*Possibly spoilerish!!!!*

Starting out I felt this book had the potential to be really good. The first chapters weren't all that bad, so I was really rooting for it. But along the way, it just quickly became dull and an overall hot mess. I ended up putting this down for several months and picked it up again last night.  Right away it became clear as to why I had set it aside in the first place. While the premise of the story appealed to me, it didn't feel like the plot was really going anywhere. Often time other than a random action point, it felt more about the attraction of the protagonist (Adalyn) and her intended love interest, (Samarra).  It felt like there was the neverending loop of  'I know she's not looking for a serious relationship, but I want her to be mine.' trope. It got old fast when I just wanted to see where this plot was going to go! Personally, I wasn't really big on either of the characters, there wasn't anything interesting about either.

Nevertheless, I decided to power on, since I was already halfway through it. I really wanted to like the book, because I am always up for discovering new queer romances. The prospect of a book with lesbian shifters interested me, as I had mainly seen books with male shifters. But there was barely any lore or how they came to be within the world. Part of what makes supernatural/paranormal elements interesting to me is when the author actually includes defining information in the story. For the author to just plop it in there, without explaining much of Samarra's world, made it not that interesting to read about. Plus half of the book Adalyn doesn't even know that her love interest, is a shifter. Even when it does come out it isn't really a super big reveal. Then somehow along the way, it's casually suggested that Adalyn herself, might have shifter genes but it isn't really taken any further. It's like the author decided to drop it in, as an FYI.  Also, I don't know who edited this book, but there were tons of typos and misuse of words. Plus at one point the author I believe, intended to say Adalyn instead of Samarra, because of the way it was written. Then there were the sexy times themselves, while there were a few steamy moments that were generally not bad.

I found most of them to be very awkwardly written,  and not at all enjoyable to read. While I enjoy dialogue during sex scenes, it was just excessive and wasn't even sexy in my opinion. What got we most about the story was this one instance, where Samarra is thinking about how envious she is that hyena shifters are intersex. That because they had a cock they could love a woman in the way that she couldn't. That part had me going wtf?! You don't need to have a dick to make your female lovers happy! Where the author thought that needed to be said at all in the book baffles me. Way to completely ignore that there are plenty of ways for lesbians to have sex, without using a dildo. Not having a male piece, doesn't mean you aren't going to be able to please your girlfriend. Plus it seems in general that Samarra has this complex, about using her dildo. To the point that she wears it ninety percent of the time. It's totally fine that she wants to use it in the bedroom, however, to me it's clearly an issue of hers as to why she uses it. Which begs the question, could she be transgender? I don't know because it never gets brought up, so it leaves me to think that she has a narrowed minded view on the different ways you can make love.

Another instance that had that me shaking my head, is when the police hint at the idea of Adalyn sleeping with her boss in the past. Instead of stating that she's never been with a male and that she prefers women. Her response is to affirmatively tell him that she's a lesbian, and not bisexual. The whole tone of that seemed slightly biphobic, by the sheer audacity in her tone. It wasn't a huge thing, but it still made my eyebrow twitch. Lastly, when the big showdown finally arrived it was pretty much fell flat. It wasn't anything spectacular, it was over and done within a few sentences. Which makes the entire book lackluster and made me go 'That's it?'.  There were just so many holes within this story and I could honestly go on and on, but I am gonna end it here. I did not like this book and would not recommend it. 

I'm really happy because I found some old fanfiction that I thought was lost forever. They are from when i first started to write, so they are bad and cringy. I was a silly fangirl and I wrote for non-canon characters being romantically involved, usually LGBT+. I might still do that today, but I try to avoid stereotypes and problematic elements past me didn't think about.

These stories are so bad that they are "good", though only to me. At the very least they are making me laugh, even giggle to think of the kind of ideas young me had.

I even wrote some NC17 things and can not believe it because I don't even care for erotica. Now those bits are so bad, considering I was clueless about the stuff I was writing about.

I found the best line in a story:

"He yelled in a quiet voice."

Bravo, past me, bravo!

I read Anna and the French Kiss way back when I was a relatively new blogger.  When Cuddlebuggery and a few other blogs announced that they were doing a read along of the first to books in Stephanie Perkins And Trilogy (I refuse to call it the Anna trilogy since she’s only the lead in one novel) I couldn’t help but get out the embarrassing covers that make up these books and enjoy them again.  Funny thing is, you forget a lot of things from your first reading experience.  And I found a lot of things about Anna that I had sort of forgot about-both good and both bad.  For this revisit, I thought I’d list the top ten things I forgot about this book:

10) Macaroons: I forgot that this book featured the tasty treat.  And this book was what sort of got me on my foodie quest to have macaroons.  And they’re gluten free.  That makes them even better.

9) Boarding School Can be Fun: I haven’t read a book set in boarding school in awhile.  Let’s face it, most of them are boring and cliche.  You either get something like Gossip Girl but with school uniforms and dorm rooms or there’s some evil spirit haunting the campus and only the New Mary Sue can fight the evil.  However, Anna’s depiction of boarding school is fairly realistic.

8) Movie Mentions: Being a film buff myself I was checking out just how many movies that Anna read.  Surprisingly, I have seen a lot more since I originally read this book (probably because I put them on my list).

7) St. Clair: I forgot how funny and infuriating a character he can be.  I’ve read various things about this guy in other reviews.  And it’s always mixed.  I happen to fall into the like category.  Though upon reread I starting to think I prefer Cricket to Etienne (though ask me next week after I reread Lola to be sure).  I think what I like the best about St. Clair though is that he is such a complex character.  But yeah, there were a couple (okay, a lot) of moments I wanted to deck him.

