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Escaping Perfect #1
Escaping Perfect
Cecilia Montgomery has been America’s sweetheart since the day she was born. A member of the prestigious Montgomery family—the US equivalent of royalty—her childhood was cut short after she was nearly kidnapped. Since then, Cecilia has been hidden away, her adolescence spent at an exclusive boarding school.
Her dreams of becoming a professional violinist—dashed.
Her desire to be a normal teenager—not possible.
Her relationship with her once-loving parents—bitter and strained.
Nothing about Cecilia’s life is what she would have planned for herself. So when an opportune moment presents itself, Cecilia seizes the chance to become someone else. To escape. To disappear. To have the life she always dreamed about, far away from her mother’s biting remarks and her sheltered upbringing.
Cecilia says goodbye to the Montgomery name and legacy to become Lia Washington: relaxed, wild, in love, free, and living on her own terms for the very first time. But being on your own isn’t always as easy as it seems…
Her dreams of becoming a professional violinist—dashed.
Her desire to be a normal teenager—not possible.
Her relationship with her once-loving parents—bitter and strained.
Nothing about Cecilia’s life is what she would have planned for herself. So when an opportune moment presents itself, Cecilia seizes the chance to become someone else. To escape. To disappear. To have the life she always dreamed about, far away from her mother’s biting remarks and her sheltered upbringing.
Cecilia says goodbye to the Montgomery name and legacy to become Lia Washington: relaxed, wild, in love, free, and living on her own terms for the very first time. But being on your own isn’t always as easy as it seems…
336 pages, Hardcover
First published March 29, 2016
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 62 reviews
June 2, 2016
SPOILERS BELOW
What absolute total horseshit (pardon my French). There are very few stories I've read that I want to sling across the room but this one makes the list. The mother is an overblown harpy who makes Cruella Deville look like Mother Theresa in comparison and can somehow circumvent the law at a whim because she's just so powerful and awsome that the whole government caters to her every whim.
Dad is supposedly a powerful attorney who cowers like a wimp at his wife's every command. The heroine has the intelligence of a brain damaged gerbil. She runs away from her total confinement (after psycho mom keeps her under lock and key for a decade) and heads to a Podunk town in Tennessee her Grandmother took her to once and she hopes her mom won't think about. So a mixed-race girl with no ID and no back-story to explain her alleged life history hops off the bus in a small town where everyone knows each other's business and no one bats an eye. At the same time a mixed-race teen goes missing. She blunders into a job where the boss pays her under the table so the lack of ID problem conveniently gets avoided.
There are only 2 people in the whole town who might be able to recognize her. So naturally the town man-whore is one of them. She sees him climbing out a girl's window to evade her boyfriend, multiple people tell her horror stories about his past dickhead behavior, his psychotic ex-girlfriend threatens her for even looking at him, he tries to kiss her but gets interrupted by his date for the evening (who she later sees him groping the ass of in the club), and he admits he's got a key to her apartment complex because he was boning the former roommate. And, like I said, he might be able to figure out who she is while she's trying to stay incognito and hidden from the parentals. So naturally she falls in love with him, and he within a few days goes from being a total ass-hat to a monogamous man who's found his one true love. And he only met her for a couple of days when he was 6 but remembers everything. Barf...
But the ending is why I wanted to take the book and burn it. The author somehow thinks Mom is God Almighty and not just one of 100 U.S. Senators. So supposedly Her Highness gets the FBI, without a shred of evidence and a case that would explode like the Hindenburg in court, to arrest two totally innocent individuals and charge them with kidnapping (just so she can get her daughter back in her evil clutches).
The whole premise that she can really command them to arrest people is totally asinine; like anyone would really throw their career away authorizing arrests that are totally indefensible and would leave the Bureau as laughingstocks to the world if they ever tried to prosecute. Especially since a couple of days earlier they announced to the world that it was a runaway and not a kidnapping; now they're going to do a 180 and say it was a kidnapping after all. Can you say total lack of credibility? And you're talking about a Senators daughter and man-whore is now a minor Country music star, and it's been front page news for a week, so it isn't like the FBI can make everything just going away without anyone asking any questions.
You're charging them with kidnapping when there are literally hundreds of witnesses who saw her arrive by herself and roam freely around town for days. And how do you explain how two teens from TN just happen to show up at a funeral in rural FL and snatch a Senator's daughter from her security escort without anyone noticing? The whole premise is MORONIC.
Then Her Majesty somehow is along for the ride with the FBI to take her daughter back into her clutches; we know the FBI always invites politicians to tag along with them. It just makes no sense whatsoever; it was like the author just wanted to end it like a Monty Python sketch.
Don't waste your brain cells on this...
