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Anti-Stepbrother
He told me to 'settle, girl.'
He asked if 'something was wrong with me?'
He said I was an ‘easy target.’
That was within minutes when I first met Caden Banks.
I labeled him an *sshole, but he was more than that. Arrogant. Smug. Alpha.
He was also to-die-for gorgeous, and my stepbrother’s fraternity brother.
Okay, yes I was a little naive, a tad bit socially awkward, and the smallest amount of stalker-ish, but if Caden Banks thought he could tell me what to do, he had another thing coming.
I came to college with daydreams about being with my stepbrother, but what if I fell for the anti-stepbrother instead?
He asked if 'something was wrong with me?'
He said I was an ‘easy target.’
That was within minutes when I first met Caden Banks.
I labeled him an *sshole, but he was more than that. Arrogant. Smug. Alpha.
He was also to-die-for gorgeous, and my stepbrother’s fraternity brother.
Okay, yes I was a little naive, a tad bit socially awkward, and the smallest amount of stalker-ish, but if Caden Banks thought he could tell me what to do, he had another thing coming.
I came to college with daydreams about being with my stepbrother, but what if I fell for the anti-stepbrother instead?
267 pages, ebook
First published August 22, 2016
1397 people are currently reading
13178 people want to read
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August 15, 2017
★★★★ ½! Anti-Stepbrother (stand-alone). While pining after her step-brother & falling for the hottest guy at College Summer maneuvers College with awkward moments & quirky behavior!
“Good lord I gulped. The touch of his hand sent tingles through me. That snake tattoo was right there, so close to me.”
Anti-Stepbrother (stand-alone) opens up to College Freshman Summer Stoltz arriving at College to find her step-brother in bed with another student’s girlfriend. Before she knows it she is pulled into the drama catching the attention of the cheated boyfriend’s brother, student and heir Caden Banks.
The story goes on to follow Summer her first year in college as she navigates being the quirky and awkward girl with no friends and her crush on her step-brother under the watch-full eyes of mysterious and panty-melting Caden.
Unlikely friendships, secret crushes, butterflies-in-your-belly romance combined with betrayal lust, lies, sexual tension as Summer comes to terms with herself and her past and face her fears of falling for the hottest guy at school, her stepbrother’s enemy and every girl’s wet dream Caden Banks.
Eight words to describe Caden Banks: mysterious, private, elusive, blunt, observant, popular, jaded, and larger-than-life.
Seven words to describe Summer Stoltz: Quirky, naïve, confused, insecure, awkward, wishy-washy and kind.
Anti-Stepbrother, told from mostly Summer’s POV with a few chapters from Caden’s will take you back to College through the eyes of the odd girl who just wants to fit in. It’s a slow brewing romance about growing up, dealing with painful pasts, standing up for yourself with the flip side is the almost fairytale part about the untouchable guy becoming your friend with sizzling promises of more…
***
Hero rating: 5 stars
Heroine rating: 4 stars
Sexual tension rating: 5 stars
Sex scenes rating: 4 stars
Sex scenes frequency: 3.5 stars
Plot rating: 4 stars
Dialogue rating: 4.5 stars
Storytelling rating: 4.5 stars
Story ending rating: 4.5 stars
**********************************************
Overall rating: 4.5 stars
Would I recommend this book: Yes.
Would I re-read this book: Maybe later.
Would I read future books by this author: Yes.
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ARC provided to me by author Tijan in exchange for an honest review.
August 21, 2016
LOVE IS FRIENDSHIP THAT HAS CAUGHT FIRE. ~Ann Landers
Sometimes when you least expect it, love throws a curveball your way. It sneaks up on you and steals your heart and soul, brandishing you to its power with a force as strong as the sun. Books are like love; we get lost in them. We feel them. We experience them. We are under their spell. Stories seize us unpredictably as love does, becoming much more. Anti-Stepbrother by Tijan stole my heart and soul like the power of love, crashing into me with a force I never saw coming, but one that made me splendidly succumb to this story over and over again.
From the first few pages, Anti-Stepbrother intoxicated me where I was immersed into the college world. These charismatic characters quickly became my classmates and my friends. As my college days flashed before my eyes, I was thrusted back to a care-free time of university life with classes, books, frat parties, and first time love. I lived and breathed this book as Anti-Stepbrother seeped into me, extracting every emotion, stealing every piece of me.
The story started out slow but a burn built that beckoned me right into the flames as my heart caught fire, a slow burn seeping into my soul. My emotions were heightened, swirling around in my head like a hurricane, waiting to hit where they would flood…all over me.
Beautiful Summer Stoltz has lusted after her stepbrother, Kevin, ever since her father married his mother and they moved into his house. One of the most popular guys on campus, Kevin filtered through girlfriends like water. Summer chased Kevin to college, hoping to be his permanent princess. Instead, Kevin’s enemy, a tough and gorgeous guy who was more popular on campus than Kevin, caught her eye and Summer could not stop looking at the beautiful distraction named Caden Banks.
“I’d always had Kevin on a pedestal, and for the first time, he looked less than. He now stood against a guy who seemed more male in almost every way.”
I LOVE CADEN! Caden Banks is all man. Tall, tattooed, muscular, genuine, and intense in every way that people stay out of his way.
Summer doesn’t like the cocky Caden at first though can’t dislike him either as her emotions run rampant.
“I hated him. No. I only wish I did.”
Somehow, in harmony over what a douche Summer’s stepbrother Kevin is, an odd alliance and friendship form between the lower-classman, Summer, and the upper-classman, Caden. One is shy, inexperienced and awkward. The other is confident and candid. Together...they work.
“I’d come to this event a nobody, but suddenly, with the acknowledgment that Caden Banks knew me, I knew I wouldn’t be a nobody for long.”
I wanted to scoop Summer up into a hug as her self-confidence needed a big boost. Cayden and Summer become fast friends, hanging out together all the time and sparking interest on campus. Suddenly, Summer is significant.
Summer is more reserved at first and appears meek, but Caden is the sun that makes her sprout, helping Summer growing from lamb to lioness. As Summer and Caden become closer, their friendship walks the line of love, confusing what they are…what they can be. That attraction brewing between them is building into something bigger.
“I looked at him and knew my emotions were shining through. If he’d glanced back at me, he would’ve seen everything I felt.”
Chemistry charges like a bull, hitting Summer and Caden with a sudden urge, forcing them out of the friend zone.
“I don’t know who started it, but it didn’t matter because we were kissing. His mouth was on mine. I was underneath him. I wanted to be more than underneath. I wanted to be with all of him…I just wanted to take his hurt away.”
These beautiful and bare words cut straight into me like a knife. My emotions were scattered all over the pages.
“She calmed me. She quieted me. She made the anger go away.”
Caden is broken but Summer is the glue helping repair his shattered soul.
“I wasn’t the sun. I was just reprieve in the darkness.”
As Summer and Caden get closer, the past strikes hard like lightning, threatening their new-found friendship and budding love.
“He delivered a bomb to me and stepped back as it detonated. I felt wrecked, but could only nod, because in that moment, I would’ve have given him anything.”
The wreckage ruined me; my heart shattered as I hoped for healing and happiness. Hoping for Summer and Caden to heal each other. Praying that the dark knight and his princess would ride off into the sunset together.
“I broke for someone who couldn’t break.”
Anti-Stepbrother broke me with a heavy hit to my heart where my tears bled onto the pages. Happy tears. Heartbreaking tears. Hopeful tears. The beauty in these words warmed my body and soul; I felt every word I read. Words that reached inside and grabbed my heart hard, tugging it the whole way where it stayed stuck in this story.
Tijan RUINED ME with Anti-Stepbrother in THE BEST WAY!!! Caden has my heart…THIS MAN IS EVERYTHING. THIS STORY IS EVERYTHING. My head was full of swoony sensations and so much goodness! I had not read a college romance that hit me that hard since Jamie McGuire’s Beautiful Disaster.
I did not expect to fall in insta-love with Anti-Stepbrother but I did. I did not expect this sweet and swoony story, Anti-Stepbrother, to shoot stars into my eyes and daggers in my heart but oh it did. I did not expect much of anything but got everything. Every tear. Every smile. Every laugh. Every gasp. Every beat of my heart. Anti-Stepbrother stole them all.
Anti-Stepbrother dug itself into my heart, penetrating it profusely and poignantly. I fell in love with this soul-searing story over and over again. I did not want to be done with my Anti-Stepbrother in a story I felt had only begun, one where the feels will remain long after the last page.
5 devastatingly beautiful stars
Sometimes when you least expect it, love throws a curveball your way. It sneaks up on you and steals your heart and soul, brandishing you to its power with a force as strong as the sun. Books are like love; we get lost in them. We feel them. We experience them. We are under their spell. Stories seize us unpredictably as love does, becoming much more. Anti-Stepbrother by Tijan stole my heart and soul like the power of love, crashing into me with a force I never saw coming, but one that made me splendidly succumb to this story over and over again.
From the first few pages, Anti-Stepbrother intoxicated me where I was immersed into the college world. These charismatic characters quickly became my classmates and my friends. As my college days flashed before my eyes, I was thrusted back to a care-free time of university life with classes, books, frat parties, and first time love. I lived and breathed this book as Anti-Stepbrother seeped into me, extracting every emotion, stealing every piece of me.
The story started out slow but a burn built that beckoned me right into the flames as my heart caught fire, a slow burn seeping into my soul. My emotions were heightened, swirling around in my head like a hurricane, waiting to hit where they would flood…all over me.
Beautiful Summer Stoltz has lusted after her stepbrother, Kevin, ever since her father married his mother and they moved into his house. One of the most popular guys on campus, Kevin filtered through girlfriends like water. Summer chased Kevin to college, hoping to be his permanent princess. Instead, Kevin’s enemy, a tough and gorgeous guy who was more popular on campus than Kevin, caught her eye and Summer could not stop looking at the beautiful distraction named Caden Banks.
“I’d always had Kevin on a pedestal, and for the first time, he looked less than. He now stood against a guy who seemed more male in almost every way.”
I LOVE CADEN! Caden Banks is all man. Tall, tattooed, muscular, genuine, and intense in every way that people stay out of his way.
Summer doesn’t like the cocky Caden at first though can’t dislike him either as her emotions run rampant.
“I hated him. No. I only wish I did.”
Somehow, in harmony over what a douche Summer’s stepbrother Kevin is, an odd alliance and friendship form between the lower-classman, Summer, and the upper-classman, Caden. One is shy, inexperienced and awkward. The other is confident and candid. Together...they work.
“I’d come to this event a nobody, but suddenly, with the acknowledgment that Caden Banks knew me, I knew I wouldn’t be a nobody for long.”
I wanted to scoop Summer up into a hug as her self-confidence needed a big boost. Cayden and Summer become fast friends, hanging out together all the time and sparking interest on campus. Suddenly, Summer is significant.
Summer is more reserved at first and appears meek, but Caden is the sun that makes her sprout, helping Summer growing from lamb to lioness. As Summer and Caden become closer, their friendship walks the line of love, confusing what they are…what they can be. That attraction brewing between them is building into something bigger.
“I looked at him and knew my emotions were shining through. If he’d glanced back at me, he would’ve seen everything I felt.”
Chemistry charges like a bull, hitting Summer and Caden with a sudden urge, forcing them out of the friend zone.
“I don’t know who started it, but it didn’t matter because we were kissing. His mouth was on mine. I was underneath him. I wanted to be more than underneath. I wanted to be with all of him…I just wanted to take his hurt away.”
