Reviews

I think that the best way to describe this book is to compare it to [b:Fifty Shades of Grey|10818853|Fifty Shades of Grey (Fifty Shades, #1)|E.L. James|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1300842729s/10818853.jpg|15732562] and or something by [a:Meg Cabot|11654|Meg Cabot|http://photo.goodreads.com/authors/1197201648p2/11654.jpg]. I love how it combines the fun and youthful experiences that the YA books have with the situations and content of situations that are more adult (18+). The storyline follows a teenaged girl named Abby - with a rough and somewhat mysterious past - who is entering her first year of college with her childhood best friend. Abby is encountering the collegiate lifestyle while trying to avoid relapsing into her past. Through a string of events she meets her love interest and even though his character is a bit cliche their romance is very intriguing. Now, I have to say, the story did get rather frustrating midway through the book - without spoiling - mostly because of aspects of Abby's character's behavior. However, toward the end the story did pick up again and was nearly impossible to put down. It was like getting to go back to Freshman year of college and I was able to relate to the characters really well even though my college experience was quite different. I think that Jamie McGuire did a great job of making the characters likable and relaying their story in a way that many audiences could enjoy.

mamalovesreading's review against another edition

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This book is badly written. I’d rather die than complete it + the author is racist

foreverbeautifulbooks's review against another edition

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1.0

Yikes, calling for civil war on parler? Yeah I don't support or read traitors to America.

chiaraseminario's review against another edition

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1.0

Thoughts I wrote down while reading this:

-In love
Mood
“I can get no ... sat-is-fac-tion” - from this book
Me neither
This turned into a musical
Yeah smh
Exactly
*snort*

luce98's review against another edition

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lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

dadu's review against another edition

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1.0

Needless to say, this book is problematic. Looking back, I can't believe we even bought these books and thought that - "YES! That's exactly what love is". I'm a pretty easy going reader with problematic books. I can't believe I'm making a comparison to this book, but there was a time when certain behaviors were staples in our society. Women couldn't vote, rape was not considered rape between spouses only until 1988, and the plethora of writing from the '50s a ala Mad Men treated women as accessories. These are not forgivable, but they were the norm for their time.

Emotionally abusive relationships and unhealthy co-dependence was never a norm unless I had amnesia in 2011 when this gem was published. That's the problematic part, not that the author is unveiling a truth that was rampant in our culture, but that she glorifies abuse and even adds on a happily ever after.

The sad part is that looking back, as a teenager, I did think that this is what love was. That the can't breathe, can't be without you, your boyfriend being jealous and angry- was the true mark of love. Forget that he's violent and emotionally manipulates you. I ended up in one of these relationships. This is my first time reading this book, and I don't blame it for my actions of the past, but I'm worried about what young girls do think about this book today.

Overall feeling for the characters - these sad souls deserve each other.

locpressedbooks_'s review against another edition

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challenging emotional sad tense medium-paced

3.5

Not terrible, but my Lord, are they both a mess and it seems as if they must be soulmates. Some of the things that she’s on the things that he did absolutely cringe worthy of a terrible book read it in 24 hours. Now I can watch the movie.

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