Sunday, December 9, 2012

The Edge of Never by Jessica Ann Redmerski

Ok so I know I promised to put out my review on the Lux Series by Jennifer L. Armentrout except I've just been distracted because I read this book called The Edge of Never which is by Jessica Ann Redmerski (obviously because you've seen the blog title and the book cover but anyway..) – I just wanted to get my feelings off my chest for that book before I can even focus back on the Lux Series.. (And if your wanting an update ! I'm about 1/3 of the way through which means I've finished the Obsidian section of the post.. At the moment I'm reading Opal (Lux #3) and it is really really good ! but that is another story for another day.)

Hmm how should I even start with The Edge of Never.. ~I think I'll start with the things it taught me and then work backwards: plot outline, characters and a little bit of English analysis to the cooking pot for this scrumptious recipe~ This book first started out as a little bit of a cliché for me, there were a couple of times when I felt like putting the book down.. but that was before the book started to suck me in – the biggest thing the book has taught me is to live in the moment..

“You dwell on the past, you can’t move forward. Spend too much time planning for the future and you just push yourself backwards, or you stay stagnant in the same place all your life.”

“Live in the moment.. where everything is just right, take your time and limit your bad memories and you’ll get wherever it is you’re going a lot faster and with less bumps in the road along the way.”

Basically these two quotes sum up the whole book.. But the challenge is to actually do it. It might be written in a book but it is a lot harder to actually do than it is to say. This book revolves around two people – Camryn Bennett and Andrew Parrish who both are total strangers to one another, however they find themselves on a bus traveling to nowhere, both are trying to find or regain their lost lives – Camryn's past drives her to leave town after her fall out with her bestfriend (since year two) over Damon (Nat's boyfriend who has been eyeing Camryn since year seven in school) and Andrew is traveling to Wyoming to visit his father who is dying of an inoperable tumor in his brain. On the bus, the pair grow to like each other a lot. They stick together and their relationship starts to blossom – each with their own quirky nature both seem to bounce off each other constantly – you can feel the underlying romance starting to blossom before they do ! .. It isn't until a run in with the Parrish family that you see the strength the two of them have together, she trusts him after saving her from the clutches of a sick man at a bus station and she returns the favor by sticking it to his bossy sibling Aidan.

~But hold on.. You'd think the story stops there wouldn't you well it doesn't~ the pair decide to journey back to Texas on a road trip of sorts – the pair's relationship reaches a new high after they decide to open up to each other like both of them haven't before. Andrew coaxes Camryn out of her tall and unyielding stronghold she has built around herself to hide her past from the world. Andrew teaches Camryn to indeed live "out-of-the-box" instead of dreaming – to actually conquer fear and to actually embrace her gifts and to ultimately live a whole life again.

~I enjoyed Camryn as a character, right from the get go I felt a connection with her~ At the start of the book, Redmerski presents Camryn as a sort of dependent and lost woman, but it really wasn't until she decided to do something with her life that the onion layers really started to peel back... ~Sorry that I likened her to an onion, she isn't like an onion although there were times where I almost cried.. ~ Camryn actually had the guts to stand up for herself and actually embrace life (with the help of Andrew of course) – she developed into a woman who could say what she wanted and actually went for it. She was strong enough to accept the past and to finally lay it to rest.

Andrew was the sort of guy that all women should want (except you must remember that this is just a story) – he treated Camryn like she held his world in her hands – and she did. You could tell from the start that they were out to achieve things together, he was taught to be a man (or more like a stereotypical version of an "alpha male" – he was drilled to not talk about feelings because according to his father "crying is for pussies." He seemed strong and masculine at the start of the book – however Camryn managed to strip away the armor he wore to protect himself from any emotion that threatened to tear him apart – she taught him that being emotional was okay ~And it's true – having emotion and showing it is what makes us human~ she gave him enough strength to conquer his demons...