These beautiful and bare words cut straight into me like a knife. My emotions were scattered all over the pages.
“She calmed me. She quieted me. She made the anger go away.”
Caden is broken but Summer is the glue helping repair his shattered soul.
“I wasn’t the sun. I was just reprieve in the darkness.”
As Summer and Caden get closer, the past strikes hard like lightning, threatening their new-found friendship and budding love.
“He delivered a bomb to me and stepped back as it detonated. I felt wrecked, but could only nod, because in that moment, I would’ve have given him anything.”
The wreckage ruined me; my heart shattered as I hoped for healing and happiness. Hoping for Summer and Caden to heal each other. Praying that the dark knight and his princess would ride off into the sunset together.
“I broke for someone who couldn’t break.”
Anti-Stepbrother broke me with a heavy hit to my heart where my tears bled onto the pages. Happy tears. Heartbreaking tears. Hopeful tears. The beauty in these words warmed my body and soul; I felt every word I read. Words that reached inside and grabbed my heart hard, tugging it the whole way where it stayed stuck in this story.
Tijan RUINED ME with Anti-Stepbrother in THE BEST WAY!!! Caden has my heart…THIS MAN IS EVERYTHING. THIS STORY IS EVERYTHING. My head was full of swoony sensations and so much goodness! I had not read a college romance that hit me that hard since Jamie McGuire’s Beautiful Disaster.
I did not expect to fall in insta-love with Anti-Stepbrother but I did. I did not expect this sweet and swoony story, Anti-Stepbrother, to shoot stars into my eyes and daggers in my heart but oh it did. I did not expect much of anything but got everything. Every tear. Every smile. Every laugh. Every gasp. Every beat of my heart. Anti-Stepbrother stole them all.
Anti-Stepbrother dug itself into my heart, penetrating it profusely and poignantly. I fell in love with this soul-searing story over and over again. I did not want to be done with my Anti-Stepbrother in a story I felt had only begun, one where the feels will remain long after the last page.
5 devastatingly beautiful stars
August 30, 2016
2.5 -3 Stars!!
This was my first book by this author and while it was just an okay read for me, I have to say I enjoyed the writing style, so maybe I will try one of her upcoming books in the future. 'Anti-Stepbrother' was a great enough read that has enough funny and heartwarming moments to keep most readers entertained. I’m sure many will love this one, but well, I’m not ‘most readers’ and I needed something more than the usual college romance. For me this one was just like many other college romances I’ve read over the years. Maybe I’ve read too many and that’s why I feel this way…who knows? What I’m saying is that I didn’t find anything to be refreshing. Nothing wowed me and overall it was just “a mehh” read for me.
The story fallows Summer Stolz, who has been in love with her step-brother Kevin for over two years. He’s attending the same college as Summer so she’s excited to finally be around him wanting desperately to make him fall in love with her. But Summer finds out from the first day that Kevin it’s not available, that he is in in some kind of relationship with another girl, who already is another relationship.
Caden is very popular on his frat and also on campus. Every boy wants to be his friend and every girl wants to be in his bed. He used to party and sleep around, but things changed and now the last thing he wants is to be in a relationship. Unlike many college boys, Caden also doesn’t want to be in a fraternity. He joined his for some personal reasons, but he doesn’t like all the people and drama that comes with it. When he gets caught in the middle of some drama he meets Summer. He is drawn to her from the moment he lays eyes on her. They slowly become friends, but what starts as a friendship eventually blossoms into something more.
Even if I liked the story overall and also the premise I found the story-line to be a little repetitive, so as the story progressed I found myself a little bored. I liked Caden. He was sweet and thoughtful, caring and considerate with Summer as the story unfolded and a great brother. While I liked Caden, I didn’t like Summer very much. Sure, she was funny and quirky at times, but she was a little too juvenile and naïve for my liking. Also, at times she was such a doormat. I liked my heroines to be strong, independent and not as “quiet” as Summer was, so I had a hard time connecting with her character. Also her inner dialogue got on my nerves at times. I don’t mind inner dialogue, but in my opinion here it was a little too much.
The relationship between these two characters progressed very slowly. I like slow burn relationship, but here it was a little too slow for me. I hoped at least the chemistry between them to be off the charts or something, but sadly I didn’t feel any chemistry between them. IMO the author focused too much on their friendship than on their romantic relationship, so the romantic aspect was poorly done…at least IMO. On top of that, Summer spent too much time “in love” with her step-brother. The story also is very low on steam which I didn’t like at all.
What else to expect reading this one? Well, expect lots of unnecessary drama. OMG, the amount of stupid drama was really overwhelming.
Overall, just an okay read for me!
This was my first book by this author and while it was just an okay read for me, I have to say I enjoyed the writing style, so maybe I will try one of her upcoming books in the future. 'Anti-Stepbrother' was a great enough read that has enough funny and heartwarming moments to keep most readers entertained. I’m sure many will love this one, but well, I’m not ‘most readers’ and I needed something more than the usual college romance. For me this one was just like many other college romances I’ve read over the years. Maybe I’ve read too many and that’s why I feel this way…who knows? What I’m saying is that I didn’t find anything to be refreshing. Nothing wowed me and overall it was just “a mehh” read for me.
The story fallows Summer Stolz, who has been in love with her step-brother Kevin for over two years. He’s attending the same college as Summer so she’s excited to finally be around him wanting desperately to make him fall in love with her. But Summer finds out from the first day that Kevin it’s not available, that he is in in some kind of relationship with another girl, who already is another relationship.
Caden is very popular on his frat and also on campus. Every boy wants to be his friend and every girl wants to be in his bed. He used to party and sleep around, but things changed and now the last thing he wants is to be in a relationship. Unlike many college boys, Caden also doesn’t want to be in a fraternity. He joined his for some personal reasons, but he doesn’t like all the people and drama that comes with it. When he gets caught in the middle of some drama he meets Summer. He is drawn to her from the moment he lays eyes on her. They slowly become friends, but what starts as a friendship eventually blossoms into something more.
Even if I liked the story overall and also the premise I found the story-line to be a little repetitive, so as the story progressed I found myself a little bored. I liked Caden. He was sweet and thoughtful, caring and considerate with Summer as the story unfolded and a great brother. While I liked Caden, I didn’t like Summer very much. Sure, she was funny and quirky at times, but she was a little too juvenile and naïve for my liking. Also, at times she was such a doormat. I liked my heroines to be strong, independent and not as “quiet” as Summer was, so I had a hard time connecting with her character. Also her inner dialogue got on my nerves at times. I don’t mind inner dialogue, but in my opinion here it was a little too much.
The relationship between these two characters progressed very slowly. I like slow burn relationship, but here it was a little too slow for me. I hoped at least the chemistry between them to be off the charts or something, but sadly I didn’t feel any chemistry between them. IMO the author focused too much on their friendship than on their romantic relationship, so the romantic aspect was poorly done…at least IMO. On top of that, Summer spent too much time “in love” with her step-brother. The story also is very low on steam which I didn’t like at all.
What else to expect reading this one? Well, expect lots of unnecessary drama. OMG, the amount of stupid drama was really overwhelming.
Overall, just an okay read for me!
August 21, 2016
4 "It's been you..." STARS
NA is not my go-to but I'll read the genre because I've come across some good and enjoyable reads. This was good. What made it for me was the anti-stepbrother, Caden Banks.
Caden totally had me. Totally swoon-worthy!
He's sexy, much sought after, but he's not a college hottie cliché. That's what I love about him the most! He's mature, a straight shooter and no BS. He doesn't get caught up in the drama of college.
Summer Stoltz is a freshman. She's starting her first year of college and has hopes of finally having a relationship with her stepbrother, Kevin. He was her high school crush and then her dad married his mom and he became 'family', although Kevin barely knows she exists. Until one night and then that's it.
Summer is also refreshing. She's quirky, a bit naive and awkward. When she first meets Caden, she thinks 'asshole.'
But slowly, she realizes there's more to Caden despite his knockout looks and alpha demeanor. These two slowly go from friends to lovers. I thoroughly enjoyed the growth of their relationship and the blossoming of their friendship. There's also more to the story with both of their family situations coming into play, which made the dynamic more complex and the overall story, more well-rounded and layered.
This was my first Tijan read but it won't be my last. I've heard some good things about the Fallen Crest series, which I'll be checking out. And looking forward to more.
**ARC generously provided by author in exchange for an honest review.**
For more reviews and blog posts.
NA is not my go-to but I'll read the genre because I've come across some good and enjoyable reads. This was good. What made it for me was the anti-stepbrother, Caden Banks.
Caden totally had me. Totally swoon-worthy!
He's sexy, much sought after, but he's not a college hottie cliché. That's what I love about him the most! He's mature, a straight shooter and no BS. He doesn't get caught up in the drama of college.
Summer Stoltz is a freshman. She's starting her first year of college and has hopes of finally having a relationship with her stepbrother, Kevin. He was her high school crush and then her dad married his mom and he became 'family', although Kevin barely knows she exists. Until one night and then that's it.
Summer is also refreshing. She's quirky, a bit naive and awkward. When she first meets Caden, she thinks 'asshole.'
But slowly, she realizes there's more to Caden despite his knockout looks and alpha demeanor. These two slowly go from friends to lovers. I thoroughly enjoyed the growth of their relationship and the blossoming of their friendship. There's also more to the story with both of their family situations coming into play, which made the dynamic more complex and the overall story, more well-rounded and layered.
This was my first Tijan read but it won't be my last. I've heard some good things about the Fallen Crest series, which I'll be checking out. And looking forward to more.
**ARC generously provided by author in exchange for an honest review.**
For more reviews and blog posts.
August 14, 2016
༺**Complimentary Copy**༺ Provided by the author
"Tijan" in exchange for an honest review..Thank you!!
TITLE: Anti-Stepbrother
AUTHOR: Tijan
GENRE: CONTEMPORARY ROMANCE
CHAPTERS: 40
RELEASE DATE: August 22nd, 2016
MY RATING: 5 STARS
ANTI-STEPBROTHER: This story centres around Summer and Caden and the dickhead stepbrother Kevin..
Straight away you're in amongst all the college drama, the parties, the drinking, the fighting, the popular crowd, the hot guys, the mean girls, this book throws it all at you.
AND THE FEELS..
"I came to college with daydreams about being with my stepbrother, but what would happen if I fell for the anti-stepbrother instead?"
Summer has followed her stepbrother Kevin to college with deluded hopes of him falling in love with her. Everyone knew who Kevin was the footfall captain, the basketball captain, the track captain, all the guys wanted to be like him and all the girls just wanted to be f#cked by him.
“I had a new family. And that family came with a stepbrother who was my high school crush. He was everyone’s high school crush.”
Her very first night on campus sees her having a run in with one of Kevin's fraternity brothers Caden.
He told me to 'settle, girl.'
He asked if 'something was wrong with me?'
He said I was an ‘easy target.’
That was within minutes when I first met Caden Banks.
Since that run in she labeled him 'The asshole' BUT that asshole seemed to be forever getting her out of sticky situations whenever she found herself stranded by her friends.
He was like a bug, always buzzing around at the periphery. Nagging at my concentration.
Caden was everything bookboyfriends are made of, sweet, attentive, put people he cared about on pedestals and protected those he loved, and became one of the best friends Summer had ever had, until she started developing feelings for him, this is where the storyline starts to pick up.
“I came to college to be with my stepbrother, but I fell in love with the anti-stepbrother instead.”
