I received a review copy courtesy of the author/publisher. This does not affect my opinion or views regarding the book whatsoever.
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REVIEW
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Do you ever have those moments where you come up with a great idea, but have zero motivation to execute it? This is me 100% of the time. Being a mother takes time, dedication, and a whole lot of patience, and after trying to recover from the blogging slump that slayed my entire bookish life last month, there was no way I could muster up enough strength to create any type of post other than a review. In Feb, I came up with an idea to do a list on all of my favorite new adult/adult novels. I posted one a hundred and two years ago, and because our reading tastes are constantly changing, I thought an updated list would be cool to showcase along with some recommendations from other smut lovers. But then came another idea. I'm always getting asked HOW I find good NA/Adult titles, (yall know I'm queen at this) so I came up with the idea to create an epically ridiculous guide to find great reads within the genre. But wait. How can I possibly achieve any of this when I still have quite a few books to review? Well . . .
You mash these shits together Tika DUH!
Rule #1: Become A Cover Whore.
Joining the cover whore association definitely has it perks and advantages. The most important being the ability to judge a cover, giving you complete whore-ish eyesight to discover what themes the book will consist of. For example, have you ever seen those weird covers with the overly sexy couples on the front? The guy is usually all muscular, tatted, and sweaty, the girl half naked with her head thrown back in some orgasmic ecstasy, both clad in leather or ripped jeans? Or what about those covers with the suited guy that looks like he smells strongly of a french courtesan? Think Fifty Shades of You mash these shits together Tika DUH!
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Rule #1: Become A Cover Whore.
Rating:
By the covers alone, I knew that the YOU dualogy would give me something new, refreshing, and all types of effed up, which is exactly what I needed at the time. I was searching for a title that would pull me out of my slump, and since nothing in YA was making the cut, I decided to jump into the sea of Adult to then be rescued by Caroline Kepnes. Both YOU and Hidden Bodies are unlike anything I've ever read. Our main character Joe is hands down one of my favorite characters. He's a bookworm that makes cool references between books and movies, he's cute, he stalks women . . and men . . and sometimes kills people, but he's HILARIOUS! I mean guys, try not to be so judgemental okay? Yes, he's a psychopath, but he's so damn cool and is such boyfriend material. Told brilliantly from the first and second perspective, we're given a dark and compelling plot, mangled with bat-shit crazy characters that add a repulsive, yet humorous light to the story. Kepnes's ability to romanticize a novel so effing twisted is probably the best thing I've ever witnessed. If you haven't read these books, you're truly missing out. #TEAMJOE.
By the covers alone, I knew that the YOU dualogy would give me something new, refreshing, and all types of effed up, which is exactly what I needed at the time. I was searching for a title that would pull me out of my slump, and since nothing in YA was making the cut, I decided to jump into the sea of Adult to then be rescued by Caroline Kepnes. Both YOU and Hidden Bodies are unlike anything I've ever read. Our main character Joe is hands down one of my favorite characters. He's a bookworm that makes cool references between books and movies, he's cute, he stalks women . . and men . . and sometimes kills people, but he's HILARIOUS! I mean guys, try not to be so judgemental okay? Yes, he's a psychopath, but he's so damn cool and is such boyfriend material. Told brilliantly from the first and second perspective, we're given a dark and compelling plot, mangled with bat-shit crazy characters that add a repulsive, yet humorous light to the story. Kepnes's ability to romanticize a novel so effing twisted is probably the best thing I've ever witnessed. If you haven't read these books, you're truly missing out. #TEAMJOE.
Rule #2: Dig Deep Baby Pup.
Never, ever skim the surface when looking for NA and Adult titles. You'll end up with only the most popular books, (which are never all that great to be honest) missing out on the hidden gems that are buried beneath all of the BS. Dig deep my friends. Go to the ends of the bookish earth, and I swear you'll find your next favorite read that almost flew completely under your radar.
