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Escaping Perfect #2
Finding What's Real
Cecelia Montgomery returns after running away to deal with the downside of her newfound fame—and her mother’s Presidential campaign—in the sequel to Escaping Perfect.
Now that Cecilia Montgomery has been found after two weeks on the run, she’s stuck in the middle of a media firestorm. When Cecilia threatens to leave again, her mom drops the bomb. She plans to run for President. She’s going to announce in a few days. And if she bails again, well, they do still have Jasper in custody on bogus “kidnapping” charges...
Suddenly Cecilia is trapped yet again, forced into a public persona she had no part in creating. But her friends from Sweetbriar still have her back and help smuggle Cecelia back into town. Just when Cecelia thinks she’s finally escaped, her mother arrives and officially announces she is running for President—and she plans to stay in Sweetbriar for the duration of her candidacy.
Meanwhile, Fiona becomes a bit obsessed with the fame she achieves from being Cecilia Montgomery’s best friend, and even Jasper gets caught up in the benefits of dating her. Soon Cecilia starts to wonder if they want to hang out with her, or if they want to benefit from hanging out with her. All she wanted was a small, anonymous life, but now things seem to be spiraling out of control.
Can Cecelia ever find her perfect ending, or will her escape prove to be more of a trap than she ever thought possible?
Now that Cecilia Montgomery has been found after two weeks on the run, she’s stuck in the middle of a media firestorm. When Cecilia threatens to leave again, her mom drops the bomb. She plans to run for President. She’s going to announce in a few days. And if she bails again, well, they do still have Jasper in custody on bogus “kidnapping” charges...
Suddenly Cecilia is trapped yet again, forced into a public persona she had no part in creating. But her friends from Sweetbriar still have her back and help smuggle Cecelia back into town. Just when Cecelia thinks she’s finally escaped, her mother arrives and officially announces she is running for President—and she plans to stay in Sweetbriar for the duration of her candidacy.
Meanwhile, Fiona becomes a bit obsessed with the fame she achieves from being Cecilia Montgomery’s best friend, and even Jasper gets caught up in the benefits of dating her. Soon Cecilia starts to wonder if they want to hang out with her, or if they want to benefit from hanging out with her. All she wanted was a small, anonymous life, but now things seem to be spiraling out of control.
Can Cecelia ever find her perfect ending, or will her escape prove to be more of a trap than she ever thought possible?
304 pages, Hardcover
Published March 28, 2017
3 people are currently reading
430 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
March 5, 2021
Finding What's Real
2 stars
This is disappointment. I didn't mind the first book, it had some interesting aspects and fun dynamics, but not this one. This just bothers me
In this story, the characters from the first book are back in the small town, but this time Lia's mom has set up her campaign center in town. There's friendship, romance, family, and paparazzi drama
None of the characters are likeable. With the exception of MAYBE Britta (because she literally doesn't get screentime) and Lia's dad, they all do stupid things that make it impossible to root for them. Lia is selfish and obnoxious and entitled and bratty. Jasper is literally emotionally abusive. Lia's mom switches from being a jerk to being nice whenever the plot requires. Duncan encourages Lia to go party and get drunk constantly. Frederick is a random plotpoint we know nothing about. Fiona randomly sells Lia out whenever she wants to. It's so hard to care about the characters when they act like this
I did like the town of Sweetbriar. That's what made the first book decent. The setting is cute and quaint, and you get a sense of community. I also did find some of the drama to be somewhat engaging, but overall pretty dumb. And I absolutely despise the main love interest, so I was pretty content to see them fighting, but not so much when they reunited. Sigh.
Pg- maybe some swearing
2 stars
This is disappointment. I didn't mind the first book, it had some interesting aspects and fun dynamics, but not this one. This just bothers me
In this story, the characters from the first book are back in the small town, but this time Lia's mom has set up her campaign center in town. There's friendship, romance, family, and paparazzi drama
None of the characters are likeable. With the exception of MAYBE Britta (because she literally doesn't get screentime) and Lia's dad, they all do stupid things that make it impossible to root for them. Lia is selfish and obnoxious and entitled and bratty. Jasper is literally emotionally abusive. Lia's mom switches from being a jerk to being nice whenever the plot requires. Duncan encourages Lia to go party and get drunk constantly. Frederick is a random plotpoint we know nothing about. Fiona randomly sells Lia out whenever she wants to. It's so hard to care about the characters when they act like this
I did like the town of Sweetbriar. That's what made the first book decent. The setting is cute and quaint, and you get a sense of community. I also did find some of the drama to be somewhat engaging, but overall pretty dumb. And I absolutely despise the main love interest, so I was pretty content to see them fighting, but not so much when they reunited. Sigh.
