Tag Archives: Book Review

2015, Book Review, new adult

[Review] The Deal – Elle Kennedy

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Book Title:                 The Deal (Off Campus Series #01)
Author:                         Elle Kennedy
Number of pages:  358

Synopsis:

The Deal - Elle Kennedy - book coverShe’s about to make a deal with the college bad boy… 

Hannah Wells has finally found someone who turns her on. But while she might be confident in every other area of her life, she’s carting around a full set of baggage when it comes to sex and seduction. If she wants to get her crush’s attention, she’ll have to step out of her comfort zone and make him take notice… even if it means tutoring the annoying, childish, cocky captain of the hockey team in exchange for a pretend date.

…and it’s going to be oh so good. 

All Garrett Graham has ever wanted is to play professional hockey after graduation, but his plummeting GPA is threatening everything he’s worked so hard for. If helping a sarcastic brunette make another guy jealous will help him secure his position on the team, he’s all for it. But when one unexpected kiss leads to the wildest sex of both their lives, it doesn’t take long for Garrett to realize that pretend isn’t going to cut it. Now he just has to convince Hannah that the man she wants looks a lot like him.

(re: Goodreads @ The Deal – Elle Kennedy)

Should this book be picked up? the tl;dr spoiler-less review:

– It’s shelved under sports (Hockey) despite its limited appeal to the actual game play…
– Alternating perspectives between Hannah and Garrett with omnipresent social issues lending itself to NA/erotic romance as a means for character growth
– While the deal is plausible in conception, the exposition lacks support in creating a realistic environment where an entire class can fail in order to spark the conflict. It downplays the institutional value of education but readers may find it easily overlooked through all of the witty bantering and swoony moments
– The psyche of male/female characters are well fleshed out and though there is instalust, the romance is of the slow-burn type
— Rating: 2.5/5

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Initial Thoughts

I solemnly dedicate this reading experience to Brandie @ Brandie is a Book Junkie and every individual whom I have promised to give the contemporary NA genre/age-group a shot. (I am so, so, so sorry for this exhaustive rant. I have no idea what I’m doing over here in NA LOL.)

This book is one of those reads that I decided to try on impulse as I was woeful from the current and on-going results of the NHL/Stanley Cup. But I digress.

I am also trying out this new graphical review style as well. I hope it helps…?

Disclaimer: Potential spoilers inherent to this review from here onward.

Continue reading [Review] The Deal – Elle Kennedy →

2015, Book Review, thriller, YA

[Review] Boy Nobody – Allen Zadoff

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Book Title:                  Boy Nobody (The Unknown Assassin, #01)
Author:                         Allen Zadoff
Number of pages:   340

Synopsis:

boy nobody - allen zadoff coverThey needed the perfect assassin.

Boy Nobody is the perennial new kid in school, the one few notice and nobody thinks much about. He shows up in a new high school in a new town under a new name, makes a few friends, and doesn’t stay long. Just long enough for someone in his new friend’s family to die-of “natural causes.” Mission accomplished, Boy Nobody disappears, moving on to the next target.

But when he’s assigned to the mayor of New York City, things change. The daughter is unlike anyone he has encountered before; the mayor reminds him of his father. And when memories and questions surface, his handlers at The Program are watching. Because somewhere deep inside, Boy Nobody is somebody: the kid he once was; the teen who wants normal things, like a real home and parents; a young man who wants out. And who just might want those things badly enough to sabotage The Program’s mission.

 (re: Goodreads @ Boy Nobody – Allen Zadoff)

Should this book be picked up? the tl;dr spoiler-less review:

— If you’re on a book slump and enjoy spy-espionage YA-thrillers, then this book should help you get over that hurdle. It basically feels like a young adult Jason Bourne series
— The pacing is incredibly gripping, action-oriented, and delivers succinct chapters. It follows a first person perspective of a sociopathic assassin featuring modern tech in social media and handheld gaming
— There is diversity in this book but it can feel like it panders to terrorist propaganda without making any waves to change the way of thinking
— Character development is a hit-and-miss. Instalove/lust propels various plot points which is both surprising and predictable given reader skepticism
— Rating: 3.25/5

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Initial Thoughts

With Criminal Minds, CSI, NCIS, iZombie, Stalker, The Blacklist and perhaps every other rehashed crime television show; I should really become a profiler. Or at least reincarnate into someone who has aspirations for preventative crime.

Disclaimer: Potential spoilers inherent to this review from here onward.

Continue reading [Review] Boy Nobody – Allen Zadoff →

2015, ARC review, Book Review

[Review] The Alex Crow – Andrew Smith

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Book Title:                 The Alex Crow (Standalone)
Author:                         Andrew Smith
Number of pages:  336

Synopsis:

The Alex Crow - Andrew Smith (Cover)Skillfully blending multiple story strands that transcend time and place, award-winning Grasshopper Jungle author Andrew Smith chronicles the story of Ariel, a refugee who is the sole survivor of an attack on his small village. Now living with an adoptive family in Sunday, West Virginia, Ariel’s story is juxtaposed against those of a schizophrenic bomber and the diaries of a failed arctic expedition from the late nineteenth century . . . and a depressed, bionic reincarnated crow.

 (re: Goodreads @ The Alex Crow – Andrew Smith)

Should this book be picked up? the tl;dr spoiler-less review:

— A multilayered story filled with stark humour, intrigue, and unhinging pathos to deliver a witty tip of the hat to a world run amok by testosterone
— Follows four perspectives, each with a different time period, style of writing, and tone. The juxtaposition in narratives doesn’t immediately pay off until later in the story
— A diverse, weird, satirical YA-read exploring boyhood through a migrant experience (Syria) to an American society of “boys being boys”
— Trigger warning: there are a lot of sexual innuendos to last a lifetime but they are completely in character. Teenage boys are keenly represented in this novel
— Rating: 3.8/5

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Initial Thoughts

I’m really unsure how to review a book like this. (I am also so, so sorry that it has taken this long to fully flesh out my thoughts considering this was an ARC I received for early review. Ahh.)

Full disclosure: I received an advanced reader copy of The Alex Crow through Goodreads First Reads. I extend thanks to Dutton Books via. Penguin Random House Canada for providing me the opportunity to review this book.

Disclaimer: Limited-to-no spoilers in this review (only to describe the basics of the premise). Other pertinent analyses holds no spoilers.

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