Alexandria's drug-dealing boyfriend, Joel, isn't exactly the white knight she's always dreamed of, but she can't deny the crazy connection they have. She would do anything for him, including helping him sell drugs in order to fit perfectly into his world. After catching Alexandria dealing for Joel, instead of turning her into the cops, Alexandria's mother forces her to move to her grandparents' farm in West Virginia. Spending the summer in the country, away from Joel, is the last thing Alexandria wants to do. But lucky for her, the sexy farmhand, Landon, who helps out around her grandparents' place, is a very nice distraction. She tries her best to ignore her attraction to him, especially since she still loves Joel. When Joel does the unforgivable, Alexandria turns to her new friend, Landon, for comfort, and it ignites an undeniable spark of attraction between them. Soon, she finds herself caught between two very different men, and the struggles within her heart just might end up breaking Alexandria.
The past was the past. Nothing I did could change it. But the here and now was a story waiting to be written.
17 year old Alexandria is out of control. She is angry, withdrawn, constantly in trouble and dating a drug dealer. Her relationship with Joel has changed her, and the only thing that matters is him - being with him and keeping him happy. When her mother catches her dealing drugs, she is given a choice - spend the summer in rural West Virginia on her grandparents farm, or having the cops called on Joel. So, without much choice she begrudgingly packs her bags.
I had no idea how I was going to survive the next few months.
Once she arrives at the farm she is not only met by her loving grandmother and strict grandfather, but also an attractive young ranch hand, Landon. Landon is hardworking, charming, and kind. And while working with him, and learning the ins and outs of the farm, she starts to question her choices.
It was nice to just...be. I didn't have to pretend not to care about anything or act like a hard-ass out here. I was just being me.
She can't help being drawn to Landon, but fights her feelings. Then when Joel does the unthinkable, Lexi turns to Landon. And they finally begin to act on their feelings. But it is not smooth sailing, when Lexi receives a phone call that changes everything.
Between the two, my heart was in shreds.
Breaking Alexandria is a typical story about an impressionable girl who falls head over heels in love at a young age. The choices and mistakes she makes, moving forward and learning to embrace the person she wants to be. It was a pretty predicable young adult style story line with a little steam and a few twist I wasn't expecting, overall it was a quick enjoyable read.
*ARC kindly provided by author in exchange for an honest review*
Oh for the love of Pete...pass the Kleenex! K.A. did a smashing job on this one. It literally crushed my insides, big ugly tears clouding my vision through a portion of it. I LOVED it and give it a whopping 5 Stars!
Alexandria is a tough-as-nails 17 (almost 18) year old just trying to find herself. Her first and only love, Joel, has been a big influence on her current demeanor and frankly she has a huge attitude problem. Joel is the neighborhood bad boy, selling drugs and throwing parties, so Lexi changes to fit in to his crowd. Everyone was scared of Joel so they needed to be scared of her too. That was the only way she would be able to protect him if he was in trouble or a deal went bad. Despite Joel's flaws, he really did love Lexi and I really wanted to see better for them. When the sh*# hits the fan and Lexi is forbidden to see him, we get to see the softer side of Joel and yes, I melted...
“He cupped my face and pulled me closer. “Read my lips, woman. I’m a lot of things, but a cheater isn’t one of them. I love you, Lexi. No amount of time apart will change that. I know we’re young, but it doesn’t matter to me. You’re mine, and I intend to keep it that way for as long as you want me. I keep waiting for the day when you’ll wake up and realize that you’re so much better than me.”
When Landon enters the story, things get a bit interesting. At first I thought ok...I think I know how this is going down...bad girl falls for good boy and changes, they live HEA. NOPE! Not even close! I am a huge Landon fan in this book. I loved the back and forth banter and friendship between him and Lexi. The more time they spend together, the more Lexi feels like herself again.
“Landon leaned over me, his face inches from mine. “I’m telling you right now that I’m not going to give up on you. I want you to be mine, City, and before the summer is over, you will be. I’ve never wanted someone the way I want you.” My heart started racing as I let his words sink in. What he wanted was impossible, and I was going to break him. “I’m sorry, Landon,” I whispered. “Don’t tell me that. I’m not letting you go.” There was a determination in his eyes that scared me and excited me all at once. Some small sick part of me didn’t want him to give up. It wanted him to chase me until I gave in.”
But soon the past comes back to haunt her and her world crashes and burns around her. I was not prepared for the direction K.A. takes the story and I was a teary mess. But it was a perfect story about grief, healing and redemption. HIGHLY Recommend!
I was a little disappointed with this book, because I was expecting a lot of angst and emotion from Lexi. Instead, I just found her to be a rebellious teenager. I felt the emotional depth lacking, and I suppose I was expecting something like a Jessica Sorensen book where you just feel the emotional turmoil.
There is something to be said though about the comfort of this story line. You know what to expect, and there are no big surprises (well, maybe one little surprise). I enjoyed the plot and pace of the book, but I just wish I felt more emotionally connected to Lexi.
I found Landon to be kind and accepting of Lexi, and I found myself liking him more than her. I'm happy with the way their relationship turned out and the decisions Lexi made towards the end of the book. Overall I liked the book, but I just thought it was OK.
I am a huge fan of K.A. Robinson, ever since her Torn series she has been on my top favorite author lists. She can write a mean love triangle and make it hard to choose between the male characters. With Breaking Alexandria it wasn't that hard of a choice. I don't know why but I fell for Joel, the drug dealer. I couldn't feel a connection to Landon.
There was so many things that surprised me in this book. Just when I would think it was going one direction, bam I would get hit with something totally different! I got very emotional toward the end. It's a big spoiler so I can't say what happened but it threw me for a loop!! I was like WTF?! Did that really happen!
If your looking for a sweet and fluffy book, you will not find that with Breaking Alexandria. It is full of drug-abuse, heart-ache and all around chaos. But it's a good chaos because in the end you see the lengths that Alexandria went to, to become a better person.
So what are you waiting for?! Go grab your copy now!
Alexandria has become her parents worst nightmare. She is out of control. tatted, pierced, fighting, and dating a drug dealer, Joel. Much to her disgust, in a last ditch effort to separate her from her boyfriend, her parents send her off to spend the summer at her grandparent's farm in a rural area. She is angry, argumentative, closed off, and used to being a city girl.
