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Broken Dreams #2
Always Second Best
Sometimes being first isn’t what you expected.
Seventeen-year-old ballerina Emilia Moretti is tired of always being second best. And she’s going to prove the world she deserves to be first. In her upcoming School of the Performing Arts showcase. In the eyes of her birth parents. And in the heart of the guy she loves. She spends hours rehearsing, hours dreaming about becoming number one, hours imagining how her entire life is about to change. But when nothing goes the way she planned, she’ll need to realize what it really means to be first.
Eighteen-year-old Nick Grawski doesn’t want to follow Daddy Dearest’s rules any longer. He's going to prove he's meant to be a dancer—not a lawyer—and he is not going to stay away from Em just because his father demands it. He needs to show Em that—this time around—he’s there to stay and that he won’t break her heart again. Even when her world goes down to shit, even when he finds out his dad may have been trying to protect him all along, even if being there for one another is harder than falling in love.
ALWAYS SECOND BEST is a novel of hope and heartbreak and broken dreams. It’s a novel about falling in love and discovering that being first isn’t always what matters.
Seventeen-year-old ballerina Emilia Moretti is tired of always being second best. And she’s going to prove the world she deserves to be first. In her upcoming School of the Performing Arts showcase. In the eyes of her birth parents. And in the heart of the guy she loves. She spends hours rehearsing, hours dreaming about becoming number one, hours imagining how her entire life is about to change. But when nothing goes the way she planned, she’ll need to realize what it really means to be first.
Eighteen-year-old Nick Grawski doesn’t want to follow Daddy Dearest’s rules any longer. He's going to prove he's meant to be a dancer—not a lawyer—and he is not going to stay away from Em just because his father demands it. He needs to show Em that—this time around—he’s there to stay and that he won’t break her heart again. Even when her world goes down to shit, even when he finds out his dad may have been trying to protect him all along, even if being there for one another is harder than falling in love.
ALWAYS SECOND BEST is a novel of hope and heartbreak and broken dreams. It’s a novel about falling in love and discovering that being first isn’t always what matters.
304 pages, Paperback
First published October 10, 2015
37 people are currently reading
764 people want to read
About the author
Elodie Nowodazkij
29 books428 followersElodie Nowodazkij writes sizzling rom-coms with grumpy book boyfriends and the bold, funny women who win their hearts. (Think funny Hallmark movie with the door open ;-)) Sometimes, she even writes stories that scare the crap out of her (a mix of Lifetime movies and Criminal Minds). Raised in a small French village, she almost always had a book in her hands. At nineteen, she moved to the U.S., where she found out her French accent is here to stay. Now in Maryland with her husband, dog, and cat, she whips up heartwarming, hilarious, and hot romances or heart-pounding and haunting romantic suspense novels. All of them hard to put down. Ready to take the plunge? The water’s delightfully warm.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 45 reviews
October 13, 2015
*I received digital ARC of this book from Victory Editing through Netgalley*
Review is also posted on
This is the kind of book that I wanted to love but couldn’t nevertheless. There were some points that I found good but I had problems with majority parts of it. Please know that Always Second Best is part of a series but you could enjoy it anyway as a standalone.
Sixteen years old Em had her heart broken by a boy last summer. That summer should’ve been the summer she earns the ‘price’ of her patience from nursing her little crush on her brother’s boyfriend, Nick, for God knows how long. Turned out the said boy had another plan in mind. Nick broke her heart then gone to a series of date throughout the summer. The last girl he dated was Jen, the girl who’d been an undeclared enemy to Em. It was unfair that he could go around dating any girl at school while Em had been drowning herself to a pool of sorrow. Paired it with her own issue with real mother who refuses to reconnect with her and the pressure of the upcoming audition in which her future as a dancer was at stake, Em felt like the ground she stepped on would disappear any moment these days. In between the dance practice that killing her both mentally and physically, Em still had to balance her days between mentally slapping herself for still crushing on Nick and working on her last letter to the mother who never reaches out back. But as days passed by, Em discovered that there were more to what she knew behind all those issues that surrounding her tight like her dance practice schedule. There were more to the betrayal, the rejection, the false revelation, and the pressure that coming on her way. And apparently, there was more to herself that she hadn’t figured out yet all this time.
If you notice, what I described on the brief synopsis above is nothing like the blurb said. Aaand, here comes my first issue with the book: the mismatch between the title/description with the content of the book. When you saw the title then you read the blurb, it was obvious that this book would tell a story of someone who struggle with a label of always being a second best all his/her life and it might end with the person could finally overcome the issue. This, truthfully, was intriguing and what got me into reading this book in the first place. But the thing is I didn’t see this ‘always-being-second-best’ issue actually being presented anywhere in the book. There were scenes where Em thought of herself as a second best but really, it was all just in her mind. Because in all those fifty-two chapters, I assure you that no one treated or even gave any impression of putting that label on Em. It was all just her, really.
Then about the story itself, well, it was fine. It wasn’t bad but it wasn’t any special either. But sometimes I don’t mind reading a cliché story as long as the writing style is engaging. With Always Second Best, sadly I couldn’t find it. What I noticed the most was how the author loved―like really really loved―to repeat the same first word(s) of a sentence three times in a row several times like this:
I so don’t want to get into a talk with her. Not when Nick’s supposed to be here. Not when I’m supposed to finally have the talk with him. Not when I believe maybe, just maybe, we finally have a chance again.
It was good at first as it helped the author to intensify the feeling that she wanted to relay to the readers on that particular scene (even I, myself, loved to write like this sometimes because it’s kind of poetic). But when it was done again and again, in almost every page of the book, it somehow became boring and even slightly tiring and annoying. Also, the author seemed having a problem arranging the plot. The pacing was real slow in the beginning as the story went on uneventfully. And then at one point, twist after twist came barreling in but the tensions only lasted no more than one minute as it moved into another scene quickly. There were scenes that seemed rushed. Several unnecessary details were included yet the seemingly critical points were overlooked or just ended up in vague closures. Most twists, even the important one like the truth behind Em’s real mother’s rejection, were unraveled curtly like it didn’t mean anything. The tension-building was almost absent as the transformation between each scene were unsmooth and happened quickly. Thus, it was hard to really connect with the story as we didn’t have enough time to feel along with the characters.
The characters themselves weren’t developed well. Each character didn’t hold any certain characteristic so it was hard to tolerate them, both main and side characters. The shallowness of the characters caused me to feel indifferent to whatever they did in the story. And this is really really sad because sometimes it was the characters that pull me close when the story didn’t engage my interest. I actually was intrigued with Nat’s story but her role was cut out so sudden without any closure in the end. I liked her friendship with Em that even though they were not close, they went along alright. I could relate with this kind of friendship. And also Jen, she was the reason I laughed for the first time while reading this book. Even though the change in her character was a bit confusing, I liked her when she decided to be a little more ‘reachable’ by people around her. I also liked Roberto, Em’s brother, but again, their characters were too shallow to allow readers getting to know more of them.