If you're a fan of this authors you'll one click this just for that, but if you've not read anything by this author before but want to read a YA book filled with angst, drama, and off the charts alpha male testosterone then go no further than one clicking this, I've only recently jumped onto the YA genre and this catered for zapping me with the feels..
In the beginning I never quite knew what my feelings about Summer were, she's young, but she's one of the most, funny, out there nerdy unique characters I've read before. I loved her quirkiness, her wtf one liners, definitely one of my favourite book heroines of this year.
"Tijan" in exchange for an honest review..Thank you!!
TITLE: Anti-Stepbrother
AUTHOR: Tijan
GENRE: CONTEMPORARY ROMANCE
CHAPTERS: 40
RELEASE DATE: August 22nd, 2016
MY RATING: 5 STARS
ANTI-STEPBROTHER: This story centres around Summer and Caden and the dickhead stepbrother Kevin..
Straight away you're in amongst all the college drama, the parties, the drinking, the fighting, the popular crowd, the hot guys, the mean girls, this book throws it all at you.
AND THE FEELS..
"I came to college with daydreams about being with my stepbrother, but what would happen if I fell for the anti-stepbrother instead?"Summer has followed her stepbrother Kevin to college with deluded hopes of him falling in love with her. Everyone knew who Kevin was the footfall captain, the basketball captain, the track captain, all the guys wanted to be like him and all the girls just wanted to be f#cked by him.
“I had a new family. And that family came with a stepbrother who was my high school crush. He was everyone’s high school crush.”
Her very first night on campus sees her having a run in with one of Kevin's fraternity brothers Caden.
He told me to 'settle, girl.'
He asked if 'something was wrong with me?'
He said I was an ‘easy target.’
That was within minutes when I first met Caden Banks.
Since that run in she labeled him 'The asshole' BUT that asshole seemed to be forever getting her out of sticky situations whenever she found herself stranded by her friends.
He was like a bug, always buzzing around at the periphery. Nagging at my concentration.
Caden was everything bookboyfriends are made of, sweet, attentive, put people he cared about on pedestals and protected those he loved, and became one of the best friends Summer had ever had, until she started developing feelings for him, this is where the storyline starts to pick up.
“I came to college to be with my stepbrother, but I fell in love with the anti-stepbrother instead.”
If you're a fan of this authors you'll one click this just for that, but if you've not read anything by this author before but want to read a YA book filled with angst, drama, and off the charts alpha male testosterone then go no further than one clicking this, I've only recently jumped onto the YA genre and this catered for zapping me with the feels..
In the beginning I never quite knew what my feelings about Summer were, she's young, but she's one of the most, funny, out there nerdy unique characters I've read before. I loved her quirkiness, her wtf one liners, definitely one of my favourite book heroines of this year.
October 29, 2021
Terrific even the second time around!
The following ratings are out of 5:
Narrator: 🎧🎧🎧🎧🎧
Romance: 💙💚🖤💜❤️
Heat/Steam: 🔥🔥🔥
Story/Plot: 📕📗📘📙📒
World building: 🌎🌍🌏🌎🌏
Character development: 😳🤬😏🤓😎
The heroine: Summer - she came to the same college that her stepbrother Kevin goes to, thinking she would be with him. She had a crush on him for years and when their parents got married, Kevin always had a girlfriend until her graduation night and they were together.
The Hero(es): Caden - big man on campus. Caden and his brother Marcus are two of the most handsome men on campus, but they have issues between them. Caden is fraternity brothers with Summer’s step-brother Kevin.
The Story: Summer meets Caden when she shows up at the fraternity to be with Kevin only to find that he was with someone else. Summer immediately dislikes Caden but is aware of how hot he is. When they see each other again she can’t take her eyes off him. The two become friends and start to hang out together.
I really liked the relationship between Summer and Caden. I love that he is the hot guy that all the girls want, but he likes to hang out and watch movies with Summer. They do just about everything together. Summer is the kind of girl that is not aware of her own beauty and thinks a guy like Caden might want to be friends with her but nothing else.
The book is Dual POV and narrated by Bailey Carr and Vikas Adam. They both do a great job, though only a few chapters are told from Caden’s POV. I wish it was more than that. I like to hear the Hero’s POV a lot more. Aside from that, this one was terrific in audiobook format and I love Tijan books. She does New Adult Romance so well.
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The following ratings are out of 5:
Narrator: 🎧🎧🎧🎧🎧
Romance: 💙💚🖤💜❤️
Heat/Steam: 🔥🔥🔥
Story/Plot: 📕📗📘📙📒
World building: 🌎🌍🌏🌎🌏
Character development: 😳🤬😏🤓😎
The heroine: Summer - she came to the same college that her stepbrother Kevin goes to, thinking she would be with him. She had a crush on him for years and when their parents got married, Kevin always had a girlfriend until her graduation night and they were together.
The Hero(es): Caden - big man on campus. Caden and his brother Marcus are two of the most handsome men on campus, but they have issues between them. Caden is fraternity brothers with Summer’s step-brother Kevin.
The Story: Summer meets Caden when she shows up at the fraternity to be with Kevin only to find that he was with someone else. Summer immediately dislikes Caden but is aware of how hot he is. When they see each other again she can’t take her eyes off him. The two become friends and start to hang out together.
I really liked the relationship between Summer and Caden. I love that he is the hot guy that all the girls want, but he likes to hang out and watch movies with Summer. They do just about everything together. Summer is the kind of girl that is not aware of her own beauty and thinks a guy like Caden might want to be friends with her but nothing else.
The book is Dual POV and narrated by Bailey Carr and Vikas Adam. They both do a great job, though only a few chapters are told from Caden’s POV. I wish it was more than that. I like to hear the Hero’s POV a lot more. Aside from that, this one was terrific in audiobook format and I love Tijan books. She does New Adult Romance so well.
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September 18, 2020
Get it here:
US: https://amzn.to/3c1ckup
UK: https://amzn.to/2Rqji2O
Why did I wait so long to read Tijan! Seriously, something is wrong with me for missing out on this author. I think the "stepbrother" in the title scared me away from even reading this blurb, but when I finally did I just couldn't stay away any longer. And I'm so glad I finally read it!
Basically, in this book stepbrothers can just get the fuck out and make room for the hot fraternity guy, who's not a douche! Trust me I was thinking the same thing about Caden. I mean, fraternity is just another word for douche-castle in my book. But no worries, ladies Caden was far from a jerk that you wanted to nut-punch. Instead I had many other plans for said nuts.
Summer was adorably awkward and I couldn't help but connect with her and I really liked her character. Caden was Hot with a capitol H, and a bad boy fraternity-rule-breaker. I enjoyed both of them and I loved seeing Caden take Summer under his wing and help her embrace College. There was a little more drama than I normally like but it actually didn't bother me too much in the end.
Overall, I liked the characters, I enjoyed the romance, and I have a new author to read. So I count this as a win.
US: https://amzn.to/3c1ckup
UK: https://amzn.to/2Rqji2O
Why did I wait so long to read Tijan! Seriously, something is wrong with me for missing out on this author. I think the "stepbrother" in the title scared me away from even reading this blurb, but when I finally did I just couldn't stay away any longer. And I'm so glad I finally read it!
Basically, in this book stepbrothers can just get the fuck out and make room for the hot fraternity guy, who's not a douche! Trust me I was thinking the same thing about Caden. I mean, fraternity is just another word for douche-castle in my book. But no worries, ladies Caden was far from a jerk that you wanted to nut-punch. Instead I had many other plans for said nuts.
Summer was adorably awkward and I couldn't help but connect with her and I really liked her character. Caden was Hot with a capitol H, and a bad boy fraternity-rule-breaker. I enjoyed both of them and I loved seeing Caden take Summer under his wing and help her embrace College. There was a little more drama than I normally like but it actually didn't bother me too much in the end.
Overall, I liked the characters, I enjoyed the romance, and I have a new author to read. So I count this as a win.
August 10, 2017
5AWESOME STARS!!!
FULL REVIEW TO POST ON TOUR DATE
F(BR) with my shhlut Mer we're going to college and getting our eye candy *sigh* I'm Elena on the right haha
More Tijan's books??????? YES PLEASE!!!!!!!!!!!!
~~~~~BLURB~~~~~
He told me to ‘settle, girl.’
He asked if ‘something was wrong with me?’
He said I was an ‘easy target.’
That was within minutes when I first met Caden Banks.
I labeled him an *sshole, but he was more than that. Arrogant. Smug. Alpha.
He was also to-die-for gorgeous, and my stepbrother’s fraternity brother.
Okay, yes I was a little naive, a tad bit socially awkward, and the smallest amount of stalker-ish, but if Caden Banks thought he could tell me what to do, he had another thing coming.
I came to college with daydreams about being with my stepbrother, but what would happen if I fell for the anti-stepbrother instead?
Pre-order the Anti-stepbrother on the following retailers:
iBooks: http://apple.co/1Yg47GW
Nook: http://bit.ly/22Vj7dD
Kobo: http://bit.ly/24CzWcI
Amazon Paperback: http://amzn.to/1WGmyFl
(September 12th delivery)
For more reviews/reveals/giveaways visit:
FULL REVIEW TO POST ON TOUR DATE
F(BR) with my shhlut Mer we're going to college and getting our eye candy *sigh* I'm Elena on the right haha
More Tijan's books??????? YES PLEASE!!!!!!!!!!!!
~~~~~BLURB~~~~~
He told me to ‘settle, girl.’
He asked if ‘something was wrong with me?’
He said I was an ‘easy target.’
That was within minutes when I first met Caden Banks.
I labeled him an *sshole, but he was more than that. Arrogant. Smug. Alpha.
He was also to-die-for gorgeous, and my stepbrother’s fraternity brother.
Okay, yes I was a little naive, a tad bit socially awkward, and the smallest amount of stalker-ish, but if Caden Banks thought he could tell me what to do, he had another thing coming.
I came to college with daydreams about being with my stepbrother, but what would happen if I fell for the anti-stepbrother instead?
Pre-order the Anti-stepbrother on the following retailers:
iBooks: http://apple.co/1Yg47GW
Nook: http://bit.ly/22Vj7dD
Kobo: http://bit.ly/24CzWcI
Amazon Paperback: http://amzn.to/1WGmyFl
(September 12th delivery)
For more reviews/reveals/giveaways visit:
May 30, 2018
I liked this book.
This was my third Tijan's book, and now I can't deny there are many similarities between her books. I have previously read her Fallen Crest High series, well the first two books.
The one thing that makes me keep reading her is the entertainment level. I have been entertained every time. But I can't say I have loved any of her books, or even really liked them. There are some characteristics in them that bother me too much. The human component in her books is very pessimistic. I wouldn't like being surrounded in real life by her characters.
The depictions of women in her books (at least the three I have read) is very offensive and negative to me. They are repetitively portrait as vengeful, capriccios, cheaters, mean, bad friends, traitors, selfish, liars, resentful, fame seekers and brainless when it comes to boys.
The guys are portrayed mostly as liars, cheaters, egocentric, random and aggressive. They make bad decisions consistently.
The parents figures are always extremely flawed and fucked up.
This depictions wouldn't bother me so much if it wasn't because they are present in every single character, to the point that I feel strong aversion to it.
I personal wound't recommend her books to teenagers, they have a terrible very generalized view of people.
This was my third Tijan's book, and now I can't deny there are many similarities between her books. I have previously read her Fallen Crest High series, well the first two books.
