONAL woooooot

- My giveaway policy applies, so you should take a look at that before entering, if you haven't already

- Enter through the Rafflecopter below for a chance to win!  

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Hop on, good people! :)

  

Review: Don't Look Back by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Don't Look Back by Jennifer L. Armentrout 
Release Date: April 15, 2014
Pagecount: 384
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
Source: Publisher in exchange for an honest review
Buy It: Amazon | B&N

Description from Goodreads:
Samantha is a stranger in her own life. Until the night she disappeared with her best friend, Cassie, everyone said Sam had it all-popularity, wealth, and a dream boyfriend.

Sam has resurfaced, but she has no recollection of who she was or what happened to her that night. As she tries to piece together her life from before, she realizes it's one she no longer wants any part of. The old Sam took "mean girl" to a whole new level, and it's clear she and Cassie were more like best enemies. Sam is pretty sure that losing her memories is like winning the lottery. She's getting a second chance at being a better daughter, sister, and friend, and she's falling hard for Carson Ortiz, a boy who has always looked out for her-even if the old Sam treated him like trash.

But Cassie is still missing, and the facts about what happened to her that night isn't just buried deep inside of Sam's memory-someone else knows, someone who wants to make sure Sam stays quiet. All Sam wants is the truth, and if she can unlock her clouded memories of that fateful night, she can finally move on. But what if not remembering is the only thing keeping Sam alive?

We all know by now that I am a freaking HUGE fan of Jennifer L. Armentrout. The LUX series is one of my favorites, and she just writes some of the absolute best stuff to swoon over. Since I've been waiting what feels like forever and a half for this book to finally be released, I've had a lot of time to puzzle over what could be up with this book. It seems so different, but I surely expected it to hold that same JLA sparkle that is in everything she writes. 

Alas, this book told another fantastic story that I positively enjoyed the whole way through.

I liked the MC, Sam. Or, more accurately, I liked who the MC was in this book. I did not like who she used to be, but I like to think of them as two totally separate people because her change was so incredibly drastic. Sam was actually a pretty refreshing character. She was honest and open-minded. She did jump to some conclusions a time or two, but I can't really fault her for that. Not with the situation she was in, and especially not while I was doing the same exact thing. Sam handled everything very realistically and I truly liked her.

Carson was awesome. He was such a good guy, and not in an unrealistically perfect way. He was the kind of nice guy who could be anywhere. You know, if all the nice guys you knew were extraordinarily attractive. But seriously--Carson was realistic. And sweet. And so kind. He was patient and kind, and I loved how he was with Sam. He didn't pressure her into anything, and he gave her time to work through everything she needed to without being all kinds of demanding. He even offered to help. Such a sweetheart. 

The romance built up in the most perfect way. Since this is a JLA book, that's not very surprising, but I needed to say it nonetheless. Carson and Sam's relationship was a nice break from the mystery of everything, and it was always a good way to get some straight-up answers. They made a great couple, and it was sweet to see things working out for them in the midst of all the confusion.

The mystery is woven in such a way that I spent literally the whole book being suspicious of every character. Even the ones I adored, like Scott (who was a fantastic big brother) and Carson. I didn't figure it out until the person was revealed and then everything started clicking into place and I was like OHHHHH. But the suspicion this book caused...it was just the right amount. It was so close to being too much, because I had a hard time trusting people that I wanted to love--like Scott and Carson--but they ended up breaking through my barriers regardless and I was totally a fan. 

Overall, Jennifer L. Armentrout has written the most perfectly nerve-racking suspense that had me on the edge of my seat from beginning to end. I loved the characters, I was taken away by the story, and I couldn't wait to unravel the mystery. Don't Look Back is very different from Jen's other books, but I loved it just as much as all her others. I really hope Jen writes more suspense, because I seriously enjoyed reading this one!

Review: Lost in Us by Layla Hagen

Lost in Us by Layla Hagen 
Release Date: February 14, 2014
Pagecount: 316
Series: Lost #1
Source: Author in exchange for an honest review
Buy It: Amazon | B&N  

Description from Goodreads:
Serena has learned to live with her past, locking her secrets and nightmares deep inside her. But when her boyfriend of six years abruptly leaves her, she’s catapulted back into pain, nursing a broken heart. When indulging in mountains of chocolate doesn’t work, Serena decides the best way to deal with her shattered heart is to indulge in something else. A rebound . . .

