REVIEW; Shh! (Oxley College #1), by Stacey Nash

Rating: ★★★☆☆

Genre: New-Adult, Romance

Recommend: Meh

Book 1 of 4

SPOILERS 

Summary:

Olivia Dean had the perfect university life until her boyfriend breaks up with her and sends an embarrassing rumour around about her. Now all she wants to do is hide in her room and get on with trying to salvage her reputation and keep her grades high to please her overbearing parents. 
But Logan Hays is doing everything to win her over and get to know the girl she's trying to hide. As much as Olivia loves being around the one person who sees past the rumours, she is terrified to get close to someone and risk it all.

My Thoughts:

Hmm... This sounded like such a unique story and held a lot of promise but it didn't really draw me in.

Olivia: There was nothing really different about Olivia to make her memorable (beyond her sex issue) - she was a typical uni student with strong parents forcing good grades and pushing heavily a high expectation. Considering she wanted to be a lawyer she wasn't very good at standing up for herself.  As far dealing with her issue... she didn't exactly face it head on - just took the route of denial. 

Logan: While there wasn't exactly insta-love, there was nothing to really hint at why Logan took an interest in Olivia. It all seemed too convenient that he developed interest from hearing the rumour about Olivia. For that reason, I didn't warm to him. He just didn't come across like a realistic guy that I would know and that made everything lack credibility. Other than that, he filled the typical role of hot rebel who just miraculously understands heroin and lives happily ever after... 

It really didn't blow me away. Told from Olivia's POV it all read like internal dialogue rather than a story. The plot was huge and the author dealt with bullying and pressures but it all fell flat somehow and I think that's down to the characters. Ultimately I didn't care much for them, I felt sympathy for Olivia but also thought she was a bit shallow - now, of course characters have flaws but I really felt like nothing  redeemed her for me to care.

I was also surprised that the rumour was related to sex but yet this was not at all steamy or explicit. This makes it read as a YA novel although realistically being a NA. It just seemed odd to me that it read like a very innocent and young read.

Overall:

This wasn't a bad read - and it's free. Simply, I didn't think it was up to much. Characters were all too flat and mediocre and unfortunately, it's not a story that will remain with me for long.

Goodreads

REVIEW; #Nerd (Hashtag #1), by Cambria Hebert

Rating: ★★★☆☆
Genre: Young-Adult, Romance

Recommend: Yes

Book 1

SPOILERS 

Summary:

Rimmel is solely focused on her studies to ensure she keeps her scholarship. Considered a nerd, she keeps to herself and hides beneath baggy and frumpy clothes. Roman is the star football player but with slipping grades, is looking at losing his spot and his college dreams. 

Until Rimmel is set as his tutor and Roman soon faces a dare for initiation involving wooing Rimmel and obtaining photographic evidence. But as time goes on, the two opposites form an unlikely bond and friendship, as the drama ensues. 

My Thoughts:

This book was on my wishlist for ages, and I regret not reading it sooner. This is definitely a YA novel and I would say totally unsuitable for NA. However, I will try to review it by my younger self and rate it as it is. 

Plot: The plot is totally cliché and predictable; a popular hot jock falling for the nerdy girl that everyone looks down on and bullies. The whole hashtag aspect had an ounce of Gossip Girl to it, with the secrets of campus being revealed on social media, making life hell for those reported on. Although it sort of worked to bring the typical story into modern days. 

Rimmel: I really warmed to her. She wasn't the typical underrated heroine that can easily exist in these type of novels. She didn't fawn over Roman at first glance and stuck to her morals at all costs and stayed strong. I was totally rooting for her! I think a lot of readers will relate to Rimmel. I especially connected with her feeling of not belonging and finding solace with animals. She was a gem. 

Roman: I feel he is a huge reason as to why this is a 3 star read. I struggle to find novels depicting a teenage boy as teenage boy and not have traces of the female mind interwoven in his actions. He has internal struggles which made me slightly warm to him, but overall, I didn't like him that much. I feel like he switched over from his notorious player persona to the sweet dutiful boyfriend too quickly and I just didn't fall for him. 