Under the love of her Gram, firm hand of her Grandfather, and guidance and support of a young ranch hand, Landon, she begins to learn about hard work, motivation and a different life. She sees herself as dark and f***ed up. She has all sorts of twisted feelings about her love for Joel and her life. And she begrudgingly develops a camraderie and attraction to Landon as well. Her life is in limbo. It is all confusing and upsetting to her.
"I'm f***ed-up inside, Landon. I'm black. I figured I might as well show it on the outside, too."
"Don"t think the best of me. You'll only be disappointed when you figure out you are wrong."
There are several big twists and turns that surprised me. It was a emotional and difficult journey for Lexi. She had to find the strength to deal with change and heart break. It was a story of self actualization where she needed to learn who she really was, find her own way, and forge her own path. She had to face pain and her demons, to be able to let go and move on. It was definitely a struggle and full of challenges for her. She dealt with guilt, loss, pain, sadness, and fear. She was caught between two worlds and two men and not at all sure who she really was.
"There's something in your eyes begging to get out, but you keep it locked up. You've got to let it out, City. Just let it go."~Landon
She had really strong connections to both young men. I should have disliked her boyfriend, Joel especially in the beginning, but I couldn't really. He was not all bad and not all good. He was a sweet, caring guy in his own way, but he really was also a bad influence on her and made poor choices. I adored Landon. He was charming, strong, determined, dependable, and supportive. His smile and humor was infectious. Their interactions cracked me up. And he saw right through Lexi and her walls and was not afraid to push her. They seemed like opposites, but really balanced each other well.
Every time Lexi seemed to find her footing, then it seemed like her life shifted again. It was a roller coaster of ups and downs for her. This book had interesting plot twists and dealt with some tough topics. The story went in directions I did not expect. But it was believable, and had emotional depth. It was all in Lexi's point of view allowing us to see her growth and change, and to see her break and build herself back up again multiple times. It was humorous, sad, dark, and emotional at times, but it was also sweet and inspirational as well.
Thanks to KA Robinson for providing me with a complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review. Will be posted at Reviews by Tammy and Kim.
Alexandria loves her boyfriend Joel and would do anything for him. Including spending the summer on her grandparents farm to keep him out of jail. After being caught selling drugs for her boyfriend, her parents make a deal with her. They wont turn her and Joel in, if she agrees to stay away from him for the summer and help on her grandparents farm. Alexandria agrees even though she knows it will kill her to do. When she arrives she meets Landon, the attractive farmhand who is there to make sure she does her chores and stays out of trouble. Even though she fights it, she can't help feeling a connection to Landon and they become good friends. He is there for her when Joel does the unforgivable and tries to be there for her when tragedy strikes. Alexandria is forced to find herself and choose between the girl she has become and the girl she was before.
Breaking Alexandria is a fantastic book about growing up and finding yourself. The characters are well written and are easy to get in to. K.A Robinson is a wonderful author and I really love reading the stories she creates. I found it difficult to put this book down and really loved the characters (even Joel). A good book that I definitely recommend. Great job again K.A Robinson and I cannot wait for your next adventure.
Wow... I def didn't expect to be gutted by this book....First I want to start and say I actually really like her bf Joel. He never treated her bad and always had her back and never led her to believe any differently. Then when she is sent off to her Grandparents I feel like she swayed away from Joel more then him to her (if that makes sense). When she finally went and found him in a bad situation she completely shut down and wouldn't talk to him or anything. I thought that was pretty messed up. She is with this guy for 2 years and she wont even hear him out or try to work things out, when if she actually looks at what she has been doing with Landon she is actually way more guilty. Then something horrible happens and her world is turned upside down, and this is where Lexie kind of annoyed me. I didn’t agree with how she handled some of these things and was acting like a complete hypocrite. I still give this book 5 star because first this book kept my attention the whole way through and it brought out so many emotions. At a couple different points in this book I could not keep myself from crying. And even if I don’t agree with how Lexie handled the situation in this book I honestly don’t know what I would do if I were in her situation.
Loved this story. In the span of a few years, Lexi went from being herself to losing herself in a guy that she thought was her everything and forever thing to being forced to find herself again. The book is probably supposed to be YA since Lexi is 17 but the book just seems to fit so many emotions and situations of people every age so I don't think you have to be "into" YA to really enjoy this book.
There are for sure some life lessons and changing events to be learned for everyone in this book- Lexi needs to see who and what she is supposed to be in life, Joel needs to see that the life he lives is not one that will keep Lexi in it, and Landon, the perfect distraction and escape from real life, yeah, he just needs to get in my bed...in a few years when he's older....
Seriously, I highly recommend this book, I loved it and will probably read it again right now. 5 ***** <3 Kellie
Ioved this book! I knew from the beginning that this is my kind of book,because I loved the cover. This book is about first love,second chance at love and life, new beginnings and growing up. I liked Joel, and I'm sorry he ended up like that. But Landon was perfect. Alexandria was exactly like me,in some chapters. I loved her. A really good book. You should read it.
K.A Robinson found a way to not only make me fall in love with a main character but she also seamlessly made me fall in love with two completely different male characters. Breaking Alexandria is by far my favorite book by K.A.
Alexandria also called Lexi is a teenager who like most teenager changed who she was for a guy. Adapting to her surroundings resulted in changes in her. She was doing things she wasn't doing before she started to date Joel. Joel is a bad boy, a drop out, a drug dealer, everything a parent would hate. Her parents had enough of her behavior and decided to do what they thought was best for their daughter, so they decided to send her to her grandparents farm for the rest of the summer, and forbid her for ever talking to Joel again.
Of course Lexi was angry and upset to have to leave Joel. To her, her life was over, she was in a place she hated, her grandfather is mean, and she has no contact with her home at all.
Lexi was told that while she was there in her grandparents care that she would have to work on the farm everyday, and that if she followed the rules and did her work she could go to town. She was introduced to Landon, who worked on her grandfather's farm along with his father. Landon walked her through all her chores and liked to call her City.