6) Multiple Relationships: Though it can get a bit Days Of Our Lives-ish I do like the fact that there are multiple relationships, hookups, quasi hookups, and breakups in this book.  Let’s face it, teenagers usually aren’t as monogamous as YA makes them to be.  Though the Days of Our Lives stuff did start getting a little annoying towards the end.

5) Nicholas Sparks Bashing: Because anyone who bashes those books gets a gold star in my book.  For all you fans of The Notebook, it’s not that movie’s fault.  It’s that movie where Richard Gere dies in a mudslide-too ridiculous and cliche for words.  And for that matter, who kills poor Mandy Moore.  That’s just wrong.

4) Thanksgiving/Christmas scenes: This is how you write build up in relationships, authors who love insta love.  Learn it.  Embrace it.  And do it.  If every book would have scenes like this I’d be a happy reader.

3) Side Characters: With Isla coming I’m really paying special attention to any cameos by her or Josh.  Hey, I sort of want to know whose head I’m going to be reading about in a few weeks.  And after a deep (okay, brief) analysis on Josh I know that I’m going to be very interested in him.  He’s a tortured artist.  And I always had a thing for tortured artist type characters.  As for Isla, I like how she’s quiet and reserved in comparison to Josh’s former paramour its going to be an interesting dynamic.

2) Anna can be a real teenager: I remember Lola getting under my nerves (a bit), but I didn’t really remember Anna doing the same until the re-read.  The thing is, it didn’t really bother me.  Like with Lola, it added to the realness element of the book.  The thing is, I might have to rethink about giving Anna my YA best friend necklace.  She’s really not bestie material.  In fact, I’m starting to wonder if maybe-despite her mood swings-if it was Lola I wanted to be friends with.  I still like Anna though, but not as friend material.

1) Paris: If anything I think a big part of what works for Anna is the love that Perkins obviously has for the city of light.  I actually felt like I was in Paris.  Unlike many YA books that take place in foreign countries (I’m looking at you Royally Lost).  Anna’s experiences actually remind me a lot my own when I was studying abroad-save for the fact that I sort of really was forced in my dorm room unlike Anna since I was still in law school at the time.  Oh, and I had no  English/French/American eye candy.

 

Well, occasionally I’d get out of the study room and end up with pneumonia.  Because being a tourist in the rain…not that smart. 

Overall Thoughts:

I like this book, but I do think I made it up to be better than it actually was in my head.  Reviewing it, I saw faults I didn’t see before and I’m really excited about diving into Lola next week and seeing what I fin.

It's books like these that really annoy me. Characters aside, the whole content of the story really pisses me off. Since when is it okay for a guy to treat a girl like shit, and still get what he wants? I don't care that the girl may want it to, she's rewarding the guy for his jerk-ish, asshole-ish behaviour - and I can't stand it. 

Bianca is a cynical and loyal character, and I love that she isn’t afraid to give Wesley what he deserves, and make him aware of his flaws. What I hate most in high school in when guys like Wesley get what they want, and feel like their entitled to it, and that they’re just so “awesome”. From experience I’m probably a little bias, but I think he deserved the verbal abuse he got from Bianca, and the cherry coke in the face. But Bianca took the wrong turn when she started her “no string attached” relationship, because isn’t she just giving Wesley what he wants? And letting him feel like he deserves it and can still treat her like shit? This here really annoyed me – for someone who doesn’t like him, actually continuously makes it blatantly obvious that she hates him, and then turns around and starts kissing and having sex with him, all the while he’s calling her “Duff” and unconsciously putting her down. I feel that, whilst the “Duff” is getting the attention of the most popular, womaniser of the school, it’s for all the wrong reasons and gives a really bad example.

Wesley, although somewhat charming towards the end, and we do see a change in him as the story progresses, still never wormed his way into my heart because of our initial encounters. Again, I’m probably bias because of guys at my school who are exactly like him – but I feel that Bianca shouldn’t have even given him the time of day. He throws the word “Duff” and “Duffy” around every time he sees her, and makes her feel bad about herself – and I absolutely hate that Bianca never stands up for herself and tells him, instead she just lets him treat her like shit. And whilst, yes, there was a blush and swoon as I read the small letter her wrote her – that one line of scrawled handwriting didn’t change what he’d already done. Wesley had made his bed, and now he had to lay in it. 

In terms of writing and plot, it wasn’t the best. No offence to Kody, but she isn’t one of the best storytellers out there (compared to others books that I’ve read). I just found this story a little dull and boring at times, and some of the characters just didn’t feel write to me. Some aspects of the story felt cliched and soap-opera-y, which is exactly how I felt reading Pushing the Limits. So in turns of construction, a little of the bleh side. I’m sure personal prejudice is getting in the way of me truly enjoying and loving this book, but I still can’t get past the core of the story – which is that the womaniser treats a girl like shit and she ends up falling for him. I mean, are we now trying to tell guys like that that it’s okay? Cause if we are, I don’t agree with it. I definitely didn’t agree with it in this book.

I actually didn't mind this book simply because it showed positive D/s dynamic for a change. Which makes me happy.

Yes, the love scenes were a bit purpley and made me snigger a little, but the kinky aspects were hot.

I might check out the later books in the series, but this was fun little read.

I mean this was not a deep novel, but not all porn needs to be deep. I also don't think this book is serious literature, but I take it for what it is.