Overall:

This is a sweet and cute young adult read. It's a safe comfortable story with some drama and although predictable and cliché, would still recommend for those who love a good love story between two from the opposite sides of the track. 

Goodreads

REVIEW; Royally Screwed, by Emma Chase

Rating: ★★★★☆

Genre: Romance, New Adult

Recommend: Yes

Book 1 (Individual Story)

SPOILERS 

Summary:

Nicholas and his brother Henry are under the rule of their grandmother - The Queen of Wessco. Henry is off partying after being released from service, and the Queen has informed Nicholas he must marry by the end of the Summer, choosing from a list of noble women she has picked, and also fetch his wild brother from New York. Nicholas wants nothing less than to get hitched, and begrudgingly goes to find his brother and bring him home. 

Olivia runs a café, famous for their pies, whilst taking care of her 17y/o sister and her drunken father, who never coped with the loss of his wife. Olivia has set her life aside to continue her mother's business, until one day Nicholas walks into the café and tries to buy a night with her. Olivia. not knowing who he is, throws a pie in his face, and ultimately begins their forbidden romance. 

My Thoughts:

I have been holed up for a few months focusing on my thesis for university and have picked up a few books and not made it past chapter 1. This was the first novel I have managed to read in among exams/assignments etc and has made me fall back in love with reading. 

I am a sucker for any royalty type love story - The Princess Diaries was one of my favourite series growing up (with a reference to them in the first chapter!). However, this wasn't the typical story of the girl being wrapped up in the drama and chaos of taking up a royal position and the trials and tribulations that follow - really, it was just a love story between two that weren't allowed to be together. 

Olivia: I really love her! She is one of my favourite heroines and I'd love to be friends with her IRL. She is oblivious of who Nicholas is when he walks in and tries to charm her, and I enjoyed her battle between having fun and knowing her worth - i.e. from her POV we often got an insight into the true mind battles girls have, and not just a heroine who always does the noble or right thing. I would have liked her to be a little more like that girl we say throw a pie in his face though. Since that night, the only big standing up she did was go back home after he hurt her. It would have been nice to see her be a little "hard to get" at times whereas sometimes I wondered if she made it all too easy for him? 

Nicholas: Whatta guy! Cocky, arrogant and excessively charming, he's everything a book boyfriend starts out to be. What was refreshing about his character was that he didn't fall hard and fast for the good girl. Intrigue and wonder was the hook and he stayed realistic by putting the end of their time together out there to begin with, He didn't just meet her and become a changed man and fight to marry her; instead he fell in love gradually, as a journey. He also didn't always do the right thing either. The book is written from dual POV so we get an insight into his mind and thoughts and he's one of the best presented male characters I've read in a long time! I think Henry or Logan will be my book boyfriend from the series however. 

Story: The story was probably predictable but there were some shock horrors and twists. Half way through I did find it lulled a little, which is why I rate it 4 stars, as I did start to speed read until it picked up again. However, I was expecting the whole story to be a little sub-par and it definitely was not! I liked that the reader got a wrapped up ending and there was no cliffhanger. 

There was loads of character development and every scene felt it had purpose in adding to the overall web of events. Often I find with NA, there are countless scenes which add nothing and are just page fillers, so I enjoyed this aspect of the book a lot. 

The author, Emma Chase, has actually linked her highlights and notes of the book here. I read this after reading the book and it really made me connect more with the story - I was able to nod in agreement with the points I had spotted, but also it emphasised how every description or word spoken had a role to play and added conviction to the whole narrative. 

Overall:

I had this book in my wishlist before it had been published as it sounded like just my type of romantic drama - it did not disappoint! It's a cliché storyline, but that's obvious from the blurb, so if you like to get lost in a fictional world of romance and drama, this is totally for you! 

Goodreads