As the days went by Lexi began to get used to her grueling work on the farm, and began a comfortable friendship with Landon. Things were easy between them. She started to think about Landon as more than a friend. Who could blame her, he was hot, he was sweet and he made her feel things he hadn't before. But she was still with Joel. She ended up getting free time and went back home to find Joel. Landon went with her to make sure she would come back and to make sure she was safe. When Lexi finally saw Joel, her heart got shattered.
Landon was there for her as her heart healed, he didn't pressure her or try to force her to be with him, he just cared for her. As her heart healed she started to see Landon as something more and a relationship formed, even though she knew her time on the farm was coming to an end because school was starting back soon.
Tragedy again struck and Lexi returned home and broke things off with Landon. Soon she began having a normal life again, getting over the tragedy day by day. When she thought her life was back in line she again was ripped apart.
Can Lexi's heart take another devastating blow? Can she move past all the pain in her life to find true happiness? Will she find her true self along the way? These are all questions that will be answered when you read Breaking Alexandria.
What I can tell you is, you must read this book! It will draw you in and spit you out at the end. Sending your heart through the wringer and somehow piecing it back together at the end. If I had any complaint about this book it would be that it ended. I could have read about these characters forever.
Alexandria can be descried as a parent's worse nightmare. She's 17 years old, sneaking out of the house, drinking and has a bad ass boyfriend who is a drug dealer. She's completely disrespectful to her parents and authority in general. Her parents are at their wits end on how to deal with her, so as a last result they send Alexandria to live on her grandparents farm. The farm is located in a rural area very different from the city living she's accustomed too.
Alexandria is beyond pissed to be taken from her home and from her boyfriend Joel. She is young, stupid and is willing to do anything she can to be with Joel. When she arrives on the farm she feels like she's in hell. She is given a full day of chores to be done daily. Her grandfather assigns her to work with Landon who is one of the farm hands. Landon sees through Alexandria's tough exterior right away, but he doesn't judge her.
I initially really didn't like Alexandria but as the story goes on you really see the real person. She has such a great love for her father and her Gram. Unfortunately her and her mom's relationship very hostile. She's a typical teen who is quite impressionable and that's evident in her behavior after becoming involved with Joel. She literally changes and becomes someone she isn't due to his lifestyle. However, after some time on the farm and under the loving supervision of her Gram, strict guidance of her Grandpa and the friendship that forms between her and Landon, Alexandria begins to flourish. But that's definitely not the end.
The story took a few turns that I did not see coming which deeply affects Alexandria and has her questioning herself and her decisions. There is also some back and forth which caused me some anxiety. But overall I found this story very engaging and really enjoyed it. It's a great story of about a young girl learning from her mistakes, love, loss, maturing and finding her true self.
Want to talk about an amazing story... well this is it. I mean I was rendered speechless after reading this book. K.A. has a way of doing that to me but with Lexi & Joel & Landon I just could not get enough. I was at the edge of my seat the entire time wanting no needing to turn the pages fast to see what was going to happen next.
Lexi is in love with Joel the bad boy. She will do anything to be with him and when she has to chose between him or nothing she goes for broke and starts selling drugs for him. They have this push and pull sort of relationship if you can call it that because Lexi sacrifices everything she is and her character to be with Joel. Selling drugs and acting bad ass which she knows she is not is just a few sacrifices to be with Joel. But when she gets busted selling drugs her parents give her an option go to your grandparents house for the summer or they turn Joel in. Of course she is devastated but she knows her parents mean business and she does not want Joel to get in trouble so she goes to her grandparents house in West Virginia.
Once she arrives Lexi realizes that her grandparents are no nonsense and they will make her earn her keep. They have a farm hand Landon and he works hard for what he has. As he begins to teach Lexi the farm she begins to have feelings for him and as hard as she fights them because she loves Joel she is having a hard time. Then Joel does something and Lexi leans on Landon and the sparks ignite and holy hell this is where the book gets wild and I mean WILD! This is a must read for everyone who loves those stories where nothing is as it seems and no matter what you think it always ends up something else. MUST READ!
Complimentary copy provided by author for an honest review.
K.A. Robinson has a way of writing books about tortured souls and people who shouldn’t belong together, but some how fit just right! Breaking Alexandria is another example of her excellent writing and books that grab you and don’t let you go.
Alexandria is almost 18 and hanging out with not such a great crowd, when things finally go bad, her mother and father send her to her grandparents farm for the summer, which takes her away from her boyfriend Joel and really pisses her off.
At the farm she has to work all day every day and with the hot Landon. Alexandria is attracted to Landon but absolutely loves Joel, but then she finds out Joel has done something she just cannot forgive him for.
She cannot deny her attraction to Landon, and tries to keep him in the friend zone, but things don’t work out the way she planned. When tragedy strikes she decides what is best for her is to let go of both Joel and Landon.
I loved how Alexandria’s character developed throughout this book, at first you thought she was a punk kid who was ungrateful for what she had, and at the end she had become more of an adult than some people I know, and knew what she wanted and fought for it.
This story is tragic at parts, but shows that life is not easy, and sometimes the things you least expect to happen are the best things that can happen to you. I really enjoyed Breaking Alexandria, I just wish we would have gotten a little more of an ending, I feel like there could be so much more. I know some may not agree, but this is just my opinion. I definitely recommend adding Breaking Alexandria to your TBR list today!
Who Picked This? Book blog was given an ARC of this book in exchange for a honest review!
Alexandria is in a relationship with Joel, who is much older than her and sells drugs for a living. Lexi has centered her whole world on Joel and either relationship even to the point of helping him sell drugs. After getting caught red handed dealing drugs, Lexi is forced to leave her whole world and everything she knows to spend the summer on her grandparents farm, or watch her boyfriend be turned into the police. Lex goes to her grandparents hoping to fulfill her summer sentence then return back to Joel and the life they had together, only fate doesn’t always work out the way you want it to.
Lexi finds herself being drawn more and more to the farm hand that works for her grandparents: Landon. He is every thing Joel isn’t; charming, sweet, kind, and a hard worker. After Lexi gets her heart smashed to pieces Logan is there to hold her up, but then another unpredictable thing occurs sending Lexi in a tailspin no one can save her from.