What absolute total horseshit (pardon my French). There are very few stories I've read that I want to sling across the room but this one makes the list. The mother is an overblown harpy who makes Cruella Deville look like Mother Theresa in comparison and can somehow circumvent the law at a whim because she's just so powerful and awsome that the whole government caters to her every whim.
Dad is supposedly a powerful attorney who cowers like a wimp at his wife's every command. The heroine has the intelligence of a brain damaged gerbil. She runs away from her total confinement (after psycho mom keeps her under lock and key for a decade) and heads to a Podunk town in Tennessee her Grandmother took her to once and she hopes her mom won't think about. So a mixed-race girl with no ID and no back-story to explain her alleged life history hops off the bus in a small town where everyone knows each other's business and no one bats an eye. At the same time a mixed-race teen goes missing. She blunders into a job where the boss pays her under the table so the lack of ID problem conveniently gets avoided.
There are only 2 people in the whole town who might be able to recognize her. So naturally the town man-whore is one of them. She sees him climbing out a girl's window to evade her boyfriend, multiple people tell her horror stories about his past dickhead behavior, his psychotic ex-girlfriend threatens her for even looking at him, he tries to kiss her but gets interrupted by his date for the evening (who she later sees him groping the ass of in the club), and he admits he's got a key to her apartment complex because he was boning the former roommate. And, like I said, he might be able to figure out who she is while she's trying to stay incognito and hidden from the parentals. So naturally she falls in love with him, and he within a few days goes from being a total ass-hat to a monogamous man who's found his one true love. And he only met her for a couple of days when he was 6 but remembers everything. Barf...
But the ending is why I wanted to take the book and burn it. The author somehow thinks Mom is God Almighty and not just one of 100 U.S. Senators. So supposedly Her Highness gets the FBI, without a shred of evidence and a case that would explode like the Hindenburg in court, to arrest two totally innocent individuals and charge them with kidnapping (just so she can get her daughter back in her evil clutches).
The whole premise that she can really command them to arrest people is totally asinine; like anyone would really throw their career away authorizing arrests that are totally indefensible and would leave the Bureau as laughingstocks to the world if they ever tried to prosecute. Especially since a couple of days earlier they announced to the world that it was a runaway and not a kidnapping; now they're going to do a 180 and say it was a kidnapping after all. Can you say total lack of credibility? And you're talking about a Senators daughter and man-whore is now a minor Country music star, and it's been front page news for a week, so it isn't like the FBI can make everything just going away without anyone asking any questions.
You're charging them with kidnapping when there are literally hundreds of witnesses who saw her arrive by herself and roam freely around town for days. And how do you explain how two teens from TN just happen to show up at a funeral in rural FL and snatch a Senator's daughter from her security escort without anyone noticing? The whole premise is MORONIC.
Then Her Majesty somehow is along for the ride with the FBI to take her daughter back into her clutches; we know the FBI always invites politicians to tag along with them. It just makes no sense whatsoever; it was like the author just wanted to end it like a Monty Python sketch.
Don't waste your brain cells on this...
dnf
July 10, 2016Pages read: 66
Tbh, I was kind of enjoying Escaping Perfect, but I made the mistake of spoiling myself on the ending by reading reviews. I know now that it won't turn out well. Plus, I hate the love interest, and the MC just ordered two beers from a bar without specifying a type of beer. Um.
Tbh, I was kind of enjoying Escaping Perfect, but I made the mistake of spoiling myself on the ending by reading reviews. I know now that it won't turn out well. Plus, I hate the love interest, and the MC just ordered two beers from a bar without specifying a type of beer. Um.
June 28, 2017
Oh, reviewing this is going to be fun. Reading the book wasn't fun, but reviewing it definitely will be.
I have to give a shout-out to Riveted for letting me access this book for free. That is the only reason why I hit this up. The synopsis did not sound too bad, and the book was free. So naturally, I picked up this book.
I could not stop laughing.
Let me tell you a short story.
I had a free hour today, so I was reading it while my friends were sitting next to me. I started laughing, and one of my friends asked, "Hey, what you laughing about?"
I just pointed towards my laptop screen where the book was and continued to laugh. She leaned over, took a few minutes to read the page, and burst out laughing as well.
After a steady stream of laughter, she looked at me and said, "Why are you reading this?"
I rolled my eyes. "Why do you think I'm reading this book?"
She nodded sagely and replied, "Ah. I see."
End anecdote.
This was so bad that I had to laugh my head off. I just couldn't.
I just want to concentrate on the writing for a second before I go over to the meat of the novel. Just thinking about it right now is making me laugh.
