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Avoiding #1
Avoiding Commitment
Alternate cover edition of ASIN B008QSL4OE
Jack and Lexi never had a typical relationship. After 2 years without speaking, she receives a phone call that changes everything. He unexpectedly asks her to convince the new girl, Bekah, that he's ready to commit. Jack is calling now after everything they had been through because there is another woman. She can't believe it.
Follow Lexi in this heart wrenching drama as she relives her past relationship, or lack thereof, with Jack, and not just in her own mind, but to his fiance-to-be. Throw in Bekah's hot brother who always seems to be in the right place at the right time, a past with more secrets to unravel than you can even imagine, and you get a recipe for disaster.
Find out what happens to Lexi as she travels to Atlanta to get the closure she so desperately desires from Jack, and how the bumps of life seem to keep getting in the way.
Jack and Lexi never had a typical relationship. After 2 years without speaking, she receives a phone call that changes everything. He unexpectedly asks her to convince the new girl, Bekah, that he's ready to commit. Jack is calling now after everything they had been through because there is another woman. She can't believe it.
Follow Lexi in this heart wrenching drama as she relives her past relationship, or lack thereof, with Jack, and not just in her own mind, but to his fiance-to-be. Throw in Bekah's hot brother who always seems to be in the right place at the right time, a past with more secrets to unravel than you can even imagine, and you get a recipe for disaster.
Find out what happens to Lexi as she travels to Atlanta to get the closure she so desperately desires from Jack, and how the bumps of life seem to keep getting in the way.
473 pages, ebook
First published July 29, 2012
1304 people are currently reading
30835 people want to read
About the author
K.A. Linde
89 books11.1k followersK.A. Linde is the New York Times, USA Today, #1 Sunday Times bestselling author of The Wren in the Holly Library. She is prolific in both romance and fantasy and loves the blend of the two.
She has a Masters degree in political science and bachelors in philosophy from the University of Georgia. In her previous life, she was a head campaign worker for a presidential campaign and the coach of the Duke University dance team. She loves reading fantasy novels, traveling to far-off destinations, and dancing in her spare time.
She currently lives in Lubbock, Texas, with her husband, and son.
She has a Masters degree in political science and bachelors in philosophy from the University of Georgia. In her previous life, she was a head campaign worker for a presidential campaign and the coach of the Duke University dance team. She loves reading fantasy novels, traveling to far-off destinations, and dancing in her spare time.
She currently lives in Lubbock, Texas, with her husband, and son.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 2,566 reviews
June 11, 2017
Wow! I am still trying to get my emotions - mainly anger - under control after reading this one. I have not wanted to pummel a hero like this in a long time! Ugh! I'm not sure I can articulate how furious I am with Jack, but I'm going to give it a shot.
The story begins in present-time, with Lexi receiving an unexpected phone call from an old friend, Jack. It is very apparent that Jack broke Lexi's heart and that there are some unresolved feelings lingering. Clearly, the two had an intense history and Lexi never recovered from whatever Jack did to her.
Almost immediately, I wanted to strangle Jack. I didn't know who this guy was exactly at this point in the story, but I couldn't believe his audacity. With the obvious heartache that Lexi was still harboring, he calls and asks her to convince his new girlfriend that he is capable of commitment. Say what? I was like, "This guy has some damn nerve!"
Ultimately, Lexi caves. She agrees to do this "favor" for her old "friend". I knew that it would play out that way, but I was still like "Oh, hell no!". After all, the story had to go somewhere.
As I'm sure you can guess, Lexi and Jack together results in a flood of sexual tension and unresolved issues. It is so obvious that neither one has ever really gotten over the other one. You know that you're in for a lot of drama and angst.
The girlfriend, not surprisingly, ends up being a royal bitch. I loathed Bekah. Honestly, if she weren't so despicable, I might have felt bad for her. After all, she loved Jack and he was messing around with Lexi all the time. The fact that Bekah was such a horrible person really made it easy to overlook Jack and Lexi's indiscretions...which was crucial to enjoy this story.
Like Lexi, I began to fall for Jack's charm and it was so easy to see how she got sucked in again. However, Jack's sketchy behavior and indecisiveness has Lexi being jerked around. As their story unfolds through repeated flashbacks, it becomes clear that this is a long-standing pattern of behavior between Jack and Lexi.
Lexi and Jack meet in college and always seem to find their way back to each other. From their first date, Lexi is hooked. She can't get enough of him. The feeling is mutual, but there's a problem...Jack has a girlfriend!
When the cat's finally out of the bag, Lexi is outraged. She, rightfully, walks out on Jack and tells him exactly what a scumbag he is. Yay, Lexi! At this point, I'm totally with her. I was feeling all indignant and high on my "girl-power" mojo. (Picture me walking around my kitchen with my headphones on, drinking a glass of wine and cursing Jack while making dinner.)
Unfortunately for Lexi, that isn't the last time she will cross paths with Jack. Through mutual friends, their lives are intertwined. Lexi eventually begins to date one of Jack's friends, which leads to more "chance" encounters between Jack and Lexi.
This is where I started wanting to shake some sense into Lexi. You know that saying, "Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice..."? Never has it been more applicable to a situation than it was to Lexi's. No matter what this guy did, she caved and fell for his charms again and again. It was incredibly frustrating. At the same time, I couldn't help but want Lexi and Jack to end up together. I guess I kind of fell for his charms too.
Jack is definitely a character that I loved to hate. He was irresistible, even though your brain tells you that he's bad news. There were so many times that I wanted to scream as he repeatedly broke Lexi's heart. At the same time, I was incredibly conflicted because she did her fair share of harm to others in her pursuit of Jack.
Part of me questioned whether or not Jack ever truly cared about Lexi at all. After all, his actions sure didn't show it. Maybe I've deluded myself as much as Lexi did, but I just can't believe that he didn't really love Lexi.
Regardless of what my heart says, my brain says that Lexi should have some self-respect. Honestly, the things that Jack did were inexcusable. Not that he spent much time groveling, but I'm not sure that there would be enough groveling - ever - to make up for the way he treated Lexi. Lexi's best move would be to pack up and move somewhere far, far away.
The ending of this book really threw me for a loop. I could not believe it! I wanted to throw a temper tantrum.
That being said, I could not pull myself away from this story. I immediately jumped into the next book in the series and have marathon read the entire series in a couple of days. It was like watching a bad wreck unfold in front of my eyes. I couldn't stop watching as their sordid lives played out for me.
I don't think I've read a cheating book that was this angsty and had me tied in knots like this since reading S. C. Stephen's 'Thoughtless'. Holy hell! It's painful, but I'm hooked.
Check out more of my reviews at www.bookaddicthaven.com
The story begins in present-time, with Lexi receiving an unexpected phone call from an old friend, Jack. It is very apparent that Jack broke Lexi's heart and that there are some unresolved feelings lingering. Clearly, the two had an intense history and Lexi never recovered from whatever Jack did to her.
Almost immediately, I wanted to strangle Jack. I didn't know who this guy was exactly at this point in the story, but I couldn't believe his audacity. With the obvious heartache that Lexi was still harboring, he calls and asks her to convince his new girlfriend that he is capable of commitment. Say what? I was like, "This guy has some damn nerve!"
Ultimately, Lexi caves. She agrees to do this "favor" for her old "friend". I knew that it would play out that way, but I was still like "Oh, hell no!". After all, the story had to go somewhere.
As I'm sure you can guess, Lexi and Jack together results in a flood of sexual tension and unresolved issues. It is so obvious that neither one has ever really gotten over the other one. You know that you're in for a lot of drama and angst.
The girlfriend, not surprisingly, ends up being a royal bitch. I loathed Bekah. Honestly, if she weren't so despicable, I might have felt bad for her. After all, she loved Jack and he was messing around with Lexi all the time. The fact that Bekah was such a horrible person really made it easy to overlook Jack and Lexi's indiscretions...which was crucial to enjoy this story.
Like Lexi, I began to fall for Jack's charm and it was so easy to see how she got sucked in again. However, Jack's sketchy behavior and indecisiveness has Lexi being jerked around. As their story unfolds through repeated flashbacks, it becomes clear that this is a long-standing pattern of behavior between Jack and Lexi.
Lexi and Jack meet in college and always seem to find their way back to each other. From their first date, Lexi is hooked. She can't get enough of him. The feeling is mutual, but there's a problem...Jack has a girlfriend!
When the cat's finally out of the bag, Lexi is outraged. She, rightfully, walks out on Jack and tells him exactly what a scumbag he is. Yay, Lexi! At this point, I'm totally with her. I was feeling all indignant and high on my "girl-power" mojo. (Picture me walking around my kitchen with my headphones on, drinking a glass of wine and cursing Jack while making dinner.)
Unfortunately for Lexi, that isn't the last time she will cross paths with Jack. Through mutual friends, their lives are intertwined. Lexi eventually begins to date one of Jack's friends, which leads to more "chance" encounters between Jack and Lexi.
This is where I started wanting to shake some sense into Lexi. You know that saying, "Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice..."? Never has it been more applicable to a situation than it was to Lexi's. No matter what this guy did, she caved and fell for his charms again and again. It was incredibly frustrating. At the same time, I couldn't help but want Lexi and Jack to end up together. I guess I kind of fell for his charms too.
Jack is definitely a character that I loved to hate. He was irresistible, even though your brain tells you that he's bad news. There were so many times that I wanted to scream as he repeatedly broke Lexi's heart. At the same time, I was incredibly conflicted because she did her fair share of harm to others in her pursuit of Jack.
Part of me questioned whether or not Jack ever truly cared about Lexi at all. After all, his actions sure didn't show it. Maybe I've deluded myself as much as Lexi did, but I just can't believe that he didn't really love Lexi.
Regardless of what my heart says, my brain says that Lexi should have some self-respect. Honestly, the things that Jack did were inexcusable. Not that he spent much time groveling, but I'm not sure that there would be enough groveling - ever - to make up for the way he treated Lexi. Lexi's best move would be to pack up and move somewhere far, far away.
The ending of this book really threw me for a loop. I could not believe it! I wanted to throw a temper tantrum.
That being said, I could not pull myself away from this story. I immediately jumped into the next book in the series and have marathon read the entire series in a couple of days. It was like watching a bad wreck unfold in front of my eyes. I couldn't stop watching as their sordid lives played out for me.
I don't think I've read a cheating book that was this angsty and had me tied in knots like this since reading S. C. Stephen's 'Thoughtless'. Holy hell! It's painful, but I'm hooked.
Check out more of my reviews at www.bookaddicthaven.com
July 26, 2012
Avoiding Commitment tells the story of Alexa (or Lexi as she likes to be called), a 20-something college student who, after 6 years of doing the same bullshit again and again, has apparently learned absolutely nothing from her mistakes, and Jack, the most prime example of a lying, manipulative player.
I picked this book up because a few people compared it to S.C. Stephens’s Thoughtless, which I absolutely loved even though it wasn’t an easy read (if you’ve read it you know what I’m talking about). So I was fully prepared for a similar bumpy rollercoaster ride full of drama, conflict and variety of emotions. But this? This is NOTHING like Thoughtless. The only emotion I've felt was hatred for the characters and their selfishness and self-centered behavior. Lexi and Jack must be the most egoistic and unlikable characters I've ever came across in a book. Both are liars and cheaters and have no redeeming quality whatsoever. Lexi is downright delusional (after everything that happened she still didn’t grasp that their “relationship” was an enormous disaster form the start), while Jack is the biggest prick you can imagine.
And I swear to everything that’s holy, if I ever have to read about clear blue eyes or any variation of this words (like crystal clear blue eyes, piercing blue eyes, baby blue eyes, gorgeous blue eyes, gorgeous cerulean eyes, steely blue eyes, …) again, I’m going to do this
to myself, even though my eyes aren’t even blue. I seriously doubt there’s a page in this whole book where his oh so striking blue eyes aren’t mentioned. I mean, this could have easily been called 50 Shades of Blue Eyes.
Frankly, I'm not sure why this book got such great reviews. I had a really hard time finishing it and I found myself skipping entire chapters just to put an end to the torture faster. Final verdict: skip it!
I picked this book up because a few people compared it to S.C. Stephens’s Thoughtless, which I absolutely loved even though it wasn’t an easy read (if you’ve read it you know what I’m talking about). So I was fully prepared for a similar bumpy rollercoaster ride full of drama, conflict and variety of emotions. But this? This is NOTHING like Thoughtless. The only emotion I've felt was hatred for the characters and their selfishness and self-centered behavior. Lexi and Jack must be the most egoistic and unlikable characters I've ever came across in a book. Both are liars and cheaters and have no redeeming quality whatsoever. Lexi is downright delusional (after everything that happened she still didn’t grasp that their “relationship” was an enormous disaster form the start), while Jack is the biggest prick you can imagine.
And I swear to everything that’s holy, if I ever have to read about clear blue eyes or any variation of this words (like crystal clear blue eyes, piercing blue eyes, baby blue eyes, gorgeous blue eyes, gorgeous cerulean eyes, steely blue eyes, …) again, I’m going to do this
to myself, even though my eyes aren’t even blue. I seriously doubt there’s a page in this whole book where his oh so striking blue eyes aren’t mentioned. I mean, this could have easily been called 50 Shades of Blue Eyes.