I really enjoyed this book once I got past my dislike for Lexi. Lexi is the ideal image of a teenage girl trying to change herself for the boy and having a hard time figuring out who she really is. Lexi grows and changes so much during the process of this book, and she eventually grows on me in the end. Logan is a great character. He is there for Lexi even when she doesn’t want him to be. He is steadfast and so loving. The book did seem to be a tad bit predictable though, but it still had its own characteristics that made it a great book.
To put it simply... this is a GREAT book. I LOVED it. This is the first book I've read by this author and I will definitely be going back for more.
K.A. Robinson's Breaking Alexandria is a tale of teenage angst and rebellion ,but it is also so much more. It's a tale of reinvention, of discovering your true self. It's love and loss and learning when to hang on and when to let go.
Alexandria (Lexi) is a complex character - her emotions are raw and real. She is living the life she thinks she wants, but only when it's taken away from her does she start to discover that maybe she has lost something of herself. She is so far deep into her relationship with her boyfriend, Joel, that she doesn't know where to draw the line between being his and being herself.
When Lexi meets rural cowboy teen Landon, she immediately assumes they will have nothing in common. She misses the drugs and sex and excitement of the life she left behind. As she discovers more about life outside of Joel's arms, Lexi learns that she has more to offer than she ever knew.
This story of bitterness, loss, love, and, ultimately, redemption is an absolute must-read. I would recommend this book to all readers 18+.
Wow this was a great story about a teenager (almost an adult) learning from her mistakes and finding herself again. It is a perfect example of teenage rebellion and young ladies being too goo goo eyed over a guy to realise that they are so attached to them and in the process have forgotten and changed who they are. Boy was it an emotional and rocky one. I agree 100% with her parents sending her to her grandparents farm. It was amazing to see her mature out there and Landon was a big help. I'm not gonna hate on Joel too much I really think he was an okay guy that also just needed to mature a bit more. The twists and turns in this book kept you hooked. This author really did a fantastic job with this addictive read about self discovery. I really enjoyed watching Alexandria grow and work on her own life and mend things with her relatives. Though the ending was not enough for me, the story as a whole does not disappoint.
Category /Genre: Contemporary Romance, New Adult Received from: K.A. Robinson (in exchange for an honest review) Recommended for: 18+ due to sexual content and adult topics Grammar/editing: A – near perfect
This is a stand-alone, contemporary romance.
City mouse, Lexi, has her city boyfriend, Joel. Unfortunately, Joel is a drug dealer. Together they party … hard. Lexi would do anything for Joel, including helping with the deals. When her mother catches her, Lexi is packed off to her grandparents’ farm. Tattooed, pierced, and with a bad attitude, Lexi is paired up with the farmhand, Landon. Though immediately drawn to one another, Lexi resists in the name of love for Joel, until Joel commits the ultimate sin. Then she turns to her friend and is soon torn between two loves, guilt, and grief.
Ms. Robinson is a wonderful writer. I am discovering that with her, you can expect the unexpected, unless you were expecting the unexpected.
I truly loved this story. I so wanted to read this in one sitting as I was gripped. However sometimes life gets in the way!!
The characters in this book are great. Lexi is a messed up girl. She's taken away for the summer from her boyfriend Joel to stay with her grandparents. Everything about her changes when she meets and gets to know Landon. I really loved the storyline. I wasn't sure what route the author was going to take us on.
I've not read anything by this author before but that will definitely have to change. Great read that I'll certainly be recommending to my friends. Received complimentary copy in return for an honest review.
4.5 stars!! I absolutely loved this book. I started it late last night and then finished tonight. It was so good. There was a lot of angst and heartbreak surrounding this story but it ended up being worth it in the end. Alexandria was such a complex character. I didn’t know how I felt about her in the beginning, but overtime, she won me over and I rooted for her to find her way.
I loved Landon so damn much. He was a typical cowboy who showed Lexi a whole new way of life, as she was a city girl, through and through. But she quickly learned how to adjust and really make herself appreciate other people besides herself.
Joel, her boyfriend, in the beginning really made some bad choices and put Lexi in a tough situation. I mean, he wasn’t the best influence on her but I felt bad how things went down for him. However, I felt Lexi needed to get away from him and her life as it was before so she could find herself and who she was meant to be.
Anyway, this was such a good story. Most of the characters were great, especially Gram. She was the highlight for me. Her support for Lexi and constant banter was hilarious. Made up for some of the heavy shit going on. And there was alot of heavy shit in this, in major doses. But our girl, found her way.
I loved her nickname for Landon and his nickname for her. City and Cowboy. So adorable and sweet. Both were amazing characters and I was so happy how things ended for them. I only wish we could’ve gotten his POV, like sooo bad. I needed to be in his head, especially during some of the gritty parts. That’s partly why I can’t give this 5 stars. Otherwise, it was incredible!!!
First of all, I'm a big fan of K.A. Robinson. She's such a talented author that no amount of words could possibly describe how amazing I believe she is. I'm a big fan of hers and I've never been disappointed by any of her books. However, I know that reviews need to be completely honest and unbiased, so I promise to be truthful-- cross my heart, and all that good stuff.
Second, I purchased Breaking Alexandria the day it released and I've found myself totally swamped with a busy schedule ever since. I only had time to read a couple pages a day, which was torture because I constantly thought about the book and wondered what was about to happen, although I knew I didn't have time to pick it up. I finally caught up on some stuff and had time to read the last couple days so finishing Breaking Alexandria was my treat.
*The beginning of Breaking Alexandria kept me on the edge of my seat. She was just blazing a painful trail of burned bridges everywhere she went. She fought with her mother. She fought girls over her boyfriend. She even fought herself half the time. Alexandria was just miserably unhappy and she didn't even know it! She was so blinded by her love for Joel that she couldn't see how she was hurting herself and everyone who cared about her. I did love Joel though. A girl's first love is indescribably powerful and Alexandria's was no different. She would do anything for him, and what I loved so much about Joel was that he was the classic example of every girl's dream... the bad-boy who had been tamed only for her. What girl doesn't dream about that wild guy who falls in love with her and only her, giving up all his old ways just to make her happy? It's a weird natural instinct and Joel was that for her. However, we soon see that although he's pretty crazy about her and wants to give her a better life, his "old habits" bite him in the bottom a lot. You find yourself wondering what he loves more-- Alexandria, or his lifestyle? And I think that's even hard for Joel to figure out until it "literally" hits him in the face.
