Since I’d read mixed reviews of this book, I was a little apprehensive going in. But as it turned out, I ended up enjoying it quite a bit. It’s a teen romance of the same type as Simone Elkeles’s Perfect Chemistry series—full of lots of drama, cheesy dialog, and making out. But those things worked for me in the Perfect Chemistry books, and they worked for me here too.No one knows what happened the night Echo Emerson went from popular girl with jock boyfriend to gossiped-about outsider with "freaky" scars on her arms. Even Echo can't remember the whole truth of that horrible night. All she knows is that she wants everything to go back to normal.But when Noah Hutchins, the smoking-hot, girl-using loner in the black leather jacket, explodes into her life with his tough attitude and surprising understanding, Echo's world shifts in ways she could never have imagined. They should have nothing in common. And with the secrets they both keep, being together is pretty much impossible.
Yet the crazy attraction between them refuses to go away. And Echo has to ask herself just how far they can push the limits and what she'll risk for the one guy who might teach her how to love again.
And I’m warning you—I’m not kidding about the cheesy dialog. But while it made me almost roll my eyes more than a few times, it never quite crossed the line into actual eye-rolling territory. And aside from the writing sometimes being over the top, I thought the book was actually pretty well written. The story flowed fairly seamlessly, and nothing in the writing ever really pulled me out of the narrative.
Neither Echo nor Noah ever quite won me over, but they didn’t bug me either. So while I didn’t become super invested in the story on their behalf, I did want to find out the secrets in their pasts badly enough to keep on reading. The secondary characters in the book are fairly flat, but since Echo and Noah and all their drama looms larger than life, I didn’t really miss having any strong side characters.
Overall, if you’re in the mood for some dramatic teen romance, I think this book is a pretty good choice. While the story is probably totally unrealistic, it was still infinitely readable and quite enjoyable, if a bit of a guilty pleasure.
Rating: 4 / 5
I've heard mixed reviews about this one as well but I haven't been able to decide if I want to read it or not. Now I think if you liked it I will give it a try.
ReplyDeleteI thought there was a little too much drama in this book for my taste as someone who prefers comedy but it was enjoyable enough. And I do want to read the companion novel whose cover I quite like.
ReplyDeleteI'm happy you reviewed this because I've seen a lot of mixed reviews, but I always trust yours. :) I've been wanting to read it, but I think I'll wait until I'm really in the mood for some dramarama.
ReplyDeleteI think the mixed reviews on this one have actually worked in its favor for me. I still really want to read it, but I know exactly what I'll be getting into when I do, and will hopefully have realistic expectations. Heh. Great review Karen!
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