Nova Reed used to have dreams-of becoming a famous drummer, of marrying her true love. But all of that was taken away in an instant. Now she's getting by as best she can, though sometimes that means doing things the old Nova would never do. Things that are slowly eating away at her spirit. Every day blends into the next . . . until she meets Quinton Carter. His intense, honey brown eyes instantly draw her in, and he looks just about as broken as she feels inside.
Quinton once got a second chance at life-but he doesn't want it. The tattoos on his chest are a constant reminder of what he's done, what he's lost. He's sworn to never allow happiness into his life . . . but then beautiful, sweet Nova makes him smile. He knows he's too damaged to get close to her, yet she's the only one who can make him feel alive again. Quinton will have to decide: does he deserve to start over? Or should he pay for his past forever?
My thoughts:
Nova is already broken when we meet her. Her boyfriend, Landon, took his own life, and she can't get past it. She just wants him back. Every day she tortures herself by contemplating whether she should watch a video Landon left for her before he killed himself. While Nova is spiraling downward, she gets caught up in drugs, thanks to the influence of her roommate and a new acquaintance named Quinton. No one actually tries to get Nova to use drugs. She winds up doing it because everyone around her does it. That and she's tired of people telling her she's too good for drugs because she doesn't feel she is.
Quinton is also broken when we meet him. He's responsible for the deaths of two people and can't get past that. Drugs are how he gets through each day. He thinks Nova's too good for him and tries to push her away.
I really wanted to love this book. I did. But the drug use got to be too much for me. I felt like it became the focus of the novel, and since I can't relate to that, it got redundant for me. The writing was solid though. It just wasn't the right book for me.
Question:
What was the last book you read that was good but not really your type of story?
Eek, sounds intense! Hmm, that's an interesting question. I just finished a sci-fi romance that was a bit unusual but good. It's called Red Ice, and it took me a while to get into but I'm glad I persisted.
ReplyDeleteYeah, it was a good book but it just wasn't the kind of book I like to read. It was a very weird experience for me.
DeleteIt's hard to relate to certain books when we aren't really familiar with the major issues they tend to focus on.
ReplyDeleteI've never really been into reading YA novels but since I am very interested in writing one myself someday, I've been reading them and actually love them! Right now, I'm reading "Almost Demon" by AJ Salem which I'm pretty into and will be looking forward to reading "Touch of Death" as soon as I get through some of my TBRs=) Looking forward to your book Kelly!
Yay! Thanks, Gina. :)
DeleteI enjoyed your honest review. Some books can be hard to relate to if the character is too different from us. Sometimes the book can turn out to be amazing, but sometimes it can fall short. I am not when this happened to me last- but it has happened to me in the past few months.
ReplyDeleteSounds like an intense book!
~Jess
I've seen great reviews for this book, and I get why. It's well written. It just wasn't for me, and I'm okay with that. Not every book is, and I still say kudos to the author.
DeleteVery deep, emotional topics to address in a work of fiction. I give you credit for going out of your comfort zone on this one.
ReplyDeleteI like to try new things. I can appreciate good writing, whether the book is my kind of read or not.
DeleteSome books appeal to a person; others do not. It's a good thing there are lots of different stories out there. :) I don't care for a lot of drinking or drugs in stories, but that's me.
ReplyDeleteI agree. There should be all kinds of books to meet the needs of all kinds of readers.
DeleteSounds like a very hard-hitting book. Since I don't read any genres but horror and sci-fi, it's tough when one of my CPs writes contemp or fantasy. But they're my CPs, so even if I don't enjoy it, I will critique it in an unprejudiced way. But reading contemp, fantasy or romance on my own time? No thank you.
ReplyDeletelol To each his own, right?
DeleteThe last book I read that was good but not my cup of tea was Yesterday and Tomorrow by Candice Adams. It's an old romance novel, so I'm not surprised. :)
ReplyDeleteAt least you could recognize that it was good even if it wasn't for you. :)
DeleteIt does sound tense... good thoughts on what made the book not work for you, Kelly.
ReplyDeleteI really can see why a lot of people like the book. It just wasn't for me.
ReplyDeleteIt sounds like a good story.
ReplyDeleteI love speculative fiction, but some of the books don't work for me. I love contemporary too much.
I love both. :)
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