Frankly, I'm not sure why this book got such great reviews. I had a really hard time finishing it and I found myself skipping entire chapters just to put an end to the torture faster. Final verdict: skip it!
December 21, 2012
Do not read this book around other people
Do not read this book if you are abstaining from sex
Do not read this book if you are happy
Do not read this book if you are a goody-too-shoes
Do read this book if you are a bad boy lover, or a villain lover, or a drama addict.
Do not read this book if you are abstaining from sex
Do not read this book if you are happy
Do not read this book if you are a goody-too-shoes
Do read this book if you are a bad boy lover, or a villain lover, or a drama addict.
Read
January 4, 2013I'm not going to give this an actual rating because I'm not sure how to go about it! haha. It obviously made me feel a lot so that shows Ms Linde really knows how to bring out emotions in the reader... But I also got so effin irritated with the characters RAWR. I just feel conflicted lol!
K.A. Linde is a good writer. She has a way of describing things and really brining a person into her world.
Like I said, Linde is a good writer and I will def read another book from her with completely different characters. I just really had an issue with Lexi and Jack... And not just a small issue- A BIG ONE. Lexi and me... we are not friends.
Ps: Ya'll may LOVE THIS book. I know lots of people that did. I'm just weird.
K.A. Linde is a good writer. She has a way of describing things and really brining a person into her world.
Like I said, Linde is a good writer and I will def read another book from her with completely different characters. I just really had an issue with Lexi and Jack... And not just a small issue- A BIG ONE. Lexi and me... we are not friends.
Ps: Ya'll may LOVE THIS book. I know lots of people that did. I'm just weird.
June 25, 2012
4.75 Stars
They were not a couple. They were lovers and most definitely in love. Yet, they were a disaster together.
Warning: I tend to use a lot of expletives when I’m emotional. This book, my friends, has made an emotional wreck out of me. So be warned, I will cuss and swear, a lot, in this review :)
I’m a total mess. I think I just had a minor stroke. My speech is slurred, I feel weak all over, and I’ve lost all ability to think straight. They need a support group for those who read this book. I need a place to vent. I feel like punching something, or better yet, I want to virtually slap a few characters in this book. My heart hurts and my mind is in chaos. Listen to me, and listen to me good. This story will fuck with you. It will fuck you over and over again to the point where you want to scream “stop,” but just can’t.
Though this story does not involve whips or chains, I would still categorize it as an S&M book. Why? Simply because Jack dished out the pain over and over again and Lexi just keeps coming back for more. The emotional damage these two inflicted on each other is beyond any physical pain one can endure. I don’t know how I made it this far, but like Lexi, I just keep coming back for more. The masochist in me wanted to feel the pain and I desperately wanted to know how it will all pan out.
**The following may have spoilers**
Jack: You are a sadist and the worst kind of character. I love and hate you at the same time. I love your charm and the alpha-ness in you. The fact you have this unattainable quality, makes me want you even more. However, I loathe the fact that you’re selfish, destructive, and manipulative. You keep dangling this “relationship” carrot constantly in front of Lexi without remorse or regret. You constantly inflict heartache and misery every time you re-enter her life. So no matter how charming or sexy you are, I made up my mind that you are just a wolf in sheep’s clothing. You hurt me severely and I will no longer fall for your antics. You are officially on my shit list. I denounce you!
Lexi:
Lexi stayed outside for a minute contemplating how she had allowed things to get so out of control. She had promised herself she wouldn’t let this happen, but when push comes to shove, literally, she couldn’t say no to him. If she were to do it all over again, she’d make the same goddamn mistake.
Girl, you desperately need an intervention. All the warning signs are there, but you won’t listen to them. No wait, strike that, you won’t act upon those warnings. You know Jack is hazardous to your health, but you keep letting him back in. He hurt you, sweetie. The damage he always leaves behind should serve as a constant reminder of how he always drags you down. As much as I want to slap you and make you see clearly, I get it, he’s your kryptonite. Nevertheless, you need to shut him out permanently, otherwise you won’t be able to move forward with your life.
Bekah: I literally hate you. You are a one manipulative, delusional bitch. There were times where I felt sorry for you, but man, you played me. If you were real, I would so go postal on your ass!
Ramsey: I love you. You are a mystery to me, but I don’t care. If Lexi doesn’t want you, I’ll have you. I hope to God that whatever Bekah said about you isn’t true. There’s no way you could’ve faked all that. I’m crossing my fingers for you in the next book.
Chyna: You are one kick-ass BFF. If you were real, we can totally party it up!
Whew! Okay, now that I have most of that out of my system, I will be delving into book two now. I should wait until all my feelings are in check, but man, I'm severely curious to found out how this mind fuck of a story ends. If you like angst to the millionth power and love to be tormented, read this!
-----------------
There is no official eBook version of this story, yet, but you can find it here on fictionpress: http://www.fictionpress.com/s/2755989...
However, thanks to a blogger, there is a way to read this on your eReader instead of your laptop. This website (http://www.flagfic.com/) allows you to convert the fictionpress story to the format of your choice (kindle, EPUB, html or PDF). Its easy, just copy/paste URL address of the story, select the format and download. Happy Reading!! =)
-----
FOLLOW ME
Blog: www.sweetspotbookblog.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/SweetSpotBookBlog
Twitter:@thessamari
They were not a couple. They were lovers and most definitely in love. Yet, they were a disaster together.
Warning: I tend to use a lot of expletives when I’m emotional. This book, my friends, has made an emotional wreck out of me. So be warned, I will cuss and swear, a lot, in this review :)
I’m a total mess. I think I just had a minor stroke. My speech is slurred, I feel weak all over, and I’ve lost all ability to think straight. They need a support group for those who read this book. I need a place to vent. I feel like punching something, or better yet, I want to virtually slap a few characters in this book. My heart hurts and my mind is in chaos. Listen to me, and listen to me good. This story will fuck with you. It will fuck you over and over again to the point where you want to scream “stop,” but just can’t.
Though this story does not involve whips or chains, I would still categorize it as an S&M book. Why? Simply because Jack dished out the pain over and over again and Lexi just keeps coming back for more. The emotional damage these two inflicted on each other is beyond any physical pain one can endure. I don’t know how I made it this far, but like Lexi, I just keep coming back for more. The masochist in me wanted to feel the pain and I desperately wanted to know how it will all pan out.
**The following may have spoilers**
Jack: You are a sadist and the worst kind of character. I love and hate you at the same time. I love your charm and the alpha-ness in you. The fact you have this unattainable quality, makes me want you even more. However, I loathe the fact that you’re selfish, destructive, and manipulative. You keep dangling this “relationship” carrot constantly in front of Lexi without remorse or regret. You constantly inflict heartache and misery every time you re-enter her life. So no matter how charming or sexy you are, I made up my mind that you are just a wolf in sheep’s clothing. You hurt me severely and I will no longer fall for your antics. You are officially on my shit list. I denounce you!
Lexi:
Lexi stayed outside for a minute contemplating how she had allowed things to get so out of control. She had promised herself she wouldn’t let this happen, but when push comes to shove, literally, she couldn’t say no to him. If she were to do it all over again, she’d make the same goddamn mistake.
Girl, you desperately need an intervention. All the warning signs are there, but you won’t listen to them. No wait, strike that, you won’t act upon those warnings. You know Jack is hazardous to your health, but you keep letting him back in. He hurt you, sweetie. The damage he always leaves behind should serve as a constant reminder of how he always drags you down. As much as I want to slap you and make you see clearly, I get it, he’s your kryptonite. Nevertheless, you need to shut him out permanently, otherwise you won’t be able to move forward with your life.
Bekah: I literally hate you. You are a one manipulative, delusional bitch. There were times where I felt sorry for you, but man, you played me. If you were real, I would so go postal on your ass!
Ramsey: I love you. You are a mystery to me, but I don’t care. If Lexi doesn’t want you, I’ll have you. I hope to God that whatever Bekah said about you isn’t true. There’s no way you could’ve faked all that. I’m crossing my fingers for you in the next book.
Chyna: You are one kick-ass BFF. If you were real, we can totally party it up!
Whew! Okay, now that I have most of that out of my system, I will be delving into book two now. I should wait until all my feelings are in check, but man, I'm severely curious to found out how this mind fuck of a story ends. If you like angst to the millionth power and love to be tormented, read this!
-----------------
There is no official eBook version of this story, yet, but you can find it here on fictionpress: http://www.fictionpress.com/s/2755989...
However, thanks to a blogger, there is a way to read this on your eReader instead of your laptop. This website (http://www.flagfic.com/) allows you to convert the fictionpress story to the format of your choice (kindle, EPUB, html or PDF). Its easy, just copy/paste URL address of the story, select the format and download. Happy Reading!! =)
-----
FOLLOW ME
Blog: www.sweetspotbookblog.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/SweetSpotBookBlog
Twitter:@thessamari
October 15, 2013
10-15-13 Talking about this book on Facebook has me all HYPE, had to re-post the review! LOL!!! HAVE YOU READ THIS YET??
SPOILER FREE
4 STARS out of 5
Genre: Adult Contemporary Romance
Series: Book #1 in Avoiding Series
->Review contains foul language read at your own discretion.
WARNING: You should re-frame from reading this in public because
This book may cause you to throw your reading device. Shout unexpectedly in public. Wanna kill a B*tch. And scream "OH HELL NO" and "OH SH#T" at least twenty times out loud.
If a fictional character can make me hate him/her as if they are a living entity than you get 4 Stars for that alone. This book kept me on my toes. With more than one villain running around I could barely contain my emotions. But the end... OH YES!*chuckles* The end made me smile because even though you hate the villain you must acknowledge when they get one up on you. And that is exactly what happened to me. I was so caught up in this cluster F#ck of Bullsh#t that i never saw it coming. You know the part, its the one you read when someone reveals their true self. Yeah. That part caused me to put the book down and yell "OH HELL NO" for the final time after reading Avoiding Commitment
Avoiding Commitment begins with Alexa receiving a very unexpected phone call from Jack. A guy she has been off and on with for the last six years. Jack needs her help. His current girlfriend Bekah wants to speak with his exes to get a better understanding of why he can't commit. And to Alexa's consternation along with my own, DRAMA ensues. And by way of flashbacks we learn Jack and Alexa's not so pretty extremely sorted history.
And that is all i can say without giving much away.
Thoughts
Hmmmm. This book was....all kinds of CRAZY. I didn't hate it and i didn't love it. Ummmm...Yeah I'm a HOT A## MESS just like Jack and Lexi.*smirk* This story was plagued with lies and Betrayal. And not a whole lot of regret or apologies for it. I started off feeling sorry for Alexa then i started to see what was going on and i am unsure how i feel about her at this moment. I have no clue as to why she put up with Jack off and on for six years after he revealed his selfish ass ways to her over and over again. Who does that?
Characters
Lexi- WHY? WHY? WHY? I have never met someone so willing to put up with that much bullshit. She pissed me off to no end. I lover her. I hate her.
Jack- I LOATHE him. PERIOD. He is the biggest BITCH in this book. Yeah i said it. "A duplicate." Really Jack? COME THE F#CK ON. GROW A PAIR!
Bekah- Is slick as grease. I HATE HER!
Ramsey- I like him he shows promise.
Chyna- Thank goodness Lexi has somebody. Even if its her.lol!!
My Ratings
Characters- Conflicted, Cunning and villainous
Writing Style- Good
Plot/Stroyline- Good
Steam Factor- High/Very Steamy
Overall- I liked it! But read at your own risk. And that risk is being royally pissed off.
Now go forth and read. Then come tell us all about it on Goodreads!
See more reviews at
http://realitybites-letsgetlost.blogs...
SPOILER FREE
4 STARS out of 5
Genre: Adult Contemporary Romance
Series: Book #1 in Avoiding Series
->Review contains foul language read at your own discretion.
WARNING: You should re-frame from reading this in public because
This book may cause you to throw your reading device. Shout unexpectedly in public. Wanna kill a B*tch. And scream "OH HELL NO" and "OH SH#T" at least twenty times out loud.
If a fictional character can make me hate him/her as if they are a living entity than you get 4 Stars for that alone. This book kept me on my toes. With more than one villain running around I could barely contain my emotions. But the end... OH YES!*chuckles* The end made me smile because even though you hate the villain you must acknowledge when they get one up on you. And that is exactly what happened to me. I was so caught up in this cluster F#ck of Bullsh#t that i never saw it coming. You know the part, its the one you read when someone reveals their true self. Yeah. That part caused me to put the book down and yell "OH HELL NO" for the final time after reading Avoiding Commitment
Avoiding Commitment begins with Alexa receiving a very unexpected phone call from Jack. A guy she has been off and on with for the last six years. Jack needs her help. His current girlfriend Bekah wants to speak with his exes to get a better understanding of why he can't commit. And to Alexa's consternation along with my own, DRAMA ensues. And by way of flashbacks we learn Jack and Alexa's not so pretty extremely sorted history.
And that is all i can say without giving much away.
