I read two new adult books in a row and I wanted to share some short thoughts about them.
Confess by Colleen Hoover.
Publication date: March 10th 2015
Publisher: Atria Books Genres: New Adult, Contemporary Pages: 306
Auburn Reed has her entire life mapped out. Her goals are in sight and there’s no room for mistakes. But when she walks into a Dallas art studio in search of a job, she doesn’t expect to find a deep attraction to the enigmatic artist who works there, Owen Gentry.
For once, Auburn takes a risk and puts her heart in control, only to discover Owen is keeping major secrets from coming out. The magnitude of his past threatens to destroy everything important to Auburn, and the only way to get her life back on track is to cut Owen out of it.
The last thing Owen wants is to lose Auburn, but he can’t seem to convince her that truth is sometimes as subjective as art. All he would have to do to save their relationship is confess. But in this case, the confession could be much more destructive than the actual sin.
The concept of this book sounded so unique and interesting that I couldn’t wait to read it. The idea of art pieces that were based on confessions left in an art studio anonymously through a mail slot on the door was fascinating, and the first part of this book that focused on that idea was my favorite part. However, like most of Colleen Hoover’s books, after the happy and fun beginning, there was drama and a lot of it. The truth is it got to a point where I was bored and annoyed, and I have felt like this with the last couple of Hoover’s books I have read, and in general, with the last couple New Adult books I have read, it’s just too much drama, all the characters need to have a traumatic past, or a really complicated reality. Also, to me the characters in this book were nothing especial, they reminded me of characters from other Colleen Hoover’s books, and I felt like the story drag a little.
In short, I found the concept and the writing in this book to be great, but the characters in terms of personality and development weren’t particularly noteworthy. Also, the drama was excessive and took away from the story.
Overruled by Emma Chase
Publication date: April 28th 2015
Publisher: Gallery Books
Genres: New Adult, Contemporary Pages: 276
What happens when you mix a one stop-light town, two professional arguers, a homecoming queen, four big brothers, some Jimmy Dean sausage and a gun-toting Nana?
The Bourbon flows, passions rise and even the best laid plans get overruled by the desires of the heart. (Read full version on Goodreads)
I really enjoyed reading this book, it was short, the writing was good, and the characters were funny and witty. It was one of those really predictable books, where you know what’s going to happen at the end, but you really enjoy the ride and all the different twist and turns that it takes to get there. I really appreciated the diversity in this book, because the main female character was Brazilian, and as a latina I really enjoyed having a more relatable protagonist. This book is definitely an easy and fun read, and even if I could point out a few things I didn’t like about it, those things didn’t affect my level of enjoyment of this book that much.
Have you read these books? did you like them? What new adult books do you recommend? Let me know in the comments!
Pages: 276