The one thing that makes me keep reading her is the entertainment level. I have been entertained every time. But I can't say I have loved any of her books, or even really liked them. There are some characteristics in them that bother me too much. The human component in her books is very pessimistic. I wouldn't like being surrounded in real life by her characters.
The depictions of women in her books (at least the three I have read) is very offensive and negative to me. They are repetitively portrait as vengeful, capriccios, cheaters, mean, bad friends, traitors, selfish, liars, resentful, fame seekers and brainless when it comes to boys.
The guys are portrayed mostly as liars, cheaters, egocentric, random and aggressive. They make bad decisions consistently.
The parents figures are always extremely flawed and fucked up.
This depictions wouldn't bother me so much if it wasn't because they are present in every single character, to the point that I feel strong aversion to it.
I personal wound't recommend her books to teenagers, they have a terrible very generalized view of people.
August 17, 2016
★★★★4 Stars★★★★
"I came to college to be with my stepbrother, but I fell in love with the anti-stepbrother instead"
You know what I love? When you think that you're going to get a certain type of story and it turns out to be so much more!! Anti-Stepbrother was that book for me. It was funny, heartwarming with a bit of angst and just the right amount of sexiness. Caden Banks stole the show for me and who would want a Stepbrother when you could have the bad ass Anti-Stepbrother.
Summer Stoltz has been head over heels for her Stepbrother Kevin for the last two years. Now attending the same College, she thinks that this could be her real shot at being with him. Kevin always has a girlfriend for a certain amount of time and Summer knows that when the time comes and he's back to being available, he's going to finally see her as something more. But you know what they say about plans: they always have a way of changing and that change came in the form of one hot tattoed bad boy.
Caden Banks is in a class all by himself. Being a Junior and now and having been around parties and women constantly for the past couple of years, he certainly grew up but make no mistake: he does what he wants, when he wants. Meeting the new freshman Summer in a uncomfortable position, was a introduction he'll never forget. Summer being different was something that drew him and what soon became a happy friendship, turned out to be so much more.
"This girl, she got inside me. She wound me up and I hated item
I really liked that Caden and Summer built a friendship first and were comfortable around each other. His brooding demenor and Summer's colorful and quirky personality complimented each other very well. Caden understood what it meant to have her friendship and he knew that there wasn't going to be another one like Summer.
I also really liked their connection and I was rooting for them despite the obstacles that were put in their way. Now as for the side characters? Some of them really needed to get lost at sea or in in the woods. Did it make the storyline more interesting? Absolutely. But I wanted less drama with certain people.
If your in the mood for a one of a kind College romance, then you NEED to meet Caden and Summer.
*Arc kindly provided in exchange for an honest review.
"I came to college to be with my stepbrother, but I fell in love with the anti-stepbrother instead"
You know what I love? When you think that you're going to get a certain type of story and it turns out to be so much more!! Anti-Stepbrother was that book for me. It was funny, heartwarming with a bit of angst and just the right amount of sexiness. Caden Banks stole the show for me and who would want a Stepbrother when you could have the bad ass Anti-Stepbrother.
Summer Stoltz has been head over heels for her Stepbrother Kevin for the last two years. Now attending the same College, she thinks that this could be her real shot at being with him. Kevin always has a girlfriend for a certain amount of time and Summer knows that when the time comes and he's back to being available, he's going to finally see her as something more. But you know what they say about plans: they always have a way of changing and that change came in the form of one hot tattoed bad boy.
Caden Banks is in a class all by himself. Being a Junior and now and having been around parties and women constantly for the past couple of years, he certainly grew up but make no mistake: he does what he wants, when he wants. Meeting the new freshman Summer in a uncomfortable position, was a introduction he'll never forget. Summer being different was something that drew him and what soon became a happy friendship, turned out to be so much more.
"This girl, she got inside me. She wound me up and I hated item
I really liked that Caden and Summer built a friendship first and were comfortable around each other. His brooding demenor and Summer's colorful and quirky personality complimented each other very well. Caden understood what it meant to have her friendship and he knew that there wasn't going to be another one like Summer.
I also really liked their connection and I was rooting for them despite the obstacles that were put in their way. Now as for the side characters? Some of them really needed to get lost at sea or in in the woods. Did it make the storyline more interesting? Absolutely. But I wanted less drama with certain people.
If your in the mood for a one of a kind College romance, then you NEED to meet Caden and Summer.
*Arc kindly provided in exchange for an honest review.
August 17, 2016
This was my first Tijan book and boy was I not disappointed! She nailed this story and had me gobbling up from page one until the very end. I'm not normally one to gravitate toward college-aged romance but this one hooked me and was written really well. I look forward to reading more books by this author!
June 11, 2018
⋰⋱⋰⋱⋰⋱*Caden is hot though*⋰⋱⋰⋱⋰⋱
“I broke for someone who couldn’t break.”
Re-read: 31.05.2018
It wasn't a bad re-read, but it wasn't the best either. The book centers around Junior Student and heir, Caden ‘Asshole’ Banks (20?) and college Freshman (sports medicine), Summer ‘Sum’ Stoltz (18?). Summer started college with the hope and dreams that Kevin, her stepbrother, will finally open his eyes and be hers. Unfortunately, not everything goes as planned; She meets Caden who is Summer's stepbrother’s fraternity Alpha Mu brother. He also dislikes Kevin because Kevin is a douche slimebag. As time goes, and Caden and Summer becomes close friends, Summer's eyes starts to open...
I’d always had Kevin on a pedestal, and for the first time, he looked less than. He now stood against a guy who seemed more male in almost every way—except being a smooth-talker with the ladies. But no. I shook those thoughts away. They didn’t make sense. Kevin was… I frowned, guilt flaring up inside of me. No matter my hurt at seeing Kevin kissing another girl, he was family, right?
Overall, it was an okay read, I laughed at times and I got a little teary when a certain character came in. This is probably my last re-read of this book. PS: Caden does not beat Mason (Fallen Crest High) is the hot meter. He's an... 8, perhaps -9, while Mason is a 10. But at least Summer is a bit better than Sam. Summer's an open book, while Sam even hides from the readers, making it hard to connect.
New Rating: 3 stars
“Sooo, are you going to keep hating me at family stuff? We have summer coming up soon. Things will be awkward if we’re both home and you want to kill me.”
“I never wanted to kill you. More like maim, rip out your guts, castrate you.” I lifted a shoulder. “You couldn’t hurt if you were buried. But if your guts had been pulled out and then put back in with some really bad stitching? Yeah. That would’ve been perfect.”
Other characters:
I've put these in a spoilers tag simply because it's a bit long list.
Caden was a great friend, and I knew he had fun with me, but he didn’t have feelings for me. I didn’t think… Caden wasn’t going to date me. He dated girls who were out of my league. He might kiss me, hold me, have sex with me—yes to all those—but date me and have real feelings for me?
It wasn’t going to happen, and I wasn’t about to make Caden into another Kevin. I wouldn’t let my daydreams and fantasies go off to Fairy Neverland this time. Nope. I wasn’t going to get carried away.
I already missed him.
First read review: 24.08.16
Anti-Stepbrother was just what I needed at this time. It was funny, like really funny; Summer sometimes had the best lines and comebacks, Caden was the perfect friend turned maybe more. I adore the easy and lovable plot, with a little heartbreak in it. Also, I loved how Tijan wrote Caden and Summer's storyline. Their friendship/relationship was beautiful and exactly like I want in my own relationship. I mean; it was so goddamn adorable how Caden accepted Summer's 'craziness'. In fact, he adored it.
I wasn’t the sun. I was just reprieve in the darkness.
Tijan has a way with writing the perfect guy to fall in love with and let's just say she didn't fail doing exactly that here as well. Caden Banks was amazing. I loved everything about him! He was just the perfect amount alpha male, he was charming, had humor, and wasn't afraid to tell you how he felt; he was blunt and honest. I did however, wish we had gotten to see him possessive as I am pretty sure he would be when it came to Summer, but unfortunately, we didn't :/ Perhaps a book two, Tijan?
I looked at him and knew my emotions were shining through. If he’d glanced back at me, he would’ve seen everything I felt.
Summer Stoltz was just awesome. I love her sassiness, smart-mouthed, her honesty, kindness and cuteness. She was adorable and had the biggest heart. Summer could also be quite naive at times, but that's not because she was weak, it's was because of the reason that sometimes you just cannot help yourself when it comes to not knowing your real emotions. Summer was just confused about her feelings, but she still, well mostly, stayed true towards them; at least to herself, but she also hid them behind a smile or a line. (Jesus, I'm not making any sense here... I really need to get to bed.)
“You carried me to bed. Almost the same thing.”
Suddenly, the joking was gone, and his eyes burned. I could feel his heat from across the room, and my body reacted, instantly warming even before he said a word.
“Nothing’s the same as sliding inside,” he murmured after a moment. “The feel of being in there, feeling that clench around you, knowing you can push as deep as you want, as hard or gently as you want. Nope. I’ve gotta step off the joke train for a moment here. Nothing is remotely the same as that feeling.”
Fuck. My pulse spiked.
He tossed me a look. “Maybe I’ll cop a feel the next time.”
I pretended to groan. “One more notch on my badass peg. You better cop a feel next time.”
Quick basic facts:
Genre: - (NA) Contemporary Romance.
Series: - Standalone.
Love triangle? -
Cheating? -
HEA? -
Favorite character? - Caden Banks.
Would I read more by this author/or of series? - I've read most of Tijan's books, so yeah.
Would I recommend this book/series? - Yes.
Will I read this again in the future? - Most likely, yes.
Rating - 4 stars.
December 3, 2016
This is my first book from Tijan and after reading the blurb I was very excited to dig in and just enjoy the book because it sounded so promising.
I was curious to explore the writing style and my attention was divided between a lot of elements: the plot, its dynamic, the characters, their relationship and the way all of them blended together.
To begin with, the plot sounded very interesting, mainly because I smelled a love triangle and wanted to see how things will end up.
Our heroine, Summer, was very confusing and complicated to me. She is in love with her stepbrother, Kevin, and for years she dreamt of being with him. After one night when they got drunk and had sex, she truly believes that Kevin will notice her and express his dying love for her. Wrong.. Kevin likes to date a lot, has a 6 month policy with all of his girlfriends and things get complicated when he hooks up with his fraternity brother girlfriend. The book begins this way, with Summer seeing Kevin and Maggie together and with all of the fraternity brothers almost discovering them. She is the one who helps him not get caught, but there, she meets Caden, who figures out what she did, but in the same time is captivated by her in an inexplicable way. After that night, they still bump in one another and strangely, they become friends, but the sexual tension is there, very visible, but non of them is willing to admit it.
As I said before, Summer=complicated and Caden=confusing. They really annoyed me at a certain moment, but Summer topped my list. She was obsessed with Kevin, but in the same time hanged out with Caden. She was not very mature, sometimes too immature, gave me mixed signals about her feelings and was a coward. That what annoyed me the most, because she couldn't expressed her feelings openly and caused a lot of damage in the process. She was very unsure of herself, and this lack of conviction was passed to me as well, because there were parts in the book that I didn't understand what was she saying or doing.
Caden on the other hand was OK for me. He was more willing to accept his feelings and was more mature when analysing things. In his relationship with Summer, he was the one with more background issues and focused initially on other things that were keeping him from loving her. His family problems were not helping him move forward, they just kept on making him hurt more and more. He built a wall and initially didn't let Summer in, but he finally let her in, even if in the first place there were just friends.