A few phrases that cracked me up:
* something to do with "Amazonian goddesses"
* "a few leggy stick figures" (what in the hell does that even mean)
* "someone tittered a laugh" (I didn't know you could titter laughs)
* "I tried hard not to turn green" (well, i think you would have to try harder to actually turn green)
And many more . . .
Oh, the writing cracked me up so much. Not only was the writing style terrible, but also the actual book.
The plotline was crap. Prim and perfect girl Cecilia Montgomery is raised by the Senator, who hides Cecilia from a normal life and secludes her from everything. Cecilia runs away to freaking Sweetbriar, Tennessee where she naturally falls in love and tries her best to hide from whoever is trying to find her.
Sound promising? I'll leave you to be the judge of that.
This book was just filled with tropes and cliches beyond belief. Naturally, Cecilia Montgomery has been sheltered her whole life, and she also has to be "beautiful" and "talented." She also is very close with her grandmother, who is practically her best friend. Are you all sensing how unoriginal this is? Cecilia runs away. (Classic, I might add.) Where does she run to? Sweetbriar, Tennessee. Where does she currently live? Boston, Massachusetts. (I think. I may be wrong on that one. I'm pretty sure I'm correct, though.) I mean, you really can't get more different than Sweetbriar. Naturally, Sweetbriar is somewhere she visited with her bestie (her grandmother). Cecilia apparently knows someone named Daria and her grandson, Jasper Case. Our good friend Cecilia reaches Sweetbriar and decides to rename herself as Lia Washington. Wow, I totally did not see that coming.
While she's stumbling around, she asks someone to find her Daria's salon. While she goes over there, some really hot cowboy stumbles out of a house where he was messing with someone else's girlfriend. Obviously, he's incredibly hot, and Lia practically melts on him. They have a conversation. She goes to Daria's salon. She gets a complete makeover.
At this point, I was like, all right. That's great. Is this going to be a real book?
The answer is no, in case you were wondering.
Highlights: Lia gets a job as a waitress. Jasper Case is the person she knows, the person who was messing around with the other person's girlfriend, and the person she falls in love with. No spoilers there! ;) ;) ;) Fiona, the best friend (because why wouldn't Lia immediately get a best friend?), is in love with Jasper, too. They become estranged. Fiona has a twin named Duncan, who has a crush on Lia. A love quadrangle? No one saw that coming! But wait! I'm not done yet!
Fiona's other friend is Britta, who Lia ends up rooming with. Britta has a sister named Shelby, who's supposed to be the villain. Shelby has an on and off relationship with Jasper. Jasper and Duncan have a rivalry.
Honestly, this has probably made a love pentagon or hexagon or whatever, and I can only talk about polygons for so long before I get bored.
Jasper and Lia hang out. OOH. So exciting.
Jasper apparently has immense amounts of talent and becomes a famous musician.
Lia has nervous breakdowns as she waits for people to find her.
Shelby is bitchy and figures out that Lia is actually Cecilia. Shelby tells Lia that she has to break up with Jasper if she doesn't want Shelby to tell anyone.
But guess what?
Jasper declares his love for her. So naturally, Lia declares hers back.
Lia breaks up with Jasper anyway. Jasper goes and tells off Shelby and comes back to Lia. They make out and are back together. Shelby comes barging into the house and tells them "They're here!"
And guess what?
THEY'RE HERE!!!
Finally, something interesting happens. People arrest Jasper. Lia is put into a car. Her mother is there.
AND BAM!!!
The book's over.
Sounds interesting, no?
Yeah, I didn't find it interesting either.
Filled with unoriginal cliches and tropes, horrible and insecure characters, no stable plotline, a freaking love pentagon or god knows what, "wise sayings", Sweetbriar goddanged Tennessee, an abusive mother? (she isn't abusive), a distant father, lots of random bad childhoods, no sense of independence, no description, bad writing style, bad book.
So that should pretty much sum it up.
You can go try out the book if you want. It may be more up your alley.
It definitely wasn't up mine.
And I'm out.
I have to give a shout-out to Riveted for letting me access this book for free. That is the only reason why I hit this up. The synopsis did not sound too bad, and the book was free. So naturally, I picked up this book.
I could not stop laughing.
Let me tell you a short story.
I had a free hour today, so I was reading it while my friends were sitting next to me. I started laughing, and one of my friends asked, "Hey, what you laughing about?"
I just pointed towards my laptop screen where the book was and continued to laugh. She leaned over, took a few minutes to read the page, and burst out laughing as well.
After a steady stream of laughter, she looked at me and said, "Why are you reading this?"
I rolled my eyes. "Why do you think I'm reading this book?"
She nodded sagely and replied, "Ah. I see."
End anecdote.