BUT. THE SECRET.. *Queue the dramatic music* I got about 4/5 into the book and I was questioning the whole secret sort of thing. I mean up until then there was nothing of the sort – but trust me when I say this, it came out of nowhere. ~Look I can't really tell you what the secret was, but I can tell you it explained a lot about different tensions in the Parrish family... And trust me I'm trying really hard at the moment to not spoil it for you.. ~

The plot was really great up until the last bit of the story, the story rushes over things a lot in the end, it seemed as if Jessica had to rush to finish the book or maybe even conform to a fixed word count. She seemed to rush and gloss over the tie ups ~what I mean by that is the little "what ifs" in the story to the characters – she didn't explore enough detail and to be perfectly honest the story didn't end with a boom – more of a lessened bang – I felt less impacted even though the story built up perfectly... ~ However regardless of that small problem with the book it was really really good and I loved it, to be honest it isn't a book I'd read over and over again (this book is like a twice read book). I'd recommend this book to people who want to learn some really impacting morals, love characters that have demons to face and those who love a romance that isn't only built upon sex but memories and experiences (but trust me the sex scenes were good too – they weren't over the top like some books I've read, the book focused on an actual relationship rather than just a physical one). I liked it a lot and I hope you do to.

Ryan:)

Tuesday, September 11, 2012

Crow's Row by Julie Hockley

Crow's Row -- what an enthralling read. ~OK so I read the blurb and wasn't that fussed -- but you know the great saying "Don't judge a book by its cover" (well blurb in this case) well that's what I did and I got totally proven wrong~ This book grabbed me from the start -- it seemed like a detailed pop-up book ~Yes I know I am comparing it to a child-like layout sort of book~ when it seemed like you had everything sorted out -- more things would unfold and the book would pull you in so much more...

So lets step back inside the book and talk about what happens -- basically the book revolves around Emily Sheppard, a freshman university student at Callister University -- a girl who threw away her rich status to live a "non-cliché" life. Emily is plagued by her older brother's (Bill Sheppard) death -- Emily lives in a half existence life while trying to figure out why her brother died. One day she runs into Cameron ~Yes everyone he is the dark, brooding, mysterious hottie also known as the love interest~ while visiting her brother's grave -- but what she doesn't know won't kill her -- Cameron is the key to figuring out Bill's death and Emily is consequentially kidnapped when she witnesses a murder. Emily is dragged into the criminal drug world of Cameron.

Emily, I really liked her lots and lots ~To be completely honest with you I didn't fall in love with her as much as I expected to..~ she portrayed a sense of innocence in the first 1/3 of the book -- yes that would be expected but I didn't like how she lived a half-life.. it seemed as if she just existed rather than thrived in the first part of the book.. ~Ok so I like ballsy chicks in books.. Obviously this girl didn't have any to start off with -- I was a bit disappointed with that.. But hey its not like all characters have to be the same..~ It wasn't until she got involved in the criminal underworld where things really started to heat up.. ~Yes this girl gained some customary strength everbody -- be proud, because I certainly was~ I liked that Hockley actually built her into her own -- It gave her a real sense of genuinity.. This girl made tough decisions and I actually liked that she stuck to her guns, Hockley managed to actually manipulate the story to reflect her strengths rather than have her flail around.. It was clearly evident that being a criminal was Emily's piece of cake -- I liked that she was able to hold her own against everybody ~Yes I know that I've already said it -- I'm repeating it because it is totally true -- to be honest I couldn't deal with anything if it was a real life situation~

Oh mmmi gosh ~yes I'm spelling it wrong just to show you how frustrated I am~ Cameron was just a total love-hate sorta guy -- there were definitely times in the book where all you could do was just shout at the book or just be totally frustrated about what he did... although I do admit there were tender moments to him and I praise him for it -- the things he went through to get where he was.. totally amazing ~I mean I could never be strong enough to break the poverty cycle and just overcome total hardship -- yes turning to criminal acts wasn't the best choice but Hockley sort of made it the only choice that was good enough for him.. I'm actually going against my morals and saying that it was a good choice~ Cameron is a strong and mysterious character -- there is a hard and strict part of him that I cringe at most times -- yes he leads a effective drug ring but the choices he makes affect a lot of people ~Yes in a bad way~ but is "apparently" good for the business.. But there is a tender part to him that makes you totally fall for him ~He isn't like Gideon Cross (from Sylvia Day's Bared to You Trilogy) or Christian Grey (from E.L. James' the Fifty Shades Trilogy) who are totally over-controlling/dominating guys -- who are actually heavily affected by their pasts~ that is a good thing because there is a prescence of emotion there -- he doesn't have the urge to dominate but rather is more reserved but has emotion ~I can't find words to explain it -- I'm actually happy that this isn't a BDSM book~