Despite everything, I appreciated the efforts the author put into building moments of Nick and Em. Their togetherness was not overdone to a sickening level or too plain to be called a romance. It was decent and the pace perfectly suited their age. The ending was realistic enough. Not everything worked in the end but at least everyone got what they truly needed. The moral lesson implied here was good, too. That sometimes when you have no idea where to go from where you stand at the moment, you just need to crawl back inside your heart for a while and ask your own self for a direction. Because after all, the one who can give you the best answer for that is no other than your own self.
Review is also posted on
This is the kind of book that I wanted to love but couldn’t nevertheless. There were some points that I found good but I had problems with majority parts of it. Please know that Always Second Best is part of a series but you could enjoy it anyway as a standalone.
Sixteen years old Em had her heart broken by a boy last summer. That summer should’ve been the summer she earns the ‘price’ of her patience from nursing her little crush on her brother’s boyfriend, Nick, for God knows how long. Turned out the said boy had another plan in mind. Nick broke her heart then gone to a series of date throughout the summer. The last girl he dated was Jen, the girl who’d been an undeclared enemy to Em. It was unfair that he could go around dating any girl at school while Em had been drowning herself to a pool of sorrow. Paired it with her own issue with real mother who refuses to reconnect with her and the pressure of the upcoming audition in which her future as a dancer was at stake, Em felt like the ground she stepped on would disappear any moment these days. In between the dance practice that killing her both mentally and physically, Em still had to balance her days between mentally slapping herself for still crushing on Nick and working on her last letter to the mother who never reaches out back. But as days passed by, Em discovered that there were more to what she knew behind all those issues that surrounding her tight like her dance practice schedule. There were more to the betrayal, the rejection, the false revelation, and the pressure that coming on her way. And apparently, there was more to herself that she hadn’t figured out yet all this time.
If you notice, what I described on the brief synopsis above is nothing like the blurb said. Aaand, here comes my first issue with the book: the mismatch between the title/description with the content of the book. When you saw the title then you read the blurb, it was obvious that this book would tell a story of someone who struggle with a label of always being a second best all his/her life and it might end with the person could finally overcome the issue. This, truthfully, was intriguing and what got me into reading this book in the first place. But the thing is I didn’t see this ‘always-being-second-best’ issue actually being presented anywhere in the book. There were scenes where Em thought of herself as a second best but really, it was all just in her mind. Because in all those fifty-two chapters, I assure you that no one treated or even gave any impression of putting that label on Em. It was all just her, really.
Then about the story itself, well, it was fine. It wasn’t bad but it wasn’t any special either. But sometimes I don’t mind reading a cliché story as long as the writing style is engaging. With Always Second Best, sadly I couldn’t find it. What I noticed the most was how the author loved―like really really loved―to repeat the same first word(s) of a sentence three times in a row several times like this:
I so don’t want to get into a talk with her. Not when Nick’s supposed to be here. Not when I’m supposed to finally have the talk with him. Not when I believe maybe, just maybe, we finally have a chance again.
It was good at first as it helped the author to intensify the feeling that she wanted to relay to the readers on that particular scene (even I, myself, loved to write like this sometimes because it’s kind of poetic). But when it was done again and again, in almost every page of the book, it somehow became boring and even slightly tiring and annoying. Also, the author seemed having a problem arranging the plot. The pacing was real slow in the beginning as the story went on uneventfully. And then at one point, twist after twist came barreling in but the tensions only lasted no more than one minute as it moved into another scene quickly. There were scenes that seemed rushed. Several unnecessary details were included yet the seemingly critical points were overlooked or just ended up in vague closures. Most twists, even the important one like the truth behind Em’s real mother’s rejection, were unraveled curtly like it didn’t mean anything. The tension-building was almost absent as the transformation between each scene were unsmooth and happened quickly. Thus, it was hard to really connect with the story as we didn’t have enough time to feel along with the characters.
The characters themselves weren’t developed well. Each character didn’t hold any certain characteristic so it was hard to tolerate them, both main and side characters. The shallowness of the characters caused me to feel indifferent to whatever they did in the story. And this is really really sad because sometimes it was the characters that pull me close when the story didn’t engage my interest. I actually was intrigued with Nat’s story but her role was cut out so sudden without any closure in the end. I liked her friendship with Em that even though they were not close, they went along alright. I could relate with this kind of friendship. And also Jen, she was the reason I laughed for the first time while reading this book. Even though the change in her character was a bit confusing, I liked her when she decided to be a little more ‘reachable’ by people around her. I also liked Roberto, Em’s brother, but again, their characters were too shallow to allow readers getting to know more of them.
Despite everything, I appreciated the efforts the author put into building moments of Nick and Em. Their togetherness was not overdone to a sickening level or too plain to be called a romance. It was decent and the pace perfectly suited their age. The ending was realistic enough. Not everything worked in the end but at least everyone got what they truly needed. The moral lesson implied here was good, too. That sometimes when you have no idea where to go from where you stand at the moment, you just need to crawl back inside your heart for a while and ask your own self for a direction. Because after all, the one who can give you the best answer for that is no other than your own self.
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November 9, 2015Companion novel of ONE, TWO, THREE...
September 11, 2015
There are so many things to love about Always Second Best. This is a multifaceted story if ever there was one. It broke my heart, halfway attempted to put it back together, and then broke it all over again.
Always Second Best has Romeo & Juliet vibes for the modern YA audience, with a very different ending. It's a novel of love and of loss that shows us it's okay--even important--to question the things we feel so certain that we want. And same with relationships. Familial, romantic, platonic... Sometimes relationships seem solid in their standing, whichever that standing may be. Love. Hate. Distrust. But by the end, nothing's exactly where it began. Forgiveness and perspective and knowledge are powerful things.
This is a book about discovering that no family is perfect and sometimes what may seem unforgivable is, actually, possible to let go of. Or at least to try.
Nick and Emilia. Nick and Em. I already loved them from A Summer Like No Other--which, you don't have to read to enjoy this book, but you should read it anyway.
Nick is a hell of a guy. I loved him in the prequel and I love him even more now. Even when things between Em and he are rocky, he remains a rock in the way that he's there for her. This is a second chance romance you'll be rooting from from page one. (Or, if you've read the prequel, from before the book even begins.)
And Em. Man, life throws Em everything it can in this story and she stays on her feet. She's strong and determined and is given to gentle infusions of humor that make even the hardest scenes a little easier to bear.
The plot twists and winds through unexpected loops, one after another after another. Grief piles on top of grief. This book will slay you at times, but it will also put you as close to back together as it can. Which won't be all the way. Because Always Second Best is the kind of book that will stick with you, deep in your chest, for a long time after reading.
