I bought this book because it was on the Goodreads daily deals...I think it was only $.99...I kind of feel like I was ripped off.

I originally rated this 2 stars, but when I tried to think of something I actually enjoyed about this book I came up empty. I can't think of a single redeeming quality of this book. Also, I found myself hate reading from about the 15% mark on.

What I liked:
1. It was only $.99
2. It was a quick read

What I disliked:

Oh boy, where do we start?

1. The concept. Now, I should say that when I skimmed the synopsis, all I saw was that it was about an actor who found out he had a five-year old child he didn't know about. That intrigued me and I bought the book without fully reading the synopsis. Even if I'd realized the romance was between the dad and a nanny, that would've still intrigued me. It's a trope I kind of like, to be honest. But the execution of this concept was so incredibly poor. So little of this book actually dealt with any real connection between Brad (the actor) and Nicole (the daughter). It was all about how horny he was for Cara and how he hated that he could no longer party like a frat boy, even as he spent half the book doing just that.

2. The characters. I hated them.

Cara was a spineless and hypocritical. She made excuses for her behavior the entire way through the book, rarely taking any ownership of her actions.

Examples:

Pg. 23 "Moving around that much meant I never had a chance to fall in love. And if I couldn't fall in love, I was just going to let my body have a party."
*So it's her parents fault that she was promiscuous in her youth...okay

Pg. 128 "This was a symptom of being a heterosexual woman of childbearing age Who hadn't had sex or male attention in too long."
*This is her internal justification for the fact that her boss sexually harassing her (pulling his pants down and mooning her) is actually arousing her. Gross.

Pg. 178 "I don't know why I felt as if I had to compare myself to her. My name on the lips up a pack of paps had left me exposed to my vulnerabilities."
*Cara justifying her comparing herself to one of her ex-bosses. She just never takes any accountability. It's human nature to make comparisons but she feels like she needs to act like it's not a natural part of her character. It's completely disingenuous.

Brad was a one-note clichéd piece of trash. Sorry, not sorry. I'm not going to mince words. He was a possessive, aggressive asshole. He spends the majority of the book sexually harassing Cara.

He walks in on her taking a shower and watches as she masturbates. Then he blames it on her by saying that where he comes from it's acceptable to walk into someone's home if the door is unlocked. Ummmm...WHAT THE FUCK?! Even if it was considered acceptable to walk in the front door (which it's not, especially when that person is IN YOUR EMPLOY), that doesn't mean it's in any way acceptable to go into the bathroom!! And it wasn't like he walked in, realized what was happening, and walked out. No. He stayed in the room. He stepped closer to the shower. Later that night he comes to her home again, wasted, and proceeds to harass her again. The following are quotes from their exchange. (All Brad quotes)
"You know what bothers me about fantasies? You never know if you're getting it right. Like when I fantasize about fucking you."
"Do you come with a dick? Just a dick? Or do you need a little help? I have this one fantasy where you come without help, and one where I touch you. I want to know which one's right, then I won't ask again. And what do you call your...you know...girl parts?"
"You know the best part of them? The part where I spread your legs. I'm looking in your eyes, and you say yes. You bend your knees. And I...God."
"Do you shave? Landing strip? I don't care, but I want to get it right."
"I bet you taste like strawberries."

So yeah...that's just ONE of the many instances where he sexually harasses her. Another time (again while he is wasted) he pulls his pants down in front of her (and a big group of people) because she tells him he shouldn't be throwing a huge party with a bunch of naked girls while his daughter is in the house...and his daughter walks out and sees all this happen. He is a selfish pig.

Nicole was written as a very spoiled child. I felt bad for her, having lost her mother, but no one told her no, and that was aggravating. Brad actually says, "No one tells my little girl no." And Cara acts like it makes him a wonderful parent, instead of addressing the fact that he was putting off any actual parenting by just giving her everything she wants.

The side characters are all one-dimensional and forgettable. There were so many characters brought up once or twice and never again. So many people popping in or out who had nothing to do with the story.

3. The writing.
At first I thought it was because I read this when I was tired, but I really disliked the writing. I don't even know if I can describe what it was about it that I hated, and I know writing style is subjective, but I hated this. There were so many awful clichés thrown in here, and the dialogue made me cringe, especially anything that dealt with sex.

Pg. 41 "My real name is Blair. But I hate it. It tastes like lemons."
*umm, what the FUCK?!

Pg. 75
"But people want to see her, I have to go, and life goes on. I'm not like those people. I'm not my parents. Not those parents back there either. I'm me. This is the hand we're dealt. We gotta play it."
*so many damn cliches. He says so much without saying anything at all.

Pg. 80 (one of Cara's sex dreams...there are several)
"His eyes on me while he ripped me apart with his dick."
*fucking OUCH! What the hell? This is just one of several times one of them talks about being ripped apart by his penis. Is it just me who doesn't find that arousing?

I also want to mention the fact that the above quote is the full quote. She has an abundance of these types of 'sentences'...as in, phrases that aren't actually complete sentences. They are just these little phrases strung together. It gives the narrative a very choppy, disjointed feel, especially when the characters are attempting to speak metaphorically, which unfortunately happens a lot as well.