This was so bad that I had to laugh my head off. I just couldn't.
I just want to concentrate on the writing for a second before I go over to the meat of the novel. Just thinking about it right now is making me laugh.
A few phrases that cracked me up:
* something to do with "Amazonian goddesses"
* "a few leggy stick figures" (what in the hell does that even mean)
* "someone tittered a laugh" (I didn't know you could titter laughs)
* "I tried hard not to turn green" (well, i think you would have to try harder to actually turn green)
And many more . . .
Oh, the writing cracked me up so much. Not only was the writing style terrible, but also the actual book.
The plotline was crap. Prim and perfect girl Cecilia Montgomery is raised by the Senator, who hides Cecilia from a normal life and secludes her from everything. Cecilia runs away to freaking Sweetbriar, Tennessee where she naturally falls in love and tries her best to hide from whoever is trying to find her.
Sound promising? I'll leave you to be the judge of that.
This book was just filled with tropes and cliches beyond belief. Naturally, Cecilia Montgomery has been sheltered her whole life, and she also has to be "beautiful" and "talented." She also is very close with her grandmother, who is practically her best friend. Are you all sensing how unoriginal this is? Cecilia runs away. (Classic, I might add.) Where does she run to? Sweetbriar, Tennessee. Where does she currently live? Boston, Massachusetts. (I think. I may be wrong on that one. I'm pretty sure I'm correct, though.) I mean, you really can't get more different than Sweetbriar. Naturally, Sweetbriar is somewhere she visited with her bestie (her grandmother). Cecilia apparently knows someone named Daria and her grandson, Jasper Case. Our good friend Cecilia reaches Sweetbriar and decides to rename herself as Lia Washington. Wow, I totally did not see that coming.
While she's stumbling around, she asks someone to find her Daria's salon. While she goes over there, some really hot cowboy stumbles out of a house where he was messing with someone else's girlfriend. Obviously, he's incredibly hot, and Lia practically melts on him. They have a conversation. She goes to Daria's salon. She gets a complete makeover.
At this point, I was like, all right. That's great. Is this going to be a real book?
The answer is no, in case you were wondering.
Highlights: Lia gets a job as a waitress. Jasper Case is the person she knows, the person who was messing around with the other person's girlfriend, and the person she falls in love with. No spoilers there! ;) ;) ;) Fiona, the best friend (because why wouldn't Lia immediately get a best friend?), is in love with Jasper, too. They become estranged. Fiona has a twin named Duncan, who has a crush on Lia. A love quadrangle? No one saw that coming! But wait! I'm not done yet!
Fiona's other friend is Britta, who Lia ends up rooming with. Britta has a sister named Shelby, who's supposed to be the villain. Shelby has an on and off relationship with Jasper. Jasper and Duncan have a rivalry.
Honestly, this has probably made a love pentagon or hexagon or whatever, and I can only talk about polygons for so long before I get bored.
Jasper and Lia hang out. OOH. So exciting.
Jasper apparently has immense amounts of talent and becomes a famous musician.
Lia has nervous breakdowns as she waits for people to find her.
Shelby is bitchy and figures out that Lia is actually Cecilia. Shelby tells Lia that she has to break up with Jasper if she doesn't want Shelby to tell anyone.
But guess what?
Jasper declares his love for her. So naturally, Lia declares hers back.
Lia breaks up with Jasper anyway. Jasper goes and tells off Shelby and comes back to Lia. They make out and are back together. Shelby comes barging into the house and tells them "They're here!"
And guess what?
THEY'RE HERE!!!
Finally, something interesting happens. People arrest Jasper. Lia is put into a car. Her mother is there.
AND BAM!!!
The book's over.
Sounds interesting, no?
Yeah, I didn't find it interesting either.
Filled with unoriginal cliches and tropes, horrible and insecure characters, no stable plotline, a freaking love pentagon or god knows what, "wise sayings", Sweetbriar goddanged Tennessee, an abusive mother? (she isn't abusive), a distant father, lots of random bad childhoods, no sense of independence, no description, bad writing style, bad book.
So that should pretty much sum it up.
You can go try out the book if you want. It may be more up your alley.
It definitely wasn't up mine.
And I'm out.
Read
March 22, 2016This book should not have been compared to Gone Girl. But that bit of false advertising aside, this was exactly what I wanted. It's a sweet, fun novel that is made me smile on basically every page.
Cecilia (or Lia, as she christens herself) is absolutely fantastic and I wanted to give her about 37 high fives over the course of the novel. The way that she goes from being completely sheltered (imagine never being able to do anything by yourself, EVER) to being able to stay hidden in a tiny town and get a job and manage to completely thrive? Yay for Lia!