Pg- maybe some swearing
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 5, 2021
Em... I guess the first one is more good compared to the second one.
I don't like how selfish Cecilia could be towards her mother. All what she been thinking is that she want to have "freedom" and it makes me feel frustrated with her. I mean all she cared was Jasper and her life but never care about her parents feelings. Honestly- this book is good by some views. It shows that children should always considered about their parents feelings but I don't like when the issue kind of dragging and never end. I think the author should put other conflict or maybe other characters opinions. Also- I don't like Cecilia and Jasper. Both of them are selfish and its a big NO! I mean from the first book we can see that Jasper is red flag !!!! But she still wants him. SMH...
I prefer Duncan more than him. But in this sequel, Duncan somehow kind of bad boy.
At first I thought her mum kind of selfish, made decision just thinking about her selves. But - I do agree with her mum's actions. Cecelia is a good example of disrespectful child. I don't recommend this book to someone who really wants to try. But if you want to then you going to face the consequences after that.
I don't like how selfish Cecilia could be towards her mother. All what she been thinking is that she want to have "freedom" and it makes me feel frustrated with her. I mean all she cared was Jasper and her life but never care about her parents feelings. Honestly- this book is good by some views. It shows that children should always considered about their parents feelings but I don't like when the issue kind of dragging and never end. I think the author should put other conflict or maybe other characters opinions. Also- I don't like Cecilia and Jasper. Both of them are selfish and its a big NO! I mean from the first book we can see that Jasper is red flag !!!! But she still wants him. SMH...
I prefer Duncan more than him. But in this sequel, Duncan somehow kind of bad boy.
At first I thought her mum kind of selfish, made decision just thinking about her selves. But - I do agree with her mum's actions. Cecelia is a good example of disrespectful child. I don't recommend this book to someone who really wants to try. But if you want to then you going to face the consequences after that.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 12, 2016
Cecelia is back from her "adventure" in Escaping Perfect. Her mother has not changed one bit, and Cecelia is longing for her small town life (& the boy she left behind). So she goes back, but her mother and her mother's campaign for President follows her and as Jasper's music career takes off, Cecelia finds herself in the middle of paparazzi hell. And it's impacting everyone in the town.
It was fun to revisit the Montgomery family and see what happened to Cecelia after her first escape, but this one was a bit tedious. Perhaps I was just sick of Cecelia's rebellion and her mother's self-centeredness and her father's ineffectual/detached attitude. I'm glad I read it, and thanks to the publisher for providing an advanced copy, but I wasn't as enamored with this one as the first. Certainly worth reading, just not awesome and I wanted awesome.
It was fun to revisit the Montgomery family and see what happened to Cecelia after her first escape, but this one was a bit tedious. Perhaps I was just sick of Cecelia's rebellion and her mother's self-centeredness and her father's ineffectual/detached attitude. I'm glad I read it, and thanks to the publisher for providing an advanced copy, but I wasn't as enamored with this one as the first. Certainly worth reading, just not awesome and I wanted awesome.
June 6, 2022
An easy young adult read. I thought the first one hooked me and drew me in a lot more than this novel. This one I felt I just needed to finish but it was filled with teenage drama that was a little too over the top. I was surprised that Cecelia’s mom showed up in Sweetbriar to host her campaign. I also liked the happy ending of how Cecilia and her mother reconcile and it’s happily ever after.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 15, 2017
So the story is cute and it's an easy read. There was a lot of drama and it got annoying and the character growth was cliche. I'm annoyed at what they turned Cecelia's mother into.