Always Second Best has Romeo & Juliet vibes for the modern YA audience, with a very different ending. It's a novel of love and of loss that shows us it's okay--even important--to question the things we feel so certain that we want. And same with relationships. Familial, romantic, platonic... Sometimes relationships seem solid in their standing, whichever that standing may be. Love. Hate. Distrust. But by the end, nothing's exactly where it began. Forgiveness and perspective and knowledge are powerful things.
This is a book about discovering that no family is perfect and sometimes what may seem unforgivable is, actually, possible to let go of. Or at least to try.
Nick and Emilia. Nick and Em. I already loved them from A Summer Like No Other--which, you don't have to read to enjoy this book, but you should read it anyway.
"You're scared. But you don't need to be. Use this fear to show them who you are."
Nick is a hell of a guy. I loved him in the prequel and I love him even more now. Even when things between Em and he are rocky, he remains a rock in the way that he's there for her. This is a second chance romance you'll be rooting from from page one. (Or, if you've read the prequel, from before the book even begins.)
And Em. Man, life throws Em everything it can in this story and she stays on her feet. She's strong and determined and is given to gentle infusions of humor that make even the hardest scenes a little easier to bear.
The plot twists and winds through unexpected loops, one after another after another. Grief piles on top of grief. This book will slay you at times, but it will also put you as close to back together as it can. Which won't be all the way. Because Always Second Best is the kind of book that will stick with you, deep in your chest, for a long time after reading.
July 11, 2016
**Review for A Summer Like No Other & Always Second Best ***
3 “Best friend's sister romance” STARS
I’ve always been a fan of any variation of the “best friend to lovers” trope. In the Broken Dreams series there's a good combination of that because Emily is not only Nick’s best friend’s little sister, but Em is also one of the people he trusts the most. Em & Nick’s relationship is not only linked to Robert (Em’s brother), but they have history together. They’d been there for each other since they were kids and have shared a lot of good moments in the past.
When we meet Em and Nick in the first book they already have feelings for each other. Em has been in love with her brother’s BFF for what seems like a long time, and Nick has been thinking about her in not only friendly ways, if you know what I mean.
Stuck in the city for the summer, Em and Nick spend most of their time in the studio where they practice dancing and, without their friends or any distraction around, they focus their energy on each other. Of course that leads to them admiting to their feelings and moving to the next stage in their relationship. But neither of them is ready to commit to a serious relationship, so they agree to have a fling for the summer. Once it’s over, so is their relationship. You can see how this is so not going to work when the two people involved already have feelings for each other, right? Either way, they go for it.
The first book in the series is a novella that follows this summer agreement – and it seems like it wasn’t originally planned. From what I understand, the author started writing “Always Second Best” before she thought of writing “A Summer Like no Other”, but later on she saw the need to show the readers the events of the summer.
Honestly, I’m glad she did because reading ASB without ASLNO would’ve been too confusing. We needed to see Em and Nick choosing to take the next step in their relationship during the summer and seeing where it led in order to understand why they were feeling that way in the beginning of ASB.
ASLNO also helped clarify the situation involving Em and Nick’s family problems.
Nick spent all of the first book and most of the second book trying to establish some balance in his relationship with his father, a man who was willing to blackmail his own son (and practically act like his pimp) in exchange for business transactions.
Em had an even bigger plot. She’d been adopted, and although she had a family who loved her, she wanted to meet her birth parents. During her search, Em learned a lot of secrets about her biological mother, her adoptive father and even Nick’s father involvement in her adoption. Though we didn’t get a conclusion to that mystery in the end of the first book, I can’t see how it would’ve worked if the author hadn’t decided to write the novella.
The first book also helped show the relationship between Em and her grandmother, who was an important person in Em’s life and in the decisions she came to make later on.
So, overall, I believe writing ASLNO was the best decision the author made.
Moving on to the second book, ASB picked up from where ASLNO left off – a few months after the summer that ended with Nick & Em putting an end to their relationship even though both had fallen in love.
Unlike the first one that focused a lot more on the romance, ASB spent a lot of time on Nick and Em’s personal battles – mainly because the two of them were separated and trying to figure out their own lives.
Nick’s dad was still the same jerk who was so desperate to impose his lifestyle and understanding of what was the right path that he didn’t realize that he was making all the worse decisions and hurting his family. Nick’s mom wasn’t much better. In her defense, she evolved as a character, a human being and a parent throughout the second book, but it took her a while to get there. Meanwhile, Nick was thrown in the middle of this messy family, trying to find his voice and strength to finally stand up to himself. It was interesting to watch him go from the boy who was being blackmailed and pushed this and that way to the boy who finally told his father “no more!”.
On her side, Em was spending all her time with her grandmother in her restaurant or in the studio practicing. The school had a big event coming and she wanted to get the leading role. Since Em struggled to show emotion in her performances, she wanted to get her technique perfect. She was so focused on the dance that she even left the whole “hunting her birth mother” plan for a while.
The moments Em spent with her grandmother were always a great way to show her emotions and get a better understanding of her as a person. I really appreciated them and how they helped move the story forward. Those moments also turned out to be extremely important toward the end when Em chose to evaluate her passion for dancing and what she really wanted out of life.
Later on, Em restarted her search for her birth mother and that led to some surprising and some not so surprising, but still interesting developments. No spoilers!
Throughout all of this, Nick made sure Em understood he was there for her – and that was one of my favorite things about him. No matter what was going on in his personal life; no matter how distant Em acted; no matter how much he wanted to be more than friends, Nick never forgot to support and be there for Em. And there were more than a few times Em needed him. He was a really supportive person, and that’s always a good trait to have in a love interest.
Romance lovers should not worry because even if things didn’t end well in the first book for the couple, and it took them long enough to find their way back to each other in the second, Em and Nick finally admit to their feelings and decide to make it work.
So, even though I had a few problems with these books and some of the author's choices, overall this was a good series that focused not only on the romance but also on the character's personal battles.
3 “Best friend's sister romance” STARS
I’ve always been a fan of any variation of the “best friend to lovers” trope. In the Broken Dreams series there's a good combination of that because Emily is not only Nick’s best friend’s little sister, but Em is also one of the people he trusts the most. Em & Nick’s relationship is not only linked to Robert (Em’s brother), but they have history together. They’d been there for each other since they were kids and have shared a lot of good moments in the past.
When we meet Em and Nick in the first book they already have feelings for each other. Em has been in love with her brother’s BFF for what seems like a long time, and Nick has been thinking about her in not only friendly ways, if you know what I mean.
Stuck in the city for the summer, Em and Nick spend most of their time in the studio where they practice dancing and, without their friends or any distraction around, they focus their energy on each other. Of course that leads to them admiting to their feelings and moving to the next stage in their relationship. But neither of them is ready to commit to a serious relationship, so they agree to have a fling for the summer. Once it’s over, so is their relationship. You can see how this is so not going to work when the two people involved already have feelings for each other, right? Either way, they go for it.
