My rating: 2 of 5 stars
Received: borrowed
Publication Date: May 16th 2011
Publisher: Wild Child Publishing
POV: 1st person & female
Pacing: fast
Genres & Themes: YA, Contemporary, Romance, Friendship, Family, Music, Celebrity.
BLURB:
Sadie White’s summer job isn’t going to be on the beach life-guarding or working at rental booths like most kids her age. With her single mother’s increasing pregnancy and refusal to work, Sadie has to take over her mother’s job as a domestic servant for one of the wealthy summer families on a nearby island.
When the family arrives at their summer getaway, Sadie is surprised to learn that the owner of the house is Jax Stone, one of the hottest teen rockers in the world. If Sadie hadn’t spent her life raising her mother and taking care of the house she might have been normal enough to be excited about working for a rock star.
Even though Sadie isn’t impressed by Jax’s fame, he is drawn to her. Everything about Sadie fascinates Jax but he fights his attraction. Relationships never work in his world and as badly as he wants Sadie, he believes she deserves more. By the end of the summer, Jax discovers he can’t breathe without Sadie.
REVIEW:
Number of times I rolled my eyes: 20
Number of times I was taken by surprise: 1
Number of times I thought about DNFing: 1
This was the cheesiest book I’ve read this year. I may not have chosen the right story as first one read by this author of whom I only heard positive things. Don’t think I hated it, because I didn’t, but it definitely was a book I could have skipped.
The love-triangle took me by surprise. I did not expect it and was sure that it was going to be very simple as in Sadie meets Jax (Rock Star) but, no, she meets someone else first. Marcus, though, is only a friend for her but he doesn’t have the same opinion on Sadie. It wasn’t bad because the fact that the main character wasn’t in love with both guys was a good thing and kept me from hating the love-triangle.
Sadie…I was sure I was going to love her. You know; hard worker, nice, responsible, caring and mature but it’s like her love for Jax actually made her weak. I did not recognize, by the end of the story, the same girl I met in the first chapters. I know love can change a person…but I’m not sure if in this case it was for the best, unfortunately.
Plus, hey, Rock Star + high school student, could that really work out? As much as they may love each other, I’m still sceptic.
I enjoyed the fact that it was short for the cheesiness was too much for me to be able to read this kind of book if it had 300 pages or so. I also appreciated the fact-pacing and secondary characters, even though they weren’t present as much as I would have like, this story being centered on the romance and all.
What I really thought was off was the fact that Sadie called her mother ‘‘Jessica.’’ I can understand that she doesn’t like her very much since her mother is not your average kind and actually makes Sadie work and leaves her pay the bills and help at home instead of doing it herself but I just…think it’s very rude to call her mother by her name, even if it’s not in front of her.
The writing was okay, not what I expected by this author of whom I was told is an incredible contemporary romance writer but not bad either. I’m going to give her another chance by reading, some time soon, her Rosemary Beach series but I absolutely will have my expectations at a lower level this time.
Not recommended but, if you don’t have anything else to read, sure. This can make a fast and cute—but very cheesy—summer read.
Review on Goodreads.
I haven’t heard of this author before but it’s a bit of a bummer she didn’t live up to your expectations 😦 it sounds like it had potential too (and I am someone who finds most contemporary romance novels to be ridiculous lol)
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LOL haha well I do find them way too predictable and that’s why I prefer fantasy but sometimes it’s light to read some and all. 😛
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I would try but for the excessive cheesiness and the changing seasons. Guess I’ll have to wait for the next summer to see if I wanna try this one. Sometime I need these kind of books-books which I probably won’t like. XD
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Yeah, sometimes I do need those as well…but this was just too chessy for me but some would think it cute. 😛
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Ah too bad about this one. I didnt know about it but I think I’ll pass. Love triangle are tricky but it’s nice to see it wasn’t too much a problem there.
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Yeah, it wasn’t fortunately but still not great. 🙂
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Oooh I think I’ll steer clear of this one! I can’t handle cheese. From personal experience, cheesiness often accompanies embarrassing situations and I get the worse second hand embarrassment xD I also hate it when a parental figure is referred to by their first name. It just feels…so rude, right?
Thanks for the heads up, girly! And fabulous, honest review 😀
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Well, not in this case. There weren’t embarassing situations. :PYes, it does! I hate it too!
Thank you, Jess! xx
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I have no clue who the author is and knew nothing about this book but it looks like I’m not gonna even try and even read a sample …..
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No. not really recommneded ….
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Abbi Glines is an author I have heard not so positive things about, and cheese and less memorable books that you can skip are not high on my agenda. After just finishing contemporary, Anna and the French Kiss series, I find it difficult to believe anything can live up to those kinds of expectations. Hopefully your next book will be better!
