Title: Cross My Heart
Author: Kate Klein
Publisher: self-published
My Copy: bought for Kindle
Summary:
True love can blossom in unexpected places. This is Jaden pretending not to notice. . . .
Jaden McEntyre and Parker Whalen are a wrong fit from the start. Jaden is driven and focused, Harvard Med School within reach. Parker has a past—a reputation—and the rumors about his mysterious habits abound. So there’s no reason why, when they're assigned to work together on a project in English, they should discover they have anything in common, or even like each other, and they definitely shouldn't be falling in love.
As they bond over Edith Wharton’s tragic novella, Ethan Frome, the “bad boy” vibe Parker plays begins to dissipate. Soon, Jaden finds herself shedding her own “good girl” image: sneaking around to be with him, confiding in him, and ultimately falling hard for this leather-wearing, motorcycle-driving loner who plays into the rebel stereotype.
Still, Jaden can't shake the feeling that there's more to Parker than he's letting on. He's hiding something from her, and discovering the truth means reconciling the Parker she's grown to love with the person he really is. Because it's possible that his life inside the classroom—everything Jaden knows—is one, massive lie.
CROSS MY HEART, told from Jaden's point of view, is a 76k-word/300-page contemporary romance for young adults. Bonus features include the official playlist and an interview with the author.
My Thoughts: Cross My Heart started out splendidly. I found myself wrapped into the plot, loving the characters, and then, bam, crazy twist that make the entire novel make no sense.
Cross My Heart is a little cliché in places, with the smart girl so focused on getting into Harvard and worrying about her self-worth if she doesn't get in and then falling for the bad boy. However, I felt like the relationship between Jaden and Parker was unique. It wasn't forced or random but rather it grew and developed like a real relationship should. In fact, it might have been one of the better good-girl-falls-for-bad-boy romances I've read. There's a handful of sweet, intense romance moments that I really loved.
Another thing that I loved was the emphasis on family. There is a great scene between Jaden and her brother that I absolutely adored.
Unfortunately, in the final fourth of the book, we find out Parker's “lie” and it's quite disappointing. It's certainly a unique twist but just because it's unique and unpredictable does not mean it works in the story. In fact, it completely unvalidated the entire novel for the most part. After that, I found it relaly hard to get back into the story and it just left me disappointed.
Overall, Cross my Heart is worth the read if you're just looking for something to pass the time or a good romance.
No comments:
Post a Comment