The first book in the series is a novella that follows this summer agreement – and it seems like it wasn’t originally planned. From what I understand, the author started writing “Always Second Best” before she thought of writing “A Summer Like no Other”, but later on she saw the need to show the readers the events of the summer.
Honestly, I’m glad she did because reading ASB without ASLNO would’ve been too confusing. We needed to see Em and Nick choosing to take the next step in their relationship during the summer and seeing where it led in order to understand why they were feeling that way in the beginning of ASB.
ASLNO also helped clarify the situation involving Em and Nick’s family problems.
Nick spent all of the first book and most of the second book trying to establish some balance in his relationship with his father, a man who was willing to blackmail his own son (and practically act like his pimp) in exchange for business transactions.
Em had an even bigger plot. She’d been adopted, and although she had a family who loved her, she wanted to meet her birth parents. During her search, Em learned a lot of secrets about her biological mother, her adoptive father and even Nick’s father involvement in her adoption. Though we didn’t get a conclusion to that mystery in the end of the first book, I can’t see how it would’ve worked if the author hadn’t decided to write the novella.
The first book also helped show the relationship between Em and her grandmother, who was an important person in Em’s life and in the decisions she came to make later on.
So, overall, I believe writing ASLNO was the best decision the author made.
Moving on to the second book, ASB picked up from where ASLNO left off – a few months after the summer that ended with Nick & Em putting an end to their relationship even though both had fallen in love.
Unlike the first one that focused a lot more on the romance, ASB spent a lot of time on Nick and Em’s personal battles – mainly because the two of them were separated and trying to figure out their own lives.
Nick’s dad was still the same jerk who was so desperate to impose his lifestyle and understanding of what was the right path that he didn’t realize that he was making all the worse decisions and hurting his family. Nick’s mom wasn’t much better. In her defense, she evolved as a character, a human being and a parent throughout the second book, but it took her a while to get there. Meanwhile, Nick was thrown in the middle of this messy family, trying to find his voice and strength to finally stand up to himself. It was interesting to watch him go from the boy who was being blackmailed and pushed this and that way to the boy who finally told his father “no more!”.
On her side, Em was spending all her time with her grandmother in her restaurant or in the studio practicing. The school had a big event coming and she wanted to get the leading role. Since Em struggled to show emotion in her performances, she wanted to get her technique perfect. She was so focused on the dance that she even left the whole “hunting her birth mother” plan for a while.
The moments Em spent with her grandmother were always a great way to show her emotions and get a better understanding of her as a person. I really appreciated them and how they helped move the story forward. Those moments also turned out to be extremely important toward the end when Em chose to evaluate her passion for dancing and what she really wanted out of life.
Later on, Em restarted her search for her birth mother and that led to some surprising and some not so surprising, but still interesting developments. No spoilers!
Throughout all of this, Nick made sure Em understood he was there for her – and that was one of my favorite things about him. No matter what was going on in his personal life; no matter how distant Em acted; no matter how much he wanted to be more than friends, Nick never forgot to support and be there for Em. And there were more than a few times Em needed him. He was a really supportive person, and that’s always a good trait to have in a love interest.
Romance lovers should not worry because even if things didn’t end well in the first book for the couple, and it took them long enough to find their way back to each other in the second, Em and Nick finally admit to their feelings and decide to make it work.
So, even though I had a few problems with these books and some of the author's choices, overall this was a good series that focused not only on the romance but also on the character's personal battles.
April 18, 2025
⭐️ 3.6/5
(Crochet audiobook) Tbh: it’s a lot better than I thought it would be; better than the first. May this type of love find me.
(Crochet audiobook) Tbh: it’s a lot better than I thought it would be; better than the first. May this type of love find me.
January 15, 2019
A story with an ending.
Not like the prequel, not perfect, but definitely better.
I still hope to see more introspection on the characters but at least I found some closure.
Anyeays, YA love stories will always be one of my favourite genres, and this book was about one of them.
Not like the prequel, not perfect, but definitely better.
I still hope to see more introspection on the characters but at least I found some closure.
Anyeays, YA love stories will always be one of my favourite genres, and this book was about one of them.
October 16, 2015
You can see the full review HERE
I read A Summer Like no Other a couple of months ago and because of that as soon as I saw this book available for request on NetGalley I knew I needed to read it especially after the way that A Summer Like no Other ended. I wasn’t disappointed with this book. I loved the characters and seeing their development through the book. One thing I especially loved was that once Em and Nick were together there were no problems in their relationship that we are used to see in YA novels. I really liked that Em and Nick were always there for each other when they needed and how important they were for each other. As I said before this book isn’t only about their relationship, it also deals with things in Em’s life, especially the circumstances of her birth and adoption and while I wasn’t that surprised with what happened (I had a suspicion since I read A Summer Like no Other) there were a few things that I wasn’t expecting and that really surprised me. Another great thing in this book is that we see Em and Nick having doubts about what they want to do in the future and if they still have the passion needed to dance and that is also something that I’m not used to have in YA books. This book had great characters and I would love to keep reading about some of them (okay I need a book about Roberto and Giovanni and other one about Jen). It was amazing how I liked almost every character from this book because this usually doesn’t happens :) .
Overall this was a great book and it was a fast read. If you want to read a cute contemporary book you should give this one a try because you won't be disappointed.
*I was provided an eARC by Victory Editing via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review
I read A Summer Like no Other a couple of months ago and because of that as soon as I saw this book available for request on NetGalley I knew I needed to read it especially after the way that A Summer Like no Other ended. I wasn’t disappointed with this book. I loved the characters and seeing their development through the book. One thing I especially loved was that once Em and Nick were together there were no problems in their relationship that we are used to see in YA novels. I really liked that Em and Nick were always there for each other when they needed and how important they were for each other. As I said before this book isn’t only about their relationship, it also deals with things in Em’s life, especially the circumstances of her birth and adoption and while I wasn’t that surprised with what happened (I had a suspicion since I read A Summer Like no Other) there were a few things that I wasn’t expecting and that really surprised me. Another great thing in this book is that we see Em and Nick having doubts about what they want to do in the future and if they still have the passion needed to dance and that is also something that I’m not used to have in YA books. This book had great characters and I would love to keep reading about some of them (okay I need a book about Roberto and Giovanni and other one about Jen). It was amazing how I liked almost every character from this book because this usually doesn’t happens :) .
Overall this was a great book and it was a fast read. If you want to read a cute contemporary book you should give this one a try because you won't be disappointed.
*I was provided an eARC by Victory Editing via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review
July 3, 2016
DISCLAIMER: I received a copy of this book in exchange for honest review.