Thoughts
Hmmmm. This book was....all kinds of CRAZY. I didn't hate it and i didn't love it. Ummmm...Yeah I'm a HOT A## MESS just like Jack and Lexi.*smirk* This story was plagued with lies and Betrayal. And not a whole lot of regret or apologies for it. I started off feeling sorry for Alexa then i started to see what was going on and i am unsure how i feel about her at this moment. I have no clue as to why she put up with Jack off and on for six years after he revealed his selfish ass ways to her over and over again. Who does that?
Characters
Lexi- WHY? WHY? WHY? I have never met someone so willing to put up with that much bullshit. She pissed me off to no end. I lover her. I hate her.
Jack- I LOATHE him. PERIOD. He is the biggest BITCH in this book. Yeah i said it. "A duplicate." Really Jack? COME THE F#CK ON. GROW A PAIR!
Bekah- Is slick as grease. I HATE HER!
Ramsey- I like him he shows promise.
Chyna- Thank goodness Lexi has somebody. Even if its her.lol!!
My Ratings
Characters- Conflicted, Cunning and villainous
Writing Style- Good
Plot/Stroyline- Good
Steam Factor- High/Very Steamy
Overall- I liked it! But read at your own risk. And that risk is being royally pissed off.
Now go forth and read. Then come tell us all about it on Goodreads!
See more reviews at
http://realitybites-letsgetlost.blogs...
July 1, 2012
I'm not a Hater Usually, But my God this Book made Me Bat-Shit Fucking Crazy and I have never wanted to stab 2 characters as much as I did with Jack and Lexi. What a Mess, Lord I can't imagine going thru that Shit for six years, both the H/h need there heads examined. Anywho I just couldn't get passed all the nonsense in this book it was just to much of the same thing over and over again. So if your looking for a book that makes you want to smash your e-reader and you want all that I Hate you, let's get it on, I hate you again then this is the book for you!!
Peace Out.......
Peace Out.......
December 30, 2015
When i finished this book I was totally exhausted by all the drama/lies/secrets and cheating this book contained. And when a book can make me feel that way, that it´s impossible to put it down, then it have to be a good sign, right? A part of me wanted to give this booka a five star rating just because of that, the authors ability to capture me like a prisoner. But another part of me only wanted to give it 3 stars, simply because that I didn´t feel emotionally connected with any of the characters. Sure, I liked them but I didn´t love them. Lexi was for me, pretty annoying with her overthinking everything an Jack sure was a charming bastard but the ending made me dislike him. And Ramsey? I didn´t even know how to feel about him. But Bekah, God how I despised her.
So, because of this book´s rare ability, to pull me in like no other, i give it 2,75 stars. This book is filled with awesomeness, but i don´t think i´d have the energy to re-read it in a VERY long time...or ever...
(I love the cover though...it´s steaming hot...)
August 6, 2012
Reviewed at toughcriticbookreviews.blogspot.com
Avoiding Commitment has taken my book slump and crushed it beneath its mind shattering awesomeness. Where do I start? Where do I finish? What the hell can I say that's not a four-letter word?!
I feel so used! I feel so abused! I feel so awesomely turned on! There's such a fine line between love and hate. Avoiding Commitment totally gets rid of the line and has one big love/hate orgy. There wasn't a character I didn't want to punch in the face! Everyone drove me insane, but holy hot hell commit me because I'd pay money for this type of insanity.
I love that I read this book; I hate that I read this book. I was pulled in every emotional direction possible throughout the course of Lexi and Jack's relationship! I will never look at a wall the same way again. In fact, wall...I revere you!
I've been totally beaten and ravaged with the frustration stick and all I can think to do is bend over and let it hit me again. This is a book that will make you feel everything at once. The only reason I didn't give it five-stars was because it did have a few draggy bits and maybe I was forced to skim a little (insert audible gasp here), but then Jack would throwme Lexi up against a wall and all would be forgiven!
Read it, devour it, strap yourself in for a crazy ride that will leave you gasping and begging for more. READ ON! READ IT NOW!
Avoiding Commitment has taken my book slump and crushed it beneath its mind shattering awesomeness. Where do I start? Where do I finish? What the hell can I say that's not a four-letter word?!
I feel so used! I feel so abused! I feel so awesomely turned on! There's such a fine line between love and hate. Avoiding Commitment totally gets rid of the line and has one big love/hate orgy. There wasn't a character I didn't want to punch in the face! Everyone drove me insane, but holy hot hell commit me because I'd pay money for this type of insanity.
I love that I read this book; I hate that I read this book. I was pulled in every emotional direction possible throughout the course of Lexi and Jack's relationship! I will never look at a wall the same way again. In fact, wall...I revere you!
I've been totally beaten and ravaged with the frustration stick and all I can think to do is bend over and let it hit me again. This is a book that will make you feel everything at once. The only reason I didn't give it five-stars was because it did have a few draggy bits and maybe I was forced to skim a little (insert audible gasp here), but then Jack would throw
Read it, devour it, strap yourself in for a crazy ride that will leave you gasping and begging for more. READ ON! READ IT NOW!
February 7, 2014
Basically.
July 18, 2017
Before I read the book 7/11/2017
I have been "avoiding" this series on purpose but then my sister calls me needing my support because well Shittt, I recommended the series to her in the first place LMAO ops 🙄🤗... But now she's dying and is going to kill me if I don't buddy read asap 😂😂😂
Sooo here I go 😥😨😒
Jack and Lexi drove me absolutely crazy out of my mind from the beginning I couldn't really tell who I hated more Lexi for being so dumb or Jack for being a player. Maybe I hated her more for knowing he was a player and still putting up with his shit. This book was full of angst and believe me I can handle it but this is really ANGST on CRACK lol.
This was me the entire time
The story was told on Lexi's point of view, it started with the present time and each chapter will rotate to the past. There was a 6 years gap from when they met to the present time. Lexi was only nineteen years old at collage when she meets Jack. Jack had lied to her since day one but promised to never lie again. Their relationship was so frustrating to me. I honestly could not understand why they just didn't date like normal human beings and if it didn’t work it didn't work. Instead so much drama happened and I was so drained by the time it was over. I still wanted to know if Jack will redeem himself in my eyes so of course I continue reading, believe me I almost DNF it around 75% I just couldn't deal anymore haha. I mean when I thought Lexi would finally get her shit together and get over his ass she goes and does dumb shit over, and over, and over. Then I really was like this
However; I really liked the story overall in the midst of all the drama and the crazy shit that happened I liked that it was unique and it kept me guessing some things I was curious about. I wanted to know how it will all turn out. Ramsey was a character that saved the book for me, I absolutely love him. I am 100% #teamRamsey and if Lexi ends up single at the end of book 3 I will not complain one bit haha. I guess what really bothered me with Lexi and Jack's relationship the most was Lexi knew what to expect with Jack from day one and even after seven years she never learned. She continued to repeat the same mistakes over and over and fucking over…..
Jack would not commit to a relationship with Lexi but had no trouble dating other girls and having Lexi as his "other" woman on the side. That bothered me so damn much. Especially because Lexi wanted more with him but at the same time I felt she still couldn't commit either, their relationship was just chaos. I see why he didn't commit thought he thought she was fine with the way they were and that's why I feel I dislike Lexi more lol.
I will say I loved the way this book ended and now I am definably ready to read the next book in the series. Yes I will continue because well I am not a quitter either haha and even though I didn't loved the characters as much as I wanted to I understand them a little bit. Still the fact that I cried angry tears don't change the fact that this book was well written to get all those emotions out of me, even if they were anger lol. I just hope my liver survives the journey in the next two books because there will be vodka involve this time around I don't think I can do it sober LMAO. This series will be appealing to reader who enjoy angst and are not afraid when cheating is involved.
This was a F(BR) with my sister and also War thank you for listening to me bitch the entire time bahahah lol
For more reviews/reveals/giveaways visit:
I have been "avoiding" this series on purpose but then my sister calls me needing my support because well Shittt, I recommended the series to her in the first place LMAO ops 🙄🤗... But now she's dying and is going to kill me if I don't buddy read asap 😂😂😂
Sooo here I go 😥😨😒
Thoughts when I finished 7/17/2017
3.5 to 4★★★★Stars
Genre: NA-Contemporary Romance
Type: Book 1 of Avoiding Series
POV: First Person – Female
Jack and Lexi drove me absolutely crazy out of my mind from the beginning I couldn't really tell who I hated more Lexi for being so dumb or Jack for being a player. Maybe I hated her more for knowing he was a player and still putting up with his shit. This book was full of angst and believe me I can handle it but this is really ANGST on CRACK lol.
This was me the entire time
and this
The story was told on Lexi's point of view, it started with the present time and each chapter will rotate to the past. There was a 6 years gap from when they met to the present time. Lexi was only nineteen years old at collage when she meets Jack. Jack had lied to her since day one but promised to never lie again. Their relationship was so frustrating to me. I honestly could not understand why they just didn't date like normal human beings and if it didn’t work it didn't work. Instead so much drama happened and I was so drained by the time it was over. I still wanted to know if Jack will redeem himself in my eyes so of course I continue reading, believe me I almost DNF it around 75% I just couldn't deal anymore haha. I mean when I thought Lexi would finally get her shit together and get over his ass she goes and does dumb shit over, and over, and over. Then I really was like this
However; I really liked the story overall in the midst of all the drama and the crazy shit that happened I liked that it was unique and it kept me guessing some things I was curious about. I wanted to know how it will all turn out. Ramsey was a character that saved the book for me, I absolutely love him. I am 100% #teamRamsey and if Lexi ends up single at the end of book 3 I will not complain one bit haha. I guess what really bothered me with Lexi and Jack's relationship the most was Lexi knew what to expect with Jack from day one and even after seven years she never learned. She continued to repeat the same mistakes over and over and fucking over…..
Jack would not commit to a relationship with Lexi but had no trouble dating other girls and having Lexi as his "other" woman on the side. That bothered me so damn much. Especially because Lexi wanted more with him but at the same time I felt she still couldn't commit either, their relationship was just chaos. I see why he didn't commit thought he thought she was fine with the way they were and that's why I feel I dislike Lexi more lol.
I will say I loved the way this book ended and now I am definably ready to read the next book in the series. Yes I will continue because well I am not a quitter either haha and even though I didn't loved the characters as much as I wanted to I understand them a little bit. Still the fact that I cried angry tears don't change the fact that this book was well written to get all those emotions out of me, even if they were anger lol. I just hope my liver survives the journey in the next two books because there will be vodka involve this time around I don't think I can do it sober LMAO. This series will be appealing to reader who enjoy angst and are not afraid when cheating is involved.
This was a F(BR) with my sister and also War thank you for listening to me bitch the entire time bahahah lol
For more reviews/reveals/giveaways visit:
July 16, 2012
This book was amazing but i completely hate it! i'm an emotional wreck! i will curse many timessssss in this review
i fucking hate most of these characters.. lexi is a dumb ass bitch..jack is a heartless prink..and bekah o dear god i hope u fall off a cliff
there is just so much heartache in this book..i wanted to burn my kindle to the ground and still do!
K.A. Linde job well done by bringing so much emotion out of so many people but i hate cheating and i despise these people. A good author can always rile up emotions and thats what u did i just hate what i am feeling...DESPAIR adn Depression
For the next 2 months all i want to read is HEA books where everyone falls in love and gets married and has babies. OR go back to the Paranormal where the vampires always win! FUCK real life right now...
******SPOLER ALERT****
im an asshole tho and i started the next book..i swear to god if ramsey cheats on her or she sleeps with jack AGAIn like the dumbass she is I prob wont be able to move for days... I HATE BETRAYEL! AND THATS ALL THESE PEOPLE DO!
FROM KA LINDE
some of them, yes. Go to my facebook page K.A. Linde: http://www.facebook.com/pages/KA-Lind...
I have some links and threads there that talk about them. Here are a few ideas:
Lexi -- http://pinterest.com/pin/154529830934...
Bekah -- http://pinterest.com/pin/154529830934...
Jack -- http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbi...
Ramsey -- http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbi...
i fucking hate most of these characters.. lexi is a dumb ass bitch..jack is a heartless prink..and bekah o dear god i hope u fall off a cliff
there is just so much heartache in this book..i wanted to burn my kindle to the ground and still do!
K.A. Linde job well done by bringing so much emotion out of so many people but i hate cheating and i despise these people. A good author can always rile up emotions and thats what u did i just hate what i am feeling...DESPAIR adn Depression
For the next 2 months all i want to read is HEA books where everyone falls in love and gets married and has babies. OR go back to the Paranormal where the vampires always win! FUCK real life right now...
******SPOLER ALERT****
im an asshole tho and i started the next book..i swear to god if ramsey cheats on her or she sleeps with jack AGAIn like the dumbass she is I prob wont be able to move for days... I HATE BETRAYEL! AND THATS ALL THESE PEOPLE DO!
FROM KA LINDE
some of them, yes. Go to my facebook page K.A. Linde: http://www.facebook.com/pages/KA-Lind...
I have some links and threads there that talk about them. Here are a few ideas:
Lexi -- http://pinterest.com/pin/154529830934...
Bekah -- http://pinterest.com/pin/154529830934...
Jack -- http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbi...
Ramsey -- http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbi...
August 7, 2012
My thoughts?