What I enjoyed most was the way their love scenes were portrayed. There were not detailed, but the accent was not put on physical attraction, but on the way love it is used to heal wounds. Here I am referring to Caden, because as I mentioned before, his family issues were serious, and being with Summer gave him closure and made him forget. I enjoyed the way love is being referred to, used in a raw state, that managed to give our heroes the perfect intimate moment in which they could just enjoy each other company and express themselves.
But besides those moments, I couldn't experience more of their relationship moments because they were not present. It was very difficult seeing them as a couple when the bounding moments were rare. Even the "just friends" moments were kind of non-existent, only spoken from Summer's POV and without a lot of details..
But, even if this was present, the plot for me was flat.. Nothing really happened in this book, besides some things that didn't imply a certain dynamic to it. And besides that, there were some parts in the book totally unnecessary, that referred to the drama Summer's friend lived in their love life.. I like when a writer is describing certain aspects, but necessary aspects, fundamental one, not boring stuff that had nothing to do there and just don't influence the story with anything.
To conclude, it was an Ok read, but with a lot of loose ends and incomplete characters.. Good that enjoyed Caden and that made me raise the ratings a little.
3 stars.
For more reviews please check https://readwithloveblog.wordpress.com
I was curious to explore the writing style and my attention was divided between a lot of elements: the plot, its dynamic, the characters, their relationship and the way all of them blended together.
To begin with, the plot sounded very interesting, mainly because I smelled a love triangle and wanted to see how things will end up.
Our heroine, Summer, was very confusing and complicated to me. She is in love with her stepbrother, Kevin, and for years she dreamt of being with him. After one night when they got drunk and had sex, she truly believes that Kevin will notice her and express his dying love for her. Wrong.. Kevin likes to date a lot, has a 6 month policy with all of his girlfriends and things get complicated when he hooks up with his fraternity brother girlfriend. The book begins this way, with Summer seeing Kevin and Maggie together and with all of the fraternity brothers almost discovering them. She is the one who helps him not get caught, but there, she meets Caden, who figures out what she did, but in the same time is captivated by her in an inexplicable way. After that night, they still bump in one another and strangely, they become friends, but the sexual tension is there, very visible, but non of them is willing to admit it.
As I said before, Summer=complicated and Caden=confusing. They really annoyed me at a certain moment, but Summer topped my list. She was obsessed with Kevin, but in the same time hanged out with Caden. She was not very mature, sometimes too immature, gave me mixed signals about her feelings and was a coward. That what annoyed me the most, because she couldn't expressed her feelings openly and caused a lot of damage in the process. She was very unsure of herself, and this lack of conviction was passed to me as well, because there were parts in the book that I didn't understand what was she saying or doing.
Caden on the other hand was OK for me. He was more willing to accept his feelings and was more mature when analysing things. In his relationship with Summer, he was the one with more background issues and focused initially on other things that were keeping him from loving her. His family problems were not helping him move forward, they just kept on making him hurt more and more. He built a wall and initially didn't let Summer in, but he finally let her in, even if in the first place there were just friends.
What I enjoyed most was the way their love scenes were portrayed. There were not detailed, but the accent was not put on physical attraction, but on the way love it is used to heal wounds. Here I am referring to Caden, because as I mentioned before, his family issues were serious, and being with Summer gave him closure and made him forget. I enjoyed the way love is being referred to, used in a raw state, that managed to give our heroes the perfect intimate moment in which they could just enjoy each other company and express themselves.
But besides those moments, I couldn't experience more of their relationship moments because they were not present. It was very difficult seeing them as a couple when the bounding moments were rare. Even the "just friends" moments were kind of non-existent, only spoken from Summer's POV and without a lot of details..
But, even if this was present, the plot for me was flat.. Nothing really happened in this book, besides some things that didn't imply a certain dynamic to it. And besides that, there were some parts in the book totally unnecessary, that referred to the drama Summer's friend lived in their love life.. I like when a writer is describing certain aspects, but necessary aspects, fundamental one, not boring stuff that had nothing to do there and just don't influence the story with anything.
To conclude, it was an Ok read, but with a lot of loose ends and incomplete characters.. Good that enjoyed Caden and that made me raise the ratings a little.
3 stars.
For more reviews please check https://readwithloveblog.wordpress.com
August 24, 2016
Link to full review below! Seriously, its Tijan! I knew I would enjoy it. Lots of NA angst that gets you totally sucked in to the story! See full review on The Book Disciple
November 11, 2016
1 1/2 Stars
Spoilers Below! I’m new at writing reviews on here. I don’t know how to put pictures or book quotes in so bear with me. I was really hoping from the high reviews with this book, I would be able to enjoy it, but NOPE. Also, I really don’t like giving bad reviews and I don’t want to deter people from reading this book as this is just my judgment for it.
Let’s start with the heroine Summer. The last three books I read had heroines I loved so I may be a little harsh in regards to this h. I don’t even know where to start with Summer. I’ve been annoyed by heroines before, but I never really disliked them where I’d rather read about everything else but her. But this h had me seething where if she was in front of me I would throw this book at her head. First, I’m going to start with her dad, her mom passed away from cancer and when her mom was in the hospital before she passed her dad fell in love with the nurse Sheila Matthews (the step mom). This part in the book really got to me “The night after my mom was buried, he was at the Matthew's house.” It was stated that it was a huge scandal, but that’s just a no no to me. I don’t want to read about that even though it was her dad.
There’s a term I learned in this community called TSTL which means Too Stupid To Live and boy oh boy does this fit the h perfectly. Not only was she annoying, but she was awkward, idiotic, a pushover, and had low self-esteem. I would get second hand embarrassment and cringe whenever she opened her mouth. I think the author was trying to make her the weird, but sassy/cool girl…no she was just cringe worthy. She was a D-O-O-R-M-A-T when it came to her stepbrother Kevin. He treated her like crap ever since he found out his mom was marrying her dad. He pretty much manipulated and took advantage of her whenever he had a chance. When it came to the hero Caden, she didn’t know how to act around him. She would “get butterflies” or “have that sensation below”, but when it hit her that she was in love with her. She did the most responsible thing that people do. She avoided him for two weeks because you know drama/angst. She kept on pushing Caden away. Towards the end of the book, there was a part where Caden had to get away and calm down due to something that Summer did. Here is a something that Summer thought… “Caden had left me, like my mom did.” Is dis bitch for real???? Your mom died of CANCER, I’m sure it wasn’t her choice to leave you. I get it was something about her and not grieving her mom, but I couldn’t handle her anymore. I pretty much skimmed the rest of the book. One a positive note, the h isn’t a virgin she’s had sex exactly two times in her life before Caden.
Now onto the hero Caden and I’m giving ¾ a star due to him. I read reviews on this book that he wasn’t a manwhore. Ok there’s a catch with this. He was a manwhore before something traumatic happened a year or so ago. He told Summer before he used to be. “I don’t drink, party, and get laid. I used to. For an entire fucking year, and almost all four years of high school, that’s all I did….Then there’s me and Marcus. I partied, did sports, got laid…” so yes he was a manwhore up until not too long ago. But I couldn’t tell from reading if he just had random one night stands, but not in manwhore quantity. There’s a part in the book where Caden gets mad and tells Summer he’s going to get drunk and have sex (which he doesn’t). I thought he was joking at first, but the next day he tells her “…I took you to Diego’s last night. You made me laugh when I normally would’ve stayed angry and screwed some girl I didn’t give a shit about.” So I’m confused and don’t know what to think about that…. He does have every female at the university fawn all over him and they all try to hit on him. But I don’t know for sure if he was with anyone after meeting the h, it’s very open. I did like the H a lot better than the h even though he was always brooding. Towards the end, he finally puts his foot down when it comes to Summer. So I admit I do like alpha males up to a point not OTT, but I want to feel the possessiveness the H has for the h. I didn’t get that with Caden at all, we only get a few chapters with his POV, but I didn’t get a sense of possessive/caveman tendencies when it came to h. I want to see the H worship the h. His friendship with Diego and loyalty to his brothers Marcus and Colton are some of the things I absolutely adored when reading this book. I kind of wanted the last quarter of the book to focus on the trauma between Caden and his brother and how h helps fit into it, but it was more angst and drama.
Usually I love reading about minor characters and how they add to the story. For the life of me I could not stand them. The only ones I enjoyed reading about were Diego and Colton and even the frat brothers so that’s why I’m giving ½ star for them.
I know that angsty books are a popular thing nowadays. I get it. People want that feeling in the pit in the stomach heart tugging sensation. I admit sometimes I do too, but not throughout the whole book. Maybe I’ll read this book again and rate it better depending on my mood, but right now this book wasn’t for me. As for safety, like I stated above the heroine has her stepbrother she deals with, but doesn’t sleep with him and there aren’t any OM after she meets the H. For the H, a lot of OW try to flirt with him, there is a part where this beautiful busty blond is flirting with him and rubbing her breasts against his chest (he doesn’t try to push her off and stop it) and she gives him her number on his arm. He doesn’t’ call her (mind you the H and h are only just friends at this time), but it can be trigger for some. Again, I don’t want to deter people away from this book, but it wasn’t for me.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 23, 2016
Genre: NA
Sensuality: PG
Rating: 2.5
Cliffy? No.
College freshman meets alpha fratbro on campus, after being dissed by POS stepbro.
This is my second Tijan, after the WTF popular Fallen Crest, and I had forgotten that she specializes in petty, bitchy melodrama. I didnt care for it to say the least.
The h was also a dingbat who couldn't keep a train of thought. Example:
He was a big teddy bear to me now. Well, a hot and delicious teddy bear that wasn’t a teddy bear. He was more of a grizzly bear. No, not even that. What was I thinking? He was a damned panther, but I could hope one day he’d turn into a teddy bear. Much safer. - Page 99
I got such whiplash reading this book.
Sensuality: PG
Rating: 2.5
Cliffy? No.
College freshman meets alpha fratbro on campus, after being dissed by POS stepbro.
This is my second Tijan, after the WTF popular Fallen Crest, and I had forgotten that she specializes in petty, bitchy melodrama. I didnt care for it to say the least.
The h was also a dingbat who couldn't keep a train of thought. Example:
He was a big teddy bear to me now. Well, a hot and delicious teddy bear that wasn’t a teddy bear. He was more of a grizzly bear. No, not even that. What was I thinking? He was a damned panther, but I could hope one day he’d turn into a teddy bear. Much safer. - Page 99
I got such whiplash reading this book.
February 10, 2017
The love I have for Fallen Crest was bubbling to the surface while reading this. I was smiling and laughing while meeting Summer and Caden. This book was so good, the fact that it was able to spark the same kind of love I had for FCH is amazing and yet, my love for this was unique. I didn't feel like I was reading Mason, Logan and Sam all over again. I was fully with Caden and Summer.
This was a BR with Loyda! Thanks girl :)
**I won an ARC from Shh Summer Buzz Book Event, thanks! Check out the ARC giveaway details here, maybe you could win something too! https://goo.gl/uqgC3u
When he started taping Gilmore Girls for me, everything melted.Summer is starting off her first year at college and she has her eyes set on her step-brother. Her first night on campus crushes her hopes when she sees her step-brother Kevin with some other girl at his frats part. In her rush to escape she runs into Caden Banks who’s broody and kind of an asshole. Much to Summer’s ire, she continues to run into Caden, but a few car rides later he starts to grow on her. Only, what about Kevin, and what about Caden’s notoriety, he’d never go for a freshman, especially one as weird as Summer…right?