*I knew I would fall in love with Landon. Sure enough, it was unavoidable. He was such a southern gentleman and without even trying to, he taught Alexandria what a "real man" was like. He was patient, charming, funny, caring, reliable and gorgeous. Landon was the change that Alexandria needed. He opened her eyes to what was going on in her life. During her time spent on the farm, she really realized who she was. She had lost herself and didn't even know it. I loved when her Gram said that she was a good girl, she had just made a few mistakes. I thought that was exactly what Alexandria needed to hear. Her biggest problem was that she constantly thought that once she made a mistake, her life would be forever tainted by it. She couldn't forgive herself and was seriously her own worst enemy... which was pretty bad, because she had plenty of enemies.
*My favorite thing about all of K.A. Robinson's books is that they are so realistic and heart-touching. She designs her characters to relate to the reader. I was afraid I wouldn't be able to relate to Alexandria because she was such a bad girl with her fighting, sneaking out, partying, problematic lifestyle but I don't know why I ever doubted K.A. because it wasn't far into the book before I literally felt every emotion Alexandria was feeling and couldn't help but put myself in her shoes. I grew up in SE Oklahoma, on a 320 acre farm. My daddy has a Kubota tractor. I call my grandma Gran, and Alexandria called her's Gram in the story. And it goes without saying that nothing is hotter than a cute guy with a big truck. I won't say anything else about the story line because I'm terrified I'll absolutely give away something about the story.
Last, I want to say that I'll never be satisfied until Breaking Alexandria is given a MOVIE DEAL. So, if anyone from Paramount, Miramax, DreamWorks or someone like that doesn't call K.A. and beg for movie rights, they're missing out on the next big thing.This book exceeded all of my expectations and I loved every second of it. There wasn't a single piece I didn't love. Even the parts where she struggled, made bad decisions, and destroyed her own life, I couldn't help but fall more in love with the story.
If you haven't read Breaking Alexandria yet and you're considering it, my advice to you is to ONE-CLICK it right this minute, call in sick to work and start reading. You won't regret it.
A huge "Thank You" to K.A. Robinson for another amazing story! If you haven't realized it yet, you have an absolute gift from God. Keep up the good work and never quit doing what you do.
ARC provides by author in exchange for an honest review.
Wow K.A Robinson, Breaking Alexandria was an amazing book. This book takes you on a roller coaster of every single emotion.
Alexandria, Lexi for short isn’t your average 17, almost 18 year old. She’s got some bad ass attitude; she’s out of control, pierced, tattooed, fights and is a drug dealer!
Her boyfriend, 22 year old Joel is her everything, he's the bad boy of the neighbourhood. Their so caught up in each other that they don’t need anyone else.
"You're a hard-ass, Lexi,and I fucking love it. I don't like that you got in a fight over me, but at the same time, I think it's so fucking hot that you'd do that for me".
Slowly Lexi is changing who she was to fit into his lifestyle. Everyone is scared of Joel and most are now scared of Lexi, she has changed so much from the girl she once was. When shit gets real for her parents they give her a harsh ultimatum. She has no choice she has to move away to her grandparents farm. This is a move to save Joel, while Joel has a hard exterior we get to see a softer side of him.
Moving to her grandparents has it's pros and cons, she loves her Grams but her and her grandfather have never seen eye to eye. He won’t take any of her attitude and immediately sets the rules out for her. She will be the responsibility of farm hand and sexy cowboy, Landon.
Landon, what a sexy ass cowboy! He isn’t like anyone Lexi has ever met. He’s kind, sweet, respectful and charming. Lexi isn't used to people like Landon.
Pissed off that she has someone to watch over her, she gets straight to work and keeps to herself. She's not here to make friends she's here because she has to be. But chores with Landon means spending her entire days with him.
“He turned to face me, and my breath got stuck in my lungs. I literally forgot how to exhale. Sweet baby Monkeys.”
He soon starts to break down Lexi’s bad attitude and their friendship grows more every day. Sparks begin to fly between her and Landon but Lexi shuts him down, she has Joel waiting for her. A friend couldn't hurt right. (We loves the banter between Lexi and Landon)
"Are you trying to tell me that I talk too much?" "Nah. If you talked too much, I'd just put duct tape over your mouth"
Being away from Joel for so long is hard on Lexie. She finally cracks and decides to take a trip back home with Landon hot on her tail. Lexi is well aware of the consequences when she returns but she doesn't care. This is one surprise trip she won't ever forget... This is where the book really started to get interesting for us.
Returning home to the wrath of her Grandparents was nothing compared to what Lexi was feeling inside. She was broken, she wasn’t herself. Disconnecting herself from her old life, Lexi throws herself into farm work and her friendship with Landon. Soon sparks start to fly between the two but will their relationship work, can it work? How can it when they are so different? Landon is captivated by Lexi and will do what it takes to prove to her he is the guy for her.
“I told you before that I could wait, and I meant that, but I'm not going to just sit around and wait for you to make up your mind.” “What do you mean?” I asked, confused He grinned down at me. “Prepare yourself to be blown away by my charm. I’m going to do everything I can to win you over.”
Life takes a drastic turn when Lexi returns home during the summer. Her life is turn upside down, she is broken and hit rock bottom. She is a shell of herself and not living just existing. Slowly she mends her broken relationship with her parents and starts putting the pieces of her life back together. She is rediscovering herself. This once broken girl is back to a better new Lexi, now she needs to mend the last part her heart. She goes after one the thing that will complete her.
Without giving too much more away about this story line we cannot say how much we enjoyed this book. The emotions we felt with Lexi, Joel and Landon were so strong. We hope you enjoy it as much as we did. Hopefully we can see more from these characters soon.
This was the first book I've read by K.A. Robinson, and it definitely won't be the last! I really enjoyed this standalone romance, and I found the MC to be likable, vulnerable, and badass at most times. I even enjoyed this "not really" love triangle.
Rating: 4 stars!
Breaking Alexandria was really all about one character's journey to finding herself. Alexandria, or Lexi, had such a strong personality. She was all dark hair and piercings, and with a bad attitude. I never found her to be really unlikable though. I enjoyed the moments where she was vulnerable and scared, the moments when she felt lost and all alone. That's where she shined the most, letting us see behind the hardass facade. Her character development was true and genuine, and in the end, she became the person she'd known she could be. The one who mixes both the good and the bad and knows who she is. I really enjoyed her voice as she went through a journey full of discovery and life, grief and heartbreak. A journey that brings her home.
