book review – Page 10 – Zakiya N. Jamal

Book Review: Too Late

Posted on April 14, 2016June 22, 2017 by Zakiya N. Jamal in Book Reviews, Books

Synopsis from Wattpad:

Sloan will go through hell and back for those she loves. And she does, every single day. After finding herself stuck in a relationship with the dangerous and morally corrupt Asa Jackson, Sloan will do whatever it takes to get by until she’s able to get out. Nothing will get in her way. Nothing except Carter.

Sloan is the best thing to ever happen to Asa. And if you ask Asa, he’d say he’s the best thing that’s ever happened to Sloan. And he has no plans of letting her go; even if she doesn’t approve of his sinister lifestyle. But despite Sloan’s disapproval, Asa knows what it takes to keep what he wants, and he’ll do it. He knows what he needs to do to remain on top, and he does it. Nothing will get in his way. Nothing except Carter.

As some of you know I’ve recently taken a swan dive into Colleen Hoover’s books. Recently she uploaded a story to Wattpad, a website that offers free books, and thankfully by the time I caught wind of it she was almost done writing it because I don’t think I could’ve waited while she posted chapter by chapter.

Too Late is a bit different than Queen CoHo’s other novels. For one thing it’s told in three alternating POVs instead of her usual two. Additionally, this story is way more explicit and comes with a “Mature Audiences Only” warning. As soon as the novel begins you can see why it’s explicit. There’s sex and a lot of violence, and CoHo just goes full steam ahead with this story.

Right from the beginning I was pulled into the drama that is Sloan’s life. Her boyfriend, Asa, is a hot mess in every sense. He’s abusive, crazy, and a drug dealer. Carter on the other hand, is everything you would expect from a CoHo love interest. He’s protective, caring, and kind of funny. If you’ve read Confess I’d say Too Late is kind of similar but with the volume turned all the way up.

Sloan’s situation is much more dire than Auburn’s in Confess, and what’s cool about Too Late is we do get Asa’s POV, which is enlightening but not enough for me to feel sympathetic towards him. He’s still a total and complete jerk but at least as the novel goes on we kind of understand why. Asa’s actions are still inexcusable but at least they’re explanatory. Honestly, I’m not sure which character I dislike more: Asa or Trey from Confess.

As with most of CoHo’s novels, the love story completely pulled me in. Sloan and Carter have instant chemistry and their conversations and playful manner with each other made me swoon.

Too Late was the perfect combination of suspense, drama, and romance that made me hooked. I think I read this book in about a day and I’m so glad it was my first Wattpad book. Obviously, CoHo is a bestselling author so I know not every Wattpad story will be like this, but at least this has opened me up to giving Wattpad books a chance.

Definitely give Too Late a read if you want to try out some of CoHo’s writing before reading her published work. It’s totally free (Edit: This book is no longer on Wattpad. You can now purchase it on Amazon) and although it’s not exactly like her published works I think it’ll be enough to help you decide if CoHo’s writing is for you. Although, really you should just read her books. They’re amazing!

Borrow or Buy: Since this is a Wattpad book this question actually doesn’t apply. But if you could buy Too Late I would highly recommend doing so. (Edit: Definitely a borrow.)

Stars:

Favorite Line:

“My mouth finds hers again and I kiss her the way she deserves to be kissed. With conviction. With respect. With feeling.”

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Book Review: Maybe Someday

Posted on April 5, 2016July 12, 2016 by Zakiya N. Jamal in Book Reviews, Books to Buy

Synopsis from Amazon:

At twenty-two years old, Sydney has a great life: She’s in college, working a steady job, in love with her wonderful boyfriend, Hunter, and rooming with her best friend, Tori. But everything changes when she discovers Hunter’s cheating on her–and she is left trying to decide what to do next.