Getting to read the books back-to-back, one right after the other helped still my aching heart. If I did not have this book to continue Em and Nick's story, I think I might have had a heart attack. I am joking, but I am also very serious. I seem to take some things far too seriously, and my heart just throws me to the ground. My mom saw me pounding at my chest, I had just finished reading this, and she looked at me with bulging eyeballs of concern. When I told her it was a book heart-attack, she rolled her eyes and walked away. Nick and Em . . . it seems Fate just kept trying to either pull them together or tear them apart. Misunderstandings, heart-breaking news, amongst other things, all boiling down to an amazing outcome.
CLICK HERE ON JULY 14th
Getting to read the books back-to-back, one right after the other helped still my aching heart. If I did not have this book to continue Em and Nick's story, I think I might have had a heart attack. I am joking, but I am also very serious. I seem to take some things far too seriously, and my heart just throws me to the ground. My mom saw me pounding at my chest, I had just finished reading this, and she looked at me with bulging eyeballs of concern. When I told her it was a book heart-attack, she rolled her eyes and walked away. Nick and Em . . . it seems Fate just kept trying to either pull them together or tear them apart. Misunderstandings, heart-breaking news, amongst other things, all boiling down to an amazing outcome.
CLICK HERE ON JULY 14th
December 5, 2018
Ooh I do love a good romance and in Elodie Nowodazkij’s novel Always Second Best we get a damn good romance. It is the will they/won’t they tale of Emelia and Nick and how they have decided to not be together but nothing seems to be able to keep them apart. Not their potential futures, not other partners and certainly not their families.
Always Second Best is only a short novel but it is packed full of drama. I couldn’t put it down as with the turning of each page I became more and more desperate to know what would happen with this young couple.
Always Second Best by Elodie Nowodazkij is available now.
Always Second Best is only a short novel but it is packed full of drama. I couldn’t put it down as with the turning of each page I became more and more desperate to know what would happen with this young couple.
Always Second Best by Elodie Nowodazkij is available now.
July 3, 2024
I read this because i had the free audio of the first book. It’s a sequel, so i wanted to find out what happens. It was interesting enough and i am glad i read it. But it could have been 1 book in all honesty.
The writing style wasn’t entirely my favorite. It was much easier getting through the first book because of the audio version.
The writing style wasn’t entirely my favorite. It was much easier getting through the first book because of the audio version.
December 27, 2016
I thought it was the perfect ending for these two, even though I was hoping for a wedding... lol But I love how Elodie writes and she brought Em and Nick together in a great way.
June 27, 2017
Actual rating - 3.5
May 24, 2019
This book is awesome, there are many twists and secrets but there is a lot of love and understanding.
Love this story of Em and Nick,love them
Love this story of Em and Nick,love them
July 6, 2020
Love it love the storyline
A sad but happy story. Also some excitement.
I also love romances and things like that so I read the caption, and I was interested.
A sad but happy story. Also some excitement.
I also love romances and things like that so I read the caption, and I was interested.
May 24, 2021
I loved the first book to this series so I don't know why I didn't like this one. I just couldn't get involved no matter how hard I tried
July 26, 2022
Loved!
January 3, 2023
Not as good as the first, but still not bad. The ending has so many plot twists that were, in my eyes, not necessary. Some were good, some where reaching.
March 16, 2024
This book outdid the last one by 1000 percent. I loved it!
December 15, 2024
Loved following Em and Nicks story glad they worked it all out and all the secrets got uncovered.
January 7, 2025
I have to many questions; what‘s about Natha? How is Jens sister? Whats with the Dads drama? Why is there so much happening and no proper Story line? Thanks
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 4, 2018
Sooooo good!
You know those books that make you ugly cry and people just don't understand how you can love something so much that evokes such an emotion from you? Well this is one of those books. I lol'd and I cried big, fat ugly tears. Such a good, heart warming story with a lot of layers. Simply put this book moved me and I loved every minute of it.
You know those books that make you ugly cry and people just don't understand how you can love something so much that evokes such an emotion from you? Well this is one of those books. I lol'd and I cried big, fat ugly tears. Such a good, heart warming story with a lot of layers. Simply put this book moved me and I loved every minute of it.
July 12, 2016
Em and Nick had one summer together, where they both knew that their relationship would have an expiration date. It has been months since that summer, which was both amazing and heartbreaking. Em has to face the rejection of her birth mother and too many secrets to keep track of. Nick has to deal with his father controlling every aspect of his life, including who he dates, so he can keep going to the dance academy. They both have so much baggage, but together they just might be strong enough to face the truth.
I have read book one in this series, One, Two Three, as well as the prequel novella, A Summer Like No Other, before reading this book. I would recommend reading the prequel novella before this story, but book one could actually fit anywhere since it is a different character who’s story takes place during and after this book. I have enjoyed this series; the books are cute, sweet romances filled with family dramas and hard life choices. Pretty much growing up teen books.
This book was more of a teen-growing-up book than all the rest, or at least the novella since that was almost exclusively on the romance between Em and Nick. The romance here had resolved with almost no drama and moderate amounts of angst by like page 80. The rest of the book dealt with the lies and drama that surrounded Em’s family and her choices on how to cope. This story had some hard truths the characters had to face, such as death, as well as actions that could destroy people, and mental handicaps. I like how the story alternated between both Em and Nick, each with a distinct voice and personality. The story centered on how the two come together to support the other while figuring out if dancing is their real passion. I enjoyed the relationship that Em and Jen developed, it made me happy that they could be something more than bitter rivals. It was also nice to see Nata the dancer instead of Nata the lost and broken from book 1.
The one issue I had with the this book, as well as the wholes series really, is the lack of dancing and the dancing related drama I hoped for. I have learned that the dancing is just a backdrop to emotional growth the characters experience, but I am not going to lie it makes me a little sad. I started the series looking for something similar to a teen version of the movie Center Stage with some Black Swan thrown in, and these are nothing like that. Still good books, and I will read more if something else comes out in the series, but don’t have the same expectations going in that I did. On a side note, I will never think about going to kill zombies the same.
I received this title from the author in return for my honest review.
For more reviews visit my blog at http://smadasbooksmack.blogspot.com/
I have read book one in this series, One, Two Three, as well as the prequel novella, A Summer Like No Other, before reading this book. I would recommend reading the prequel novella before this story, but book one could actually fit anywhere since it is a different character who’s story takes place during and after this book. I have enjoyed this series; the books are cute, sweet romances filled with family dramas and hard life choices. Pretty much growing up teen books.
This book was more of a teen-growing-up book than all the rest, or at least the novella since that was almost exclusively on the romance between Em and Nick. The romance here had resolved with almost no drama and moderate amounts of angst by like page 80. The rest of the book dealt with the lies and drama that surrounded Em’s family and her choices on how to cope. This story had some hard truths the characters had to face, such as death, as well as actions that could destroy people, and mental handicaps. I like how the story alternated between both Em and Nick, each with a distinct voice and personality. The story centered on how the two come together to support the other while figuring out if dancing is their real passion. I enjoyed the relationship that Em and Jen developed, it made me happy that they could be something more than bitter rivals. It was also nice to see Nata the dancer instead of Nata the lost and broken from book 1.