In the beginning, we see the tough side of Lexi. And we also get introduced to her boyfriend, Joel. He's five years older and the most notorious drug dealer in the area. But Lexi loves him, and it seems he loves her. And it's a love that will tear them apart when Lexi's mom catches her dealing for him. Her sentence: spend the rest of summer at her grandparents' house over three hours away. And no more contact with Joel.
It brings about so many changes in Lexi's life. Both good and bad. The good is that being away has given her time to reflect on her life choices and her relationship with Joel. The bad is that things happen that send her spiraling and leave her questioning herself and the people around her.
There, she meets Landon. He's sweet, sexy, and way too good for the likes of her. And he's the exact opposite of Joel. Where Joel's all hardness and bad boy looks, Landon is a "cowboy" with a huge heart. I liked both of them, even knowing that Joel is a drug dealer. He was still a likable character, and I kind of wish we'd seen more of him. But I think Landon brought out the best in Lexi, and he never once gave up on her. The romance and love that developed between them was sweet and sexy.
Now, I don't know if this can be considered a true love triangle, considering all that happened. She did love both men, but events that happen in the book leave her with enough grief and heartbreak that sends her spiraling down into a dark depression. I don't want to say too much about it, except to say that I did enjoy the love triangle. And I do love how she brought herself out of it, and how she dealt with what happened. I think she did the best she could, and I loved her for that.
There wasn't much to the plot, but I never found myself bored. I enjoyed Lexi's POV a lot, and I also loved the relationships that developed. The secondary characters, like her mom and her grandma, were huge influences on her, even if Lexi and her mom fought constantly. She is a teenager, though she never always acts her age. If anything, she acts older sometimes. But she still makes mistakes (one that I really disliked), and she likes to punch first and ask questions later. However, I thought she had great character development. She was a character I found myself relating with and liking a great deal.
Breaking Alexandria was a sweet and sexy standalone romance. It was about hurt and forgiveness, anger and kindness, love and healing. But most of all, it was about one character's journey to finding the light within the darkness, and about discovering who she was along the way. :)
This book has with no doubt earned 5 stars! If the rating scale went higher this book would definitely earn them from me!
I was given this book in exchange for my honest review.
When I started reading the book I felt like Alexandria could have been me. The more I read the more it was like my life was written on the pages of this book. I cried and felt all of Alexandria’s pains.
The story is about Alexandria a 17 year old girl that falls in love with Joel a guy that is five years older than her. He was an abused child at the hands of his alcoholic father. Now an adult and living on his own, dealing drugs for income and having big parties on the weekends. Alexandria and Joel are casual users of the drugs that he deals and weekend drinkers. Alexandria’s parents do not approve of this relationship so Alexandria sneaks out at night climbing down a big tree that is outside her bedroom window. She is always getting into trouble in school from getting into fights and being expelled. On the last time that Alexandria snuck out to be with Joel her Mom caught her in the act of selling drugs and makes her go home with her and was sent to stay with her Grandparents for the summer.
At first she is mad as heck to have to stay the summer and work the farm under the watchful eye of Landon, a 19 year old farm hand that is helping work the farm along with his father Kent. As time goes by Alexandria and Landon develop a great friendship, but Landon wants it to be more. Landon even gave her a nick name “city” because her name is too long and she is such a city girl! She in turn calls him Cowboy. She earns a weekend pass for being good and doing all of her chores so she and Landon go into the next town that has some entertainment. They go to dinner and then to the movies, afterward they go and sit out in one of the filed on the farm and star gaze. This is when the first kiss, but Alexandria feels it is wrong… she is with Joel and this is cheating. She has no contact with Joel do to the fact that cell service is not available in the small town where she is at. But once when she is out in the fields working she gets a message from Joel and immediately sends a message back. This makes her miss him even more and then he stops returning her messages and this really upsets her. On her next weekend that she is allowed to go out to town she takes off and goes back home to see Joel. Landon goes with her and thank goodness he does! She finds Joel with another woman and she flips out! There is a big fight and she tells Joel she never wants to see him again. She leaves and goes back to her grandparent’s farm to face the music for disobeying orders.
Everything gets back to normal and she is working hard to do all her chores and make the best of her time there. Things with her and Landon even change and they start to see each other as boyfriend and girlfriend. Until late one night when a phone call from her Mother telling her that something bad has happened to Joel. He was working as a snitch for the police and was killed. Alexandria completely looses it and blames Joel’s death on herself she believes if she had been there he would not be dead. She yells at Landon and tells him they can never see one another again.
Alexandria goes back home and to deal with the loss. She has a lot of thinking to do and decisions to make. I feel I have already told too much of the story and I hope that I have left enough untold for you to want to read the book for yourself. This book was very well written with a great story line, I look forward to reading more books by K.A.Robinson and I hope there will be more to Alexandria’s story.
Breaking Alexandria review done by Char for Trina's Tantilising Tidbits
I was given this book in exchange for my honest review. When I started reading the book I felt like Alexandria could have been me. The more I read the more it was like my life was written on the pages of this book. I cried and felt all of Alexandria’s pains. The story is about Alexandria a 17 year old girl that falls in love with Joel a guy that is five years older than her. He was an abused child at the hands of his alcoholic father. Now an adult and living on his own, dealing drugs for income and having big parties on the weekends. Alexandria and Joel are casual users of the drugs that he deals and weekend drinkers. Alexandria’s parents do not approve of this relationship so Alexandria sneaks out at night climbing down a big tree that is outside her bedroom window. She is always getting into trouble in school from getting into fights and being expelled. On the last time that Alexandria snuck out to be with Joel her Mom caught her in the act of selling drugs and makes her go home with her and was sent to stay with her Grandparents for the summer. At first she is mad as heck to have to stay the summer and work the farm under the watchful eye of Landon, a 19 year old farm hand that is helping work the farm along with his father Kent. As time goes by Alexandria and Landon develop a great friendship, but Landon wants it to be more. Landon even gave her a nick name “city” because her name is too long and she is such a city girl! She in turn calls him Cowboy. She earns a weekend pass for being good and doing all of her chores so she and Landon go into the next town that has some entertainment. They go to dinner and then to the movies, afterward they go and sit out in one of the filed on the farm and star gaze. This is when the first kiss, but Alexandria feels it is wrong… she is with Joel and this is cheating. She has no contact with Joel do to the fact that cell service is not available in the small town where she is at. But once when she is out in the fields working she gets a message from Joel and immediately sends a message back. This makes her miss him even more and then he stops returning her messages and this really upsets her. On her next weekend that she is allowed to go out to town she takes off and goes back home to see Joel. Landon goes with her and thank goodness he does! She finds Joel with another woman and she flips out! There is a big fight and she tells Joel she never wants to see him again. She leaves and goes back to her grandparent’s farm to face the music for disobeying orders.