Sydney becomes captivated by Ridge, her mysterious neighbor. She can’t take her eyes off him or stop listening to the passionate way he plays his guitar every evening out on his balcony. And there’s something about Sydney that Ridge can’t ignore, either. When their inevitable encounter happens, they soon find themselves needing each other in more ways than one…

Maybe Someday is now my favorite Collen Hoover book, but Confess is a very close second.

This novel follows Sydney, who’s boyfriend Hunter is the jerk to end all jerks, and sleeps with Sydney’s best friend and roommate, Tori. With nowhere to live after this epic betrayal Sydney is taken in by her mysterious (and hot!) neighbor Ridge.

Ridge is now in my top 10 list of book boyfriends. He is cute, sweet, and just such a great listener in a really interesting way. He’s loyal to a fault and loves deeply, which is why it’s super unfortunate for Sydney that Ridge has a girlfriend he’s completely and totally in love with. And Sydney refuses to allow herself to be a “Tori”.

So both Sydney and Ridge try to ignore the strong attraction they have for each other and instead work together to make incredible music. And as with any Colleen Hoover, this comes with a lot of complications and there’s more to the story than there first seems to be. This isn’t your average or typical love triangle. It’s way more complicated than that and it made my heart race and my stomach flip flop all over the place just reading it.

I really loved Ridge and Sydney. I loved how they communicate and how honest they are with each other. Their chemistry was undeniable and there were so many times I laughed and probably looked liked a crazy person on the train. But I couldn’t help but smile while reading this book. And cry. There was also some crying.

More than that I also really liked the side characters. Warren was hilarious and such a great friend. And Bridgette, although we don’t see a lot of her, she really added to the story. There’s a novella about Warren and Brdigette that I really want to read now because I need more of these characters. They’re just so well written and I loved how everything came together in this book.

I was so sad to return this book to the library today and I already plan on doing a Colleen Hoover book buy soon because I need to reread this book. So good!

Borrow or Buy: Buy!

Stars:

Favorite Line:

“My heart made it’s choice, and it chose you.”

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Book Review: Lady Midnight

Posted on March 29, 2016March 28, 2016 by Zakiya N. Jamal in Book Reviews, Books to Buy

Synopsis from Amazon:

It’s been five years since the events of City of Heavenly Fire that brought the Shadowhunters to the brink of oblivion. Emma Carstairs is no longer a child in mourning, but a young woman bent on discovering what killed her parents and avenging her losses.

Together with her parabatai Julian Blackthorn, Emma must learn to trust her head and her heart as she investigates a demonic plot that stretches across Los Angeles, from the Sunset Strip to the enchanted sea that pounds the beaches of Santa Monica. If only her heart didn’t lead her in treacherous directions…

Making things even more complicated, Julian’s brother Mark—who was captured by the faeries five years ago—has been returned as a bargaining chip. The faeries are desperate to find out who is murdering their kind—and they need the Shadowhunters’ help to do it. But time works differently in faerie, so Mark has barely aged and doesn’t recognize his family. Can he ever truly return to them? Will the faeries really allow it?

Glitz, glamours, and Shadowhunters abound in this heartrending opening to Cassandra Clare’s Dark Artifices series.

I had to return Lady Midnight to the library and I was so sad because all I want to do is reread it over and over again. It was so good!

First of all, I love all the characters. Emma is a BAMF and I like her better than Clary although not as much as I love Tessa. And Julian is such a sweetheart but he’s also pretty hard core, which is such an interesting combination of personality traits. My heart went out to Julian because he’s had to take care of his younger siblings for the past five years and he was only 12 when he had to start doing this. It’s completely unfair and I just wanted to give him a hug multiple times throughout the book.

I really love all the Blackthorns but Ty’s probably my favorite, after Julian of course. I liked that he’s different and the way he handles things. I think in us human terms he probably has Asperger’s or is somewhere on the autistic spectrum. I liked that even though he goes about things his own way his family still loves and respects him and I hate that the Clave might see him as a problem just because he’s different.