Pg. 130 (Right after he moons her and then steps on glass and she has to fix him up.)
"I was going to take it easy on her. I was drunk on pain and forgiveness."
First of all, he thinks that SHE is the one in need of forgiving, after he was completely inappropriate. Secondly, what a pretentious line of crap. 'Drunk on pain and forgiveness'?! That doesn't mean anything!!

Pg 148 "I ain't had a chance to hope for much, ma'am." Brad slips in and out of this southern boy schtick in some attempt to charm Cara and minimize his disgusting treatment of her. It's annoying and the fact that she buys it makes me want to slap her.

They also have these long, sexual conversations in a twin bed that they share with his daughter. She's supposedly sleeping, but still. He tells her, "if my daughter weren't in this bed, you'd be moaning so loud." Ew.

The dialogue is so awful, as is the prose. I don't think there was a page that went by where I thought it actually worked.

4. The romanticizing of sexual harassment. The worst thing about this book is that all of his awful behavior is justified by Cara. Every time he makes an advance, she immediately thinks about how hot he is and how much she wants him. Every single time. It's done in an attempt to normalize his behavior and make it seem sexy and romantic instead of completely inappropriate and creepy. Meanwhile, there are other men in the story doing the EXACT SAME THINGS, but we are supposed to think that they are pigs...it's just gross.


A few other things:

1. They go to Disneyland in the book, and I found myself wondering if this author had ever been there. First of all, there is no helipad at Disneyland. There used to be, but it stopped being used in the 1970s. Also, she says that they went on the 'Haunted Mountain' ride...there is no such thing. Also, they go on the teacups and she writes the scene as if it's whipping them around like crazy...that is not how that ride works. Yes, you can get it to spin faster, but it doesn't jerk you around. I know this may seem nitpicky, but for me it was just one more thing that didn't seem realistic about this book, because it wasn't.

2. The first time they have sex and she says that they don't have to use protection because she can't get pregnant...if I had been reading a physical copy of this book I would've thrown it across the room. Honestly, that would be the LEAST of my worries if I was getting involved with a guy who was well-known for his many sexual exploits.

3. The relationship between Cara and her parents is so surface and we get no resolution until the last damn page, and it's not really 'resolved'. Instead, it's just swept under the rug.

I really disliked this book. I could write a book about the reasons I disliked this book (if I haven't already). I don't see myself picking up any more of her work, especially if I have to pay for it.

I'm really bummed about this book. I wanted to love it. I thought for sure I would, since the other two were so interesting. Unfortunately, while there was quite a bit I liked about this book, there were a couple big things that brought my enjoyment of this down.

Things I liked:

1. The flashbacks. In book two, Kelsea sees Lily's past. In this book, she sees the past of a girl named Katie. I felt like this was the most consistent part of the book. There are so many characters we follow and in the end, many of those perspectives don't seem to matter much. But seeing the beginnings of New London through Katie's experiences and understanding the direct impact those events had on what was going on in the Tearling almost 300 years later was really interesting.

2. The audiobook. I listened to the audiobook of this story and thought it was done really well. The voice actor had a very pleasing voice, and she was able to give distinct voices to each of the characters, even the male characters. I thought she did a wonderful job. The one drawback to the audiobook is that there were a few times I lost track of whose story we were following. There are so many POVs, and there were times when I would miss what was going on.

Things I didn't like:

1. The lack of high stakes. Now, up until the last chapter of this book, I would've said the opposite. I would've said that this book was pretty ballsy because it kept raising the stakes. Several prominent characters (characters who had their own POV) died, and the fact that it is told in 3rd person had me convinced for awhile that even Kelsea wasn't safe. I thought that was great, because in a story about magical gems and visions and necromancy, knowing that no character is safe grounds the story with at least a shred of realism. Unfortunately, the end (see next item on list) negates almost all of that.

2. The end felt like a cop out. I'd heard before I picked up this book that people weren't happy with the ending. I honestly went into the book thinking Kelsea was going to die, sacrificing herself to get rid of the Red Queen. I figured that's what people were so upset with, but I thought it made perfect sense, so I kind of disregarded the negative reviews I saw. But I totally get it. That ending felt cheap. Kelsea goes back into the past and changes the future. Now, I won't say that it makes the entire series pointless, but I will say that we spent a lot of time with side characters (i.e. Javel) who, while helpful to Kelsea's cause, didn't necessarily need entire sections devoted to them if we were just going to never mention them again. After the change we never even see them again. So many things were left unfinished. I wanted to see the rest of the story I started. I wanted to see Kelsea and her people figure out a way to restore the Tearling without the short cut of a temporal reset. It felt very rushed. And the actual ending was so abrupt. I just felt like it could've been so much more.

3. The Red Queen's 'arc'. I didn't feel like we needed a more human version of the Red Queen. But then again, she never really existed so I guess it doesn't matter 🙄.

4. Kelsea being stuck in a cell the majority of the book. Her sections were boring.

I just feel let down by this ending. It had so much potential, and I don't feel like that was satisfied with this conclusion.