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I'm what you call a " late fan " of K.A Tucker. She's a known author in the NA/Adult community, but in my bubble she was hardly talked about, causing me to overlook her titles. I remember going on a hunt via Goodreads for some good NA to read, but nothing recommended caught my eye. It took about 4 pages of scrolling until finally I landed on Burying Water, the title that started my obsession with Tucker's work. From there I jumped right into an arc of her recent release He Will Be My Ruin, which was every bit of what I expected it to be. While it wasn't on the level of her BW series, (in my opinion) her suspenseful take on the " who-dun-it " aspect kept me on edge, reminding me of why I fell in love with her writing in the first place. A mix of unreliable characters, with the dead POV of one living a double life, she was able to deliver a story that made you question everything you thought you knew, and everyone you believed you could trust. Like I said, DIG.
Rule #3: Make Nancy Drew Your Spirit Animal.
This rule is a little similar to " Becoming A Cover Whore " but still a lot different. Okay maybe only slightly, but whatever we're rolling with it. Do any of you remember Nancy Drew? Back in the day, she was our badass teen detective, the sleuth we all wanted to be. Well changing your spirit animal from that useless unicorn, (seriously wtf does a unicorn even do? You can't get anything done shitting rainbows) to a clue gathering detective, will keep you from falling into common traps found in the synopsis of titles. For example, if you're reading a blurb to a book, and it sounds like a big ball of cliche, nine times out of ten it is. But don't just stop there, search for clues (keywords or phrases) as to why!
Rating:
After I devoured Ugly Love, I told myself that my next CoHo read would be Maybe Someday a.k.a everyone's favorite, but I was a little nervous. The cover SCREAMS cutesy, (and you guys know I avoid anything cute, corny, or cheesy like the plague) which almost made me put it onto my hell-no pile. Thank goodness I used rule #3 to search for keywords that might intrigue me, (cheating, mysterious, passionate, and betrayal) or I would've missed out on a pretty good read. Maybe Someday isn't my favorite CoHo title, but it's still high on my recommendation list. The relationship created between Sidney & Ridge was incredibly realistic. I adored how their connection wasn't just a physical foundation, instead it was intense and emotionally charged, especially due to Ridge's disability. Colleen's flare for the dramatic resulted in a few eye rolls for me, but she definitely made up for it with the relatable characters, angsty plot, and the super cool soundtrack. If you're looking for a light, fast read, Maybe Someday should be your top choice.
Rule #4: Show Love To The Underdogs.
As I mentioned in Rule #2, if you dig deep within these genres, you are sure to uncover some hidden gems you never knew existed, from authors you've never even heard of. Self-pub and indie authors are a force to reckoned with! After doing a comparison of titles I've read from traditional/popular authors, vs SP&I, the majority of my favorite titles come from the former squad. I call them " the underdogs, " and if you're looking for some original, well-executed work in NA/Adult, head straight for the UD's. Trust me on this one.
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I didn't necessarily have to dig to find Tarryn Fisher's work, but I definitely was surprised to find out that she was a self-published author. She has a slew of titles, three co-written with her best friend Colleen Hoover, but for some strange reason, I never bothered to pick them up. After stumbling across her recent release F*ck Love, (sheesh I love that cover!) I finally decided to give her a go and I'm so freaking glad that I did! First of all, if you're into controversial topics like myself, then you'll be screaming for joy when it comes to FK. Here we have a love triangle straight off a Jerry Springer show, involving our MC Helena, her best friend Della, and Della's boyfriend Kit. Oh how deliciously scandalous this story turned out to be! Although quite strange, I loved the originality of the concept, not to mention the Harry Potter references, and her full of personality writing style added such a great touch to this novel. I had a great time living vicariously through these characters, and if it wasn't for an issue I had with one of the supporting characters, (I'm still trying to figure out why Muslim Black was relevant to the story) F*ck Love would've easily been a 5 star read for me!
Disclaimer: No money back guarantee. Dislike these books at your own risk.
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