AVOIDING COMMITMENT did things to my brain, heart and soul that I have not had since reading Colleen Hoover’s books - SLAMMED and POINT OF RETREAT. AVOIDING COMMITMENT gave me the same feeling that I had to lock myself away until I read the entire book from cover to cover. There are words that I need to use to describe this book that I’m not currently able to produce, but I will do my best.
broken. ELATED. beat. CONSUMED. hurt. LOVED. sad. WANTING. confused.
Linde manages to never miss a beat writing any of the characters. The MC Lexi is sensational. I've seen a couple of people mention how much they couldn't stand her because of her inability to walk away, but I think that is one of the major things that drew me to her. As much as I yelled at here every step of the way, I was also thinking about the near 100% probability that faced with the same situation; I would do the exact same things she did. Then, there was Jack, who is smokin’! Oh and yes, he is, hands-down, the ultimate asshole. Thus, I loved him. He was funny, charismatic and oh did I mention an asshole? BUT, Linde managed to relay a relationship with so much love, hate, lust and history that I couldn’t help but become a ball of emotional trash every time I turned the page and yes, things changed that quickly. One moment I would be so enraged with Jack that I wanted Lexi to smack him then FLIP, SWOON. Again leaving me…
Totally. Submersed.
The remaining two primary characters were just as flippin’ genius as Lexi and Jack. Though, they left a much different set of emotions. I want to punch Bekah, frequently. Ramsey, well, I love to hate him and hate to love him. So, by time you add those four up, I was a mess.
It. Was. Beautiful.
Taking Linde’s impeccable writing talent, ability to create an epic set of characters and toss in an outstanding, realistic plot packed with enough emotional confusion for a lifetime, sounds like it has it all right? Well, we are still missing one little (LARGE) part of AVOIDING COMMITMENTS excellence. What is it? Welllllllll
Enough sexual tension and explosive love scenes to give your New-Adult heart a run for its money!
NOTHING! Yes – epic fail on me because I didn’t notice that book two isn’t quite out yet. This caused a full on panic attack (no joke, I yelled at the computer, like really yelled) at which point I had to mentally check out for the remainder of the night...
And much of the next day...
No release date as of now…but the moment I come across it you bet your ass I’ll have Anticipation post all about it! Until then – GO READ…NOW!
Review by Sliced Open Reviews
Source: Purchased
AVOIDING COMMITMENT did things to my brain, heart and soul that I have not had since reading Colleen Hoover’s books - SLAMMED and POINT OF RETREAT. AVOIDING COMMITMENT gave me the same feeling that I had to lock myself away until I read the entire book from cover to cover. There are words that I need to use to describe this book that I’m not currently able to produce, but I will do my best.
broken. ELATED. beat. CONSUMED. hurt. LOVED. sad. WANTING. confused.
Yes, that may do it for this one kids....Good Review, eh?
Ok, Ok back to the real review...
AVOIDING COMMITMENT is the kind of Contemporary Romance that I crave. Everything about it is raw, sexy, frustrating and juicy. Frankly, I loved this book so much I don’t even want to review it. Nothing I say about it will compare to the story that it holds, the characters it produced and the emotions it inflicted. Here’s the thing, I love me YA, I love New-Adult, I love some steamy New-Age-Smut, but this book was none of that and all of that. This is where I get into that whole point where I can’t make words to describe this but, let’s try. See, I love YA authors because they typically have some of the hands down best world-building and plot twists and I love New-Adult because the characters are typically a bit more within my mind frame. Usually, you get one or the other. There are very few authors that can manage to get these to line up. It is even more rare to get these aligned to the point that reality literally fades, leaving you lost in the book and so submersed that you want nothing more to crawl into the book and wave “BYE BYE” to your life. Because, yes, that is how I felt when I finished.
K.A. Linde created one of the most awe-inspiring groups of characters in my reading history. Yes, HISTORY because she also manages to maintain the characters while tossing in these all-consuming relationships between them.
Linde manages to never miss a beat writing any of the characters. The MC Lexi is sensational. I've seen a couple of people mention how much they couldn't stand her because of her inability to walk away, but I think that is one of the major things that drew me to her. As much as I yelled at here every step of the way, I was also thinking about the near 100% probability that faced with the same situation; I would do the exact same things she did. Then, there was Jack, who is smokin’! Oh and yes, he is, hands-down, the ultimate asshole. Thus, I loved him. He was funny, charismatic and oh did I mention an asshole? BUT, Linde managed to relay a relationship with so much love, hate, lust and history that I couldn’t help but become a ball of emotional trash every time I turned the page and yes, things changed that quickly. One moment I would be so enraged with Jack that I wanted Lexi to smack him then FLIP, SWOON. Again leaving me…
Totally. Submersed.
The remaining two primary characters were just as flippin’ genius as Lexi and Jack. Though, they left a much different set of emotions. I want to punch Bekah, frequently. Ramsey, well, I love to hate him and hate to love him. So, by time you add those four up, I was a mess.
It. Was. Beautiful.
Taking Linde’s impeccable writing talent, ability to create an epic set of characters and toss in an outstanding, realistic plot packed with enough emotional confusion for a lifetime, sounds like it has it all right? Well, we are still missing one little (LARGE) part of AVOIDING COMMITMENTS excellence. What is it? Welllllllll
Enough sexual tension and explosive love scenes to give your New-Adult heart a run for its money!
Yes, because spiteful, angry sex is hot – I don’t care what you say.
Once I was finished I wanted nothing more than to go download book two – because umm did you read that ending?! I marched right over to the computer logged on to B&N ready to download and….
[image error]
NOTHING! Yes – epic fail on me because I didn’t notice that book two isn’t quite out yet. This caused a full on panic attack (no joke, I yelled at the computer, like really yelled) at which point I had to mentally check out for the remainder of the night...
[image error]
And much of the next day...
[image error]
No release date as of now…but the moment I come across it you bet your ass I’ll have Anticipation post all about it! Until then – GO READ…NOW!
Review by Sliced Open Reviews
Source: Purchased
August 6, 2012
Okay so I've taken a few days and I decided that I just cannot put into word how this book made me feel. So I decided to come up with a play list that encompasses the emotions I felt while reading. So here you go...
1. Always by Saliva
2. Becasuse of You by Kelly Clarkson
3. Before He Cheats by Carrie Underwood
4. Broken featuring Amy Lee by Seether
5. Call Me When You're Sober by Evanescence
6. Crash Into Me by Dave Mathews Band
7. Epiphany by Staind
8. Everything Changes by Staind
9. Forever by Papa Roach
10. Heartbreak Warfare by John Mayer
11. Hello Lonely by Theory of a Deadmam
12. I Get Off by Halestorm
13. I Hate Everything About You by Three Days Grace
14. If I Ain't Got You by Alicia Keys
15. If I Were a Boy by Beyonce
16. In My Arms by Plumb
17. In Your Eyes by Peter Gabriel
18. The Kill by 30 Seconds to Mars
19. Last Kiss Goodbye by Hinder
20. Let It Be Me by Ray LaMontagne
21. Lips of an Angel by Hinder
22. My Immortal by Evanescence
23. Need You Now by Lady Antebellum
24. Not Strong Enough by Apocalyptica
25. Outside featuring Fred Durst by Staind
26. Santa Monica by Theory of a Deadman
27. Someone Like You by Adele
28. White Flag by Dido
1. Always by Saliva
2. Becasuse of You by Kelly Clarkson
3. Before He Cheats by Carrie Underwood
4. Broken featuring Amy Lee by Seether
5. Call Me When You're Sober by Evanescence
6. Crash Into Me by Dave Mathews Band
7. Epiphany by Staind
8. Everything Changes by Staind
9. Forever by Papa Roach
10. Heartbreak Warfare by John Mayer
11. Hello Lonely by Theory of a Deadmam
12. I Get Off by Halestorm
13. I Hate Everything About You by Three Days Grace
14. If I Ain't Got You by Alicia Keys
15. If I Were a Boy by Beyonce
16. In My Arms by Plumb
17. In Your Eyes by Peter Gabriel
18. The Kill by 30 Seconds to Mars
19. Last Kiss Goodbye by Hinder
20. Let It Be Me by Ray LaMontagne
21. Lips of an Angel by Hinder
22. My Immortal by Evanescence
23. Need You Now by Lady Antebellum
24. Not Strong Enough by Apocalyptica
25. Outside featuring Fred Durst by Staind
26. Santa Monica by Theory of a Deadman
27. Someone Like You by Adele
28. White Flag by Dido
not-for-me
July 31, 2012Lots of cheating and over-the-top drama. No thanks!
May 11, 2017
SORRY FOR MY MUCH HATED OPINION!
*Don't read if easily offended!*
Holy shit! I cannot believe I actually managed to finish this book. Why, you ask? Well (SORRY FOR MY LANGUAGE) it was a piece of crap story! All the characters where buuuuuullllshiit. I simply couldn't stand Lexi and I wanted to cut of Jack's dick! Waste of time this book was, I tell you. W a s t e of time.
*Don't read if easily offended!*
Holy shit! I cannot believe I actually managed to finish this book. Why, you ask? Well (SORRY FOR MY LANGUAGE) it was a piece of crap story! All the characters where buuuuuullllshiit. I simply couldn't stand Lexi and I wanted to cut of Jack's dick! Waste of time this book was, I tell you. W a s t e of time.
September 3, 2012
Not good for my health
Or my hair
Or my hair
August 17, 2012
Warning: If you don’t like a book filled to the brim with unlimited angst, this is not the book for you! This is not your normal yummy happily-ever-after romance! More like toxic shock!
I admit that I very much enjoy my fair share of angst in a book and, after a highly recommended shove, I chose to jump in and see what all the hollering was about in regards to this new-to-me-author's book. But after just coming off reading “Gone Girl,” another mind boggler, “Avoiding Commitment” might have been too much too soon. It literally sucked the life out of me with its frenzied and self-destructive cast of characters. I can say without a doubt that I've never ranted and raved at characters for page after page like I did in this masterpiece of lies, deceit and mental abuse of one’s friends.
“Avoiding Commitment” is quite possibly the most frustrating, demanding, harsh, and aggravating book I’ve ever read. What’s so crazy is that I almost enjoyed it – well, “enjoy” is probably not the right choice of words. But the truth is, I couldn’t put it down and I was drawn to every word on every page. It was like a drug to my system. I had to find out what these crazies were going to do next to each other in the name of friendship and love.
You truly know you’re involved when you start having conversations with this girl, Lexi, who truly has no will power to save herself from Jack. Now I’m certainly not going to argue the fact that Jack could charm the pants off a rattlesnake. He’s every girl’s dream man – physically speaking. Otherwise, watch out – he’s a master manipulator and heartbreaking player. He talks a great game but most of it is just a pack of lies. I’m thinking please, please Lexi, kick him to the curb and save yourself now – he’s got more problems than you do. But the two together are a walking nightmare. And Lexi has plenty of opportunities for an upgrade. Her friend Chyna, who is a bit of nutcase herself, is certainly more than willing to help Lexi out of this situation and this girl has the resources to get it done. I just wanted to wrap my arms around Lexi and tell her, “honey, you’ve got other choices and you’re worth so much more.” But then . . .
Before too long, I found myself thinking, “Wow, Lexi, your’re just as whacko as Jack.” She lies, cheats and sleeps around almost as much as he does. Note to any and all who might find this a bit scary – there’s rarely mention of a condom being used in this book and if ever there was a book that demanded condom usage, this is it! There were times when Lexi would cheat on her current boyfriend while he slept and she slipped away with Jack! It was a never ending circle of sexual musical beds, walls, sandy beaches, showers -- well, I'm sure you get the picture. Jack, Lexi, Chyna, or any of the others don’t seem to grasp the meaning of faithful, loyal, honest and true. Although there is one guy who popped into the picture named Ramsay who gives me hope for turning this madness around.
Time after time, Jack and Lexi always find a way back to each other for more hot lust and sex. At first I wanted to believe it was real love on her part – and maybe it was to a certain extent. Heck, maybe Jack even loved her in some unexplained way. But after a while, I gave up on that idea and decided they both weren’t functioning on all cylinders and I just sat back and watched the games of madness continue. At this point and after they’ve continued this dance for years, I figured “hey, you deserve one another and whatever the other dishes out.”
I realize this review is a complete mess – believe me, that’s how this book left me. And here’s the shocker -- I’m actually looking forward to the sequel and more of the same wild and crazy ride in “Avoiding Responsibility.”
If the author happens to write a third book in this series, “Avoiding the Loony Bin” is my suggestion for a good title. All kidding aside, I didn’t love this book or hate it – I just experienced it. Somehow I determined a 4-star rating – after all, it was the best darn carnival ride I’ve ever experienced!
By the way, thanks to Taryn Cellucci, a Goodreads friend, who pointed the way to this "carnival."
I admit that I very much enjoy my fair share of angst in a book and, after a highly recommended shove, I chose to jump in and see what all the hollering was about in regards to this new-to-me-author's book. But after just coming off reading “Gone Girl,” another mind boggler, “Avoiding Commitment” might have been too much too soon. It literally sucked the life out of me with its frenzied and self-destructive cast of characters. I can say without a doubt that I've never ranted and raved at characters for page after page like I did in this masterpiece of lies, deceit and mental abuse of one’s friends.