I will say, though, that it ends on a cliffhanger, so hopefully there's a sequel or something. (No, seriously---WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?)
Cecilia (or Lia, as she christens herself) is absolutely fantastic and I wanted to give her about 37 high fives over the course of the novel. The way that she goes from being completely sheltered (imagine never being able to do anything by yourself, EVER) to being able to stay hidden in a tiny town and get a job and manage to completely thrive? Yay for Lia!
I will say, though, that it ends on a cliffhanger, so hopefully there's a sequel or something. (No, seriously---WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?)
did-not-finish
March 29, 2016Marked as DNF 3/29/16: After reading more reviews, I decided not to continue on with this book. I requested it for review specifically because of the Gone Girl comparison and that's really not what this book is. It's definitely more contemporary and really is not up my alley of books that I'm looking to read at the moment. Chances are, I just won't come back to this.
1/5/16:The Gone Girl comparison seems a bit misleading. This seems much more contemporary which is throwing me right now... I think I'll wait for more reviews to pop up on this before I continue.
1/5/16:The Gone Girl comparison seems a bit misleading. This seems much more contemporary which is throwing me right now... I think I'll wait for more reviews to pop up on this before I continue.
May 7, 2017
I'm going to honestly say I enjoyed the hell out of this book. It was a fast paced read that got me itching for more and turning the pages faster than I could breath. I'm not going to say it's a literary masterpiece, like it has it flaws, but overall I really really enjoyed this book
September 29, 2019
Okay, Cecelia Montgomery is the only child of Rebecca Montgomery, U.S. Senator from Massachusetts and a Very Big Gun indeed. When she was eight, Cecilia was kidnapped -- unsuccessfully -- and ever since then her mother has basically kept her under lock and key. At eighteen, she’s been tucked away in a high-security private school for a decade, absolutely all her decisions are made for her, she’s never had a boyfriend, or even ordinary friends, and she’s shadowed constantly by a security guy -- an ex-pro wrestler she refers to as “the tank.” And if she questions anything at all, her mother doesn’t hesitate to slap her hard.
But then, at her beloved grandmother’s funeral, she seizes the opportunity to steal the limo and goes on the run, changing her name and disappearing to a small Tennessee town where her grandmother’s best friend lived. She has some cash, earned from writing term papers for other students at school, but she knows almost nothing about anything out in the real world.
And that’s where the story begins to come apart at the seams. Now calling herself “Lia,” she has no difficulty making several friends and finding a waitressing job within literally minutes off getting off the bus in Sweetbriar, population 5,698. (I doubt the author has ever waited table in a diner; it’s not something you can pick up by helping out in the sweet shop at school.) Twenty-four hours later, she has a place to live, she’s met a boy -- an up-and-coming C&W guitarist and songwriter, yet -- and she’s behaving like someone with a lifetime of street smarts. Lia is not even close to credible. She constantly fears being found by the FBI and dragged back to her old life -- but how could she actually be forced to return? She’s eighteen! She hasn’t broken the law and she can go where she pleases and live however she likes. But the author ignores reality completely. Cecelia/Lia may also be black -- she refers to herself once at the very beginning as a “skinny black girl” -- but then she has her long black hair cut short and dyed blonde, as if that’s going to help her hide. The town isn’t even close to believable, either. It’s like a slice of Greenwich Village transplanted to the rural south, with numerous high-quality restaurants, a dozen hot music venues, and all sorts of boutique bakeries and clothing shops. Certainly not the South I’ve lived all my adult life in.
And the whole story takes place in her first ten days in town, during which Lia has a lifetime’s worth of experiences, ending up with her boyfriend on stage and signing a contract in Nashville. What’s more, the very abrupt ending is absolutely horrible -- and also not credible because the FBI isn’t that stupid., and they’re not going to just do whatever some Senator tells them to. I’m told there’s a sequel now, but I don’t think I’ll bother.
I picked this one up because it got so many rave reviews, but I really can’t imagine why. I give it maybe 1.5 stars out of five. And that’s being generous.
But then, at her beloved grandmother’s funeral, she seizes the opportunity to steal the limo and goes on the run, changing her name and disappearing to a small Tennessee town where her grandmother’s best friend lived. She has some cash, earned from writing term papers for other students at school, but she knows almost nothing about anything out in the real world.