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I can’t wait to read Anna! But I feel like I’m never in the right mood for it…huh. Thank you, Livvy!! 🙂
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Cheese has to be done just right. I love it sometimes but whew if not quite the right angle or tone it’s just too much. Interesting about calling her mom Jessica. I called my mom by her name for a while. Most adults. But it was because I was the only kid not just in the family but in the whole area for years and everyone else called all the adults by their name and I picked it up. lol
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Oh my! That’s interesting! I never thought that was something you picked up because of some things others did. Your mom didn’t mind it? 😛 And, yes, right about the cheesy thing…though I prefer when there isn’t much of it at all.
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LOL you know. I have no idea. It was never made into a big deal so never really thought about it. I do call her mom now and have for most of my life. But most adults were just their names. Never Miss Toni or Mr Brown.
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PAHAHHA! “Number of times I rolled my eyes: 20.” Oh my, oh my. I have such mixed feelings about contemporary romance novels. I always tend to stay in the paranormal romance camp because even if the romance sucks, at least there is something exciting going on in the background, lol. (Normally.) Great review! 🙂
Jules @ The Book of Jules
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Right???? Yes!! That’s why I love fantasy (and paranormal) so much! There rarely is the romance dominating the plot (if it’s not PNR.) Thank you!! 😀
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Ugh, no thanks! That is too many eye rolls for me
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Unfortunately 😦
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I remember reading this forever ago when she was still an indie author and thinking it was a cute (somewhat cheesy) read.
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That’s what I was wondering…yeah she got quite popular so became published. That’s nice. 🙂
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I’ve only ever read one Abbi glines book (The Vincent Boys) and it just didn’t work for me. It followed the traditional plot and led me to roll my eyes far too many times and wasn’t all that original. From your review I believe this one was a lot like the one I read. *sigh* guess we’re just not Abbi Glines people.
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Aww, but I want to be Abbi Glines people. 😦 Will try her Rosemary Beach series out. Also planned on reading that one but…I don’t like cheesy so hmm, I donno now.
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I’ve never heard of Abbi Glines, so I don’t know how her books are usually received, but I doubt I would really like this one. Although, I’m a sucker for stories with that premise. Rock stars? YEP, I’m in. But that doesn’t always end well for me, haha! I have a love-hate thing with contemporary romances.
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Maybe you will enjoy this if you like rock stars. I personally don’t care too much about them. 😛 And many like her work but probably contemporary fans mostly. 😛
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Uh oh! I’m not a fan of cheesy novels as well. Though it depends on the degree. 😀 Hope you can try another novels from that author. Let’s give her a chance. 🙂
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High degree in this one xdd Thank you!! I loved Hopeless by her. 🙂
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Oh sorry, I was thinking about Colleen Hoover. XD Thank you! Will try her Rosemary Beach series, maybe it will work out better. 🙂
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You betcha. I really dislike this book! I think I eye-rolled for 10050515 times!! But don’t fret, the next books are sort of okay and better than this book!
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Thanks for sharing! I will be more encline to reading the sequels now. 🙂 yeah the cheese WAS THERE.
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Eye rolls, so not a book I need to read!
Missie @ A Flurry of Ponderings
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I don’ know many people that like that. ».»
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Ugh, no. Even if I am desperately looking for a cute and quick read, I will definitely no pick up this book. I can handle cheesiness at some degree but this one seems like every page is full of it. No! No! No! I hope the characters will be attacked by colonies of ants for too much sweetness. 😀
And Sadie is just calling her mother “Jessica?” Fine, if she’s blaming it to the fact that her mother is a good-for-nothing mother, I still think that it’s inappropriate. Just nooo.
Fab review, Lola!
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hahahhaahha LOL!! Don’t be mean! I hope they die of cuteness. HA, that was better. Bu, really, they were annyoing with their sweet words and all.
I know!! It is really not normal….
Thank you 😀
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NAHHH. I’LL PASS. MWAHAHA. I’ve been seeing this author before but NO. I’ve been reading good books lately. I don’t want to ruin it. 😛 Fantastic review though, Lola. Thanks for keeping it honest ❤
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Hahahah, you’re pretty lucky with your reads, you know? Keep it up 😉 Thank you xx
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Thanks for a wonderful review, Lola! I haven’t read anything by Abbi Glines before, although I do own The Vincent Boys and The Vincent Brothers as I got them on sale. She seems to be the kind of author you either love or hate.
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Yeah, it does sound that way. I love sales 😉 and I think that I’ll read that series too, only to try it coz it sounds entertaining.
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Interesting review! I haven’t read anything from this author either but it seems like many of the love stories I’ve read lately have had their share of ‘cheesiness’. Thanks for sharing!
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Thank you! 🙂 Yes, a very popular element in contemporaries unfortunately. 😦
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I tried her Vincent Boys book… Couldn’t make it far. I gave up when the heroine spent “hours” looking at herself in the mirror after a makeover!
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