“Avoiding Commitment” is quite possibly the most frustrating, demanding, harsh, and aggravating book I’ve ever read. What’s so crazy is that I almost enjoyed it – well, “enjoy” is probably not the right choice of words. But the truth is, I couldn’t put it down and I was drawn to every word on every page. It was like a drug to my system. I had to find out what these crazies were going to do next to each other in the name of friendship and love.
You truly know you’re involved when you start having conversations with this girl, Lexi, who truly has no will power to save herself from Jack. Now I’m certainly not going to argue the fact that Jack could charm the pants off a rattlesnake. He’s every girl’s dream man – physically speaking. Otherwise, watch out – he’s a master manipulator and heartbreaking player. He talks a great game but most of it is just a pack of lies. I’m thinking please, please Lexi, kick him to the curb and save yourself now – he’s got more problems than you do. But the two together are a walking nightmare. And Lexi has plenty of opportunities for an upgrade. Her friend Chyna, who is a bit of nutcase herself, is certainly more than willing to help Lexi out of this situation and this girl has the resources to get it done. I just wanted to wrap my arms around Lexi and tell her, “honey, you’ve got other choices and you’re worth so much more.” But then . . .
Before too long, I found myself thinking, “Wow, Lexi, your’re just as whacko as Jack.” She lies, cheats and sleeps around almost as much as he does. Note to any and all who might find this a bit scary – there’s rarely mention of a condom being used in this book and if ever there was a book that demanded condom usage, this is it! There were times when Lexi would cheat on her current boyfriend while he slept and she slipped away with Jack! It was a never ending circle of sexual musical beds, walls, sandy beaches, showers -- well, I'm sure you get the picture. Jack, Lexi, Chyna, or any of the others don’t seem to grasp the meaning of faithful, loyal, honest and true. Although there is one guy who popped into the picture named Ramsay who gives me hope for turning this madness around.
Time after time, Jack and Lexi always find a way back to each other for more hot lust and sex. At first I wanted to believe it was real love on her part – and maybe it was to a certain extent. Heck, maybe Jack even loved her in some unexplained way. But after a while, I gave up on that idea and decided they both weren’t functioning on all cylinders and I just sat back and watched the games of madness continue. At this point and after they’ve continued this dance for years, I figured “hey, you deserve one another and whatever the other dishes out.”
I realize this review is a complete mess – believe me, that’s how this book left me. And here’s the shocker -- I’m actually looking forward to the sequel and more of the same wild and crazy ride in “Avoiding Responsibility.”
If the author happens to write a third book in this series, “Avoiding the Loony Bin” is my suggestion for a good title. All kidding aside, I didn’t love this book or hate it – I just experienced it. Somehow I determined a 4-star rating – after all, it was the best darn carnival ride I’ve ever experienced!
By the way, thanks to Taryn Cellucci, a Goodreads friend, who pointed the way to this "carnival."
June 23, 2012
Well I'm trying to figure out what I can say about this book to do it justice!! It was superb, outstanding and just amazing! While reading reviews on this book a reviewer described it as a mix between The Opportunist by Tarryn Fisher and The Thoughtless series by S.C Stephens and she could not have described it any better. Lexi and Jack have a seriously F*cked up love story and are both two extremely selfish and self serving people that have an undeniable chemistry and addiction to each other but in the midst of there romance they land up hurting the people that they supposedly care about. I think the thing that struck me was how much damage they did to each other emotionally. There relationship is so destructive and reckless but absolutely captivating...I could not put this book down. I have never hated a male lead character as much as I did Jack...LOL! I think at one point I was actually wishing harm on him. I wanted to KICK HIS A**. He was so selfish and arrogant and I felt like screaming at Lexi to use her God Damn brain and kick the A** to the curb. Lexi was awesome, I immediately loved her and I felt just heartbroken for her in this book. Of course let me not forget the unbelievably DELICIOUS Ramsey, I loved him from the very first time he was introduced. **sigh** He was so sweet. This book is an emotional journey and K.A Linde is an amazing writer she evoked almost every emotion out of me while reading this and to me that is the mark of an unbelievably talented writer and an amazing book!! She captivated me and made me think and I love that. I can't wait to read book two Avoiding Responsibility and see where Lexi's story goes. Again what an amazing book, definitely something you should read!!!
March 12, 2016
I read this 4 years ago and I still have nightmare feeling when I think about it. Wow and this was before my triggers started.
I can only say ...please kill me
I can only say ...please kill me
August 21, 2012
"He lied to me about Danielle. Then, he swore he would never lie to me again. And to this day, I don't think he has," Lexi said wistfully. "But I thought you said your relationship was full of lies." This time Lexi did look Bekah directly into her naively, innocent eyes to answer her, "It was. We just lied to everyone else."
When I read this quote above in Avoiding Commitment I said this is going to be angsty day. To those of you that are familiar with my taste in reading will know that Angsty book + me = My Addiction. This may not be my most angsty read yet, actually this one was pretty tame as to what I'm used to but it sucked me in like an angst junkie needing their latest fix. When I wasn't reading it, I was fully consumed with their tumultuous relationship, I had to know the story behind Lexi and Jack's dysfunctional relationship. Perhaps maybe because I saw similarities in myself and Lexi because unfortunately I have a Jack of my own, well almost......
"What? The fact that you have the capability of convincing women to hold out for you until you break their hearts?" she asked coldly.
The story begins in the present with Lexi receiving an early phone call from Jack Howard her "sorta non ex-boyfriend/best friend" whom she hasn't spoken to in two years asking her to leave her apartment in NYC while she's currently on school break to fly down to Savannah, GA to convince his girlfriend that's he's fully capable of committing to her, yet he has failed to do so any of the six years that Lexi has known him. *Insert sad face :(* What kind of man calls a woman he's had an explosive relationship with that ended tragically never speaking to her again, yet he calls for this petty, selfish reason? I loathe him already. This news hurt Lexi because she's been in love with him for the past six years and though this may break her heart, at the encouragement from her friend Chyna she has decided to do this favor for him to help ensure herself the closure so has been in dire need of for the past two years, or more accurately since the day she first laid her eyes upon him. Meanwhile we never become fully aware why they haven't spoken in the past year and a half until K.A. Linde decides to include us and that's what lead to my reading madness.
.....I can hope for love again. A love that will be more than anything however attempted to give to me. Because the love I am looking for will be reciprocated one hundred and ten percent. There will never be another someone to distract our affections, because you will not be in the picture.
You always want what you can't have, and what you can easily have you don't want anyways. Well that's my belief and Avoiding Commitment has successfully summed up my thoughts on this subject most accurately. Yet sometimes it difficult to make our hearts believe it. What essentially made Avoiding Commitment so addictive was the manner in which the story was told. One chapter K.A. Linde has me consumed in the present day of the story and just at the juicy part she began a new chapter taking place somewhere between six years ago and present day. It was fascinating to watch the full story unfold, it was as if I were slowly unraveling a mystery, and I reveled in it.
"This feels so familiar," she breathed leaning her head back against the arm of the loveseat. "Yeah, I suppose it does," he agreed amicably. "You have a girlfriend." "You don't have a boyfriend," he added. "I could have a boyfriend," Lexi said popping her head up to look at him eyebrows raised. He laughed lightly. "You don't have a boyfriend," he said as a matter-of-fact. "How do you know?" Her eyes narrowed. "Lex, I've known you for a long time.....years in fact. You don't have a boyfriend right now." "Fine. I don't have a boyfriend," she conceded, "but I could." "You could, sure. But you don't. Either way, we've been here before."
Lexi and Jack, let's be honest, they just can't quit each other, regardless of how co-dependent, self destructive, their relationship is that's based onlove?, deceit?, respect?manipulation?, LUST, pure unadulterated animalistic lust! These two seem to be inseparable for the past six years, and even when they've had a significant amount of time away from each other, these two can easily pick up as if there was no time lost at all. I found it easy at times to want to pull for these two because seriously six years of love, lust, passion, heartbreak, happiness, friendship *these were the times I loved Jack* and well these two lovers deserve to finally have a HEA. My heart wrenched for these two adorably love able and charismatic lovebirds.....that is.....until I knew the full story, and I wanted to pull Lexi off the disastrous crazy love train immediately. I hated Jack once more. Lol
Jack had always been best at lying. Some people were good at sports. Some people were good at school. Some people were good at working. While some people were good at avoiding commitment, Jack was good at avoiding commitment.
Jack, oh that bastard I loved to hate. He's such a glorious villain that I have such a strong passion about his character....a passion for hating him more than words can easily express. He's a gorgeous, manipulative, selfish, charismatic, sick individual that turned my stomach inside out with his masochistic behavior. I always go for the bad boys but I find Jack to be lacking any redeemable qualities that by the end of the book, although I hated him, Lexi almost had me sympathizing with the douschebag myself. Like I said, he's a charmer, but he did not win my heart, he kept my destroying every bit of progress we made as their story progressed.
She was going to this party because of Jack. Strike one. She wanted to prove that Bekah was a phony. Strike two. And possibly humiliate her brother miserably. Strike three. Wow. She was in a low place.
Have you ever had your heart toyed with so many times that instead of doing the healthy thing and walking away, you decided a mission to destroy everyone in your path by unleashing their dirty secrets might make you feel better? I'm probably in the minority here but I actually adored Lexi, in spite of her flaws and dark secrets. She is most definitely not a saint, nor is she innocent, yet I found her at times funny, relatable, and bitchy, yet likable (besides her cheating) in many ways she was a victim in all of these manipulations and I felt pity for her. In the grand scheme of things she was oblivious to the truth behind all of Jack's manipulative behavior, I mean honestly if he hasn't made you "his" in six years or even chose you as a girlfriend over his past girlfriends after all this time, when is accurate to assume that perhaps maybe your just the "mistress" and not "his"? As sad as that revelation is Lexi fails to fully appreciate that, and believes she is the one Jack truly loves yet, he has a girlfriend that stands in the way of him fully declaring his affections for her after six years together.
In that moment, she knew. All that stuff about things being different had been bullshit. He wanted to kiss her. He wanted her.
Enter Ramsey the brother to Behak (Bitch of the South) Jack's girlfriend, and he had me swooning because there was just something so sweet and endearing about him, yet I sensed a bit of mystery under the surface that I'm eager to uncover in Avoiding Responsibility because I think he has a Billionaire bad boy side of him that I'mlusting desiring to know more about. *Sigh* Yet, what does he do for a living??? It's obvious he's a trust fund baby, but I just have a suspicion that he maintains a career in the adult entertainment industry, I just can't wrap my brain around this one, but I must know his secret. Regardless I'll take him and his outrageously sexy body, money and charm any day over Jack.
"I came here for your lousy fiancé. I came here," she paused slowly walking towards him, "to help her not make the same mistake that I did."
Bekah is so undesirable I can't imagine anyone interested in dating her or even deserving of someone so selfish, brutal, and conniving as Bekah......Oh wait, Jack is deserving of her. The entire time reading I kept asking myself; what girlfriend would want their boyfriends ex to come visit to convince him to commit to her?! I almost felt sorry for her because that just appeared to be something a very insecure and pitiful woman would do. If Jack were my boyfriend I wouldn't want him around Lexi or any other female for that matter without a tracking device because he's successful at sex and he gets what he wants, when he wants it, and nothing as trivial as a girlfriend is going to stand in the way of his sexual desires.....*what a dousche* Throughout the entire story I wanted to love Jack especially since I have a soft spot for bad boys, and I'm quite forgiving, however I struggled to find any redeeming qualities amongst Jack. He's a selfish bastard, that's wreckless with those he claims to love.
Chyna is such a breath of fresh air, she's Lexi ubber rich best friend and I loved how supportive she was towards Lexi in all aspects of life, and yet she dosed out tough love when it was needed and I admired that in a quality friend....just make sure you need the support of her friendship before she sinks her beautiful claws into her prey of the evening. If I could insert myself into this story, I'd like to be Chyna, and I chose Ramsey as my leading man. ;)
"So, as sad as this day is for me,as I am losing a part of myself with the loss of you,it is really just the beginning for me. It is like cutting off the spoiled part to get to the juicy center. So, I would appreciate it this time, if you did not try and contact me. Because, as I'm sure you know, I deserve better. I want everything this time around, and I deserve it."
Avoiding Commitment is one of those books that two days later I'm still in deep though about. It's an emotional roller coaster, and at times I had to put my iPad down and walk away because I just couldn't take the pain that Lexi's poor decisions caused her to endure in the name of "love". At times I was swept away in the sweet and delectable moments shared between these characters while reading, yet in the back of my mind I knew something horrific was going to be lurking around the corner causing my chest to get heavy and break my heart again. One page you'll be cheering and the next you'll be angry, and sad because your feeling devastation right along with Lexi. I recommend this for readers of angsty romance, tumultuous relationships with dysfunctional characters that suck you in deep because you can't put it down, yet you know it's going to be a hot mess to read!
