Annette's Book Spot: new adult

Showing posts with label new adult. Show all posts

Tuesday, September 24, 2013

Book Review: Ten Tiny Breaths, by K. A. Tucker

Ten Tiny Breaths was not what I expected, but I did enjoy my time with this story.

Kacey and her sister have run away from their aunt and uncle in in Michigan and arrived in Florida. Four years ago, Kacey was involved in an accident that killed her mother, father, best friend and boyfriend. She's understandably had a hard time adjusting after her aunt and uncle took her and her sister in, but when her uncle propositions her little sister, that was it. Kacey decides to take her sister and run.

She finds an apartment for them and a job at Starbucks. Her sister enrolls in high school. Kacey's only concern is that her sister gets to go to Princeton, and she will do anything to make that happen.

I thought Ten Tiny Breaths was going to be more about Kacey's emotional difficulties, and while it is, nothing really happens in the first 80% of the book except a developing romance with the guy next door, Trent. And, while this romance is anything but smooth, it is very romantic, and hits all those buttons. Trent seems to be "perfect," but he's hiding problems of his own too. Most of the time, I just got a "typical romance" vibe.

The other very enjoyable part of Ten Tiny Breaths is Kacey's developing friendship with her neighbor, Storm, and her daughter Mia. Storm is a stripper, but surprisingly, she ends up helping Kacey more than anyone, and I enjoyed these characters and their relationships the most.

Then, there's a big twist about 80% through Ten Tiny Breaths, and I didn't see it coming. I think maybe some people will figure it out, but for whatever reason, I didn't. After this revelation, I really liked where the story went. This is what I wanted Ten Tiny Breaths to be.

Ten Tiny Breaths is rightfully categorized "new adult." The sexuality of the book (the scenes as well as the themes) would cause me to only recommend this to the most mature teens.

The second book in the series, One Tiny Lie, is about Livie, Kacey's sister. Even though I enjoyed Ten Tiny Breaths, I think I'm going to pass on the sequel. I just don't care enough about Livie and Ten Tiny Breaths has a satisfying ending that needs no more explanation.

Published by Atria Books, September 24, 2013
eARC obtained from NetGalley
288 pages

Rating: 3/5

Monday, November 5, 2012

Book Review: Collateral, by Ellen Hopkins

Collateral by Ellen Hopkins really makes you think about the emotional damages to those involved in war, as well as their families. Hopkins portrays the challenges with realism and compassion.

Ashley never thought she would end up in love with a soldier, but Cole is different than she ever imagined a soldier could be. He writes poetry, and he's gentle, and kind, and they fall head over heals in love.

The story follows Ashley and Cole, as well as some other military couples as they suffer through deployments and training assignments that keep them apart for months at a time. Of course Ashley wonders what it will be like when they (or if they) are together all the time. Will their love survive being together?

And while they are apart, Ashley must go through week after week of not even hearing a word from Cole. Then, sometimes she will get a quick email, or a short phone call that really doesn't tell her anything. She is attracted to another man, and wonders if all the waiting is worth it. When she and Cole do get to be together for a few days, it seems like it's mostly about the sex.

Collateral really stuck with me. I felt the frustrations of the characters. I even had a dream my husband was cheating on me while I was reading this book -- and I know it was because of the book! The emotions are real and will take your breath away.

Since I read the eARC, I'm not sure of the formatting. To me, it seemed like this book was prose with poems that were written by the characters inserted after some of the chapters. But Hopkins usually writes the entire book in verse, so I'm interested to see the final copy. Either way, her language, as usual, is lyrical and beautiful. I also had difficulty with the jumping back and forth in time -- present, future, -- all these labels -- I really had difficulty discerning the order in which things happened.

I found Collateral to be depressing. I think a lot of Hopkins' books are -- and that's kind of what you sign up for when you read one of her novels. Collateral was also kind of "Bam!!! -- ending!" Wow. I suspected something like the ending might happen, but it was so sudden, and ended abruptly after with not much tie up.

Collateral is definitely a New Adult novel. The characters are college aged. There is some descriptive sex that would make Collateral appropriate for only the most mature teens. I would recommend Collateral to fans of realistic, heartbreaking romances. Fans of Hopkins, novels in verse, and New Adult Fiction will not want to skip Collateral.

Published by Atria, November 6, 2012
eARC obtained from Edelweiss
512 pages

Rating: 3.5/5

Wednesday, August 29, 2012

Audiobook Review: The Poison Tree, by Erin Kelly @mserinkelly

While The Poison Tree is a slow paced, character driven novel, there are a few plot twists that genuinely surprised me.

The Poison Tree focuses on Karen in the present day and flashes back to her past to explain the present. You see, Karen has just reunited with Rex after his 10 year prison stay, and along with their daughter, Alice, they are trying to become a family. The reader quickly figures out that Rex was in prison for murder, and the ensuing flashbacks are going to explain the who, why, and how that we so desperately want to know.

It takes a long time to get there, and fortunately I REALLY wanted to know what he did or I could have given up. You really have to like character studies because most of this novel is exploring the characters as their true personalities are revealed. Along with Rex and Karen, Rex's sister, Biba, plays an important role. Karen is graduating from university and she speaks several languages. Biba needs someone to help her with some German, so she and Karen become friends. Biba is unlike any friend Karen has ever had. She's wild, smokes, drinks, and does drugs. Her brother, Rex, has tried to take care of her since both their parents have been out of the picture for many years.

They live in their family house, and have several interesting roommates. Eventually Rex and Karen begin a romantic relationship and Karen moves in the house with him and Biba. I really can't explain the sense of impending doom as we very slowly watch these characters grow and change. For much of the novel, nothing ever happens, save for the day-to-day partying, conversations, and travels of the three main characters. But more and more secrets are revealed as we go along. Other characters enter and leave as we journey, but when I try to think of an episode worth mentioning, I can't. It's all very atmospheric and difficult to describe in a few paragraphs.

The blurb calls this a "psychological thriller." I get the psychological part -- as we go along we realize that some of these characters have serious psychological problems. But nothing about this novel is what I would call "thrilling." Maybe a bit of suspense, but that's not the same as a thriller.

I loved the last section of The Poison Tree after the murderous episode. I was stunned to find out what really happened -- and then stunned again...and again. I'm glad there were surprises, because I really would have felt I wasted my time if I had been able to figure out what happened early in the novel. But I didn't, and at the end I was glad I had persevered. And I readily admit I'm more of a plot person than a character person, so others might enjoy every moment of The Poison Tree depending on your tastes. It is interestingly written and the audio is superbly narrated by Jennifer Ikeda.

The Poison Tree takes place in London, and the narrator speaks with a delightful British accent. Her voices for each character are somewhat similar, but I was never confused while listening. She reads pretty fast which I prefer. Her accent made me think that Biba's name was "Beeber" which I found really amusing.

The Poison Tree is an adult novel, and only the most mature teens would find this one interesting. There is, as I said, drug use and drinking, but no explicit sex scenes. These characters are college aged, so those who enjoy the "New Adult" genre would potentially enjoy The Poison Tree.

Published by Pamela Dorman, 2011, audio by Recorded Books
Copy obtained from the library
336 pages

Rating: 3/5