3.75/5 stars

ARC received from publisher via Netgalley for an honest review

I have liked the CJ Duggan books I have read previously, so the chance to read an advanced copy of Paradise City was a no brainer.

Lexie moves from home schooling in the country to high school in the city. The time of her life, right?

Hmmm, not exactly. All her romantic notions of going to school with her beloved cousin - who she hasn't spoken to in years mind you - are shattered when she gets to town.

Lexie felt to me still like the 13 year old that was last in contact with her cousin Amanda - who OMG that girl is bipolar!

Luke Ballantine is the guy that gets her attention, sparks her interest from the start. I liked Ballantine, I really did.

The interaction between Lexie and Ballantine flip flops between indifference to steamy - well as steamy as a 17 year old virgin will let things get!

This is a road trip, coming of age kind of story. It took me a while to connect with Lexie (at times I felt quite disconnected, but this could just be me).

It had a sort of holiday-seaside town feel to it, and it did remind me of beachside holidays when I was a kid.

This falls on the lower age end of the NA genre, and the characters did feel very young to me - but that is probably just because I am so old!!

The one thing that really did surprise me was the ending. CJ Duggan is not known for writing cliffhangers, so this was something completely unexpected.

I wanted to scream and shout at Ballantine with that ending grrrr.

Now I am impatiently waiting for book 2, Paradise Road, as I need to know how things go.