By: C.J. Duggan
Published By: Hachette
Released : April 28th 2015
Details: Digital copy for honest review from publisher
RATING: 3.75 - 4 STARS
Blurb: Goodreads
When her parents decide a change will be good for her, seventeen-year-old Lexie Atkinson never expected they'd send her all the way to Paradise City. Coming from a predictable life of home schooling on a rural Australian property, she's sure that Paradise will be amazing. But when she's thrust into a public school without a friendly face in sight, and forced to share a room with her insipid, hateful cousin Amanda, Lexie's not so sure.
Hanging out with the self-proclaimed beach bums of the city, sneaking out, late night parties and parking with boys are all things Lexie's never experienced, but all that's about to change. It's new, terrifying . . . and exciting. But when she meets Luke Ballantine, exciting doesn't even come close to describing her new life. Trouble with a capital T, Luke is impulsive, charming and answers to no one. The resident bad-boy leader of the group, he's sexier than any boy Lexie has ever known.
Amidst the stolen moments of knowing looks and heated touches, Lexie can't help but wonder if Luke is going to be good for her . . . or very, very bad?
BOOK REVIEW by Michelle:
I have been very excited to read this new series of C.J’s. I have some of her Summer series which has sold so well as an Indie author on my Kindle and can’t wait to put some time aside to read that series. The covers are so pretty.
Now C.J is published by Hachette.
Congratulations!!
Ok , now I have been reviewing for nearly five years and I want to start by saying I read a shiz load of books and am very well read across genres. My ratings come from my personal thoughts of what I think makes a five star, a four star and so on read for myself.
So this is just my own opinion.
I enjoyed this first installment, but to be honest I felt the story didn’t kick in and connect with me until the 45% mark approximately.
Just under the half way mark and then BAM shiz started happening and I was more invested.
I would classify the first part as very YA genre and then lordy it took off in a very New Adult way.
Most of the characters are only seventeen and eighteen and attend Paradise City High. They are in year eleven.
I really LOVED Boon’s character, he felt very consistent as a character from start to finish. He is funny and very likable. I am a Boon fan!
Cousin Amanda is the not so nice cousin to Lexie.
Lexie has been home schooled and her parents are allowing her to attend the last several weeks of a REAL SCHOOL.
Amanda and Lexie used to get along, now Amanda is a bit of a biatcchh. She is an up and down character, especially for a family member.
“Well, well, it wouldn’t be a complete detention without Boon and Ballantine, would it?”
There are some shenanigans and some sudden sizzling moments between a couple characters. Because this is set in Australia, one of those sizzling scenes had me thinking about my daughter who has just started year 7 in high school and... no...no...no!
The ending I am in two minds about because it goes kind of against how understanding and trusting a certain character is throughout the book.
It kind of felt a little out of place because of said understanding behavior towards more than one character. It went against the personality of this person. What endeared me to this character was he surprised me each time with how mature and understanding he was which showed a deeper level to his Siberia antics. It was refreshing.
Then...
But eh, teenagers are teenagers and that equals mood swings so this could be the answer.
There was this modern day Puberty Blues feel to this first installment for me.
I liked the full on Aussie feel and reading the Aussie products mentioned. Example, Samboy Chips, Mars Bar... no mention of Vegemite. I did feel like I was stepping back in time to my youth and the beach side weekends at Streaky Bay ( yes there is such a place).
I definitely really enjoyed the latter half of this first installment, it moved along well and we got to really know more of Luke and Boon and all the complicated stuff that comes with being a teenager.
For me this was a good start to this series and I look forward to reading more.
Michelle
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
C.J Duggan is an Internationally Number One Best Selling Author who lives with her husband in a rural border town of New South Wales, Australia. When she isn't writing books about swoony boys and 90's pop culture you will find her renovating her hundred-year-old Victorian homestead or annoying her local travel agent for a quote to escape the chaos. The Boys of Summer is Book One in her highly successful New Adult Romance Series.
Summer Series
The Boys of Summer (December 2012)
Stan (October 2014)
An Endless Summer (July 2013)
MAX (TBA 2015)
That One Summer (December 2013)
Ringer (March 2014)
Forever Summer (TBA 2015)
Social Media:
o Twitter: @CJ_Duggan & @HachetteAus
o Instagram: @cj_duggan & @hachetteaus
GIVEAWAY
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