The one issue I had with the this book, as well as the wholes series really, is the lack of dancing and the dancing related drama I hoped for. I have learned that the dancing is just a backdrop to emotional growth the characters experience, but I am not going to lie it makes me a little sad. I started the series looking for something similar to a teen version of the movie Center Stage with some Black Swan thrown in, and these are nothing like that. Still good books, and I will read more if something else comes out in the series, but don’t have the same expectations going in that I did. On a side note, I will never think about going to kill zombies the same.
I received this title from the author in return for my honest review.
For more reviews visit my blog at http://smadasbooksmack.blogspot.com/
July 12, 2016
This is a two book series that follows Emilia and Nick who are both dancers at the same school. Emilia is adopted and has a brother named Roberto who happens to be Nick's best friend. Emilia, Nick and Roberto have been close friends and hung out together a lot in the past few years. The story is told from two point of views Emilia and Nick and goes back and forth in chapters.
The first book is about Emilia's search for her mother and answers about her adoption. Emilia's adopted father has lost his job so they are also in the process of downsizing. Nick is their to help Emilia with all this change and they start to become more then just friends. In the second book we get a much better look at their relationship as well as Emilia's continued search for answers on her adoption.
The first book is a super quick read that only took me a few hours to read. The story is basically taking place over a short period of time, which is the summer so it moves along rapidly. We do learn a lot of backstory on Emilia and Nick that I think is critical information to know for reading the second book. In my opinion the second book is much more captivating. The story is a lot more complex and again fast moving, but even faster then the first book. The second book spans a longer time period so each character experiences a lot of growing.
Things I loved about the series is all of the changes in relationships that the characters experience. Emilia had a rough time at school with this girl Jen. Jen used to date Nick at on point in the book. Emilia always though that Jen hated her and would be mean to her. Due to a tragedy that happens to Emilia's roommate Jen and Emilia have to room together. In between this time Emilia learns a lot about Jen and they become friends. As they talk things out in the book we learn that Jen is not the person that she seems and Emilia may have been quick to judge her. I love how this friendship grew and the importance of not judging a book by the cover.
Emilia and Nick both grow a lot during the series. Emilia learns everything about her adoption and has to come head first on with all of those feelings. What Emilia learns and in turn does with that information shows how strong of a character she actually is. Nick also does a lot of growing in the book he has learned to stand up to his father.
The ending of the book is amazing! We really get to see the strength in the characters and what the future might hold.
I received a copy of these books from YA Bound Book Tours for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of this book.
The first book is about Emilia's search for her mother and answers about her adoption. Emilia's adopted father has lost his job so they are also in the process of downsizing. Nick is their to help Emilia with all this change and they start to become more then just friends. In the second book we get a much better look at their relationship as well as Emilia's continued search for answers on her adoption.
The first book is a super quick read that only took me a few hours to read. The story is basically taking place over a short period of time, which is the summer so it moves along rapidly. We do learn a lot of backstory on Emilia and Nick that I think is critical information to know for reading the second book. In my opinion the second book is much more captivating. The story is a lot more complex and again fast moving, but even faster then the first book. The second book spans a longer time period so each character experiences a lot of growing.
Things I loved about the series is all of the changes in relationships that the characters experience. Emilia had a rough time at school with this girl Jen. Jen used to date Nick at on point in the book. Emilia always though that Jen hated her and would be mean to her. Due to a tragedy that happens to Emilia's roommate Jen and Emilia have to room together. In between this time Emilia learns a lot about Jen and they become friends. As they talk things out in the book we learn that Jen is not the person that she seems and Emilia may have been quick to judge her. I love how this friendship grew and the importance of not judging a book by the cover.
Emilia and Nick both grow a lot during the series. Emilia learns everything about her adoption and has to come head first on with all of those feelings. What Emilia learns and in turn does with that information shows how strong of a character she actually is. Nick also does a lot of growing in the book he has learned to stand up to his father.
The ending of the book is amazing! We really get to see the strength in the characters and what the future might hold.
I received a copy of these books from YA Bound Book Tours for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of this book.
October 19, 2015
( Source: Thanks to Net Galley and for the publisher. This will not affect my reviews. )
This story affect me so much, not in a bad way. They say “Make your Passion be your Profession”. And this story is all about Passion, Second Chances, and Dreams.
When I read this, there’s always a pang of sadness on me every time I read the point of views of Nick and Em and how hard it is for them after what happened last summer. Their wanting to be each other is KILLING ME!! And we can relate to this story because it faces the struggle of wanting to make your family proud of you and knowing and to follow your dreams.
” Being first doesn’t always mean the first place on the podium. Being first should be about learning what it is that makes you happy and pursuing that dream and not giving up and staying true to yourself. Being first should be about journey”
Em and Nick OHH!! I LOVE THEM BOTH, BUT IF I WOULD CHOOSE WHO I LOVE BETWEEN THEM, IT’S NICK. I love the characteristics of Nick, especially when he strive to do better and to prove to his dad that dancing is what he really loves. Even though his dad wants something for him. At first, I thought Nick is some kind of arrogant and stubborn son, but he is not. He easily switch girls from time to time because he follows his dad whenever he told him to date someone just for the sake of their business. But Nick changed because he loves EM.
We’ve known EM in the “A Summer Like This” that she found her true mother. And it’s been hard for her especially when she thought that her true mom don’t like her and it has a lot of revelation when her father revealed that he is her true father. But she has to be strong, and Nick is always on her side. Somehow, I relate to her about her passion. She may not be a lead to the showcase but she found what she really loves to do, it’s cooking. I admired her step mom, Amanda, because she’s a sweet, supportive and strong mom. It’s hard for her to accept the revelations of her husband. It was shocking revelation even to me.
Always Second Best follows a story of Nick and Em after their summer romance. A Summer Like No Other is the first part of the story.
This story affect me so much, not in a bad way. They say “Make your Passion be your Profession”. And this story is all about Passion, Second Chances, and Dreams.
When I read this, there’s always a pang of sadness on me every time I read the point of views of Nick and Em and how hard it is for them after what happened last summer. Their wanting to be each other is KILLING ME!! And we can relate to this story because it faces the struggle of wanting to make your family proud of you and knowing and to follow your dreams.
” Being first doesn’t always mean the first place on the podium. Being first should be about learning what it is that makes you happy and pursuing that dream and not giving up and staying true to yourself. Being first should be about journey”
Em and Nick OHH!! I LOVE THEM BOTH, BUT IF I WOULD CHOOSE WHO I LOVE BETWEEN THEM, IT’S NICK. I love the characteristics of Nick, especially when he strive to do better and to prove to his dad that dancing is what he really loves. Even though his dad wants something for him. At first, I thought Nick is some kind of arrogant and stubborn son, but he is not. He easily switch girls from time to time because he follows his dad whenever he told him to date someone just for the sake of their business. But Nick changed because he loves EM.