September 5, 2022
bought this for a buck on the dollar store remainder pile
this is a 'YA' book for jr high and early hs age
the big story is good enough
but the details are full of problems
bad editing as some sections are run on and confusing at first
WAAAY too many continuity errors
if this were an adult novel that would downgrade it to a zero
TOO many unlikely events and non sequiturs
only a couple of SPAG issues - that is good for books these days
too many characters
make an org chart as you read if you don't want to get confused
apparently the Protag is a black female although you only get part of that here
to know her full background you need to read the preceding novel first
maybe some of the problems would have been clearer if I had read that one first
but it was not remaindered when I was buying books
production was cheap
cheap paper cheap binding - but no pages fell out
paperback not hardcover
inner margin seems a bit smaller than outer one which is odd
I would expect a slightly smaller edge margin to save paper since the rest was done so cheaply
this is a 'YA' book for jr high and early hs age
the big story is good enough
but the details are full of problems
bad editing as some sections are run on and confusing at first
WAAAY too many continuity errors
if this were an adult novel that would downgrade it to a zero
TOO many unlikely events and non sequiturs
only a couple of SPAG issues - that is good for books these days
too many characters
make an org chart as you read if you don't want to get confused
apparently the Protag is a black female although you only get part of that here
to know her full background you need to read the preceding novel first
maybe some of the problems would have been clearer if I had read that one first
but it was not remaindered when I was buying books
production was cheap
cheap paper cheap binding - but no pages fell out
paperback not hardcover
inner margin seems a bit smaller than outer one which is odd
I would expect a slightly smaller edge margin to save paper since the rest was done so cheaply
May 5, 2023
Honestly loved this book! It was fun and unexpected the entire way. You have some inappropriate parts but this time they kind of have impact on this story. I do however have some beef with Fiona and Britta. Maybe even Duncan and Fredrick.
Fiona: is willing to throw away a friendship for fame. She is late for important stuff but does eventually make it right.
Britta: her dad is an alcoholic yet she drinks in the first book and ends up sharing a huge secret with the person who just got drunk and thrown in jail.
Duncan: I kinda liked him. However he was in love with Cecilia and ended up getting her in a lot of trouble with her mom and with her boyfriend.
Fredrick: is he some kind of joke?! He's super gross and is practically cheating on his gf. He is quirky but somedays makes me laugh at how stupid he is. Maybe it is true what they say though. French guys are hot!!! lol
Fiona: is willing to throw away a friendship for fame. She is late for important stuff but does eventually make it right.
Britta: her dad is an alcoholic yet she drinks in the first book and ends up sharing a huge secret with the person who just got drunk and thrown in jail.
Duncan: I kinda liked him. However he was in love with Cecilia and ended up getting her in a lot of trouble with her mom and with her boyfriend.
Fredrick: is he some kind of joke?! He's super gross and is practically cheating on his gf. He is quirky but somedays makes me laugh at how stupid he is. Maybe it is true what they say though. French guys are hot!!! lol
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 28, 2018
So so good! I absolutely loved this series. I couldn’t put it down! Lia and Jasper’s story was definitely not your typical YA love story because it was so much better than most YA love stories! It really shows the truth behind teen relationships and the struggle when pressure is put onto them. Lia’s mother is absolutely evil and shocked me every time she spoke. Harrison’s writing is so detailed and well written. This is definitely a must read!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 22, 2018
Just...beautiful. Up until today, I didn’t know there was a sequel to Escaping Perfect, which I read about 1-2 years ago, and the general lust and addiction of this book may or may not put you in a reading slump for... oh, who knows how long! What I’m trying to say is, Emma Harrison, I salute you for not only Escaping Perfect, but for this beauty of a continuation in Cecilia’s Journey in Finding What’s Real. Definitely 10/10!
January 10, 2018
This is the sweet story ending I was looking for ... wish I had this when I finished the first book a few weeks ago. Love the story and lessons that are portrayed. As we start the new year I will take "You cant be brave if you are not scared" and hope to push my limits and securities a little this year!! :)
November 18, 2019
Miss Montgomery returns to take us all along on her exhausting and high profile adventures. Make sure you have read Escaping Perfect, before you read this sequel . The are both 5 star fun reads. Escape with Lia and a nice cup of tea.
Read
August 14, 2023A feel good book with just enough drama to keep you interested in the story.
January 21, 2023
Cecila Montgomery two weeks of freedom is up after finally being found after running away. Although her friends manage to sneak her back into Sweetbriar, she can’t hide from her mother forever. Then her mother drops a huge announcement, that she is going to be running for president and decides to place her headquarters in no other town then Sweetbriar, the one place Ceclia thought she could be free from her mother. On top of that her friends are starting to warm up to her mom and leaving Ceclia upset with her friends.
This is the second book in this series and I’m so glad that the author made a second since the first ending in a huge cliff hanger, making you want more and this book definitely give you that. In this book you get to see all the repercussions of what happens to Ceclia after she runs away from her family.
This is the second book in this series and I’m so glad that the author made a second since the first ending in a huge cliff hanger, making you want more and this book definitely give you that. In this book you get to see all the repercussions of what happens to Ceclia after she runs away from her family.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews