**You can see this full review and more at Book Briefs: http://bookbriefs.net**Tangled Up in Blue is the first book in the new adult contemporary romance series, Ikana College by author J.D. Brick. I really liked that Tangled Up in Blue was told in dual narrative, and I really did like the two main characters- Blue and Keegan. But the story fell a little flat for me. On one hand, the romance was interesting and the story was solidly good. Fans of new adult will enjoy the romance and the college setting. But people who are getting burnt out on new adult, or who dislike new adult that is all the same, this may not be the book for you.

For the record, let me say, that I am not burnt out on New Adult. New Adult contemporary romance is my favorite age group for contemporary romance. But Tangled up in Blue felt very generic as far as new adult romances went. It was good, but it wasn't anything different to make it stand out in my mind. But now, let's talk about what I did like in Tangled up in Blue. I liked the set up. I liked that Keegan was thrown into this big party house, which was totally not her scene. It made for lots of built in roommates (characters) for the story. I liked the way J.D. Brick used dramatic elements in this story. She didn't just keep throwing drama in your face, but it was kind of there in the background, in the form of a kind of sort of ex, Blue's mysterious past and Keegan's stalker of course.

The stalker storyline, by the way...totally creeped me out! I would have flipped if that happened to me. Keegan way handling it too calmly in my opinion. So why wasn't this story a bigger hit with me? Something about Blue's connection with Keegan felt off. Cheesy maybe? I'm not exactly sure. I liked it, and it has all the ingredients that would make this a new adult hit with me. And while the end result was something that I enjoyed, it didn't become the home run I was hoping for. The story felt long in parts.

Bottom Line: This is a good, but kind of generic new adult contemporary romance. If you can't get enough of the new adult genre and like your romances a little on the cheesy side, Tangled up in Blue would be a great pick for you. If you are a little worn out on New Adult, I would say pass on this one. Will I be continuing on in the series? Maybe. I am interested in what is going to happen next, so we will see.


This review was originally posted on Book Briefs