We’ve known EM in the “A Summer Like This” that she found her true mother. And it’s been hard for her especially when she thought that her true mom don’t like her and it has a lot of revelation when her father revealed that he is her true father. But she has to be strong, and Nick is always on her side. Somehow, I relate to her about her passion. She may not be a lead to the showcase but she found what she really loves to do, it’s cooking. I admired her step mom, Amanda, because she’s a sweet, supportive and strong mom. It’s hard for her to accept the revelations of her husband. It was shocking revelation even to me.
Always Second Best follows a story of Nick and Em after their summer romance. A Summer Like No Other is the first part of the story.
February 6, 2016
*I recieved ARCs from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not in any way affect my opinion, and all thoughts expressed in this review is unbiased and my own.*
Emilia is struggling with making her parents proud of her, and she feels like she’s never good enough. This has a lot to do with the fact that she is adopted. She is also trying to get her birth-mother to talk to her. At the same time, she’s struggling with her feelings for Nick, especially after their summer together, and trying to figure out who she really is and what she wants to do.
I found Em really relatable. She reminded me a bit of myself, which made it really easy to relate to her. Everything about her felt real and genuine. I felt everything she felt. And her relationship to her grandmother was really sweet and touching.
Nick is totally swoon-worthy. He’s so protective of Em, and it’s really sweet.
The plot was great. I was actually surprised that it was taking place around the same time as One Dream Only and One, Two, Three, I thought it would be after, but I’m not complaining. It was actually interesting to see what happened at School of Performing Arts after Natalya had her accidents, to see how it affected everyone, especially Em.
And the plot twists – especially one – were really unpredictable. I did not see it coming. I was so shocked when all was revealed. And the ending was also pretty unpredictable, although it didn’t really shock me, but it wasn’t what I’d expected, either.
And I cried so much at one part of the book, you who have read it probably know which part I mean, but I won’t write it, because it’s a big spoiler. But I will say that I haven’t cried this much since I read The Fault in Our Stars.
I would definitely recommend this, even if you didn’t like the first book, because I totally loved this. It was such a sweet, moving, interesting book filled with awesome, relatable characters, and packed with a lot of emotion. It was an emotional roller coaster.
Emilia is struggling with making her parents proud of her, and she feels like she’s never good enough. This has a lot to do with the fact that she is adopted. She is also trying to get her birth-mother to talk to her. At the same time, she’s struggling with her feelings for Nick, especially after their summer together, and trying to figure out who she really is and what she wants to do.
I found Em really relatable. She reminded me a bit of myself, which made it really easy to relate to her. Everything about her felt real and genuine. I felt everything she felt. And her relationship to her grandmother was really sweet and touching.
Nick is totally swoon-worthy. He’s so protective of Em, and it’s really sweet.
The plot was great. I was actually surprised that it was taking place around the same time as One Dream Only and One, Two, Three, I thought it would be after, but I’m not complaining. It was actually interesting to see what happened at School of Performing Arts after Natalya had her accidents, to see how it affected everyone, especially Em.
And the plot twists – especially one – were really unpredictable. I did not see it coming. I was so shocked when all was revealed. And the ending was also pretty unpredictable, although it didn’t really shock me, but it wasn’t what I’d expected, either.
And I cried so much at one part of the book, you who have read it probably know which part I mean, but I won’t write it, because it’s a big spoiler. But I will say that I haven’t cried this much since I read The Fault in Our Stars.
I would definitely recommend this, even if you didn’t like the first book, because I totally loved this. It was such a sweet, moving, interesting book filled with awesome, relatable characters, and packed with a lot of emotion. It was an emotional roller coaster.
October 6, 2015
(I received a copy from Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.)
Always second best
Typo Error:
- Chapter 37: It should be Roberto who had blood poisoning and not Nick.
- Chapter 44 (page 168): where Nick shared about the last time he went to a hospital:
“…the last time I went to the hospital was when my grandmother passed away. I still remember him taking his last breath.”
First of all, I’m thankful for having the opportunity to read this book before it has been publish.
I love Noona. I love her. I love her humility. I love her advice about love and pain and forgiveness.
One of her advices that I love the most is:
“But I don’t regret those loves because they didn’t mean to hurt me.
I didn’t go into those relationships thinking how bad they were for me, but rather how good they made me feel.”
This advice hit the spot for me. I’m the kind of person who focuses on the pain rather than how happy I can be despite the promise of getting hurt. I’d rather not experience being happy when I know in the end I’ll end up hurt and broken. But this advice made me think that sometime, feeling pain makes us human. Feeling the pain makes us cherish all the happiness and love we felt. To cherish those memories.
However, I don’t really like the book. The first chapters were kinda boring and those are the most crucial part for most readers. It depends on the vibes on those chapters whether the readers will read it till the end or toss it to the other side of the room.
While reading the book, it felt like Elodie got a lot of ideas for the book but it’s too much. It end up some of the ideas became unnecessary like the one about Jen’s. There are a lot of ideas cramped up and it’s too heavy and confusing. Too much ideas that some weren’t given details. Like the down syndrome of Hannah, there was no explanation or details of how it affects the father or their situation. How was it important to the story? It felt like it was just added to make the father more of a jerk. It was hanging and confusing.
It was monotomous. Sorry.
Always second best
Typo Error:
- Chapter 37: It should be Roberto who had blood poisoning and not Nick.
- Chapter 44 (page 168): where Nick shared about the last time he went to a hospital:
“…the last time I went to the hospital was when my grandmother passed away. I still remember him taking his last breath.”
First of all, I’m thankful for having the opportunity to read this book before it has been publish.
I love Noona. I love her. I love her humility. I love her advice about love and pain and forgiveness.
One of her advices that I love the most is:
“But I don’t regret those loves because they didn’t mean to hurt me.
I didn’t go into those relationships thinking how bad they were for me, but rather how good they made me feel.”
This advice hit the spot for me. I’m the kind of person who focuses on the pain rather than how happy I can be despite the promise of getting hurt. I’d rather not experience being happy when I know in the end I’ll end up hurt and broken. But this advice made me think that sometime, feeling pain makes us human. Feeling the pain makes us cherish all the happiness and love we felt. To cherish those memories.
However, I don’t really like the book. The first chapters were kinda boring and those are the most crucial part for most readers. It depends on the vibes on those chapters whether the readers will read it till the end or toss it to the other side of the room.
While reading the book, it felt like Elodie got a lot of ideas for the book but it’s too much. It end up some of the ideas became unnecessary like the one about Jen’s. There are a lot of ideas cramped up and it’s too heavy and confusing. Too much ideas that some weren’t given details. Like the down syndrome of Hannah, there was no explanation or details of how it affects the father or their situation. How was it important to the story? It felt like it was just added to make the father more of a jerk. It was hanging and confusing.
