A review by amanda_
Emerge by S.E. Hall

1.0

Maybe it's not about the length of time you've known someone; maybe it's about instant recognition on an unconscious level. Our souls know each other.

Did I ever mention I don't believe in soulmates? No? Well, I am now. I don't believe that two people look at each other and immediately know or feel or whatever that they're meant to be together. I call bullshit on that one. (If that was true we should all stand in line and look at each other until we find that "soulmate". The future type of dating anyone?) I do believe people fall in love differently and at different paces, but I don't believe people fall in love for no apparent reason as the characters in Emerge seem to do.

To be honest, I don't remember much about this book even though I read it a day or two ago. It's simply that unmemorable. It's the story about Laney (aka princess, Laneybear, Disney, etc.), Evan, and Dane. So we have Laney. Let's see what we know about her.

Laney, you’re that girl. The one guys make up in their head when they put all the best parts together to make one perfect girl.

Yes, she's every guy's dream. Because apparently we're forgetting not all guys are into girls, or the fact that not all guys are attracted to the same type of girls. This is New Adult everyone, should we really be surprised? Apart from being the ideal girl, I can't remember much about her. She's better than every other girl, obviously, and I can't quite remember what she studies at college. I think she has brown hair? And also, we have the whole virginal character is a must thing.

This guy seriously belongs on the cover of “World’s Sexiest Reasons to Drop Your Panties.”
WTF?
Where did that come from? It may be the dirtiest thought I’ve ever had and I feel vulgar that it crossed my mind. But seriously, you’d have to be deaf, dumb and blind not to notice this guy…or a lesbian.

Well, there is a love triangle in here where Laney keeps going back and forth between Evan and Dane. Okay, that's the whole story. And it's boring as hell, because it's so obvious who she's going to choose. Evan, her best friend since forever, and Dane, the new "bad" boy rich kid. Evan is... sweet. I did like him better than some other guys in New Adult. When they're closing in on graduation Evan decides to tell Laney about his feeling and they get together. But when they move to different colleges their relationship takes a hit. And enter does Dane. From that point it's Laney going back and forth. She doesn't want to hurt either (despite knowing Dane for a very short time.)

Really, if there's one thing this novel does it to prove how different Laney is from other girls, and how all other girls are after one thing: boys. And gossip.

I simply cannot hang out with the girls at recess. No one should expect me to, right? At the ripe old age of 10, I’ve already figured out one should be interested in far more than boys and gossip; the only two things they ever seemed to talk about.

I don't know about you, but when I was ten "we" girls did not only gossip and chat boys. Hell, we played soccer with them on each recess. Okay, we might have gossiped a bit, but the guys did it with us as well. And I don't believe this is the case these days either, at least it wasn't when I last checked.

Focused on me, he doesn’t notice the pack of she-wolves sauntering up the stands. Giggling and prancing, or whatever it is they do, they take the bleacher in front of him, almost blocking his view. I’m sure my helmet doesn’t hide the eye roll I give, but I don’t care.

Right, because it's unthinkable of Laney to show interest or try to get her interest's attention. No, that's for other girls. Or as she calls them, she-wolves. Maybe it's not a big deal, but it's with the tone Laney says it that pisses me off. And speaking of pissing me off.

'Oh my God, dude, you’re a fag.' Sawyer throws a wadded up napkin at him.

Do we really need to add shit like this in books for YA/NA? For clarification, the person in question is Dane. He's been forced to answer what his three favorite Disney movies are. He answers and his last answer is The Fox and the Hound, to which he gets this response. To be frank, this is offensive. Nothing else. Even if Sawyer says this as a joke, it's still insulting.

Let's go back for a moment to Laney and how different from all other girls she is. She's not so much of a "girly" girl, which makes her different, but there was something that offended me. In all truth, I thought I'd connect easily to this girl. I've always liked both "girl" and "boy" things/activites. I liked to fish, play in the woods, sports and such, still do to a certain extent. But then there was this tiny, tiny thing.

His thumb brushes my bottom lip and I realize…I could be swinging a bat, casting a reel, and driving a truck all at the same time, but I’m still 100% woman.

I don't understand the "still" thing. Of course she's still a woman. There was never even a question about that. Not once. Listen, your vagina doesn't magically disappear because you know how to bait a hook or drive a truck.

Okay, I'm leaving it at this. I don't have much more to say. The book was in dire need of an editor, the story was boring as hell, and the characters bland. That's it. Over and out.

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