The relationship between the two was really really sweet -- Cameron made Emily strong and Emily released Cameron's emotions and made him less tense ~Yes that sounds like it was constant sex sex sex but it wasn't -- to be honest I don't enjoy sex books that are all sex and no plot -- they have to have a balance~ This was the sort of book that didn't need sex to be a good book -- the plot made up for it immensely ~I actually can't remember if they even did the deed -- hang  on why the hell am I talking about sex when it is supposed to be about the relationship!~ I really felt sorry for Emily in the climax of the book and the ending put a big strain on the relationship ~I would've done exactly what she did -- trust me that when I say that it was bad, it was BAD~ The thing I didn't like about this relationship was the trust part -- Cameron didn't trust Emily when it came to criminal matters, he didn't keep her in the loop and in some situations this didn't help at all ~yes I do see his reasoning behind it -- he didn't want to taint her soul and all -- that was fair... but he didn't understand what Emily wanted~ But there is both to blame -- Emily didn't trust that Cameron loved her with all his heart and strived to satiate her needs -- she didn't value herself enough to understand that she was worth the fight.. ~All in all, this relationship I felt was actually genuine and was innocent and sweet~

The secondary characters were actually very enjoyable, I loved Carly and Rocco the most.. they had the most genuine feel about them -- not only that but both of them were really fleshed out ~That is what I loved about this book -- yes the protagonists were fleshed out effectively but so were some of the secondaries -- that is the key to a good book~ ~I really connected with these characters which I liked a lot because that usually doesn't happen in some books..~

Wow, just summing up the whole book is a big task -- basically it was one of my favourite books I have ever read, the plot is actually really really creative -- I loved it because I couldn't predict what would happen next.. The characters are really really great -- they are easy to connect to and have a real sense of genuinity to them -- they are really fleshed out well and the thing is -- it is only the first book in the series.. I would recommend this book to any young adult reader who doesn't even sway towards these types of books because this book will draw you in. Just read it -- It was amazing for me and it could definitely be amazing for you! So go out and read it.

Ryan:)


Tuesday, August 28, 2012

Get Excited!

Ok so as you can see, I have deleted all my posts that have anything to do with the Lux Series by Jennifer L. Armentrout and anything to do with the Nevermore Series by Kelly Creagh..

~No it's not because they are absolutely shitty books~

*Drum roll please*

I'm going to be doing a post on all of the Lux Series in one big extravaganza!
Oh and don't forget about the Kelly Creagh's best work -- I'm going to be doing one on that too.

But first I need to finish my post on Julie Hockley's "Crow's Row" to even think about starting these two tasks.. And let me tell you these will be BIG!

Sorry I'm just really excited -- after a long years wait Kelly Creagh's Enshadowed (book #2 of her Nevermore Series) is finally coming out today.. Also I just got off the high called Onyx (book #3 of Jennifer L. Armentrout's Lux Series) that was released on the 16th of August -- it is an amazing book so do check it out..

Ryan:)

Sunday, August 19, 2012

Crash by Nicole Williams


So do you know how I was going on about this "Revamp Project" going on, I had to push it back because I read this totally great book called Crash by Nicole Williams. This book is really really fantastic, this book is like Beautiful Disaster (by Jamie McGuire) standard.. and I was shocked -- this was a huge heart ache for me.


I was really really amazed with the quality of this book, the first book I read from Nicole Williams was "Fissure" which I really wasn't fussed about. This was a big turn around for me she really developed an emotional connection in Crash -- the characters were completely believeable and were actually explored. So let me tell you this is also an achey rollercoaster -- the story revolves around Lucy Larson who moves to her holiday house after her father's business empire falls apart -- struggling with her mother's salary as an architect... She literally crashes into Jude Ryder (a.k.a the Love Interest for those of you who don't know) ~I think that's why the song is called that? I wouldn't know..~ Yes it sort of starts off as a lusting? Lucy thinks he is a total dickheadd and Jude is totally convinced that she is totally stuck up and wayy out of his league... They were both wrong..

This is a story about how opposites attract -- a boy from the wrong side of the tracks -- whose life has been surrounded by crime all of his life -- a boy who has been rejected. shamed. indignified... a girl who had it all but lost the game of life -- but managed to start again -- a girl who transformed -- sweet. innocent. vunerable. strong.