Unfortunately Avoiding Responsibility is not available to purchase and I made the mistake of reading the first four chapters on Fiction Press, and I'm already wanting to slap some sense into Lexi, curse at Jack, hug Chyna, kiss Ramsey, and read it immediately! I want Avoiding Responsibility NOW! :)
My review can also be found on my blog Miss Vain's Paranormal Fantasy
When I read this quote above in Avoiding Commitment I said this is going to be angsty day. To those of you that are familiar with my taste in reading will know that Angsty book + me = My Addiction. This may not be my most angsty read yet, actually this one was pretty tame as to what I'm used to but it sucked me in like an angst junkie needing their latest fix. When I wasn't reading it, I was fully consumed with their tumultuous relationship, I had to know the story behind Lexi and Jack's dysfunctional relationship. Perhaps maybe because I saw similarities in myself and Lexi because unfortunately I have a Jack of my own, well almost......
"What? The fact that you have the capability of convincing women to hold out for you until you break their hearts?" she asked coldly.
The story begins in the present with Lexi receiving an early phone call from Jack Howard her "sorta non ex-boyfriend/best friend" whom she hasn't spoken to in two years asking her to leave her apartment in NYC while she's currently on school break to fly down to Savannah, GA to convince his girlfriend that's he's fully capable of committing to her, yet he has failed to do so any of the six years that Lexi has known him. *Insert sad face :(* What kind of man calls a woman he's had an explosive relationship with that ended tragically never speaking to her again, yet he calls for this petty, selfish reason? I loathe him already. This news hurt Lexi because she's been in love with him for the past six years and though this may break her heart, at the encouragement from her friend Chyna she has decided to do this favor for him to help ensure herself the closure so has been in dire need of for the past two years, or more accurately since the day she first laid her eyes upon him. Meanwhile we never become fully aware why they haven't spoken in the past year and a half until K.A. Linde decides to include us and that's what lead to my reading madness.
.....I can hope for love again. A love that will be more than anything however attempted to give to me. Because the love I am looking for will be reciprocated one hundred and ten percent. There will never be another someone to distract our affections, because you will not be in the picture.
You always want what you can't have, and what you can easily have you don't want anyways. Well that's my belief and Avoiding Commitment has successfully summed up my thoughts on this subject most accurately. Yet sometimes it difficult to make our hearts believe it. What essentially made Avoiding Commitment so addictive was the manner in which the story was told. One chapter K.A. Linde has me consumed in the present day of the story and just at the juicy part she began a new chapter taking place somewhere between six years ago and present day. It was fascinating to watch the full story unfold, it was as if I were slowly unraveling a mystery, and I reveled in it.
"This feels so familiar," she breathed leaning her head back against the arm of the loveseat. "Yeah, I suppose it does," he agreed amicably. "You have a girlfriend." "You don't have a boyfriend," he added. "I could have a boyfriend," Lexi said popping her head up to look at him eyebrows raised. He laughed lightly. "You don't have a boyfriend," he said as a matter-of-fact. "How do you know?" Her eyes narrowed. "Lex, I've known you for a long time.....years in fact. You don't have a boyfriend right now." "Fine. I don't have a boyfriend," she conceded, "but I could." "You could, sure. But you don't. Either way, we've been here before."
Lexi and Jack, let's be honest, they just can't quit each other, regardless of how co-dependent, self destructive, their relationship is that's based on
Jack had always been best at lying. Some people were good at sports. Some people were good at school. Some people were good at working. While some people were good at avoiding commitment, Jack was good at avoiding commitment.
Jack, oh that bastard I loved to hate. He's such a glorious villain that I have such a strong passion about his character....a passion for hating him more than words can easily express. He's a gorgeous, manipulative, selfish, charismatic, sick individual that turned my stomach inside out with his masochistic behavior. I always go for the bad boys but I find Jack to be lacking any redeemable qualities that by the end of the book, although I hated him, Lexi almost had me sympathizing with the douschebag myself. Like I said, he's a charmer, but he did not win my heart, he kept my destroying every bit of progress we made as their story progressed.
She was going to this party because of Jack. Strike one. She wanted to prove that Bekah was a phony. Strike two. And possibly humiliate her brother miserably. Strike three. Wow. She was in a low place.
Have you ever had your heart toyed with so many times that instead of doing the healthy thing and walking away, you decided a mission to destroy everyone in your path by unleashing their dirty secrets might make you feel better? I'm probably in the minority here but I actually adored Lexi, in spite of her flaws and dark secrets. She is most definitely not a saint, nor is she innocent, yet I found her at times funny, relatable, and bitchy, yet likable (besides her cheating) in many ways she was a victim in all of these manipulations and I felt pity for her. In the grand scheme of things she was oblivious to the truth behind all of Jack's manipulative behavior, I mean honestly if he hasn't made you "his" in six years or even chose you as a girlfriend over his past girlfriends after all this time, when is accurate to assume that perhaps maybe your just the "mistress" and not "his"? As sad as that revelation is Lexi fails to fully appreciate that, and believes she is the one Jack truly loves yet, he has a girlfriend that stands in the way of him fully declaring his affections for her after six years together.
In that moment, she knew. All that stuff about things being different had been bullshit. He wanted to kiss her. He wanted her.
Enter Ramsey the brother to Behak (Bitch of the South) Jack's girlfriend, and he had me swooning because there was just something so sweet and endearing about him, yet I sensed a bit of mystery under the surface that I'm eager to uncover in Avoiding Responsibility because I think he has a Billionaire bad boy side of him that I'm
"I came here for your lousy fiancé. I came here," she paused slowly walking towards him, "to help her not make the same mistake that I did."
Bekah is so undesirable I can't imagine anyone interested in dating her or even deserving of someone so selfish, brutal, and conniving as Bekah......Oh wait, Jack is deserving of her. The entire time reading I kept asking myself; what girlfriend would want their boyfriends ex to come visit to convince him to commit to her?! I almost felt sorry for her because that just appeared to be something a very insecure and pitiful woman would do. If Jack were my boyfriend I wouldn't want him around Lexi or any other female for that matter without a tracking device because he's successful at sex and he gets what he wants, when he wants it, and nothing as trivial as a girlfriend is going to stand in the way of his sexual desires.....*what a dousche* Throughout the entire story I wanted to love Jack especially since I have a soft spot for bad boys, and I'm quite forgiving, however I struggled to find any redeeming qualities amongst Jack. He's a selfish bastard, that's wreckless with those he claims to love.
Chyna is such a breath of fresh air, she's Lexi ubber rich best friend and I loved how supportive she was towards Lexi in all aspects of life, and yet she dosed out tough love when it was needed and I admired that in a quality friend....just make sure you need the support of her friendship before she sinks her beautiful claws into her prey of the evening. If I could insert myself into this story, I'd like to be Chyna, and I chose Ramsey as my leading man. ;)
"So, as sad as this day is for me,as I am losing a part of myself with the loss of you,it is really just the beginning for me. It is like cutting off the spoiled part to get to the juicy center. So, I would appreciate it this time, if you did not try and contact me. Because, as I'm sure you know, I deserve better. I want everything this time around, and I deserve it."
Avoiding Commitment is one of those books that two days later I'm still in deep though about. It's an emotional roller coaster, and at times I had to put my iPad down and walk away because I just couldn't take the pain that Lexi's poor decisions caused her to endure in the name of "love". At times I was swept away in the sweet and delectable moments shared between these characters while reading, yet in the back of my mind I knew something horrific was going to be lurking around the corner causing my chest to get heavy and break my heart again. One page you'll be cheering and the next you'll be angry, and sad because your feeling devastation right along with Lexi. I recommend this for readers of angsty romance, tumultuous relationships with dysfunctional characters that suck you in deep because you can't put it down, yet you know it's going to be a hot mess to read!
"Will I hear from you?"
"When I can hold my head up high."
Unfortunately Avoiding Responsibility is not available to purchase and I made the mistake of reading the first four chapters on Fiction Press, and I'm already wanting to slap some sense into Lexi, curse at Jack, hug Chyna, kiss Ramsey, and read it immediately! I want Avoiding Responsibility NOW! :)
My review can also be found on my blog Miss Vain's Paranormal Fantasy
August 8, 2012
Oh, the things this book did to me!! Words fail to express the beatings my heart was subjected to, the incomparable lust I experienced, or the nauseating trepidation that plagued my stomach. Avoiding Commitment isn't just a story, it's an emotional, lust-filled, gut-wrenching journey that will be on your mind long after you finish that last page.
Avoiding Commitment follows the path of Jack and Lexi's all-consuming, intensely passionate relationship over it's 6 years. The blurb for this book had me expecting something else entirely, and I certainly wasn't expecting these characters when I picked it up. Lexi…god, where do I begin with this wholly confused, used, and troubled woman?! Written in third person and switching from present to past settings, the magnitude of the relationship between Lexi and Jack was slowly revealed piece by piece. Lexi without a doubt became enthralled by this man as time went on, with little thought for her own self-preservation. She was like an addict who couldn’t see the heartbreaking aftermath past the mind-numbingly intense experience that was “her” Jack. I wanted to shake her when she went back each time, and by the time she was at the point of utter desperation I wanted to lock her in a sensory deprivation chamber and throw away the key! She was in a constant state of denial, always wanting to think the best of Jack because deep down she knew he claimed her. And she was by no means innocent in the choices she made, at times not caring at all about the ones she hurt in the process. God, I was so frustrated and baffled by her for so much of this book, but she was still this character who I just adored and wanted to see FINALLY get the peace her heart has constantly desired. Do I sound contradictory yet? Yeah, wait until you read it!
Then of course there’s Jack. Jack the dreamboat. Jack the liar. Jack the sex god among men who does things to a woman’s body no other could fathom. Jack the selfish. Jack the tender and loving. Jack the cheater. Jack the biggest narcissistic ass this side of the globe. There are so many Jacks we get to see in this story, I decided they each deserved their own introduction, and even their own tongue-lashing. I was back and forth between loving and lusting over this man, to wanting to see him experience a world of pain for his lack of consideration for Lexi’s feelings. I could not comprehend how he could love this girl and care and yearn so deeply for her, yet not think about what his actions meant for her. I have never EVER felt so torn about a character, with such strong conflicting feelings that were on polar opposite ends of the spectrum!! The chemistry between Lexi and Jack, though, that was just without a doubt astounding. They were the moth to each other’s flame, and together they became a raging inferno capable of taking out a whole countryside! My heart raced just in the anticipation of what could happen every time they were together, and Linde made those moments beyond memorable!! They consumed each other and nothing around them held any meaning, it was like they entered their own universe and you can’t help but be sucked right into it! It was incredible!
The secondary characters played a big part in my feelings about Lexi and Jack as well. There’s Chynna, Lexi’s filthy rich, outspoken, constant support who likes to tell Lexi exactly what she doesn’t want to hear. She won me over for that alone, because someone needed to beat some sense into that girl. Then there’s Bekah, the current flame of Jack and the reason for Lexi having to be confronted with her feelings for this man when she’d rather stay away. I didn’t like her for obvious reasons from the get-go, but I grew to loathe the woman like no other for what she is capable of. And finally, there’s Ramsey, Bekah’s brother who captivates Lexi’s attention when she needed it most and turns out to be more than he seems. I love this sexy knight-in-shining armor (of sorts!), and I hope and pray that he will be the one that finally puts and end to the train wreck that is Jack and Lexi’s dance of heartache!!
The last chapters of this book were a complete shock! When the big twist is revealed, I was just fuming mad. My heart broke for Lexi, she was just shattered and had taken so much at that point that it was inconceivable that she could bear any more. Honestly, I couldn’t get to sleep for awhile that night over the way this came to a close. Lexi handled it maturely, and I hope to all that his holy she sticks with her final decision (you go, girl!!), but I still hope there's some pain for those that hurt her. They deserve it, and Lexi deserves to have some vindication if for nothing other than her own self-worth!
This book is absolutely a new favorite for me, and I can’t say strongly enough how much I recommend it. It was just so intense from start to finish, and I feel like I was holding my breath for the entire book! I’m so anxiously awaiting getting my hands on the sequel, I want to dive right back into this insane mixed-up world that Linde created…after my heart recovers a bit!
Avoiding Commitment follows the path of Jack and Lexi's all-consuming, intensely passionate relationship over it's 6 years. The blurb for this book had me expecting something else entirely, and I certainly wasn't expecting these characters when I picked it up. Lexi…god, where do I begin with this wholly confused, used, and troubled woman?! Written in third person and switching from present to past settings, the magnitude of the relationship between Lexi and Jack was slowly revealed piece by piece. Lexi without a doubt became enthralled by this man as time went on, with little thought for her own self-preservation. She was like an addict who couldn’t see the heartbreaking aftermath past the mind-numbingly intense experience that was “her” Jack. I wanted to shake her when she went back each time, and by the time she was at the point of utter desperation I wanted to lock her in a sensory deprivation chamber and throw away the key! She was in a constant state of denial, always wanting to think the best of Jack because deep down she knew he claimed her. And she was by no means innocent in the choices she made, at times not caring at all about the ones she hurt in the process. God, I was so frustrated and baffled by her for so much of this book, but she was still this character who I just adored and wanted to see FINALLY get the peace her heart has constantly desired. Do I sound contradictory yet? Yeah, wait until you read it!
