Joey made her dad a deathbed promise that she would become a doctor, and dedicate herself to fighting the very cancer that took his life. There’s just one problem -three years into her pre-med classes, she's struggling to stay on top of the curve, let alone prove she's dazzling enough to earn a spot in an Ivy League medical school. In a Hail Mary move, she throws a basic Business 101 class into her semester schedule, banking on a perfect score to boost her GPA.That is, until she’s paired for a final project with Hawk, the bartending, motorbike-riding, gorgeously bedheaded loser who falls asleep in class and communicates in one-word sentences.Hawk does whatever he wants, whenever he wants, which sets Joey on edge – in every possible way. As they get to know each other, her urge to scream at him is curbed only by her fantasies of tearing his clothes off. Soon those fantasies become reality, and Joey realizes Hawk makes her feel more fully herself than any of the rich boys her mother and sorority sisters approve of.But the promise to her father hangs over her head, and the harder Joey tries to succeed in her chosen career, the faster everything falls into a hopeless tailspin of bad grades, broken promises and guilt. It doesn't help to have Hawk sitting like a devil on her shoulder, insisting she should be free to live however she wants to live - like he does.The only thing Joey knows is that her neatly organized life is crushing her - and Hawk's bad attitude might be the only thing that can save her.
After I read and liked Picture Perfect,
a standout NA book about insecurities about body image, I knew I needed the
companion novel starring the best friend. True is, I enjoyed this one even more!
Joey promised her father on his
deathbed that she would follow in his footsteps by going to medical school.
Skip to a couple years later and Joey is drowning in school work. She is not up
to par on her grades, and she basically hates every second of it. When she
takes an easy business class to boost her GPA, she gets stuck with a lazy
partner for a semester project. Hawk is everything she should stay away from
but everything she can’t stay away from. When the road to medical school gets
to be too much for Joey, can Hawk help Joey realize she really needs is not what she is convinced she needs?
It took me a while to warm up to Joey. She
needed to be more confident in herself because she clearly did not enjoy the
road that she was on, but I knew why she was so hesitant to change it. She
promised her father on his deathbed, but I just think he would have wanted her
to be happy, not miserable. When she finally realized it, I screamed in
happiness and joy. I’m glad that Hawk was such a good and unexpected influence
on her.
At first glance, Hawk is a major bad boy who
seems that he has a carefree attitude towards school, among other things. But
that’s not who Hawk is. He’s had a rough life and has lost a lot of people
along the way, and he’s doing all he can to keep it together. He works hard to
support his sister and himself, and it’s impressive of him to even go to
school. In my opinion, he gives Joey the best gift of all: how to relax and do
what you love.
I was so happy to see Cat and Nate make
a reappearance and they’re happier than ever. I severely disliked Joey’s
mother. She didn’t seem to be proud of her daughter who works harder than all
of her other children combined. Hawk’s sister, Olivia, was definitely rough
around the edges, but I think it is because of the hardships she’s endured in
her early years. She was one of my favorite characters. Maybe she’ll get her
own book? *nudge, nudge* *wink, wink*
This plot was basically about
self-discovering, but I could’ve used a smidgen more action. Not much, but
definitely some more. I wanted to be in Hawk’s head, especially during some
crucial scenes, but I loved the writing. I felt Joey’s indecision the whole
time, and it was really rough. The romance was scorching and adorable. They
were two completely different people who started off wanting different things
in life, and they’re really volatile together. But they have the sweetest
moments that made me go awwwwww. For basically the whole book. And Thomas can
sure write very smexy scenes.
I’m really hoping there is another
companion novel to the great NA series. Goodness, will I ever tire of these
amazing books?
Favorite Swoon-worthy Quote: All of a sudden, his fists loosened, his
fingers working their way out of my half-tangled strands to brush down my neck,
then grip my shoulders and tug my body upward so that we stood face-to-face.
His fingers brushed lightly down my check, and he kissed me so tenderly, his
lips clinging to mine, so slow to break away that I thought my heart would
break.
Rating: 4/5 Tar Heels!
About the Author:
Alessandra Thomas is a New Adult writer who swears she was in her twenties yesterday. Since she's not, she spends her time looking back on her college years fondly, and writing sexy stories about guys and girls falling in love and really living life for the first time. When she's not writing, you can find her with a spoonful of ice cream in one hand and the newest New Adult release in the other.Find Alessandra at:
0 comments:
Post a Comment