Lucy Larson, WOW. I actually liked her a lot... she was everything you could want in a girl lead.. she was strong and could actually stand on her own two feet. Also she was really innocent and really sweet she actually treated everyone equally.. However I was a bit unhappy with her choices – she was easily manipulated ~Yes I know it goes against the whole "she is soo strong and I love her" thing that I have going on...~ Lucy didn't trust and when she did it always turned out wrong.. I also didn't like that she was so involved with Jude that she didn't make any sort of solid friendships.. She seemed pretty volatile at times – she easily jumped from conclusion to conclusion – she seemed to lack any sort of faith in anything really..  ~Now that I said all that I'm really starting to doubt whether the positives actually outweigh the negatives~

Jude Ryder where do I begin? I actually liked that he attempted to change (and change he did).. Some of the guys in the books I have read usually decide just to plot along with their same-old attitude and expect the girl to play catch-up.. I'm glad this didn't happen because this guy's ego is pretty big.. This boy is arrogant, hot, edgy and criminal – I guess that's the bad-boy package you get when you read the book... Now there are some issues here – Jude's criminal past comes into play in this book – I mean he does criminal things to woo Lucy ~I felt really disappointed and felt like saying that it "isn't a way to get girls" – and I did and was really frustrated when the book didn't answer back – am I freaking you out because I'm freaking me out with this babble that's streaming through my head~ Also Jude is really really edgy and overprotective when it comes to his life and especially to Lucy.. Some of his reasons are completely valid – he had a rough childhood and was basically thrown around the fostering system but that doesn't give him permission to micromanage things that are wayyy beyond his control.. But let's forgo the nasty and lets focus on the good things – this boy is driven – I mean really driven as in standing-up-in-assembly-and-proclaiming-your-love-kinda-way but not just once, TWICE.. I admire that – all just for one girl... Jude didn't dilly-dally around playing does-she-love-me-does-she-not game he actually knew he was completely and irrevocably in love with Lucy so he completely went for it.. ~I know you guys are both waiting for another BUT and it's coming..~ This guy has huge trust issues – Lucy the same. ~I'm not gonna offer any more until the next paragraph ;)~

The relationship was basically the big rock of the whole novel – Jude's and Lucy's relationship is totally swoon-worthy and altogether frustrating – both of them don't trust each other – they both let things get in the way because they both jump to conclusions – it was really heartbreaking... It also leaked passion – yes both of them seemed to run on different frequencies for a chunk of the story ~yes, they had totally sweet and passionate moments – and I was thinking YESS then other times the fighting would totally take over and I felt like yelling NOOO~ but it wasn't until they both solved the big underlying issue in their relationship that they actually clicked ~No I'm not gonna tell you... As the "clicking" was postponed until the end of the book, I felt like it needed a bit more to it~

I really liked that Nicole set these characters up as polar opposites and really fleshed them out – it gave depth to the story..

Secondary characters, since Lucy didn't really make friends other than Sawyer ~yes, I'm going to have a big rant about this guy~ unless you count Holly at the end... So Holly seemed really great I mean kudos to Nicole for fleshing her out in such a short amount of book ~Yes, this girl causes Lucy to break up with Jude~ Now for the über-bastard Sawyer ~excuse my colourful language~ this guy is amazingly manipulative and just a downright jerk – not to mention heavily narcissistic, angry and vindictive.. ~every time I think about what to write I just shudder from what went on from him in the book~ The guy seems totally cool and popular and friendly but his beauty is only skin deep...

This book is a great young adult book – a book I recommend to those who love forbidden romance, a romance between two polar opposites and those who just want an entertaining read... This is probably the best I've read by Nicole Williams and the first of the Crash book series and I stress that you should read it..

Until next time.

Ryan:)

Friday, July 27, 2012

Sweet Evil (The Sweet Trilogy #1) by Wendy Higgins

Sweet Evil. What an absolute stunner. The first few words of the blurb "Embrace the Forbidden" just pure magic -- those three words basically summed up this dazzling deal. Like my last review (Stephanie Perkin's Anna and the French Kiss) I've been meaning to write this for months but haven't had the time ~School, work and reading have really left me little time...but since I've started writing I just can't stop -- I lurvvee it~ This book is the most original take on demons/angels/nephilim I've read so far -- it is truly unique. So here goes -- "there is a head demon for each of the seven deadly sins – lust, gluttony, greed, sloth, wrath, envy, pride to serve Lucifer ~Satan/Devil -- however you want to say it... its all the same -- but please don't delve into the intricacies of it -- I'm not the most religious person~ the nephilim, are the servers of the demons whose sole purpose is being bad influences on humans (to cause the humans to divulge in the seven deadly sins as mentioned above)"