I also really like Mark and Cristina. Mark was hilarious as he adjusted to being back in the Shadhowhunter world and out of the Faerie Hunt. Cristina is just a great person. She’s the perfect friend Emma needs because Cristina listens to Emma without judgment but also tells Emma when she’s doing something crazy.

I could go on and on about these characters but I don’t want to spoil anything. What I will say is this book was filled with twists and unexpected turns and I couldn’t put it down. When a good amount of visits from characters in The Mortal Instruments and The Infernal Devices, which made my heart soar. I’m so glad to be back in the Shadowhunters world and just like everyone else I’m now impatiently waiting for the next book.

Borrow or Buy: Buy! I want this book on my shelf so bad!

Stars:

Favorite Line: This was a really tough call. There’s some many memorable quotes from this book but I have to see this one is my absolute favorite.

“And if my heart was a canvas, every square inch of it would be painted over with you.”

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Book Review: Stars Above

Posted on March 10, 2016 by Zakiya N. Jamal in Book Reviews, Books to Buy

Synopsis from Amazon:

The enchantment continues. . . .
The universe of the Lunar Chronicles holds stories – and secrets – that are wondrous, vicious, and romantic. How did Cinder first arrive in New Beijing? How did the brooding soldier Wolf transform from young man to killer? When did Princess Winter and the palace guard Jacin realize their destinies?
With six stories – two of which have never before been published – and an exclusive never-before-seen excerpt from Marissa Meyer’s upcoming novel, Heartless, about the Queen of Hearts from Alice in Wonderland, Stars Above is essential for fans of the bestselling and beloved Lunar Chronicles.

*This book is part of my POPSUGAR 2016 Reading Challenge.*

I was so happy when I finally got a copy of Stars Above. I desperately needed more Lunar Chronicles in my life and I loved all these short stories, some more than others.

My favorite has to be the extra epilogue, “Something Old, Something New”. I won’t spoil it if you haven’t read it yet but one of the four couples is getting married and it’s absolutely adorable. Seeing all my favorite characters together again and all of them happy made me so happy. Also, I think Iko might have a love interest in her new graphic novel, at least based on this short story. That should be interesting since she’s an android but I support it.

My second favorite was definitely “The Princess and the Guard”. To be perfectly honestly, I wasn’t really a big fan of Jacin in the series. I don’t know why but I didn’t really like him. However, after reading this short story I like him way more now. It was so cute reading how he and Winter’s friendship slowly developed into something more. It also reminded me why I hate Levana.

The story I probably liked the least was “The Little Android” mainly because it didn’t really have anything to do with the central characters of The Lunar Chronicles. Cinder appears in it briefly but that’s about it. I knd of skimmed this one because I found it difficult to care about an android I’d never met before.

Overall, I really loved this short story collection and hopefully I’ll be able to purchase a copy to keep on my shelf forever. Until then, I’ll probably read Fairest soon since I still haven’t read it. I highly recommend reading Stars Above though. It will give you all the feels.

Borrow or Buy: Buy! I want to reread these stories over and over again so I never have to leave these characters behind.

Stars:

Favorite Line:

“I will accept any amount of monsters my mind wants to give me, but I will not become a monster myself.”

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Book Review: A Court of Thorns and Roses

Posted on March 3, 2016May 11, 2016 by Zakiya N. Jamal in Book Reviews, Books to Buy

Synopsis from Amazon:

When nineteen-year-old huntress Feyre kills a wolf in the woods, a beast-like creature arrives to demand retribution for it. Dragged to a treacherous magical land she only knows about from legends, Feyre discovers that her captor is not an animal, but Tamlin–one of the lethal, immortal faeries who once ruled their world.

As she dwells on his estate, her feelings for Tamlin transform from icy hostility into a fiery passion that burns through every lie and warning she’s been told about the beautiful, dangerous world of the Fae. But an ancient, wicked shadow over the faerie lands is growing, and Feyre must find a way to stop it . . . or doom Tamlin–and his world–forever.