It was monotomous. Sorry.
November 30, 2015
Full review HERE
I received an eArc from the publisher through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
As soon as I was done with A Summer Like No Other, I started with this novel, which I was glad to have received from the publisher through Netgalley (thank you!). I was glad to read more about Em and Nick, I really like them!
This book picks up several months after their failed relationship in the summer and I was pleasantly surprised that although the romance is a big part of the book, it is not the main theme. Instead, what they both want out of life takes central stage and they both have to decide what they want to do for themselves.
I really liked that there wasn’t that much angst between them, they were both very clear about what they wanted and once they got back together, there wasn’t any hint of jealousy or lack of devotion to each other, and that is fantastically fresh in YA romance.
The family aspect was so good, I loved to see more of Nick and his parents and to finally understand what was going on with Em’s dad. Although I did find an inconsistency about Em’s birth mother – SPOILER!!! In A Summer Like No Other, it is mentioned that Claire worked for Em’s dad until Em was 8 years old, however in this book, Claire says that she just talked to Em’s dad a couple of times after she was born, and that he had no idea about her twin until a few time after… I felt like something escaped me or that I didn’t understand something. Have you read this? Have you understood what was going on?
All in all, I really liked this book, I was so happy about Nick and Em, and even their zombie killings… ;-)
Rating: 3.8 Stars
I received an eArc from the publisher through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
As soon as I was done with A Summer Like No Other, I started with this novel, which I was glad to have received from the publisher through Netgalley (thank you!). I was glad to read more about Em and Nick, I really like them!
This book picks up several months after their failed relationship in the summer and I was pleasantly surprised that although the romance is a big part of the book, it is not the main theme. Instead, what they both want out of life takes central stage and they both have to decide what they want to do for themselves.
I really liked that there wasn’t that much angst between them, they were both very clear about what they wanted and once they got back together, there wasn’t any hint of jealousy or lack of devotion to each other, and that is fantastically fresh in YA romance.
The family aspect was so good, I loved to see more of Nick and his parents and to finally understand what was going on with Em’s dad. Although I did find an inconsistency about Em’s birth mother – SPOILER!!! In A Summer Like No Other, it is mentioned that Claire worked for Em’s dad until Em was 8 years old, however in this book, Claire says that she just talked to Em’s dad a couple of times after she was born, and that he had no idea about her twin until a few time after… I felt like something escaped me or that I didn’t understand something. Have you read this? Have you understood what was going on?
All in all, I really liked this book, I was so happy about Nick and Em, and even their zombie killings… ;-)
Rating: 3.8 Stars
November 6, 2015
I received an ARC of this book via NetGalley.
This was kind of a Danielle Steele for teenagers: lots of melodrama, plenty of forbidden romance, some who-are-my-real-parents action. It got to the point where it was just a barrage of bad things all happening one after the other, which almost made it comical.
The story is told from two narrators, but their voices are so similar that I would often forget which one was talking and get confused (as they were the male and female romantic leads). Both featured choppy, fragmented sentences to heighten the drama ("There's nothing I can do. Except wait." Et cetera).
I feel like I don't have much to say about it because it was so forgettable and mediocre. I don't really understand how these two narrators, the children of former friends and business partners who are now bitter rivals, somehow coincidentally managed to both be great ballet dancers at a private school? It seems like there was supposed to be a bit of a mystery with who-broke-up-with-whom before this story picks up, but I just didn't really care.
Granted, I am twice the age of the book's intended audience, but I definitely can spot great YA literature when I see it. This is a bit of Lifetime fluff that will be fun and forgettable for teenage girls looking for a bit of pulp in their lives. Now, I definitely appreciate the place of pulp, and maybe this will be reasonably fun for some of those teenage girls.
This was kind of a Danielle Steele for teenagers: lots of melodrama, plenty of forbidden romance, some who-are-my-real-parents action. It got to the point where it was just a barrage of bad things all happening one after the other, which almost made it comical.
The story is told from two narrators, but their voices are so similar that I would often forget which one was talking and get confused (as they were the male and female romantic leads). Both featured choppy, fragmented sentences to heighten the drama ("There's nothing I can do. Except wait." Et cetera).
I feel like I don't have much to say about it because it was so forgettable and mediocre. I don't really understand how these two narrators, the children of former friends and business partners who are now bitter rivals, somehow coincidentally managed to both be great ballet dancers at a private school? It seems like there was supposed to be a bit of a mystery with who-broke-up-with-whom before this story picks up, but I just didn't really care.
Granted, I am twice the age of the book's intended audience, but I definitely can spot great YA literature when I see it. This is a bit of Lifetime fluff that will be fun and forgettable for teenage girls looking for a bit of pulp in their lives. Now, I definitely appreciate the place of pulp, and maybe this will be reasonably fun for some of those teenage girls.
October 15, 2015
Seventeen year old ballerina Emilia Moretti has felt second best her whole life, and she has decided that she is going to show the world that she can be the best. (The world mainly being her birth mother and her ex best friend/summer fling.)
"But when everything went crashing faster than a dancer missing his or her landing, I still had hope. I dreamed he'd come and knock at my door, that he'd tell me he was sorry, that he'd fight for me."
Like most teenage girls (and hell, us adults as well!), Emilia longs to be sought after and fought for. She bases much of her self worth on the idea of, more than being the best AT something, being the best and first choice FOR someone.
Because this is such a relevant topic to women of every age the world over, I was thrilled to see Nowodazkij handle it in such a beautiful way.
"Being first doesn't always mean the first place on the podium. Being first should be about learning what it is that makes you happy and pursuing that dream and not giving up and staying true to yourself. Being first should be about the journey."
Much more than a romance, Always Second Best chronicles a girl's journey to self-appreciation, recognition of self-worth, and realization of her place in the world. It is, in many ways, a sort of Every(wo)man story, and I can honestly say that it spoke to me on many levels.
"But when everything went crashing faster than a dancer missing his or her landing, I still had hope. I dreamed he'd come and knock at my door, that he'd tell me he was sorry, that he'd fight for me."
Like most teenage girls (and hell, us adults as well!), Emilia longs to be sought after and fought for. She bases much of her self worth on the idea of, more than being the best AT something, being the best and first choice FOR someone.
Because this is such a relevant topic to women of every age the world over, I was thrilled to see Nowodazkij handle it in such a beautiful way.
"Being first doesn't always mean the first place on the podium. Being first should be about learning what it is that makes you happy and pursuing that dream and not giving up and staying true to yourself. Being first should be about the journey."
Much more than a romance, Always Second Best chronicles a girl's journey to self-appreciation, recognition of self-worth, and realization of her place in the world. It is, in many ways, a sort of Every(wo)man story, and I can honestly say that it spoke to me on many levels.
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