I was funny, honest, and awkward. He liked me.Caden’s got a reputation around campus, he’s a big deal at his frat, a bit of a bad boy, and has women falling at his feet; for good reason since he’s gorgeous! Caden’s got a lot on his plate, people see him as a figurehead at the frat house but his place there was thrust on him after a family tragedy. He’s juggling the life he wants, the life he’s trying to fulfill, his wayward brother Marcus, and the rest of his broken family on top of his new, albeit slightly confusing, friendship with Summer.
Hot damn. Caden was a sex weapon. No guy should be this good in bed. It was too dangerous.Summer, how this girl gets consistently left behind is such a mystery! It totally worked out for her in the end though. She was delightfully weird, I really enjoyed her quirkiness. Caden definitely conjured brief visions of Mason at times and I loved that, because my first love from Tijan is the FCH series. Summer and Caden together were really fun, they were laid back a lot of the time and they were at ease with one another. They were also able to be serious and handle some tough stuff with one another. Summer’s step-brother would always be in Summer’s life even if only as her step-brother. Honestly, Kevin was a bit of a self-centered dick though he eventually tried to turn over a new leaf. I also really enjoyed Summer’s friend Avery, I wouldn’t mind a story about her and Marcus!
This was a BR with Loyda! Thanks girl :)
**I won an ARC from Shh Summer Buzz Book Event, thanks! Check out the ARC giveaway details here, maybe you could win something too! https://goo.gl/uqgC3u
August 24, 2016
I’m a very confused bunny right now…
I don’t know about this book. It had a guy in it. He was pretty sexy. In that mysterious-tatted-up-could-be-a-bad-boy-but-is-actually-kind-of-sweet-doesn’t-talk-much-but-his-abs-are-all-I-really-need-to-know-about-him kind of way. It had a girl. She was awkward but she also had a spine of steel. There were brothers, of the blood, step and fraternity variety. There was banter of the funny variety. There was sexual tension and angst of the delicious sort.
I don’t know about this book. It had a plot. It was a new take on an old trope. It had lots of characters, some I liked and some I didn’t. There were many secrets that were slowly unveiled. I was kept guessing at people’s motives for much of the book. Sometimes things didn’t work out quite as I thought they would. A lot of things happened. There were many intertwined relationships. Relationships between friends, lovers, family and enemies.
I don’t know about this book. I can’t tell you that this story line or these characters or this type of angst and tension aren’t things I haven’t seen before. All I know is that I was tired when I went to bed at 11:30 thinking I’d read a few pages and then found myself turning the last page at 3 am the next morning. And I didn’t even notice. All I know is that this book consumed me. All I know is that I couldn’t put it down. All I know is that I’m still thinking about it right now. All I know is something awesome happened here. And for those reasons alone, this book gets 5 stars from me. Brilliantly written and definitely recommended.
(ARC provided by author in exchange for an honest review.)
I don’t know about this book. It had a guy in it. He was pretty sexy. In that mysterious-tatted-up-could-be-a-bad-boy-but-is-actually-kind-of-sweet-doesn’t-talk-much-but-his-abs-are-all-I-really-need-to-know-about-him kind of way. It had a girl. She was awkward but she also had a spine of steel. There were brothers, of the blood, step and fraternity variety. There was banter of the funny variety. There was sexual tension and angst of the delicious sort.
I don’t know about this book. It had a plot. It was a new take on an old trope. It had lots of characters, some I liked and some I didn’t. There were many secrets that were slowly unveiled. I was kept guessing at people’s motives for much of the book. Sometimes things didn’t work out quite as I thought they would. A lot of things happened. There were many intertwined relationships. Relationships between friends, lovers, family and enemies.
I don’t know about this book. I can’t tell you that this story line or these characters or this type of angst and tension aren’t things I haven’t seen before. All I know is that I was tired when I went to bed at 11:30 thinking I’d read a few pages and then found myself turning the last page at 3 am the next morning. And I didn’t even notice. All I know is that this book consumed me. All I know is that I couldn’t put it down. All I know is that I’m still thinking about it right now. All I know is something awesome happened here. And for those reasons alone, this book gets 5 stars from me. Brilliantly written and definitely recommended.
(ARC provided by author in exchange for an honest review.)
August 23, 2016
4 solid stars
........ However, 0.5 deduction due to the fade to black nookie!
Yes, I was so sad I had to use a gif.
Anyway, with Anti-Stepbrother Tijan has done it again! Even if it read as a YA at times, although it takes place in college, and there were a lot of teen drama (jealous bitches hating on the h for being friends with hot H, etc.), I really really enjoyed this. It's fast paced, has great dialogue and a decent storyline.
I think Tijan's strength lies within her characterisation. The heroine is often very strong willed, a smart-mouthed badass and sarcastic as hell. Summer is no different. With her quirky sense of humour, I found her quite endearing. Her connection with the H and also his brothers was heartwarming, and to witness how she learned to stand up for herself and fight back using her very sharp tongue, was very entertaining. But underneath all that feistiness, she's also insecure, vulnerable and marked by the loss of her mother.
Caden, the H, was surprisingly enough NOT a manwhore although every woman on campus wanna do him and all the men wanna be him...or punch him. He's a taciturn, gorgeous junior who carries the weight of the world on his shoulders. He befriends Summer and they slowly develop a close friendship that turns into love. I liked him. But he didn't make me swoon. Another 0.5 deduction.
But all in all: a very enjoyable read!
........ However, 0.5 deduction due to the fade to black nookie!
Yes, I was so sad I had to use a gif.
Anyway, with Anti-Stepbrother Tijan has done it again! Even if it read as a YA at times, although it takes place in college, and there were a lot of teen drama (jealous bitches hating on the h for being friends with hot H, etc.), I really really enjoyed this. It's fast paced, has great dialogue and a decent storyline.
I think Tijan's strength lies within her characterisation. The heroine is often very strong willed, a smart-mouthed badass and sarcastic as hell. Summer is no different. With her quirky sense of humour, I found her quite endearing. Her connection with the H and also his brothers was heartwarming, and to witness how she learned to stand up for herself and fight back using her very sharp tongue, was very entertaining. But underneath all that feistiness, she's also insecure, vulnerable and marked by the loss of her mother.
Caden, the H, was surprisingly enough NOT a manwhore although every woman on campus wanna do him and all the men wanna be him...or punch him. He's a taciturn, gorgeous junior who carries the weight of the world on his shoulders. He befriends Summer and they slowly develop a close friendship that turns into love. I liked him. But he didn't make me swoon. Another 0.5 deduction.
But all in all: a very enjoyable read!
August 25, 2016
A little too NA drama-rama for me and for some reason, I struggled to keep track of who was cheating on who (and thus why this other person with a similar sounding name, would give a crap). I fear the real reason why I was rolling my eyes and wanting to tell the characters to go to their room and stay there until they could be civil, was that I'm just too damned old to enjoy NA.
Still, the main characters were interesting at times and the chemistry was decent, but Carter Reed was much more to my taste than this one. Everybody else loved it though, so don't listen to me.
Still, the main characters were interesting at times and the chemistry was decent, but Carter Reed was much more to my taste than this one. Everybody else loved it though, so don't listen to me.
August 31, 2016
ARC kindly provided in exchange for an honest review.
Title: Anti-Stepbrother
Author: Tijan
Category: Romance
Series or Standalone: Standalone
POV: Dual
Plot: 5
Characters: 5
Scorching Level: 5
HEA: Not telling
Woohoo!!!! This book was AMAZING. Oh the feels! I think it's the first time I read anything from this author and I am so sorry I didn't read her books sooner!
This is the story of Summer and Caden.
Summer is a freshman in college and trying to fit in. Her one wish was to be close to her stepbrother, Kevin. She has had feelings for him since before he became her stepbrother and she has held out hope that her love would at some point be reciprocated.
But sadly, she will come to realize that Kevin is not who she thinks he is.
Then there is Caden. Caden Banks is the big name. He is famous and he isn't known for being nice to freshman girls. He doesn't leave a first good impression on Summer, but not everything is as it seems.
Through various circumstances, Caden & Summer will come closer and soon they will become friends.
I'd come to this event a nobody, but suddenly, with the acknowledgement that Caden Banks knew me, I knew I wouldn't be a nobody for long.
Summer finds an unexpected friend in Caden in her attempt to fight off her loneliness. He sees her for who she really is and she finds herself loving herself because of him.
I was funny, honest and awkward. He liked me.
The author did an amazing job with her characters. She showed the naivety and kindness that made Summer who she is. Her character develops beautifully; she grows through her relationship with Caden.
Caden was my favorite. He was simply one of a kind. Be prepared to fall in love with him. There are no words to describe him.
All the secondary characters were amazing. I really wanted to hit Kevin, so mission accomplished!
There is never a dull moment in the book. The pace is steady and there are several moments that will stick with me.
If you are a fan of the author, don't miss this! If you haven't read anything from her, this is the perfect book to start.
5 Anti-Stepbrother Stars!
August 23, 2016
Honestly, I've been so excited for this book since it dropped and my anticipations of excitement deflated because of the ending...
WHAT SORT OF ENDING IS THAT?!! Like THE HECK?
Summer & Caden are adorable, that's a fact. Their love is true and pure, but it's surrounded by WAYYYY too much drama. I know that's what's supposed to make a story explode and be proclaimed as a good story, but there is a level of amount of drama an author adds to their stories, and I feel awful saying this but, Tijan exceeded that level to the extreme because there was drama in every single chapter. Different all the time!
And because I love Tijan's writing, I'm going to be fair and say that this was not one of my favorites from her...
At the end of the though, Caden Banks is a hottie of pure alpha HOTNESS!
WHAT SORT OF ENDING IS THAT?!! Like THE HECK?
Summer & Caden are adorable, that's a fact. Their love is true and pure, but it's surrounded by WAYYYY too much drama. I know that's what's supposed to make a story explode and be proclaimed as a good story, but there is a level of amount of drama an author adds to their stories, and I feel awful saying this but, Tijan exceeded that level to the extreme because there was drama in every single chapter. Different all the time!
And because I love Tijan's writing, I'm going to be fair and say that this was not one of my favorites from her...
At the end of the though, Caden Banks is a hottie of pure alpha HOTNESS!
October 7, 2016
3,5 rounded to 3 stars full of DRAMA
It's my first book by this author and mostly I enjoyed her writing style, but I have to admit it had too much drama for my taste. I would have given it 4 stars but I just couldn't after the unnecessary drama in the last chapters.
The beginning kept me glued to the pages and I enjoyed the first half. But even if I missed a good college romance, this was not enough for me and the last chapters made me want to scream.
Summer is in love with her stepbrother Kevin. She follows him to college only to have her hopes crushed. Kevin is a man whore and an awful man: he always cheats and feels no remorse.
Colton is popular, beautiful, but very reserved with his personal life. Summer had no time to examine her feelings towards her stepbrother, because she is suddenly attracted to Colton from their first encounter. They soon become friends and then their friendship changed to something more. If you ask me it was too slow burn romance.
This book had it all: mean girls, bad boys, fake friendships, mean comments, in few words: college drama.
I loved the first half and it was much more than I expected, Caden's past, Summer's reactions to all the changes in her life. Overall it was a good read, but it bored me at one point.
It's my first book by this author and mostly I enjoyed her writing style, but I have to admit it had too much drama for my taste. I would have given it 4 stars but I just couldn't after the unnecessary drama in the last chapters.