~Wait... how haven't I mentioned any of the characters yet? I'll get to that after giving a spiel about the plot~ During the beginning of the saga Anna lives a pretty sheltered life under the guardianship of Patti, a freelance photographer who adopted her after her birth. A southern girl who is sweet and innocent discovers her dark side after meeting hot-mysterious drummer Kaidan. Living an extremely sheltered life takes it toll as it is revealled Anna is half nephilim and the other half angel ~I guess you could call her middle ground of the demon-angel-spectrum~ Anna demands answers ~Obviously... who wouldn't?~ Kaidan is the first she turns to... Badda bing badda boom *queue "Love is in the Air" music*.. ~So what we've established -- the sparks have definitely ignited between the pair~ But Anna needs to stay away from Kaidan but can't find the strength, she also needs to journey to California to find the last existing angel on Earth. Marna, Ginger, Kopano and Blake (Kai's nephilim friends) are whisked in to help. But let's not forget the demons, Anna's father decides to make an appearance – he has tried his hardest to conceal his daughter's existence from the other deadly sins demons even Lucifer himself. What has lasted 17 years is now uncovered and Anna is made to serve her father by the request of the other demons – many possibilities surrounding her existence and love life arise as Anna fights for survival.

Usually I really hate characters with that southerner drawl – but there are times I disregard these sorts of things, especially for the well written books ~Like I haven't worshipped this book enough~ This book was really well written Wendy Higgins managed to seduce me with Anna ~I'm not going to mention Katy from Jennifer L. Armentrout's Obsidian, Anna from Stephanie Perkins' Anna and the French Kiss, Ana from E.L James' Fifty Shades of Grey, Sydney from Richelle Mead's Bloodlines, Isobel from Kelly Creagh's Nevermore, Nora from Becca Fitzpatrick's Hush Hush, Abby from Jamie McGuire's Beautiful Disaster... Trust me the list of my favorite female characters are endless~ Wendy just injected small amounts of drawl in the right places ~It made the story so much easier – definitely less cringeworthy~ Anna is definitely a strong character – she's loyal and joyful, but she also has a sense of innocence surrounding her ~I think it's because of her heavily sheltered life~ This innocence can be totally understandable but really frustrating ~Especially when it gets to the hot romance scenes~ Wendy really fleshes out Anna especially her feelings towards her adoptive mother Patti, Kaidan – the love interest and Marna, Ginger, Blake and Kopano. I really enjoyed that this girl had an inner journey and broke free of her quiet nature to become a strong and independent girl when things got tough.

Kaidan, Kaidan, Kaidan – ever the bad influence... But don't worry he's a complete package – mysterious, badass, swoon-worthy hotness ~I'm thinking you want me to continue and say he's $9.99 at Macy's or something... Sadly no~ There are sometimes that I absolutely love him but there are other moments when I scream out in annoyance/frustration when he makes the worst choices. Wendy, did you really have to set him up to think bad about himself and better yet; be a conformist nephilim with a streak of all of those juicy things mentioned above. Wendy's writing flaunted Kaidan's qualities frequently – it was just an all out battle of badass vs innocence the whole book. The guy lacks guts and courage and bravery – that is a definite must ~if he could just for one second take that leash that is around his neck I would be proud~ I'll definitely be waiting for the time because a lot of things about him (including the spice scenes) seemed highly reserved – I'm thinking it was to build onto the next book. Yes I did enjoy Kaidan but him holding back the whole book was a little disappointing, regardless he played his gig as the love interest pretty damn well.

The diversity in the secondary character line was impressive to say the least – Kaidan's friends (Marna, Kopano, Blake and Ginger) had different personalities ~I was refusely thanking Wendy for not doing the same cliché of characters in the book – what I mean by that is, she didn't feature like the cheerleaders/jocks cliché into the book~ I liked the idea that each character either personified their sinful qualities or were in a different stage of their individuality ~What I mean is that each nephilim character fought their conforming nature to their demon in their own way~ The banter. ~Yes that did deserve its own sentence~ The banter between the group was hilarious – a definite highlight of the book.

Oh and the cliffhanger ~It can seriously go die in a deep, dark hole where I can't feel it's vibes until the release of Wendy next book~ It fulfilled its purpose perfectly – totally emotional, well written – it was basically like a car crash without airbags... It was so abrupt but just kept me hanging on for more.