The night she swaps her usual Sprite for tequila, she meets James. The encounter is breathtaking.
Electrifying.
And best not repeated.

James is a successful entrepreneur in Silicon Valley. A man who has amassed a fortune by taking risks. A man who has shunned commitment completely, and still does. He’s the exact opposite of Serena. But sometimes opposites attract. Sometimes they give in to burning passion. Sometimes opposites are perfect for each other.

James is everything her damaged soul could want. His kisses are intoxicating, his touch out of this world. He makes her forget. He grants her peace from her pain. But as they grow closer, Serena discovers she isn’t the only one with a past. James carries the scars of a past much darker than hers. One that has left him damaged, hurt, and wary of love. A past that gives him the power to shatter her.

Now James and Serena must find a way to mend one another. Or risk losing each other forever. 

A lot of New Adult contemporaries are cut from something of the same cloth. They have the girl who is just going about her regular ol' life, and then BAM. Mr. Love Interest pops up. They meet, they banter, they fall in love, they fight, they make up, they CANNOT BE TOGETHER! And then they get together and everything's fine, okay. And I know I'm simplifying this a bunch, and I sound kind of meh about it, but I DO enjoy these books. I do tend to need to be in the mood for these books, but I swoon right along with the best of them when reading these stories. I want that couple to get together just like everyone else, and I have fun watching it all fall into place for those two characters. 

But this book...this book is pretty much the same ol' same ol'. But it just didn't work for me. I somewhat liked the book in the beginning, because I thought the two main characters would be all romantic and sweet and get together and it'd be that way for a good portion of the book, and I'd LOVE IT. But nope. And the characters weren't exactly people I was a fan of, either. The whole novel got on my nerves way too much.  

The MC, Serena, didn't really work for me AT ALL. She tried my patience so many times, and her good qualities (like her confidence and general intelligence) were not enough to counter this. For a majority of the book, I was either bored with Serena or I was irritated with her. She narrated the whole book, and she was so wishy-washy about things that she should have been quite sure about. 

Normally, the love interest would make up for the MC if she was annoying me. He'd be sweet and awesome and I'd fall in love. Or he'd bring out the best in her, and I'd be cool with her. JAMES, however, got on my nerves just as much as Serena. It is a well known fact that I am the most jealous person ever. James messed with that way too much. With that one chick (was it Sophie or something? I can't remember her name) and then teasing with that other chick. I know I was supposed to feel for him and whatever, but all I wanted to do was run off and find a better love interest. I wanted a new one. I actually have a nice, hefty list of NA book boys I wish could have taken James' place. Ahhhh.

The relationship between James and Serena was too up and down. I couldn't deal with it. It made me too mad. They'd get together and I'd think that they were FINALLY in for the long haul, and then something would come up again to mess with that. And they'd break up. And not be talking. And tease each other. But they were both still extremely jealous. It was obvious to everyone that they both were still hung up on each other the whole time, which made everything even more frustrating. I was reading this book and trying to convince these characters to just STAY together. Or don't. Just pick one, because they way it was going was making me want to throw things. UUUUUUUUGGGGGGGGGGGH. 

There were parts I enjoyed, however. I liked their relationship in the very beginning, before James made me not like him by doing you-know-what with you-know-who (or maybe you don't--goodness knows I don't remember her name). They did have some cute moments before they started the on-again-off-again thing. I also enjoyed James' character once he decided he was IN the relationship. It didn't bother me much that he couldn't say certain words, because actions speak louder sometimes. I trusted that he'd get there in his own time, and he didn't need Serena's pushing and ultimatums (and that's another aspect of that girl that made me want to hit her). I was also happy with the ending.

Overall, this book did not work for me. It made me angry, and the love interest never completely won me over. I ended up liking him well enough, SORT OF, but I will never forget the things he did to make me feel like a raging jealous lunatic. The main character didn't float my boat either. In the end, I liked the two together, but it was after a ride that ended up way too bumpy for my taste. However, I would not be opposed to reading the next book in the series, Found in Us. Since there are different characters, I think I may like it. Especially I had no qualms with the writing in Lost in Us. Plus, I did quite like Parker...