And that’s where the story begins to come apart at the seams. Now calling herself “Lia,” she has no difficulty making several friends and finding a waitressing job within literally minutes off getting off the bus in Sweetbriar, population 5,698. (I doubt the author has ever waited table in a diner; it’s not something you can pick up by helping out in the sweet shop at school.) Twenty-four hours later, she has a place to live, she’s met a boy -- an up-and-coming C&W guitarist and songwriter, yet -- and she’s behaving like someone with a lifetime of street smarts. Lia is not even close to credible. She constantly fears being found by the FBI and dragged back to her old life -- but how could she actually be forced to return? She’s eighteen! She hasn’t broken the law and she can go where she pleases and live however she likes. But the author ignores reality completely. Cecelia/Lia may also be black -- she refers to herself once at the very beginning as a “skinny black girl” -- but then she has her long black hair cut short and dyed blonde, as if that’s going to help her hide. The town isn’t even close to believable, either. It’s like a slice of Greenwich Village transplanted to the rural south, with numerous high-quality restaurants, a dozen hot music venues, and all sorts of boutique bakeries and clothing shops. Certainly not the South I’ve lived all my adult life in.
And the whole story takes place in her first ten days in town, during which Lia has a lifetime’s worth of experiences, ending up with her boyfriend on stage and signing a contract in Nashville. What’s more, the very abrupt ending is absolutely horrible -- and also not credible because the FBI isn’t that stupid., and they’re not going to just do whatever some Senator tells them to. I’m told there’s a sequel now, but I don’t think I’ll bother.
I picked this one up because it got so many rave reviews, but I really can’t imagine why. I give it maybe 1.5 stars out of five. And that’s being generous.
May 7, 2016
Since I’ve been very into contemporary and romance lately, I decided I wanted to read this book. The plot sounded intriguing, and I really wish I could have loved it more. I might have had great expectations, but there were some things that I really didn’t love about this book. The main character Cecilia, over the course of the book, has so many talents or things she’s good at, and she comes off as a character who is God-like. It’s as if she didn’t have any flaws. Maybe if she hadn’t been so perfect, I might have had an easier time sympathizing for her loss. The other characters were pretty flat as well. As a reader I didn’t learn too much about them other than what was at surface level. Even the romance that was happening, it’s just not something I would have preferred. As for the concept of the book, that was another thing I wanted to like, but couldn’t get myself too. The fact that Cecilia stole a limo, and just carries a wad of money with her everywhere she goes is quite unrealistic. So was almost everything falling together so easily and perfectly. However, this book did have some good qualities as well. I enjoyed the locations of scenes and the feeling the different settings throughout the book gave me. Going to concerts, and the Fun Run were definitely some of my favorites. I loved the atmospheres created and then there was of course the ending, which leaves you on a cliffhanger. I actually liked the cliffhanger because the tension and fear was illustrated in the characters so well that it just seemed like the right place where the moment should be frozen. Overall, I thought this book is pretty average. I might read it again, but I’m not so sure.
I would like to thank Simon Pulse for sending me a copy of this book, it is highly appreciated!
Writing: 10/10
Characters: 3/10
Plot: 7/10
Ending: 9/10
Originality: 8/10
Overall: 33/50
Cover: 8/10
I would like to thank Simon Pulse for sending me a copy of this book, it is highly appreciated!
Writing: 10/10
Characters: 3/10
Plot: 7/10
Ending: 9/10
Originality: 8/10
Overall: 33/50
Cover: 8/10
October 16, 2018
I really enjoyed this book a lot. All of the characters were likeable and Jackson and Lia were so cute together. I especially loved that he was the boy she’d known went she went there as a kid.
I felt bad for Lia, but I didn’t pity her because she didn’t wallow much and I liked that even though she left everything she knew, she pulled herself together and tried to build a new life for herself.
The ending was really unsatisfactory because Lia was found and forced to go back to her old life. Not to mention the fact that Jasper was arrested for Lia’s kidnapping. It didn’t seem realistic but it was exciting to see everything that suddenly happened when Lia was found out.
This was a fun summer read and it was just nice to see Lia’s new life and how she formed relationships with the people around her. While the ending might have been abrupt, I still want to know what’s going to happen to Jasper and Lia and all of their friends.
I felt bad for Lia, but I didn’t pity her because she didn’t wallow much and I liked that even though she left everything she knew, she pulled herself together and tried to build a new life for herself.
The ending was really unsatisfactory because Lia was found and forced to go back to her old life. Not to mention the fact that Jasper was arrested for Lia’s kidnapping. It didn’t seem realistic but it was exciting to see everything that suddenly happened when Lia was found out.
This was a fun summer read and it was just nice to see Lia’s new life and how she formed relationships with the people around her. While the ending might have been abrupt, I still want to know what’s going to happen to Jasper and Lia and all of their friends.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 22, 2015
This book upset me to no end. First it almost killed my Kindle. Second I *think* the way it ends is terrible. The book was an OK story. Predictable but acceptable then at the point when my Kindle said it was 100% complete it froze. Maybe the story was finished, maybe it wasn't. It took me a lot of time to recover my Kindle back to it's rightful state and I'm not sure it's totally back. Then I'm also not sure if the story ended the way I think it ended. The way it ended on my Kindle totally colors my opinion of the book. To say the ending is cliffhanger is an understatement.