Everything gets back to normal and she is working hard to do all her chores and make the best of her time there. Things with her and Landon even change and they start to see each other as boyfriend and girlfriend. Until late one night when a phone call from her Mother telling her that something bad has happened to Joel. He was working as a snitch for the police and was killed. Alexandria completely looses it and blames Joel’s death on herself she believes if she had been there he would not be dead. She yells at Landon and tells him they can never see one another again. Alexandria goes back home and to deal with the loss. She has a lot of thinking to do and decisions to make. I feel I have already told too much of the story and I hope that I have left enough untold for you to want to read the book for yourself. This book was very well written with a great story line, I look forward to reading more books by K.A.Robinson and I hope there will be more to Alexandria’s story. This book has with no doubt earned 5 stars! If the rating scale went higher this book would definitely earn them from me!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
**ARC kindly provided by author for an honest review**
Grab your tissues ladies and gentlemen because your going to need them. I have learned that all of K.A. Robinson's novels contain a plot twist that always leaves me speechless and my lip trembling.
If I could only use a couple words to describe Breaking Alexandria I would use the word self discovery.
Alexandria is dating Joel, who is a drug dealer, living in a carefree world. Dating Joel makes Alexandria feel invincible. She views her relationship as the forever kind, she would do anything for Joel. It seems that Alexandria and Joel are more like Bonnie and Clyde. Alexandria thinks that she has her life all figured out. At the time is believes that she is happy and content with her life. That was until Alexandria was caught by her mother dealing drugs for Joel. Instead of turning her and her boyfriend into the police, her mother chose to send Alexandria to spend the summer at her grandparents' farm in West Virginia. Alexandria hated her mother and tried to runaway with Joel, but that attempt was unsuccessful.
Alexandria (LEXI)is now in West Virginia for the summer. To her this is living hell because her grandfather is bound and determined to make her life miserable. She has to endure manual labor on the farm, but her grandmother's kindness is her saving grace.
Her grandfather assigns Landon to monitor Lexi and make sure she does what is expected of her. At first Lexi wants nothing to do with Landon. She is so caught up with Joel at this point that she couldn't realize a good thing if it hit her between the eyes. Landon is a sweet, down to earth, gorgeous country boy through and through. Little did Lexi know that Landon would be the one to show the city girl that her current life is not influenced by her own decisions. Lexi never realized that maybe she is the way she is due to Joel. Maybe what she viewed as happiness before really wasn't? Maybe she thought she was happy because she was making Joel happy? Will she realize that her life is not how she really planned for it to be?
This causes Lexi to really analyze her life and her decisions like never before. Lexi starts to question what really makes her happy and who brings out the best in her: Joel or Landon? No matter what she does she just can't let Joel go. He is her everything or at least she thought he was. She comes to the shocking realization that maybe Joel's feelings are not mutual and that maybe Landon is her right match.
A huge plot twist leaves Lexi numb. She immediately hates herself for the decisions she has made and feels that she needs to repent. This was the straw that broke the camel's back, so to speak. Sometimes people have to hit a wall running full force and get knocked on their a** to finally step back and do some soul searching, but that does not mean other people will not get hurt along the way. At this point Lexi doesn't know who she is or who she wants to be, all she can do is wallow in her self pity. She has completely shut out everyone in her life without thinking how it will affect the people who care about her the most. However there is good that does come from it. This situation allows Lexi to find herself, to slowly put the pieces of her life together. This does not mean that she is making all the right decisions, but it is a start. Unfortunately for Lexi it usually takes a tragedy to cause her to realize what she wants. Now bound and determined, she knows what she wants with her life and is dead set on getting it. She will not accept no as an answer and this journey of self discovery and happy endings all started by spending a summer in West Virginia...
Every time I read a book by K.A. I get that much more excited for what she will do next. I am always hooked right from the start and up until the end when I am left wanting more. Breaking Alexandria is no exception !! This is such an easy story to connect to on so many levels. Despite the characters being very young we have all been that age before and had to deal with many if not all of these issues and then some. Being young and in love , with an older guy, that your parents dislike. Relationships with parents are always strained in out teenage years. Facing drugs , alcohol and partying on many different levels. Dragging yourself through school but wanting to be anywhere else. And struggling with who you are as a person and how you choose to express yourself. Alexandria is in the midst of all of this right from the start of her story. She is 17 and in love with Joel , the 22 year old town drug dealer. Alexandria disobeys her parents at every turn by fighting and getting in trouble in school and also sneaking around to see Joel and helping him to sell drugs. Her parents are not pleased with the way she acts or looks and they basically blame it on Joel. Much to my surprise Joel is a great guy , yes he sells drugs , but he loves Alexandria as much as she loves him and he is faithful and protective of her. They have some super hot sex and they really do have a great time together. Because Alexandria is strong and stubborn Joel lets her come along on drug deals and even has her handle some for him. Just one time on a drug deal with Alexandria's mom following them is enough to change both their lives forever. Forced to go spend the summer on her grandparents farm Alexandria has to leave Joel behind. We quickly find out that Alexandria does not have a great relationship with her grandfather, but thankfully her grandmother is wonderful. There is a list of daily chores on top of work and extra duties for Alexandria to follow and lucky her she has the help of Landon , one of the farmhands, who happens to be around her age and super hot !! They become fast friends and despite her love for Joel ,Alexandria starts having deeper feelings for Landon and doubting her relationship with Joel. Her doubt leads to a trip that finds Joel in a predicament that may not be all it seems. This is Alexandria's out and maybe just a way for her to let Landon in fully. Landon has made it known he likes Alexandria and is willing to hang around and let her make up her mind. When this finally happens and Landon thinks he has his girl tragedy strikes and Alexandria is gone and he is left brokenhearted. At this point in the story I am a total mess , I did not expect this twist and I have to say I really connected with this part. One particular scene felt as if it was being read out of my diary when I was just 19 years old. Alexandria's pain and healing is so real and beautifully written. I found myself feeling proud of her when she turned her life around. I also wanted to strangle her for hurting Landon but sometimes it just takes time. Now with Alexandria on a different path in her life we begin to see the makings of a happy ending !! Though this book claims to be a standalone I was left wanting so much more of Alexandria and Landon's story , even wanting to know Joel's story after Alexandria had to leave him. Thank you K.A. for another amazing book that I plan to read over and over again. Also for the amazing connections, though emotional , that i found while reading this story !!