Then of course there’s Jack. Jack the dreamboat. Jack the liar. Jack the sex god among men who does things to a woman’s body no other could fathom. Jack the selfish. Jack the tender and loving. Jack the cheater. Jack the biggest narcissistic ass this side of the globe. There are so many Jacks we get to see in this story, I decided they each deserved their own introduction, and even their own tongue-lashing. I was back and forth between loving and lusting over this man, to wanting to see him experience a world of pain for his lack of consideration for Lexi’s feelings. I could not comprehend how he could love this girl and care and yearn so deeply for her, yet not think about what his actions meant for her. I have never EVER felt so torn about a character, with such strong conflicting feelings that were on polar opposite ends of the spectrum!! The chemistry between Lexi and Jack, though, that was just without a doubt astounding. They were the moth to each other’s flame, and together they became a raging inferno capable of taking out a whole countryside! My heart raced just in the anticipation of what could happen every time they were together, and Linde made those moments beyond memorable!! They consumed each other and nothing around them held any meaning, it was like they entered their own universe and you can’t help but be sucked right into it! It was incredible!
The secondary characters played a big part in my feelings about Lexi and Jack as well. There’s Chynna, Lexi’s filthy rich, outspoken, constant support who likes to tell Lexi exactly what she doesn’t want to hear. She won me over for that alone, because someone needed to beat some sense into that girl. Then there’s Bekah, the current flame of Jack and the reason for Lexi having to be confronted with her feelings for this man when she’d rather stay away. I didn’t like her for obvious reasons from the get-go, but I grew to loathe the woman like no other for what she is capable of. And finally, there’s Ramsey, Bekah’s brother who captivates Lexi’s attention when she needed it most and turns out to be more than he seems. I love this sexy knight-in-shining armor (of sorts!), and I hope and pray that he will be the one that finally puts and end to the train wreck that is Jack and Lexi’s dance of heartache!!
The last chapters of this book were a complete shock! When the big twist is revealed, I was just fuming mad. My heart broke for Lexi, she was just shattered and had taken so much at that point that it was inconceivable that she could bear any more. Honestly, I couldn’t get to sleep for awhile that night over the way this came to a close. Lexi handled it maturely, and I hope to all that his holy she sticks with her final decision (you go, girl!!), but I still hope there's some pain for those that hurt her. They deserve it, and Lexi deserves to have some vindication if for nothing other than her own self-worth!
This book is absolutely a new favorite for me, and I can’t say strongly enough how much I recommend it. It was just so intense from start to finish, and I feel like I was holding my breath for the entire book! I’m so anxiously awaiting getting my hands on the sequel, I want to dive right back into this insane mixed-up world that Linde created…after my heart recovers a bit!
December 4, 2013
FIVE TEAM JACK FOR LIFE STARS!!!
(BR with Melissa)
Thanks, Melissa, for suffering through the angst with me!!! :)
This is my second time reading this book.
Love it even more this time around.
Avoiding Commitment has to be, by far, the most angst filled story I have read to date.
I remember putting down my iPad and screaming several times, the first time I read it, a year ago.
I thought going into this one a second time, would be easier!!
No, it still hurts, and even though Jack stomps and tramples all over Lexi's heart, I'm still a Team Jack girl!!
It's the fact that I know this guy has a good heart. It's there and there's proof of it throughout the story.
Jack loved Lexi from the moment they met.
You can see that in the way they connected from the very beginning and from his POV in "Avoiding Decisions.
The timing just never seems to be right for them.
“I’m not feeding you anything. The time isn’t right for us, but I don’t think that means there won’t be a time for us,” he said, his blue eyes pleading. “Please, Lex.” . - Jack
“I just mean, don’t give up on this. We haven’t even begun, and I don’t want us to be over.” - Jack
Jack and Lexi continue to be in each other's lives. Years may go by where they are separated, but they always find their way back to each other.
They always end up in each other's arms no natter if they are in relationships with other people, or not.
Finally, there comes a time when they're both free to be with each other, while they're both in NY.
But Lexi is fearful and they decide to be together but not define it as a relationship,
Jack, of course, inevitably fucks it up royally and they go their separate ways.
Two years later, he's back in her life.
He asks her to come to Atlanta to meet his new girlfriend and convince her he's marrying material.
Here's where I went ballistic.
How could he do it to her?
How could she go?
Why the fuck didn't Lexi throw Bekah the beat down she deserved???!!!!!
Then there's Ramsey.
He's gorgeous, sexy, AND Bekah's brother.
I could see spending a few days in bed with this delicious man, but, he's BEKAH's BROTHER!!!
Why would anyone in their right mind get involved with someone who is so closely related to their nemesis?!!!
This book played with my emotions.
It tore me apart and did not put me back together again.
I wanted the Jack I love, to come shining through.
At least he owned up to being an ass for asking Lexi to come out to Atlanta to help him.
“I can’t apologize enough for what I’ve done to you over the years, for what I did to you this week, for having you come here and endure what I put you through. I can’t apologize enough for overreacting when I saw you with Ramsey. I can’t apologize “enough for everything, but I thought I could start with dinner,” he whispered sweetly into the ear she had left exposed to him.
The infamous outdoor sex against the wall scene at Jack's birthday party...it was PAINFUL to read again.
I couldn't believe Jack could do that to Lexi and just walk away!!!
It blew my mind that he could be so cruel and then I got to his conversation with her in his office.
He had it all wrong in his head!!
This behavior was brought on by his jealousy over Ramsey!!
I'm praying that Kyla Linde will show mercy on all us Team Jack ladies, and have him make an epic comeback and wins Lexi's heart for good!!!!
(BR with Melissa)
Thanks, Melissa, for suffering through the angst with me!!! :)
This is my second time reading this book.
Love it even more this time around.
Avoiding Commitment has to be, by far, the most angst filled story I have read to date.
I remember putting down my iPad and screaming several times, the first time I read it, a year ago.
I thought going into this one a second time, would be easier!!
No, it still hurts, and even though Jack stomps and tramples all over Lexi's heart, I'm still a Team Jack girl!!
It's the fact that I know this guy has a good heart. It's there and there's proof of it throughout the story.
Jack loved Lexi from the moment they met.
You can see that in the way they connected from the very beginning and from his POV in "Avoiding Decisions.
The timing just never seems to be right for them.
“I’m not feeding you anything. The time isn’t right for us, but I don’t think that means there won’t be a time for us,” he said, his blue eyes pleading. “Please, Lex.” . - Jack
“I just mean, don’t give up on this. We haven’t even begun, and I don’t want us to be over.” - Jack
Jack and Lexi continue to be in each other's lives. Years may go by where they are separated, but they always find their way back to each other.
They always end up in each other's arms no natter if they are in relationships with other people, or not.
Finally, there comes a time when they're both free to be with each other, while they're both in NY.
But Lexi is fearful and they decide to be together but not define it as a relationship,
Jack, of course, inevitably fucks it up royally and they go their separate ways.
Two years later, he's back in her life.
He asks her to come to Atlanta to meet his new girlfriend and convince her he's marrying material.
Here's where I went ballistic.
How could he do it to her?
How could she go?
Why the fuck didn't Lexi throw Bekah the beat down she deserved???!!!!!
Then there's Ramsey.
He's gorgeous, sexy, AND Bekah's brother.
I could see spending a few days in bed with this delicious man, but, he's BEKAH's BROTHER!!!
Why would anyone in their right mind get involved with someone who is so closely related to their nemesis?!!!
This book played with my emotions.
It tore me apart and did not put me back together again.
I wanted the Jack I love, to come shining through.
At least he owned up to being an ass for asking Lexi to come out to Atlanta to help him.
“I can’t apologize enough for what I’ve done to you over the years, for what I did to you this week, for having you come here and endure what I put you through. I can’t apologize enough for overreacting when I saw you with Ramsey. I can’t apologize “enough for everything, but I thought I could start with dinner,” he whispered sweetly into the ear she had left exposed to him.
The infamous outdoor sex against the wall scene at Jack's birthday party...it was PAINFUL to read again.
I couldn't believe Jack could do that to Lexi and just walk away!!!
It blew my mind that he could be so cruel and then I got to his conversation with her in his office.
He had it all wrong in his head!!
This behavior was brought on by his jealousy over Ramsey!!
I'm praying that Kyla Linde will show mercy on all us Team Jack ladies, and have him make an epic comeback and wins Lexi's heart for good!!!!
October 1, 2012
Jack had always been best at lying. Some people were good at sports. Some people were good at school. Some people were good at working. While some people were good at commitment, Jack was good at avoiding commitment.”
Sex
Love
Lies
Deceit
Betrayal
Dysfunctional
Addictive
Obsessed
Jealousy
Hatred
Frustration
Heartbreaking
Angst
All these words spring to mind when I think of this book.
SOOOO Many times while reading this book I’ve literally gone
”OH FUCK OFF!” “HELL NO!” “DON’T DO IT!” “FUCK JACK!” “LEXIE YOU STUPID BITCH!” “AARRGGHH”
I would NEVER throw Chase across the room but if I had this book in paperback I would of thrown it across my room every few chapters!
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but then IMMEDIATELY ran across the room to pick it up to devour the next chapter.
I loved this story. It kept me on my toes. I hated the characters but also loved them. They were all fucked in the head, not just the heroine being a whiny bitch or the Hero being all alpha male and then making everything better and turning around and changing his life for her kind of thing. They were real people with real problems and really SHITTY ways of going about things!
It was just AWESOME! I loved the ending. I loved that each chapter jumped between the past and the present. Loved the characters. Loved the secondary characters. Loved the writing style. Yep I just loved it.
What I do not love is that I cannot find the 2nd book ANYWHERE!
I feel like doing this!
July 27, 2017
Currently FREE!!! 7/27/17
http://amzn.to/2eRkyvy
I never wrote a review for this one, but I love this series so so much!
http://amzn.to/2eRkyvy
I never wrote a review for this one, but I love this series so so much!
April 14, 2016
**4.5 stars**
Jack and Lexi have known each other for six years since they first met in college. They've always wanted to be together but they've always been committed to others. Unfortunately, sometimes they've given into that desire at the detriment of their other relationships. Lexi hasn't talked to Jack in a while when he calls out the blue and says he needs her. Too bad she can't resist.
Well, I do love these emotional books but I think this one even wore me out! The story is written with alternating chapters switching from the past to the present and back. It was good to see the similarities but it was frustrating because you see what a hold Jack has on Lexi and that things really haven't changed. I was glad that a light bulb turned on for Lexi at the end but I hated how she got there.
Lexi was totally captivated by Jack and she fell hard. By the time she learned some things, it was too late and so she tried to rationalize them but it affected her way of thinking. I have to give her credit that she did take time to try and figure things out but I wish she would've used more of her pre-lawyer skills to help herself.
Jack, oh Jack....how I love and hate you. Why are you such a jerk? Even though we get bits of what he is thinking, we don't ever get to know why he treats Lexi the way he does and why he does everything else!!
Bekah....what a horrible person. How can Jack not see through her? I really think she is Leah's (from The Opportunist) evil twin!!
Ramsey, well, I'm not sure about him. He has a secret past which bothers me and not being more forthright with Lexi didn't win him any favors either. I have a bad feeling about the next book as well.
Chyna...what a great best friend. I love how she was always there for Lexi especially when Lexi really needed her.
There are a lot of other great secondary characters that added a lot to the story. I loved all the descriptions of the apartments, college dorms and clubs that make you seem as though you're right there. Definitely some good romance and smexy times too!
Cover Talk: I actually love this picture and it makes me a laugh a bit as it seems as though Jack is hiding aka avoiding. And of course, you gotta love Lexi's hair!
Favorite quotes:
♥ "Lexi, I've wanted to tell you for so long." [...] "That I love you."
♥ "this was meant for you. Only you."
Jack and Lexi have known each other for six years since they first met in college. They've always wanted to be together but they've always been committed to others. Unfortunately, sometimes they've given into that desire at the detriment of their other relationships. Lexi hasn't talked to Jack in a while when he calls out the blue and says he needs her. Too bad she can't resist.
Well, I do love these emotional books but I think this one even wore me out! The story is written with alternating chapters switching from the past to the present and back. It was good to see the similarities but it was frustrating because you see what a hold Jack has on Lexi and that things really haven't changed. I was glad that a light bulb turned on for Lexi at the end but I hated how she got there.
Lexi was totally captivated by Jack and she fell hard. By the time she learned some things, it was too late and so she tried to rationalize them but it affected her way of thinking. I have to give her credit that she did take time to try and figure things out but I wish she would've used more of her pre-lawyer skills to help herself.
Jack, oh Jack....how I love and hate you. Why are you such a jerk? Even though we get bits of what he is thinking, we don't ever get to know why he treats Lexi the way he does and why he does everything else!!
Bekah....what a horrible person. How can Jack not see through her? I really think she is Leah's (from The Opportunist) evil twin!!
Ramsey, well, I'm not sure about him. He has a secret past which bothers me and not being more forthright with Lexi didn't win him any favors either. I have a bad feeling about the next book as well.
Chyna...what a great best friend. I love how she was always there for Lexi especially when Lexi really needed her.
There are a lot of other great secondary characters that added a lot to the story. I loved all the descriptions of the apartments, college dorms and clubs that make you seem as though you're right there. Definitely some good romance and smexy times too!