Super quick read. A YA contemporary that wasn't fluffy and sweet.

The writing was relatively simplistic, but that didn't bother me. I found Penn's actions authentic. As someone who is the child of an addict, there was quite a bit in this book that I connected with. There is a part where he talks about coming home after his father had been out for several days on a bender and how everyone acted like it hadn't happened and they were all happy-go-lucky. He talks about going on auto-pilot and being a 'dutiful son'. I always called it being 'The Appeaser'. When there is a good day, you don't want to do anything to take that semblance of normalcy away. You don't want to be blamed for the eventual binge that is going to happen. So that really rang true to me.

This definitely wasn't the portrait of a healthy relationship, but it also wasn't as dysfunctional as relationships in other books that are played off as super romantic. These characters seemed to be aware that what is going on in their relationship is not healthy, and that they may not be emotionally equipped to deal with the obstacles they are facing.

I did think that the end was rushed and Penn's probably going to need therapy to deal with his emotional issues --his tendency to run from his problems isn't just going to change overnight. But I did appreciate this book for what it was.

Super quick YA contemporary. It was pure fluff, but there were definitely moments I found myself grinning like an idiot. I did feel like it got to be a little repetitive with the back and forth between the two main characters. Also, the story was pretty surface-level as far as plot and character development. But it has one of my favorite tropes (two people pretend to be in a relationship and then really fall in love) so I ended up being pretty satisfied.

It felt like a teen romantic comedy from the 90s, which is not a complaint at all. As someone who *was* a teen in the 90s, I appreciated the feeling I had reading this. That being said, it wasn't exactly the most unique story. It was relatively predictable. But still, I thought it was cute and enjoyed my reading experience.

I picked this book up after a couple of very mediocre contemporary books; one adult, one YA. I wasn't really expecting much from this book, even though it received good ratings. I can say that I was very pleasantly surprised by this. It's a YA contemporary romance, but there are some deeper themes explored throughout this book as well.

Things I liked:

1. The characters. From the main character and love interest to all of the side characters, I really thought the author did a great job. They all had distinct voices and I loved the friendships. There wasn't a bunch of slut-shaming and girl-hate. There was one character who was slightly antagonistic, but she has her reasons and doesn't ever get nasty with Maguire.

2. The romance. I liked the fact that these two started off as friends. It didn't feel insta-lovey at all for me. I also liked the fact that this book didn't employ the 'love cured me' trope. For awhile I thought that was where it was going, but each time we were reminded that Maguire is actively involved in her own recovery and even though she has Jordy and her friends as a sort of support system, she is the one who has to choose to work on getting better.

3. The depiction of mental illness. Now, I am putting this in my 'things I liked' section because from what I read, I didn't notice any poor representation. That being said, I am not an expert of mental illness, nor have I ever been diagnosed with mental illness, so my knowledge is admittedly limited on the subject. That being said, it felt authentic to me. Someone suffering from the things Maguire does don't just change overnight. It's gradual and it takes a lot of work. Even at the end of the book, it's a day by day process that involves a lot of hard work on her part.

4. I though the writing was solid. It wasn't flowery or metaphorical or anything like that. But it wasn't shallow either. I don't cry during books normally, but there is a part near the end of this book that really touched me. I also thought the dialogue was pretty good. Sometimes authors try too hard to make their characters sound like what they think teens sound like, and it just comes off forced and inauthentic.

Things I didn't like:

I honestly can't think of a specific aspect of this story that I didn't like. I guess if I had to critique something it would be that I wanted to see a little more at the end, rather than having it relayed to us via her therapy session...that is pretty nitpicky though.

All in all, I really enjoyed this book and would definitely read more from this author in the future.

3.75
I really enjoyed this book. I'm not sure exactly what I was expecting, but I'm glad I went into this story not knowing much. This is the first Mindy McGinnis I've read, and I can't wait to check out more from her in the future.

This book is difficult for me to rate. There were some aspects I really liked, and others that didn't work so well for me.

2.5 stars

My favorite part of this book was the Truth game Wes and Macy played. It was a cute way to show them getting to know each other.

Other than that, this book really fell flat for me. I didn't really care for Macy. Her whole quest for perfection was just really boring to me. She spent far too much of the book praising her shitty boyfriend and holding him up as this paragon of perfection and it was very juvenile. I felt like she took way too long to woman up and speak her truth. I get that she's a teenager. But honestly, that makes her meek and obedient attitude even more unbelievable.

Also, I usually love the friendships in Sarah Dessen books. But I wasn't a huge fan of Christy and Monica. Monica's whole 'Silent Bob' routine had me rolling my eyes. I listened to this on audiobook and it really emphasized the silliness of this character. Bert and Delia, while likable, were also a little over-the-top at the same time. I get that Dessen was attempting to create characters who were very contrasting to Macy's family, but between Bert's conspiracy theories and Delia's frazzled, disorganized energy, it felt like Dessen was creating quirky characters just for the sake of quirk.

I've enjoyed Sarah Dessen books in the past, but this one just wasn't for me.