**ARC provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.**
So you may be asking yourself, ‘is Emily going to fangirl in yet another K.A. Robinson review?‘ The answer to that question would be.. YES! Not only was this book more than I expected, but it is probably one of my favourite books that Kelly has written and I’ve read every book that she has published so far; this was a pretty tough decision considering how fabulous Twisted Ties was.
Now I will admit when I first read the synopsis for the book, I may have cringed a little because my first thought was ‘not another love triangle.’ I absolutely despise the whole ‘two-boys-fighting-for-one-girl-and-she-can’t-make-up-her-mind’ theme and I held on with bated breath till I learnt that this was not what the storyline entailed AT ALL. It was a thousand times better!
After being introduced to Alexandria, I easily fell into the role of the overprotective older sister as I watched her pursue a life that is less than what she deserves. I have a tendency to get way too emotionally attached to the book characters that Kelly creates, hence the fact that I now see myself as an older sibling to Alexandria when really she’s an only child. There may come a time when I’m going to need therapy cause my attachment to these characters is anything but sane.
When Alexandria’s parents can no longer handle her destructive ways, they send her away from her drug dealing boyfriend to spend the summer with her grandparents who she has not seen in years. Though she’s hesitant at first, Alexandria soon starts to question if the person she has become is really the person that she wants to be.
When Alexandria arrives at the family farm, she meets a very appealing country boy. Landon is the complete opposite to Alexandria’s boyfriend Joel, but she can’t help but feel a spark whenever she’s near him. I fell in love with Landon instantly and I am definitely #TeamLandon all the way.
Alexandria’s life soon takes a dramatic turn and sets off a chain of events that send her life spiralling downward till she is nothing but a shell of the person she was. I had to crack out the tissues at this point because I was just so devastated for Alexandria and the fact that she was suffering. Too bad for me, I did most of this crying in public - I need to learn to not read emotional books at Uni. But I wouldn’t change a thing about my experience while reading this book because the whole time that Alexandria was suffering, I was still there mentally supporting her along the way. I did a mental fist-pump when she finally decides to pick herself off the floor. I was so proud! :’)
From what I was expecting to what I actually read; I was completely overwhelmed with complete love for this novel. Not only does it show that Kelly has completely excelled with moving away from writing series to writing a standalone, but it also demonstrates that she can write the best kind of story – the one that you will hold onto forever. Alexandria inspired me and I’ll always carry a piece of her strength with me. I can only hope that Kelly continues on this style of writing in her future projects and I cannot wait to follow on with the rest of her career.
“I’m sorry, Landon,” I whispered. “Don’t tell me that. I’m not letting you go.”
***I was given a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review for Nerd Alert Book Love Blog*** Alexandria 'Lexi' is an angry and out of control seventeen, almost eighteen year old. She has dyed hair, a tattoo, and multiple piercings. She loves to party and hates school. She constantly skips school and has been in trouble on different occasions for fighting. She enjoys drinking and occasionally smoking weed. She loves her boyfriend Joel, and she gives him everything. Joel is Alexandria's 22 year old boyfriend. He is gorgeous, sexy, and covered head to toe in ink. He is also an occasional drug user and a big time drug dealer. Joel is truly a bad boy! He is a decent guy with a dangerous and illegal job. He loves Alexandria for who she is but that love crosses the line when he gets Alexandria to sell drugs for him on occasion. But everything they know is about to change when Alexandria's mom catches her selling. "...I've never loved someone the way I love you. You're the most precious thing in this world and I know that if you give me another chance, I can make all of this better. You're my everything baby. I love you so very much..." Alexandria's mother and father send her to her grandparents farm in the middle of nowhere WV. Hard work and isolation may just be what is needed to give Alexandria a big reality check. Alexandria is left in the hands of Landon to show her her daily chores and all that they entail. An instant attraction is formed between the two and the steadily build a friendship Alexandria so desperately needs. Landon is her rock and her best friend when she needs someone the most. "...You're incredible, City. You're the most incredible woman I've ever met. I...I love you..." Will Alexandria finally have the wake up call she needs and set her life straight? Will she just bide her time and then return back home to her old ways and her love, Joel? Will Landon win her heart and help her turn away from her past ways? And what will happen when tragedy strikes and her world is turned upside down yet again? Will she pick her past with Joel or her present with Landon? Or will the only choice be to cut all ties and to start all over again? Will Alexandria even have the strength and the ability to say goodbye and start a new beginning or will it all leave her broken? "...Life is a funny thing. You never know what's going to happen..." I absolutely adore KA Robinson. She is an amazing and talented author. I fell in love with her books with The Torn series. And let me tell you, she did not disappoint with Breaking Alexandria. This is a beautifully written story about love, loss, and finding yourself. The characters are incredible and capture a piece of you, even the bad boy Joel. This story takes you on an emotional roller coaster ride. You will laugh and you will cry. You will break down and then be built back up again. You will sit at the edge of your seat and hang on tight until the end of the journey. Just when you think you can't take much more, KA Robinson will put it all together and leave you satisfied and smiling and waiting to see what she will be writing next. Her next book to be released is book 4 in The Torn Series, Toxic. It will be released in a few weeks, but until then I happily give Breaking Alexandria a Nerd Alert A+ or 5 stars!