The beginning kept me glued to the pages and I enjoyed the first half. But even if I missed a good college romance, this was not enough for me and the last chapters made me want to scream.
Summer is in love with her stepbrother Kevin. She follows him to college only to have her hopes crushed. Kevin is a man whore and an awful man: he always cheats and feels no remorse.
Colton is popular, beautiful, but very reserved with his personal life. Summer had no time to examine her feelings towards her stepbrother, because she is suddenly attracted to Colton from their first encounter. They soon become friends and then their friendship changed to something more. If you ask me it was too slow burn romance.
This book had it all: mean girls, bad boys, fake friendships, mean comments, in few words: college drama.
I loved the first half and it was much more than I expected, Caden's past, Summer's reactions to all the changes in her life. Overall it was a good read, but it bored me at one point.
October 27, 2018
Anti-Stepbrother is about Summer Stoltz, an incoming freshmen college student who's in love with her stepbrother Kevin. It's unclear to me how Summer finds Kevin attractive. He's a spineless, manipulative cheating idiot. I can't stand her infatuation on him when all of his qualities are huge turn-offs. Her love interest is Caden Banks, Kevin's fraternity brother. He's intimidating, popular and good-looking.
This book is loaded with drama. It's overdramatic and petty as hell I cringed. Especially when Summer echoes someone else's word / words EVERY GODDAMN TIME. Omg this woman. 🙄🔪 For example:
Avery: Is something wrong?
Summer: What?
Avery: You just sighed. Is something wrong?
Summer: No. Just stupid thoughts.
Avery: Like what?
Summer: What?
I don't know if she has a short attention span, deaf or daydreaming. Who knows? It's one of my pet peeves in books and it really gets on my nerves. That's just one of the many conversations I have to endure throughout the book. God has given me enough patience and thank goodness I didn't get a migraine. Surprisingly, it's tolerable than Fallen Crest High (which remains on my pending books to read and I probably won't pick up again).The story is decent except for the lackluster ending. What a bummer.
This book is loaded with drama. It's overdramatic and petty as hell I cringed. Especially when Summer echoes someone else's word / words EVERY GODDAMN TIME. Omg this woman. 🙄🔪 For example:
Avery: Is something wrong?
Summer: What?
Avery: You just sighed. Is something wrong?
Summer: No. Just stupid thoughts.
Avery: Like what?
Summer: What?
I don't know if she has a short attention span, deaf or daydreaming. Who knows? It's one of my pet peeves in books and it really gets on my nerves. That's just one of the many conversations I have to endure throughout the book. God has given me enough patience and thank goodness I didn't get a migraine. Surprisingly, it's tolerable than Fallen Crest High (which remains on my pending books to read and I probably won't pick up again).The story is decent except for the lackluster ending. What a bummer.
August 19, 2016
"I'd settle for Hot Tits." I glanced down at mine. "Maybe the positive reinforcement will help them grow."
- Anti-Stepbrother
My new fave Tijan book. I didn't stop reading until I finished it. I couldn't be torn away. It has a surprising humor element, but that intensity Tijan is the master of is still there. Preorder links and blurb below.
- Anti-Stepbrother
My new fave Tijan book. I didn't stop reading until I finished it. I couldn't be torn away. It has a surprising humor element, but that intensity Tijan is the master of is still there. Preorder links and blurb below.
September 24, 2017
"I fucking love Romance." -Nadia Awadi, from her review of anti-stepbrother.
If anyone wants to quote me on that, you can.
I know how some people look at the romance genre. Mostly like this:
They don't know what they're missing out on. I mean who doesn't like love? let me tell you who: serial killers. So don't judge the Romance genre espeacially if you haven't tried it yet.
Rating: 4.5 stars
The plot:
Summer is starting college this year. The same college that her hot stepbrother goes to. She wants to be there with him for something more than brotherly affection. But she meets Caiden who is the opposite of her stepbrother. He drives her crazy. But that's because he's an asshole, right?
The characters:
Summer:
"I was funny, honest and awkward. He liked me."
Why not me? I'm funny,*at least in my opinion* Honest *not all the time* And the most awkward person on earth.
Summer will have you either questioning her sanity or make you laugh until there are tears in your eyes. Basically me. Except she wants to go to parties and be more out there. I'm perfectly happy at home. But that's just my introverted ass talking.
Anyway, Summer was like a fresh breeze during the summer of annoying female characters. I loved her. This girl had it all: the spunk, the kindness and best of all actual commen sense. Can't say that about a lot of the female characters. And to top it all off she was hilarious.
“If you gotta puke, don’t suppress. It’s a natural body process.”
He eyed me a moment. “Did you rhyme that on purpose?”
“Maybe. Or I might be crazy?” I winked. “Or just a classy lady?”
And here's a weird information that you're going to know: I rhyme words all the time. See what I did there; rhyme and time? *internal clapping*
Caiden
I didn't love him. I fucking loved him. He is up there in my fictional boyfriends list, like close to 'Warner' from the 'Shatter me' series. And we all know 'Warner'. *trying to wink*
He was perfect like 'Rhysand' type of perfect. And we all know Rhysand.*failing at the wink attempet*
I could sing him praises all day long . First of all he was strong. *And the rhyming strikes again people* I should go and write a poem now.
But jokes aside,*But I was serious about the poem?* He was so swoony. I waited for him to mess up but nope, didn't happen. He was perfect. Espeacially for Summer, so he could ground her.
“I want more than that. I want it all. You. Your laugh.” He pressed a kiss to the side of my mouth. “Your random idiocy that I find hilarious.” A kiss to the other side. “Your kindness.” He moved down to my throat. “Your strength.” The other side of my throat. “Your love, even when it’s not deserved..
Don't worry you deserve it. You deserve her and honestly world domination while you're at it.
Caiden was soo sweet when it came to Summer I almost couldn't handle it. And I put 3 spoons of sugar in my coffee. That's how sweet and considerate he was. And when it came to his brothers he became such a protective bear. And that was hot. No sweetness there.
The romance and the steaminess:
Summer and Caiden's relationship started with them becoming friends and being there for each other. That made their story real. Their chemistry was through the roof no more like through the atmosphere. The book was also steamy without sex scenes. Which I liked. I'm human too.
Ps:Colton I love you too and want to hug you a lot.
The writing: 5-couldn't put the book down-stars.
If anyone finishes reading this, please tell me if you want to know the music I listen to when I write my reviews?
It's been so long since I said a goodbye using a foreign language at the end of a review. So here it is:
Sayonara. That's in japanese.Can I get any weirder? No
If anyone wants to quote me on that, you can.
I know how some people look at the romance genre. Mostly like this:
They don't know what they're missing out on. I mean who doesn't like love? let me tell you who: serial killers. So don't judge the Romance genre espeacially if you haven't tried it yet.
Rating: 4.5 stars
The plot:
Summer is starting college this year. The same college that her hot stepbrother goes to. She wants to be there with him for something more than brotherly affection. But she meets Caiden who is the opposite of her stepbrother. He drives her crazy. But that's because he's an asshole, right?
The characters:
Summer:
"I was funny, honest and awkward. He liked me."
Why not me? I'm funny,*at least in my opinion* Honest *not all the time* And the most awkward person on earth.
Summer will have you either questioning her sanity or make you laugh until there are tears in your eyes. Basically me. Except she wants to go to parties and be more out there. I'm perfectly happy at home. But that's just my introverted ass talking.
Anyway, Summer was like a fresh breeze during the summer of annoying female characters. I loved her. This girl had it all: the spunk, the kindness and best of all actual commen sense. Can't say that about a lot of the female characters. And to top it all off she was hilarious.
“If you gotta puke, don’t suppress. It’s a natural body process.”
He eyed me a moment. “Did you rhyme that on purpose?”
“Maybe. Or I might be crazy?” I winked. “Or just a classy lady?”
And here's a weird information that you're going to know: I rhyme words all the time. See what I did there; rhyme and time? *internal clapping*
Caiden
I didn't love him. I fucking loved him. He is up there in my fictional boyfriends list, like close to 'Warner' from the 'Shatter me' series. And we all know 'Warner'. *trying to wink*
He was perfect like 'Rhysand' type of perfect. And we all know Rhysand.*failing at the wink attempet*
I could sing him praises all day long . First of all he was strong. *And the rhyming strikes again people* I should go and write a poem now.
But jokes aside,*But I was serious about the poem?* He was so swoony. I waited for him to mess up but nope, didn't happen. He was perfect. Espeacially for Summer, so he could ground her.
“I want more than that. I want it all. You. Your laugh.” He pressed a kiss to the side of my mouth. “Your random idiocy that I find hilarious.” A kiss to the other side. “Your kindness.” He moved down to my throat. “Your strength.” The other side of my throat. “Your love, even when it’s not deserved..
Don't worry you deserve it. You deserve her and honestly world domination while you're at it.
Caiden was soo sweet when it came to Summer I almost couldn't handle it. And I put 3 spoons of sugar in my coffee. That's how sweet and considerate he was. And when it came to his brothers he became such a protective bear. And that was hot. No sweetness there.
The romance and the steaminess:
Summer and Caiden's relationship started with them becoming friends and being there for each other. That made their story real. Their chemistry was through the roof no more like through the atmosphere. The book was also steamy without sex scenes. Which I liked. I'm human too.
Ps:Colton I love you too and want to hug you a lot.
The writing: 5-couldn't put the book down-stars.
If anyone finishes reading this, please tell me if you want to know the music I listen to when I write my reviews?
It's been so long since I said a goodbye using a foreign language at the end of a review. So here it is:
Sayonara. That's in japanese.Can I get any weirder? No
August 25, 2016
4,5 stars
Pfeeeew, I was 3% in the book and I already wanted to bash Kevin's skull. As I had not read the summary, going in with blind faith because it's Tijan we're speaking, I prayed "Oh God, let her not be in love with him. Let him not be THE male character, pleaaaaaase!"
You can imagine my relief when Caden made his very male entrance, snake tattoo, muscles and all. HE would be my hero!
I've read nearly every Tijan's books and this one has been a slow burning. The intensity of the characters looked more subdued at first glance than Fallen Crest but it's to better explode in your face much later. You first think the drama does not seem very high, just college stuff and love/lust stories but it's to hit you back full force when you're invested in the story.
Even the romance between Summer and Caden evolved slowly, staying for a long time in the "friendship" zone.
Caden is not Mason. He is all male, confident and his words are law but he is more "subtle". I would say he is perfect for Summer as she is no Sam either. She still is a "Tijan girl": thin, long brown hair, gorgeous and underestimating herself BUT she's funnier. She thinks aloud and has a crazy mouth that was really entertaining.
So it's not Fallen Crest, it's different but it's excellent and I read it all in one day.
Pfeeeew, I was 3% in the book and I already wanted to bash Kevin's skull. As I had not read the summary, going in with blind faith because it's Tijan we're speaking, I prayed "Oh God, let her not be in love with him. Let him not be THE male character, pleaaaaaase!"
You can imagine my relief when Caden made his very male entrance, snake tattoo, muscles and all. HE would be my hero!
I've read nearly every Tijan's books and this one has been a slow burning. The intensity of the characters looked more subdued at first glance than Fallen Crest but it's to better explode in your face much later. You first think the drama does not seem very high, just college stuff and love/lust stories but it's to hit you back full force when you're invested in the story.
Even the romance between Summer and Caden evolved slowly, staying for a long time in the "friendship" zone.