*This book is part of my POPSUGAR 2016 Reading Challenge.*

I honestly have no idea why it took me so long to finally read this book but I’m so glad I did. Sarah J. Maas is a master story teller and the world she creates in A Court of Thorns and Roses is unbelievable.

First of all, Feyre is a boss. She’s headstrong, good with a bow, and will do whatever it takes to make sure her family survives, even if she doesn’t particularly like them all the time. And then you have Tamlin, the beastly prince with a heart of gold. He can be throat and vicious, because he is a faerie and in this series faeries are meant to be feared. Still even from the start it’s clear her cares about his people and Feyre.

Then there’s Lucien, Tamlin’s right hand man. Lucien is hilarious and mysterious and has a great back story. There were some points when I’m pretty sure Feyre wanted to punch him in the face and give him a hug all at the same time. I felt the same way. And lastly my surprising favorite was Rhys. I don’t want to spoil anything so I won’t say much but I really am curious to know more about him because he seems like a really complex character that I already kind of love (although I’m not sure if I should).

As a retelling of Beauty and the Beast, Maas did an excellent job of switching things up and still giving readers twists they wouldn’t expect. Although in the back in my mind I always assumed there would be a happy ending I could never trust that idea because Maas always had my heart racing. Truthfully, depending on how you look at it I’m not sure you could even this book has a happy ending.

What I will say is it kept me on my toes and I loved almost all the characters, even the villains. The twists and turns is really what made me stay up late and finish this book in one day. You won’t want to stop reading until you get to the very end.

Borrow or Buy: Buy it!

Stars:

Favorite Line:

“I love you. Thorns and all.”

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Book Review: You Were Here

Posted on March 1, 2016July 12, 2016 by Zakiya N. Jamal in ARC Reviews, Book Reviews, Books to Buy

Synopsis from Amazon:

Jaycee is about to accomplish what her older brother Jake couldn’t: live past graduation.

Jaycee is dealing with her brother’s death the only way she can – by re-creating Jake’s daredevil stunts. The ones that got him killed. She’s not crazy, okay? She just doesn’t have a whole lot of respect for staying alive.

Jaycee doesn’t expect to have help on her insane quest to remember Jake. But she’s joined by a group of unlikely friends – all with their own reasons for completing the dares and their own brand of dysfunction: the uptight, ex-best friend, the heartbroken poet, the slacker with Peter Pan syndrome, and… Mik. He doesn’t talk, but somehow still challenges Jayce to do the unthinkable-reveal the parts of herself that she buried with her brother.

Cori McCarthy’s gripping narrative defies expectation, moving seamlessly from prose to graphic novel panels and word art poetry, perfect for fans of E. Lockhart, Jennier Niven, and Jandy Nelson. From the petrifying ruins of an insane asylum to the skeletal remains of the world’s largest amusement park, You Were Here takes you on an unforgettable journey of friendship, heartbreak and inevitable change.

*I received a free digital advanced reader’s copy of this book from Sourcebooks Fire. This did not influence my review of this book in anyway. This is an honest review of the novel as I saw it. This novel will be released on March 1, 2016.*

This book was better than I expected it to be. I don’t really know what I was expecting but I wasn’t prepared to fall in love with it as much as I did. Told in multiple point of views, Cori McCarthy weaves together a story of forgiveness, love, moving on, and hope.

It’s been five years since Jaycee’s older, dare devil brother Jake died while doing a dare. Since then Jaycee has kind of lost herself. She wears Jake’s clothes and follows his dares, trying to keep the memory of Jake alive.

On the night of her own graduation Jaycee realizes she’s lived past the age her brother did. Planning to go to the old, abandoned mental hospital she always does on the anniversary of her brother’s death she’s joined by her ex-best friend, Natalie, Natalie’s boyfriend, Zach, and his friend, Bishop. Creating a rag tag team that’s soon joined by Mik, Jake’s friend and Jaycee’s…something, they decide to go through Jake’s dares together, each for their own personal reasons.