April 8, 2020
This story really wraps you in!! I loved the characters and the unique flair each location in the novel had — super vivid!! As for Cecelia (or Lia Washington), she is gutsy and smooth, yet relatable in a way all teen girls can understand. I loved the way the author explored the complexities of relationships between all sorts of people and gave a fairly honest view into the life of a young woman trying to create her identity and find her place in the world. Would strongly recommend for a romance that whisks you away and keeps the pages turning!!
October 10, 2020
Surprisingly interesting.
Romance:3
Steaminess:1
Action/suspense:2.5
Overall: 3.5
I didn’t have too high hopes for this. But it turned out well. The story was easy to read and the premise was unique in a way. I got a little annoyed at the main heroine at times. The romance was good I think. Completely lacking in steaminess but it is a YA. I’m just annoyed about the cliffhanger.
Overall, not too bad.
Romance:3
Steaminess:1
Action/suspense:2.5
Overall: 3.5
I didn’t have too high hopes for this. But it turned out well. The story was easy to read and the premise was unique in a way. I got a little annoyed at the main heroine at times. The romance was good I think. Completely lacking in steaminess but it is a YA. I’m just annoyed about the cliffhanger.
Overall, not too bad.
May 17, 2018
I loved this book! Such a good start to my summer reading! it had all the elements I love reading about during this time of year. It wasn't too complicated that if I had to wait a few days between reading it, I wasn't totally thrown off, but it had enough suspense to keep me turning the pages. It was just an awesome read and I want to recommend it to anyone who is looking for an easy beach read.
March 24, 2017
This was a good cheesy novel. And holy cliff hanger. You know those cheap romance novels with the half naked men and women on the cover like "the lords secret" or something like that? This is the YA version of that. But it was a good light read.
September 7, 2016
this was horrible-i hated most of the characters, the writing was poor, and the storyline was weak. waste of time.
May 28, 2017
Wow. I am highly disappointed with this book. I typically avoid giving my opinion online when it's negative, but for the sake of anyone wanting to read this book, here's a heads up:
Unfortunately, I came across multiple mistakes in the story. Like when Tammy gives Lia the necklace for free... TWICE. Also how in the world did Jasper get famous overnight?! And what's up with Duncan? I kept getting the sense that he was going to be big part in the plot at some point and then he just wasn't. I would also like to point out how incompetent and oblivious Lia is. It may just be me, but I felt like she made things soooooo much harder than they needed to be.
Harrison did come up with a very interesting story, I'll give her that, but the execution was rough. And leaving us on that obnoxious cliffhanger literally gave me anxiety. Like none of that would EVER happen in real life.
I don't even have the energy to talk about how everyone is in love with each other. Like every new character has once been, wants to be, or is currently in love with the same people.
Unfortunately, I came across multiple mistakes in the story. Like when Tammy gives Lia the necklace for free... TWICE. Also how in the world did Jasper get famous overnight?! And what's up with Duncan? I kept getting the sense that he was going to be big part in the plot at some point and then he just wasn't. I would also like to point out how incompetent and oblivious Lia is. It may just be me, but I felt like she made things soooooo much harder than they needed to be.
Harrison did come up with a very interesting story, I'll give her that, but the execution was rough. And leaving us on that obnoxious cliffhanger literally gave me anxiety. Like none of that would EVER happen in real life.
I don't even have the energy to talk about how everyone is in love with each other. Like every new character has once been, wants to be, or is currently in love with the same people.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 10, 2017
I seem to be the only person who didn't think this book was trash?
I mean, was it good? No.
But I also bought the book off bookoutlet, and it was cheap. And I finished the book without having to throw it across the room.
It's no masterpiece, that's for sure. It's illogical, and frustrating at times, and kind of stupid. But it was easy to read, mildly entertaining, and I already own the sequel, so I guess I just have to roll with this thing.
Still, I get where the hate for this book is coming from. I really do.
I mean, was it good? No.
But I also bought the book off bookoutlet, and it was cheap. And I finished the book without having to throw it across the room.
It's no masterpiece, that's for sure. It's illogical, and frustrating at times, and kind of stupid. But it was easy to read, mildly entertaining, and I already own the sequel, so I guess I just have to roll with this thing.
Still, I get where the hate for this book is coming from. I really do.