Caden is not Mason. He is all male, confident and his words are law but he is more "subtle". I would say he is perfect for Summer as she is no Sam either. She still is a "Tijan girl": thin, long brown hair, gorgeous and underestimating herself BUT she's funnier. She thinks aloud and has a crazy mouth that was really entertaining.
So it's not Fallen Crest, it's different but it's excellent and I read it all in one day.
July 9, 2017
I am having a serious face palm moment here. Tara and Dawn have been telling me for years, YEARS people, how awesome Tijan is and how much I would love her books. So why the hell did I only just pick up this one now? I bought it when it was first released and it just fell further and further back on my kindle until that fateful moment where I put down my last book and thought WTF do I read now.
So I figure why not? I felt like a little college romance with all the usual angst and drama one can expect from it so I dove in. Of course 3am this morning I fell asleep with 20% left to read and an obsession for all things Caden.
Hot damn was that guy perfection. Seriously where were guys like him when I was 20? I can’t even try to explain how awesome he was. I mean really you have to meet him yourself. And Summer wasn’t bad either. She is one of the very few New Adult heroines who hasn’t driven me up the wall so for that alone I love her. I also love that she wasn’t still holding her V card. And although she was in love with her step brother she didn’t have any of the wishy washy bullshit that I was semi expecting.
Overall I really loved that I went into this expecting this really dramatic, love triangle with a heap of back and forth and all we got was a really sweet and straight forward romance with a few little twists and turns along the way to keep me flipping the pages like to find out what was going to happen next. Caden and Summer were just beautiful and now I am off to apologise to Tara and Dawn for not jumping on their Tijan bandwagon sooner. Well maybe after I stalk Tijan a little for my next read ;)
Check out my reviews here
So I figure why not? I felt like a little college romance with all the usual angst and drama one can expect from it so I dove in. Of course 3am this morning I fell asleep with 20% left to read and an obsession for all things Caden.
Hot damn was that guy perfection. Seriously where were guys like him when I was 20? I can’t even try to explain how awesome he was. I mean really you have to meet him yourself. And Summer wasn’t bad either. She is one of the very few New Adult heroines who hasn’t driven me up the wall so for that alone I love her. I also love that she wasn’t still holding her V card. And although she was in love with her step brother she didn’t have any of the wishy washy bullshit that I was semi expecting.
Overall I really loved that I went into this expecting this really dramatic, love triangle with a heap of back and forth and all we got was a really sweet and straight forward romance with a few little twists and turns along the way to keep me flipping the pages like to find out what was going to happen next. Caden and Summer were just beautiful and now I am off to apologise to Tara and Dawn for not jumping on their Tijan bandwagon sooner. Well maybe after I stalk Tijan a little for my next read ;)
Check out my reviews here
September 16, 2017
OMG! With books like this one... Tijan is gonna become my favourite author! I have to say... I had no idea how this book was going to end. But damn... it was beautiful! I fell in love with Caden over and over again. I was so impressed by Colton's situation and I still want to know more; maybe even read a book about him. I couldn't put it down! I'm a sucker for good books and this one was more than a 5 stars kind of book. I was surronded by all kinds of emotions and I now crave for a love like this one. ❤️
August 24, 2016
Review in english and portuguese
Resenha em inglês e português
An ARC was provided by the author and TRSOR. Thank you!
4 stars
This is the first book I read of Tijan. I know, I know. It was about time to correct this. I've heard of her before, but when I saw the cover and blurb of this book I could not resist. This was the one! It was the perfect opportunity to get to know her work. And I'm very happy that exceeded expectations. I just loveeeeed her writing style. This book is a YA romance really good to read.
ANTI-STEPBROTHER tells the story of Summer. She decides to go to the same college of her stepbrother, Kevin, to finally see if that is something between them. If they were meant to be together. However, she didn't expect to find Caden, someone who started with being labeled as a**hole and eventually earned the friend card.
I loveeeeed Caden. He was different than I expected. I thought he was going to be just another arrogant guy, annoying, that with some time he would change. But Caden has not changed, he always showed who he really was and he didn't care what other people thought of him. With small steps he was becoming more and more to Summer and to this reader here. Prepare to fall in love with him!
But, for me, the highlight of this book was Summer. OMG! The author won me over with this wonderful character. Really! I loved the way she was. I found her super funny, clumsy and so natural. The type of person I would love to have as a friend.
After I finished this book, I saw on Facebook the word "serendipity" and a light went on in my head. It was the perfect word to describe this story. Good things happen when we least expect it, when we do not even are looking for.
The only thing I missed was a great ending for a certain character. He didn't appeared much, but made his mark in this story. I wanted to read a beautiful end to him, especially a super happy ending.
ANTI-STEPBROTHER is so good and funny. Tijan's books were new to me, and now , for sure, I'll keep an eye on her work. For real! I don't believe I hadn't read any of her books before! Based os this one, her characters are very well constructed, the dialogues were typical to their ages. It has no ups and downs trough it, it was constant and a really great story.
Now I just want my very own anti-stepbrother lol. I highly recommend it!!
------------------
ARC fornecido pela autora e TRSOR. Obrigada!
Esse é o primeiro livro que leio da Tijan. Eu sei, eu sei. Já tava na hora de corrigir esse erro. Já ouvi falar dela, mas quando vi a capa e sinopse desse livro não resisti. Era esse! Era a oportunidade perfeita de conhecê-la. E estou muito feliz que superou as expectativas. Adoreeeeeeei a escrita da autora. Esse livro é um romance YA bem gostoso de se ler.
ANTI-STEPBROTHER conta a história de Summer. Ela decide ir para a mesma faculdade de seu meio-irmão, Kevin, para finalmente tentar uma chance com ele, ver se foram feitos um para o outro. Entretanto, ela não esperava encontrar Caden, alguém que começou com sendo taxado de idiota e com o tempo foi ganhando o título de amigo.
Ameeeeeei o Caden. Ele foi diferente do que eu esperava. Achava que ia receber só um cara arrogante, chato, que com o tempo ia mudando. Mas Caden, não mudou, ele sempre mostrou quem ele era e não tava nem ai para o que os outros achavam dele. Foi conquistando aos poucos tanto a Summer quando esta leitora aqui. Prepara pra cair de amores por ele!
Só que, pra mim, o destaque aqui é Summer. Gente! A autora me conquistou com essa personagem maravilhosa. Sério! Ameiiiiiiii o jeito da Summer. Achei ela super engraçada, atrapalhada e natural. O tipo de pessoa que eu ia adorar ter como amiga.
Depois que terminei esse livro, vi no Facebook a palavra "serendipidade" e uma luz acendeu na minha cabeça. Foi a palavra perfeita para definir essa história. Coisas boas acontecem quando a gente menos espera, quando a gente nem está procurando.
A única coisa que senti falta foi uma finalização para um certo personagem. Ele apareceu tão pouco, mas marcou muito a historia. Queria ler um final pra ele, principalmente um final super feliz.
ANTI-STEPBROTHER é uma história tão gostosa, e por vezes engraçada. Livros da Tijan eram uma novidade para mim, e agora to de olho em seus trabalhos. Sério! Não acredito que não tinha lido nada dela ainda! Personagens muito bem construídos, diálogos característicos da idade dos personagens, sem altos e baixos, história constante e muito boa.
Agora eu só quero meu próprio anti-meio-irmão rs. Super recomendo!!
----------------------
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Resenha em inglês e português
An ARC was provided by the author and TRSOR. Thank you!
4 stars
This is the first book I read of Tijan. I know, I know. It was about time to correct this. I've heard of her before, but when I saw the cover and blurb of this book I could not resist. This was the one! It was the perfect opportunity to get to know her work. And I'm very happy that exceeded expectations. I just loveeeeed her writing style. This book is a YA romance really good to read.
ANTI-STEPBROTHER tells the story of Summer. She decides to go to the same college of her stepbrother, Kevin, to finally see if that is something between them. If they were meant to be together. However, she didn't expect to find Caden, someone who started with being labeled as a**hole and eventually earned the friend card.
I loveeeeed Caden. He was different than I expected. I thought he was going to be just another arrogant guy, annoying, that with some time he would change. But Caden has not changed, he always showed who he really was and he didn't care what other people thought of him. With small steps he was becoming more and more to Summer and to this reader here. Prepare to fall in love with him!
But, for me, the highlight of this book was Summer. OMG! The author won me over with this wonderful character. Really! I loved the way she was. I found her super funny, clumsy and so natural. The type of person I would love to have as a friend.
After I finished this book, I saw on Facebook the word "serendipity" and a light went on in my head. It was the perfect word to describe this story. Good things happen when we least expect it, when we do not even are looking for.
The only thing I missed was a great ending for a certain character. He didn't appeared much, but made his mark in this story. I wanted to read a beautiful end to him, especially a super happy ending.
ANTI-STEPBROTHER is so good and funny. Tijan's books were new to me, and now , for sure, I'll keep an eye on her work. For real! I don't believe I hadn't read any of her books before! Based os this one, her characters are very well constructed, the dialogues were typical to their ages. It has no ups and downs trough it, it was constant and a really great story.
Now I just want my very own anti-stepbrother lol. I highly recommend it!!
------------------
ARC fornecido pela autora e TRSOR. Obrigada!
Esse é o primeiro livro que leio da Tijan. Eu sei, eu sei. Já tava na hora de corrigir esse erro. Já ouvi falar dela, mas quando vi a capa e sinopse desse livro não resisti. Era esse! Era a oportunidade perfeita de conhecê-la. E estou muito feliz que superou as expectativas. Adoreeeeeeei a escrita da autora. Esse livro é um romance YA bem gostoso de se ler.
ANTI-STEPBROTHER conta a história de Summer. Ela decide ir para a mesma faculdade de seu meio-irmão, Kevin, para finalmente tentar uma chance com ele, ver se foram feitos um para o outro. Entretanto, ela não esperava encontrar Caden, alguém que começou com sendo taxado de idiota e com o tempo foi ganhando o título de amigo.
Ameeeeeei o Caden. Ele foi diferente do que eu esperava. Achava que ia receber só um cara arrogante, chato, que com o tempo ia mudando. Mas Caden, não mudou, ele sempre mostrou quem ele era e não tava nem ai para o que os outros achavam dele. Foi conquistando aos poucos tanto a Summer quando esta leitora aqui. Prepara pra cair de amores por ele!
Só que, pra mim, o destaque aqui é Summer. Gente! A autora me conquistou com essa personagem maravilhosa. Sério! Ameiiiiiiii o jeito da Summer. Achei ela super engraçada, atrapalhada e natural. O tipo de pessoa que eu ia adorar ter como amiga.
Depois que terminei esse livro, vi no Facebook a palavra "serendipidade" e uma luz acendeu na minha cabeça. Foi a palavra perfeita para definir essa história. Coisas boas acontecem quando a gente menos espera, quando a gente nem está procurando.
A única coisa que senti falta foi uma finalização para um certo personagem. Ele apareceu tão pouco, mas marcou muito a historia. Queria ler um final pra ele, principalmente um final super feliz.
ANTI-STEPBROTHER é uma história tão gostosa, e por vezes engraçada. Livros da Tijan eram uma novidade para mim, e agora to de olho em seus trabalhos. Sério! Não acredito que não tinha lido nada dela ainda! Personagens muito bem construídos, diálogos característicos da idade dos personagens, sem altos e baixos, história constante e muito boa.
Agora eu só quero meu próprio anti-meio-irmão rs. Super recomendo!!
----------------------
* Pick a Book
facebook / instagram / twitter
pb.responde@gmail.com
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