Jaycee’s chapters are told in first person, Zach and Natalie’s are told in third person, Bishop’s sections are just illustrations of the art he makes, and Mik’s point of view is told in the form of comics. You Were Here is put together so creatively and I sympathized and related to each of these characters. Plus, there’s just so much going on but not so much that the important themes get lost.

Each character is going through their own issues. Jaycee is still reeling from her brother’s death, Natalie feels guilty about not being there for Jaycee five years ago, Zach isn’t sure about his future, Bishop is getting over his break-up, and Mik is a selective mute who struggles to speak around Jaycee, the one person he really wants to talk to.

You Were Here is released today and you should all do yourselves a favor and purchase this one. It’s seriously a book you’ll want on your shelf.

Borrow or Buy: Buy!

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Blog Tour Review: How Willa Got Her Groove Back

Posted on February 23, 2016March 22, 2016 by Zakiya N. Jamal in ARC Reviews, Blog Tours, Book Reviews

How Willa Got Her Groove Back by Emily McKay

Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary Romance

Series: Creative HeArts #2, companion series

Publication: February 25th, 2016

Synopsis:

When your life feels like a bad movie, rewrite the script.

When Willa Schofer’s father comes home from a business trip with an über-famous new fiancée, Willa’s senior year blows up in paparazzi-fueled flames. Overnight, she has a new house, a new car, and a new soon-to-be stepbrother–the unbelievably hot, unbelievably arrogant, Finn McCain. Thank god he’s constantly pushing her buttons, or she might do something irresponsible. Like fall for the jerk.

Just when Willa’s decided to avoid him for, oh, ever, Finn lands in the center of her senior project team. Seriously–how hard is it to shake a guy? At least her work on the project snagged the attention of the (second) hottest guy in school. He might only be into her because of her famous stepmom, and he’s not quite as exciting as a certain annoying housemate, but at least she’s allowed to crush on the guy.

Because crushing on your annoying stepbrother? So not cool.

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | iTunes | Kobo | Entangled

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Review

*I received a free digital advanced reader’s copy of this book from Entangled: Crush. This did not influence my review of this book in anyway. This is an honest review of the novel as I saw it. This novel was released on February 22, 2016.*

This book had it’s ups and downs. I really liked the concept of Willa and Finn being forced together because of their parent’s impending marriage. Plus, Finn is really cute and I like that he keeps his emotions hidden, making him dark and brooding, my favorite kind of book boyfriend. And I loved Willa. She was funny, honest, and I sympathized with her greatly.

My biggest issue with this novel was I found Finn’s reasoning for pretending he was okay with his mom marrying Willa’s dad a bit unbelievable. Every time he thought about why he needed to pretend he was happy I got annoyed because it seemed so ridiculous to me. Also, I hated Willa’s dad and I don’t think I was supposed to. I just found his blatant disregard for his daughter’s feelings completely unacceptable and I also hated that he couldn’t understand why Willa was upset.

Still, I thought this book was well written and I’m honestly intrigued to know what happens next, especially because dating and falling in love with your stepbrother is definitely taboo. I really want Willa and Finn to be together but does that mean their parents won’t be? Or will this be some weird family set up? Also, this is the second book I’ve read recently where step siblings have a romance. I don’t know how I feel about that or what that says about me.

Anyway, honestly this book was funny and cute and a pretty quick read. I liked that for the most part it’s told in Willa’s point of view but occasionally we got chapters about Finn in the third person. Those chapters are what made me really like Finn. And his motorcycle. I really liked his motorcycle.

Borrow or Buy: Buy! For only $2.99 on the Kindle, this book is definitely worth it.

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About the Author

Emily McKay is a life-long fan of books, pop-culture and anything geeky. She has a black belt in Tae Kwon Do and baking cookies. When she’s not kicking-ass and scooping cookie dough, she’s watching videos from Screen Junkies (her favorite Youtube channel) or Pemberly Digital or Classic Alice. Okay, she has a Youtube problem! She’s seeking help. Really. Though, she may also have a slight problem with procrastination.