Cover Talk: I actually love this picture and it makes me a laugh a bit as it seems as though Jack is hiding aka avoiding. And of course, you gotta love Lexi's hair!
Favorite quotes:
♥ "Lexi, I've wanted to tell you for so long." [...] "That I love you."
♥ "this was meant for you. Only you."
February 3, 2015
Wow- this was an intense story... Lexi and Jack, I spent most of the book conflicted; I wasn't sure if they should be together or not. I'm still not sure honestly, Jack does something to totally piss you off, then makes you love him again ugh. I'm okay where it ended, but I really cannot wait to read book number two, wish I didn't have to wait three months!!!
January 20, 2013
In the end, no matter how good the writing or plot is, I read for characters. In order for me to like a book, at least one of the characters needs to, at a minimum, be redeemable. Up until the last 2% of this book, it was going to go into the "I wish I could get those hours back" pile.
Lexi and Jack. What an insanely 'effed up, dysfunctional, painful, messed up, deranged relationship they had. Every time there was a flashback, it felt like I was watching this over and over again.
The more that was revealed, the less I could be sympathetic to Lexi. Yes, jack was an insufferable asshole of epic proportions, but not only did she fully participate in the insanity, she managed to drag herself down to his level and wallow around in the mud with him.
Jack tried to claim that they were the same, that she brought out the wrist in him too, but I don't believe that for a second.
I could never understand why Lexi couldn't see what Jack was really like. He flat out showed her so many times what he was really offering to her, and it was NOT love.
I'm not sure I will ever be able to express my utter and complete loathing for Jack. He is one character that I do not see as redeemable.
Oh, and Lexi, for most of the book, I wasn't all that much fonder of her.
The girl had no backbone and in her masochistic need to hold onto the crumbs that Jack occasionally threw her way, managed to run over everyone in her life. She sacrificed everyone, and everything, including her self respect.
I've got to admit, I'm still confused as to what made Lexi and Jack so amazing that they had all these people gaga over them. That is, I think, a mystery that I will never solve.
So, this was, for me a HEA. I was beyond thrilled with Lexi at the end. I didn't think she had it in her, but I was so freaking proud of her. I don't know if I'm gong to read the next book. I think I can be satisfied with the ending I have right now. I would be too freaking sad if Lexi backslid in the next book. I'm not sure my heart could take it.
No more angst for me a for a while. I need a vacation.
Lexi and Jack. What an insanely 'effed up, dysfunctional, painful, messed up, deranged relationship they had. Every time there was a flashback, it felt like I was watching this over and over again.
The more that was revealed, the less I could be sympathetic to Lexi. Yes, jack was an insufferable asshole of epic proportions, but not only did she fully participate in the insanity, she managed to drag herself down to his level and wallow around in the mud with him.
Jack tried to claim that they were the same, that she brought out the wrist in him too, but I don't believe that for a second.
I could never understand why Lexi couldn't see what Jack was really like. He flat out showed her so many times what he was really offering to her, and it was NOT love.
I'm not sure I will ever be able to express my utter and complete loathing for Jack. He is one character that I do not see as redeemable.
Oh, and Lexi, for most of the book, I wasn't all that much fonder of her.
The girl had no backbone and in her masochistic need to hold onto the crumbs that Jack occasionally threw her way, managed to run over everyone in her life. She sacrificed everyone, and everything, including her self respect.
I've got to admit, I'm still confused as to what made Lexi and Jack so amazing that they had all these people gaga over them. That is, I think, a mystery that I will never solve.
So, this was, for me a HEA. I was beyond thrilled with Lexi at the end. I didn't think she had it in her, but I was so freaking proud of her. I don't know if I'm gong to read the next book. I think I can be satisfied with the ending I have right now. I would be too freaking sad if Lexi backslid in the next book. I'm not sure my heart could take it.
No more angst for me a for a while. I need a vacation.
September 10, 2012
booknook — Young Adult book reviews
I wanted to love Avoiding Commitment , and I think I expected to love it because of all the rave reviews. Unfortunately, I hated it.
Oddly enough, I started out enjoying the book. I expected some incredible romance, a bit of drama, maybe a bit of cheating—but if done well, I knew I could handle it. What I got was:
* Lexi cheating on her boyfriends to be with Jack.
* Jack cheating on his girlfriends to be with Lexi.
* A book that spans six years. Six fucking years. Seriously, this book was way too long.
* More cheating.
* Horrible breakups because of said cheating.
* Flashbacks that show all the times Lexi got hurt by Jack.
* Then Jack cheats on Lexi and she can't believe it. So it's okay for her to cheat on her boyfriends but heaven forbid it happens to her?
* etc. etc.
Most of my problems with this book just boil down to the fact that Jack is a complete and utter jackass with no respect for relationships (hence the book title), and Lexi stupidly thinking that Jack truly loves her and wants to commit to being in a relationship with her. Jack continuously hurts her and disappoints her over the span of six years, but she still doesn't realize that he's a jackass. He won't commit to her. He'll cheat on her. She'll always be the "other woman." But she doesn't understand that, and keeps throwing herself into his arms anyway, and crying when he disappoints her. So at the end of the day, I just had no sympathy for her. She brought it all on herself.
Lexi keeps saying she's in love with Jack, but my question is: why? All we learn about Jack is:
He's hot.
He's a douche.
So why does she love him? All I see in their relationship is lust. Anytime Lexi is within two feet of him, all she can think is "sex, sex, sex. Please, fuck me now, even if I have a boyfriend." Honey, that's lust—not love. This book had no romance in it at all—it was just pure sex. That wouldn't necessarily be a bad thing, if Lexi weren't running around saying that she loved Jack and wanted a relationship with him. And Jack was just ridiculous. He fed her lies and false hopes and manipulated her and then disappointed her every time. And whenever he was dating another woman and cheating on that woman to be with Lexi, he would get furious whenever Lexi kissed someone else "on the side." But it was perfectly okay for him to be dating and fucking another woman? Hypocrisy, much? No girl should want to be in a relationship with a guy like that.
And the cheating in this book was just ridiculous. Some authors can get me to 'accept' horrible things. For example, take Captive in the Dark . That book is about a man who kidnaps a woman to train her to be a sex slave. That's horrible. That's disgusting. That's completely unthinkable. But the author masterfully makes me fall in love with the book and the story and the whole thing. So the fact that Avoiding Commitment is all about cheating (which I despise), doesn't automatically make me hate the book. The problem is that the author didn't convince me that it made sense. She didn't pull me in or make me fall in love with the story or the relationship enough to make me overlook the horrible acts of cheating. So instead, I just rolled my eyes every time it happened.
The bottom line is that this book was insanely long, very frustrating, and not satisfying. Lexi is absolutely ridiculous, naïve, and had an incredible ability to not learn from her mistakes. I never would have thought that a "smart" law student could make the same mistakes so many times, especially when she has like 5 people at any given time telling her how ridiculous she's being.
I did think it was clever how the author swapped between two time periods: present day, and the past but slowly brought the past forward back up to match with present day. But that interesting way of presenting the book wasn't enough to make up for the annoying main character and ultimately frustrating story. I almost didn't even finish the book because I just felt like it was going nowhere, and even the end was just Lexi finally realizing what EVERY CHARACTER had been screaming at her from page one. Towards the end I was doing a lot of hair pulling and skimming, just forcing myself to finish the book. I almost feel like I don't understand the point of the book. The problem was that as a reader, I knew what the problem was. I knew that Jack was an asshole that she should stay away from. But it takes Lexi the entire book to even realize that. So I feel like I just spent 400+ pages waiting for Lexi to catch up to me. I never felt like I was on the same page as her. I couldn't relate to her or sympathize her. I honestly looked down at her for acting childish. And when the book ended, I was just like "FINALLY, YOU'VE CAUGHT UP! WE CAN ALL GO HOME NOW!"
I wanted to love Avoiding Commitment , and I think I expected to love it because of all the rave reviews. Unfortunately, I hated it.
Oddly enough, I started out enjoying the book. I expected some incredible romance, a bit of drama, maybe a bit of cheating—but if done well, I knew I could handle it. What I got was:
* Lexi cheating on her boyfriends to be with Jack.
* Jack cheating on his girlfriends to be with Lexi.
* A book that spans six years. Six fucking years. Seriously, this book was way too long.
* More cheating.
* Horrible breakups because of said cheating.
* Flashbacks that show all the times Lexi got hurt by Jack.
* Then Jack cheats on Lexi and she can't believe it. So it's okay for her to cheat on her boyfriends but heaven forbid it happens to her?
* etc. etc.
Most of my problems with this book just boil down to the fact that Jack is a complete and utter jackass with no respect for relationships (hence the book title), and Lexi stupidly thinking that Jack truly loves her and wants to commit to being in a relationship with her. Jack continuously hurts her and disappoints her over the span of six years, but she still doesn't realize that he's a jackass. He won't commit to her. He'll cheat on her. She'll always be the "other woman." But she doesn't understand that, and keeps throwing herself into his arms anyway, and crying when he disappoints her. So at the end of the day, I just had no sympathy for her. She brought it all on herself.
Lexi keeps saying she's in love with Jack, but my question is: why? All we learn about Jack is:
He's hot.
He's a douche.
So why does she love him? All I see in their relationship is lust. Anytime Lexi is within two feet of him, all she can think is "sex, sex, sex. Please, fuck me now, even if I have a boyfriend." Honey, that's lust—not love. This book had no romance in it at all—it was just pure sex. That wouldn't necessarily be a bad thing, if Lexi weren't running around saying that she loved Jack and wanted a relationship with him. And Jack was just ridiculous. He fed her lies and false hopes and manipulated her and then disappointed her every time. And whenever he was dating another woman and cheating on that woman to be with Lexi, he would get furious whenever Lexi kissed someone else "on the side." But it was perfectly okay for him to be dating and fucking another woman? Hypocrisy, much? No girl should want to be in a relationship with a guy like that.
And the cheating in this book was just ridiculous. Some authors can get me to 'accept' horrible things. For example, take Captive in the Dark . That book is about a man who kidnaps a woman to train her to be a sex slave. That's horrible. That's disgusting. That's completely unthinkable. But the author masterfully makes me fall in love with the book and the story and the whole thing. So the fact that Avoiding Commitment is all about cheating (which I despise), doesn't automatically make me hate the book. The problem is that the author didn't convince me that it made sense. She didn't pull me in or make me fall in love with the story or the relationship enough to make me overlook the horrible acts of cheating. So instead, I just rolled my eyes every time it happened.
The bottom line is that this book was insanely long, very frustrating, and not satisfying. Lexi is absolutely ridiculous, naïve, and had an incredible ability to not learn from her mistakes. I never would have thought that a "smart" law student could make the same mistakes so many times, especially when she has like 5 people at any given time telling her how ridiculous she's being.
I did think it was clever how the author swapped between two time periods: present day, and the past but slowly brought the past forward back up to match with present day. But that interesting way of presenting the book wasn't enough to make up for the annoying main character and ultimately frustrating story. I almost didn't even finish the book because I just felt like it was going nowhere, and even the end was just Lexi finally realizing what EVERY CHARACTER had been screaming at her from page one. Towards the end I was doing a lot of hair pulling and skimming, just forcing myself to finish the book. I almost feel like I don't understand the point of the book. The problem was that as a reader, I knew what the problem was. I knew that Jack was an asshole that she should stay away from. But it takes Lexi the entire book to even realize that. So I feel like I just spent 400+ pages waiting for Lexi to catch up to me. I never felt like I was on the same page as her. I couldn't relate to her or sympathize her. I honestly looked down at her for acting childish. And when the book ended, I was just like "FINALLY, YOU'VE CAUGHT UP! WE CAN ALL GO HOME NOW!"
April 10, 2012
Loved this book and felt the full force of the angst between Jack and Lexi.
Jack.....grrrr, I wanted to slap you buddy! Lexi...I went between wanting to slap you at times but then other times I felt like I needed to reach through the book and give you a big hug! Ramsey.....just *sigh*.
I couldn't put this book down. I got to a certain point and knew I was going to pull an allnighter finishing it because I couldn't leave it hanging.
I'm not normally a fan of switching from present day to past but boy does this author do it well!! I found myself hanging to get back to the past to see how events unfolded, then in the next breath wanting to get back to present day to see how they were handling their situation now.
Can't wait to read the next book and get lost once again in the characters.
Great read!
Oh, and I'm definitely all over those Gummi Bear and Lemon Drop shots!! yummmmmm!
Jack.....grrrr, I wanted to slap you buddy! Lexi...I went between wanting to slap you at times but then other times I felt like I needed to reach through the book and give you a big hug! Ramsey.....just *sigh*.
I couldn't put this book down. I got to a certain point and knew I was going to pull an allnighter finishing it because I couldn't leave it hanging.
I'm not normally a fan of switching from present day to past but boy does this author do it well!! I found myself hanging to get back to the past to see how events unfolded, then in the next breath wanting to get back to present day to see how they were handling their situation now.
Can't wait to read the next book and get lost once again in the characters.
Great read!
Oh, and I'm definitely all over those Gummi Bear and Lemon Drop shots!! yummmmmm!
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