Its a bit hard for me to wrap up the book in a few simple sentences... Basically It was a very striking and original and amazing book I've ever read about in the angels and demons genre. The book is definitely slow building but is well worth it during the climax. It is definitely a start of a tale that you could read over and over and over again and simply enjoy. I cannot wait until the next book ~I even had to not abbreviate cannot in that sentence because saying it the long way adds so much more meaning to it~ I recommend those people who absolutely love a YA romance that features heavenly angels, hellish demons and all that's in between. So go out and read it I beg you! One of 2012's best so far ~I'm not gonna list all the other fantastic books of 2012 because that would take forever~

Ryan:)

Monday, July 23, 2012

The Revamp Project

Heey viewers!
I'm really sorry for not posting any new posts recently because i've been humming-and-harring about what I want to do with my blog... Yes yes I am still going to be posting reviews on spectacular up-coming/new release books. The whole reason the post is called "The Revamp Project" is because i've decided to redo my previous/earlier reviews (which haven't been very much of a review rather a slag wall – btw are the shorter ones at the beginning of my blogging experience) so they can be up to my newer standards – so what does this mean? Well the reviews i've been planning to do (in my "Coming Soon" section of the blog) are going to be pushed back a little while. But do stay tuned because my "Sweet Evil by Wendy Higgins" review is in its final stages so that is going to be posted for the world to see. Also another thing – school has decided to knock on my front door and beat its way into my house (I'm currently beginning my 2nd week of school and I have loads and loads of homework and assignments to complete so that will definitely slow my whole project progress down)

But do pleassse stay tuned to my page and more updates will be on their way

Cheers
Ryan:)

Tuesday, July 3, 2012

Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins

I've been itching to write a review on this book for a while, but since I have had to hold off my reviews for while to hit the study books... I haven't got around to it so I apologize.

Anna and the French Kiss blew me away, I've read this book about 3 times so far and Stephanie Perkins has managed to suck me in each time. This is one of the good books that must be read.
In the story, Anna is shipped off to SOAP (School of America in Paris) by rich and shallow author dad; Anna is outrageously homesick, lost and insecure as she assimilates into the city of love. Call in the bestfriends (Josh, Rashimi, Meridith and Etienne “St. Clair”) who befriend Anna and drag her out to experience the city – Paris. Anna harbours a crush on Etienne – and vice versa ~This is one of the best couples I have read about so do check it out~ but there are things both holding them back from true love – ~hmmm lets see, well there’s Ellie (St. Clair’s girlfriend) and Toph (Anna’s offshore-crush), also there’s Meredith (who’s been crushing on St. Clair for ages – she’s friends with Anna and St. Clair), St. Clair’s family life but the bottom line – LACK OF BLEEDING COMMUNICATION?!~

So lets start off with Anna Oliphant, originally from Atlanta; she is shipped off to the pretentious school, SOAP to complete her studies. Anna is sweet, brave, wholesome and joyful throughout the book – she is insanely loyal to her new bunch of friends ~Which I absolutely love in a character~ Anyway Anna had her fair share of struggles especially with her long distance relationships with Bridgette Saunderwich, Christopher “Toph” and Matt, the love ”square” ~Yes there are 3 girls vying for Etienne’s love and adoration namely Ellie, Anna and Meredith~ Anna receives constant on-and-off love signals from Etienne – which she dealt with impulsively and bravely ~I was really proud of each choice she made regardless of the consequences – because hey if I were her I would be doing the same thing~ I really empathized for Anna – she was absolutely scared of ending up alone and even admitting her feelings (to herself and Etienne) that could destroy a friendship that was built from the start of the book until the end ~But not only that.. a friendship that she truly depends on~ Some of Anna’s decisions were really rash – lets not go into the holiday break in Atlanta – that was truly disastrous… also her little romance with Dave ~*Shudder* absolutely cringe-worthy~ Usually I hate Southern twang in books, yes everyone Anna is a southerner but Stephanie only put the right amount in deserving places which just adds to Anna ~It’s the small intricacies that count~ Ultimately an amiable heroine with a severe old day movie obsession and a few neurotic tendencies. I loved that Stephanie fleshed out Anna so much – I just felt like I was there the whole time watching Anna carry out her life.