December 7, 2019
I wanted to give it 2 until the end
There were so many things I didn't like about this book. The cliche of the characters and story line and some of the writing being repetitive in a different way as if the author forgot she had already wrote that piece in before. But then the end came and I was near tears. The fact that it ended in a cliff hanger really upset me though. I think it would have been better as a single book. Not sure how another full book could be milked out of this to make for a happy ending.
There were so many things I didn't like about this book. The cliche of the characters and story line and some of the writing being repetitive in a different way as if the author forgot she had already wrote that piece in before. But then the end came and I was near tears. The fact that it ended in a cliff hanger really upset me though. I think it would have been better as a single book. Not sure how another full book could be milked out of this to make for a happy ending.
June 17, 2024
So many things wrong with this. Extra angsty teens, a girl who was kept from public spaces, but somehow has people skills, lucks into finding jobs that pay cash, and is hyper-aware of things around her, but somehow also falls for the town scumbag, who "miraculously" is cured of his horrible habit of cycling through girls, all in one week. Plus the horribly one-dimensional characters. And the cliffhanger ending did absolutely nothing to make me want to read more. I think it's been a long time since I disliked every character so much.
S-M, L-L/M, V-M
S-M, L-L/M, V-M
November 7, 2017
A fast read that pulled me in quickly, but I have two quibbles. First, if Ceila's eighteen, how can she be grabbed so quickly by the FBI at the end. Isn't she legally an adult who should be listened to when 'rescued'? that leads to my second issue-the abrupt ending. I understand cliffhangers that set up sequels, but this was too abrupt. Even so, I'm buying the second book to find out what happens.
March 5, 2021
3.5 Stars
A little confused how I feel about this one. It's the story of a girl, the daughter of a big famous politician, who runs away from home. She goes to a small town her grandmother had been from and there learns what it's like to be somewhat normal.
I loved the small-town aspect, and I thought it felt super warm and home-y. I also really liked some of the friendships. My main issue was with the romance, as I felt it was pretty insta-love like, and just appeared out of nowhere. Plus, i found it really hard to root for the love interest, as I found him annoying, shallow, and emotionally abusive. So not a fan of that. The book also had some editing issues (the bird necklace, some format issues) that annoyed me a little, and the inspirational quotes just came off as aggressively annoying to me.
Overall, I did enjoy it. It was a very lighthearted book with a nice setting. PG+ for some swearing (I think) and some talk of sex
A little confused how I feel about this one. It's the story of a girl, the daughter of a big famous politician, who runs away from home. She goes to a small town her grandmother had been from and there learns what it's like to be somewhat normal.
I loved the small-town aspect, and I thought it felt super warm and home-y. I also really liked some of the friendships. My main issue was with the romance, as I felt it was pretty insta-love like, and just appeared out of nowhere. Plus, i found it really hard to root for the love interest, as I found him annoying, shallow, and emotionally abusive. So not a fan of that. The book also had some editing issues (the bird necklace, some format issues) that annoyed me a little, and the inspirational quotes just came off as aggressively annoying to me.
Overall, I did enjoy it. It was a very lighthearted book with a nice setting. PG+ for some swearing (I think) and some talk of sex
April 23, 2023
This book wasn’t terrible but it was sexually inappropriate. There were many unnecessary things involving sex that wouldn’t have really changed the story. I liked this book though bc it showed the reality of our leaders lives. How people will try to hide who they are. I also like the story line. It kept you on your toes even though it was predictable lol
I will def read the next one I just wish they had decided to use a purer way to wright the book
I will def read the next one I just wish they had decided to use a purer way to wright the book
July 19, 2018
Cecilia runs away from home after her grandmother's death and finds herself living in a small town, romancing a country singer and working in a diner. Not bad but how long before her parents find her.
May 26, 2022
Definitely a young adult easy read. I thought it was a good light hearted novel to break up some more intense reads. At first I was pissed at the ending how Jasper and Shelby just got hauled out by the FBI…. but then found out there was a book 2.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 13, 2017
Good read but it really leaves you hanging at the end, I'm hoping there is a follow up.
May 29, 2017
2h25m
i need to read the next one!!!
ah i don't care about how believable it is or plot flaws i just like to enjoy a good cheesy book
i need to read the next one!!!
ah i don't care about how believable it is or plot flaws i just like to enjoy a good cheesy book
December 25, 2017
This ending... I need the second book!!!
June 30, 2018
While the storyline was decent, the editor really dropped the ball on this one.
January 11, 2019
Sometimes one needs to read something light and fun. It may not be the best writing, doesn't have a deep plot or sets out to save mankind. But it's a fun easy read!
May 3, 2020
Fun YA read with a hints of both politics and Nashville
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