When the internet is down and there are no chocolate chips in the house, she does write books – everything from Harlequin romance novels to post-apocalyptic YA. Though her interests may appear broad, the common denominators are swoony heroes and snarky humor.

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Book Review: Me Before You

Posted on February 18, 2016May 10, 2016 by Zakiya N. Jamal in Book Reviews, Books to Buy

Synopsis from Amazon:

They had nothing in common until love gave them everything to lose . . .

Louisa Clark is an ordinary girl living an exceedingly ordinary life—steady boyfriend, close family—who has barely been farther afield than their tiny village. She takes a badly needed job working for ex–Master of the Universe Will Traynor, who is wheelchair bound after an accident. Will has always lived a huge life—big deals, extreme sports, worldwide travel—and now he’s pretty sure he cannot live the way he is.

Will is acerbic, moody, bossy—but Lou refuses to treat him with kid gloves, and soon his happiness means more to her than she expected. When she learns that Will has shocking plans of his own, she sets out to show him that life is still worth living.

A Love Story for this generation, Me Before You brings to life two people who couldn’t have less in common—a heartbreakingly romantic novel that asks, What do you do when making the person you love happy also means breaking your own heart?

*This book is part of my POPSUGAR 2016 Reading Challenge.*

After watching the trailer for Me Before You I knew I had to read the book. The trailer alone made me tear up so I went into this book knowing I wasn’t emotionally ready. But this book still tore me to pieces.

Louisa Clark is happy with her regular life. She lives at home with her parents, Grandad, sister, and nephew, and she’s dating her boyfriend, Patrick, as she has been for the last seven years. She lives in a small town and doesn’t travel. She plays it safe and is okay with that.

Until she loses her job. After trying a multitude of jobs she finally settles for being the non-medical caregiver for a quadriplegic patient. The patient, Will, is not what Louisa was expecting. He’s young and handsome but also moody and difficult to work with. That doesn’t stop Louisa from being her naturally talkative and cheerful self, doing her best to make him happy.

However, Louisa soon realizes the truth behind why Will’s family hired her to spend time with him and it makes Louisa question everything she thought she knew about Will and about life and death in general. Choosing to stick it out, Louisa does her best to make Will’s life better and in return Will opens Louisa up to new experiences, making her a tad more fearless than she was before.

This novel is beautifully written, told mostly in Louisa’s point of view although there are a few chapters that are in different characters’ point of view. What I find interesting is besides the prologue, which admittedly was still in the third person, we never get Will’s point of view. I’m not sure if Jojo Moyes did this intentionally but the fact that Will has almost no control over his life is clear in that even in this novel he’s not really given a voice.

Overall, I truly loved this book. It made me cry (a lot) but it also made me laugh and smile. Louisa and Will’s relationship is heartwarming and I love that they made each other better. Even if you haven’t read it yet definitely do. The film, starring Emilia Clarke and Sam Claflin (two of my faves) comes out this June and the sequel, After You, came out last year.

Borrow or Buy: Buy!

Stars:

Favorite Line:

“You only get one life. It’s actually your duty to live it as fully as possible.”

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Book Review: Confess

Posted on February 16, 2016February 15, 2016 by Zakiya N. Jamal in Book Reviews

Synopsis from Amazon:

At age twenty-one, Auburn Reed has already lost everything important to her. In her fight to rebuild her shattered life, she has her goals in sight and there is no room for mistakes. But when she walks into a Dallas art studio in search of a job, she doesn’t expect to find a deep attraction to the enigmatic artist who works there, Owen Gentry.

For once, Auburn takes a chance and puts her heart in control, only to discover that Owen is keeping a major secret from coming out. The magnitude of his past threatens to destroy everything important to Auburn, and the only way to get her life back on track is to cut Owen out of it.

To save their relationship, all Owen needs to do is confess. But in this case, the confession could be much more destructive than the actual sin.