Going onto St. Clair! He is totally amazing boy lead… he wasn’t the typical male lead of a book – clichéd six-foot tall, rock-star hair, hunky jock. ~Thank god – that was probably what sets him apart from other love interests in other books~ He was short, brunette ~wait the book did say he did have rock-star-totally-careless-but-hot-hair… my bad~ and a history dork… oh and plus he has an english accent ~Surely beats Southerner twang in American books… why am I carrying on about the twang?! Please don’t answer that!~ St. Clair had his insecurities – namely he was scared also to end up alone under his over baring father while his mother is staying in California… His relationship with Ellie ~That definitely pissed me off~ you could see from the start that they were growing apart, he always ended up going back to her when things got tough ~Which I wasn’t impressed with when there was Anna right in front of him~ Ellie and St. Clair were in different worlds to start off with (Ellie, a freshman in university and St. Clair a senior at SOAP) and he still remained with her even when he had strong feelings for Anna… Not his strong point I must say. He and I both have something in common – we are both afraid of heights ~I was impressed when he overcame his fear of heights (maybe only temporary) to proclaim his love~ The bottom line was he was absolutely swoon-worthy.

The relationship between Anna and St. Clair felt so honest and true, it made my heart absolutely ache – romances like theirs rarely exist in real life – but Stephanie made it feel totally real and normal for me. Thank the heavens! Anna doesn’t fall in love at first sight ~That’s what I’m not impressed about most books have silly girls falling for the guys in the first few chapters – but not this one~ Anna’s feelings grow gradually throughout the book. First, she acknowledges only Etienne’s hotness, but accepts he is taken and is content with friendship. ~But as you get sucked in more and more by the desirable vortex named Anna and the French Kiss~ The pair get to know each other – she sees there is more than meets the eye and voila she starts falling for him… only a little at the start but as their friendship grows and they become intimate ~Emotional intimacy guys, not physical yet~ the relationship turns straight to Lovetown. The crackling tension, the humour, wandering through the streets of Paris and old movies combined with endless conversations and brilliant banter – all leads to one thing…LOVE! The book captures the awkward moments, the bad decisions, insecurities and fights in relationships – the ultimate flip of the coin…That is all at the heart of one fantasmagorical book. Stephanie explores this relationship so well the reader just has to crave more – her writing is indeed excellent. A highlight of the book I think is when Etienne first starts to become Anna’s rock --  when he first buys her the banana and an elephant it made my heart just ache and ache and ache. The chemistry between Anna and Etienne is amazing, you can’t help but wish them together, regardless the circumstances.

Both main and secondary characters were fleshed out realistically – thank god, the group of friends Anna hung with: soccer-mad Meredith, artsy Josh, intelligent Rashimi were all diverse which I am truly thankful for you don't want the same group of clichés in all books. I actually came to like Matt, at the start of the book Anna sort of hung a rain cloud over his head – but he definitely came through as a supportive guy for Anna in the end, I question him being with Cherrie Millen though ~they seemed happy so I leave it be~ Bridgette Saunderwich seemed smart at the start – a total cool friend, I liked her emails to Anna at the start but then she gradually stopped – I was proud of her for getting in Toph’s band but that definitely had a flip coin, I hated her lack of guts just to tell Anna the truth about her relationships with her younger brother and Toph… It just proved how unworthy she was as a friend. Toph was a bit touch-and-go sort of guy – he was labelled Anna’s overseas crush – but truly did disappoint, I’m thankful to Matt for revealing all of his (Toph’s) weaknesses – because it was just a cold hard slap for Anna who just lived in a Toph-is-totally-gonna-take-me-back-once-I-come-home-from-Paris-utopia…Let me tell you she deserved it. Now this book didn’t feature a villain as such… I guess you could say Amanda – she was definitely a cold hearted bitch, but she played her part very well – made Anna’s life absolutely hell… She just highlighted Anna’s perseverance and resilience in life.

I’m going to wrap up now, this book was just amazing – I can’t describe in words how great this book was, but its safe to say in the future I will definitely be re-reading it… Its one of those romances that touch your soul – without the sappiness, it makes you want to jump pages and ultimately become friends with all of the characters. Perkin’s Anna and the French Kiss made me laugh out loud, shed a few tears, and left me with a kind of silly and content grin (and even sleep deprived and caused a huge headache for staying up until the early hours of the morning reading this book – but let me tell you its definitely worth it). This is one of the best books I have read – it is absolutely deserving of its high ratings and reviews ~I’m even adding to it!~ So make sure you read this book!

Ryan:)