Even though I’ve only read two books by her so far, I feel confident in saying Confess is my favorite Colleen Hoover novel. It’s just so incredibly complex, filled with twists and turns that kept me on my toes the whole time.

The novel is told in alternating point of views between Auburn and Owen. Auburn’s first love, Adam, died when she was only 15 and Auburn hasn’t had the best life since then. Meanwhile, Owen has his own struggles. His relationship with his father is strained at best as they’re both still reeling from the car accident that killed Owen’s mother and brother years ago.

Whether you believe in fate or not this book will at least make you question the idea. Auburn and Owen are brought together when Owen needs help running his art gallery for the night and that spurs a chain reaction of events that ultimately change Auburn and Owen’s lives forever.

Honestly, I highly recommend this book. I cried, laughed, and I just really need this book on my shelf so I can read it again and again. If Auburn and Owen’s story doesn’t tug at your heart strings I don’t know what will. Seriously, this is a must read.

Borrow or Buy: Buy!!

Stars:

Favorite Line:

“I’ll love you forever. Even when I can’t.”

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Book Review: Pushing the Limits

Posted on February 11, 2016February 10, 2016 by Zakiya N. Jamal in Book Reviews, Books to Buy

Synopsis from Amazon:

He’s my art professor.
I’m his student.
With an electric connection and undeniable chemistry, I know it won’t be long until one of us cracks.

When the opportunity arises to pose naked for the entire art class, I can’t help the thrill of knowing he’ll be watching me.
While they all look past me with their eyes narrowed and concentrated, drawing only the lines and angles of my body, he sees right through me down to my vulnerability.
He sees more than just the physical aspects—he sees me.
That’s when I see the struggle in his features as he tries to stay in control.

How do we keep our distance when everything seems to be pulling us together?
What feels so right can only go wrong if we keep pushing the limits.

Based on the synopsis you’d think this novel starts with the protagonist, Aspen, posing nude in front of her class and professor, Morgan. But that’s not the case.

Told in alternating point of views, between Aspen and Morgan, there’s a lot of build up before readers even get to that scene and there’s way more to this story than just a student/teacher relationship, which I liked.

Both Aspen and Morgan are suffering depression due to similar circumstances but they handle it in very different ways. Aspen’s identical twin sister, Ariel, passed away six years ago and Aspen’s still dealing with the guilt about what happened the night her sister died. Morgan’s brother, Ryan, died a few months ago and Morgan has his own guilt to deal with while also being the guardian for Ryan’s daughter, Natalia.

Both Aspen and Morgan are hurting and they discover solace and more importantly, understanding, with each other. Also, Aspen’s a 21-year-old adult, which makes me feel way more comfortable with her relationship with Morgan. I will say I thought Morgan pushed his boundaries as a teacher way too early and I would’ve liked it more if Aspen initiated the relationship more. Still, I fell in love with Morgan just as much as Aspen did.

He’s smart, funny, artistic, and an all around good guy (besides the fact that he dates one of his students of course). I also really liked Aspen and felt so bad for her. I hate her parents and I wish we could’ve seen more of her brother, Aaron, who seemed like an okay guy.

I also really liked Aspen’s friends, Kendall and Zoe. Especially Kendall. She’s hilarious and added much needed comic relief to this novel. As did Aspen’s classmate, Ellie, who’s so blunt it’s a bit unbelievable but also very funny.

And of course the erotic scenes were very steamy. At some points the sex scenes got a little too repetitive for me so I started skimming them but eventually the author, Brooke Cumberland, skipped over them, which was good. I actually really liked the plot of this novel and at some points just wanted to get back to that so I was glad when she did.

Overall, BookBub once again gave me a great deal on a book I probably would’ve never discovered on my own. This is definitely a good read.

Borrow or Buy: Buy! It’s literally only 99 cents on the Kindle. Just buy it. You won’t regret it!

Stars:

Favorite Line: