A few months ago, I participated in a book tour hosted by Itching For Books, for the first book in the "Trouble" series, by author Courtney B. Jones. From the synopsis and cover, I figured it would be a book I'd really enjoy. Since it ended up being a not-so-good rating and review, I waited to post my review until the tour ended. As the tour ended several months ago, I'm posting my UnPlugged review today, and my official review will be up on our other book blog later this week.
*As always, I'd like to remind my readers that the reviews here all have spoilers, however I have a spoiler-free, official (plugged in) review you can read here.
I grew up in Texas where I still live with my husband, our two kids, and two dogs. I'm a recent college grad and an elementary school teacher.
I love to read and write love stories. I have an obsession with books. I own far far too many!
~ Connect with Courtney Online ~
The Best Kind of Trouble
(Trouble, #1)
~By: Courtney B. Jones
~Published: January 17th, 2014
~Length: 191 Pages
~Genres: New Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Ashley Parker knows trouble. And Nathan Williams--star quarterback and charming ladies man—is trouble. She knows he'll only break her heart. But that doesn't stop her from jumping in feet first. When her whole world is flipped upside down, her guitar and her lyrics become her only solace. Along with sexy guitar player Caleb Mathews.
Fueled by heartache, love, and lust, Ashley finds herself in the best kind of trouble. Boy trouble.
*I was given an eCopy of the book, from the author, to read in exchange for an honest review.
I'm honestly quite conflicted about my opinion of this book. Being a musician myself, I was really looking forward to reading a book featuring a girl who writes and makes music. I adore the fact that music is a main aspect of this story, and enjoyed the lyrics that were included in the story. That's the good - now for the not-so-good...
The main character is, unfortunately, infuriating. The entire story is kind of odd, and throughout the whole thing, I kept thinking: “Ok, I guess technically that
could happen, given the
exact right circumstances and an
insane amount of luck...or in a fantasy...but things don't really happen like that.”
It was very much a contemporary urban fantasy, with a classic “Two guys and a girl” kinda twist.
Secondary characters: Ashley's best friend got on my nerves quite a bit. She wasn't much of a friend, and just kept making things worse. Her and her boyfriend were really random, and the drama that centered on the two of them toward the end was odd, and seemed out of place.
The guys: Nathan is your typical jock guy. Masculine, possessive to a point, competitive and very testosterone-driven. Caleb is an artist – a musician, to be exact – complete with the mysterious bad guy image, exuding a cool and confident vibe. Exact opposites, except for one thing: Ashley turns into a hot mess when either of them look at her.
The girl: oy. Ashley is, well, very slap-able. Meaning, I really want to slap her, basically every time she does something new. She is simply a ball of irrational emotions she can't seem to control, and while there probably are people out there like that, I don't think it's entirely realistic. I mean, do most women really become balls of burning lust because a guy smiles at them? Even after they break the girl's heart? I don't think so, and while I could be wrong, it was a bit pathetic. Having that type of character in the lead, made it an annoying read.
Most of the time, it was a redundant “I know he could hurt me...I need to be careful...he's dangerous...but I just want him so bad!” It was simply exasperating, and I wanted to tell her: either give in, or move on already, no grown woman is that irritating!
Mainly, I just didn't like all the drama. I knew going in that it would be an emotionally driven story, but there was so much unnecessary melodrama, it made me want to stop reading.
Young college girls can be dramatic, but she wasn't a teenager, and the things she went through seemed very high school. I couldn't help thinking “Where the hell was she during high school, because she's acting like she's 15 and just discovered wild hormones for the first time.”
I simply couldn't picture her as a 20 something college student in her 3rd year - I saw her as a high school student with a bunch of college friends. This probably would have been a bit more believable had it been in a high school setting instead of a college.
Then we get to the music career. I'm all for life experiences and past pain being turned into music and art – that's fantastic! However, a full touring music career simply doesn't happen like it happened to her. She sings in a local bar for a couple of weeks, and all the sudden gets signed with a record label? Then goes on a country-wide tour two weeks after signing with them??
Yeeeah, no. It doesn't happen like that. In order to headline a sold-out tour, you have to have fans, and in order to acquire fans, you have to have your music out there for longer than a month.
Again, it's one of those things that you could argue
may happen to someone with incredible luck and connections, but given that this is supposed to be a realistic, contemporary story, it's simply not believable. I couldn't help thinking "Yeah, in your dreams! Is that what this is? Is she dreaming? This is ridiculous..."
Basically, that's my biggest gripe with this book: it's not believable! On top of that, the copy I had was filled with far too many mistakes to be acceptable. Misused words, incorrect forms of words, missing words, and mistakes that simple Google searches would have fixed, made reading this even more infuriating.
If these issues were corrected, I suppose this book would earn 3 Roses from me.
Bottom line: this book needs to be re-edited (if it was ever edited at all); since some people like drama, and would enjoy this book, I wouldn't say “stay away” from it, but also would not be surprised if people don't like it. While I don't think I'll ever read it again, I would be willing to read the sequel, because it did end on a cliffhanger, and one that made me go “wait, what??”
It is an interesting story overall, and for people who like a ton of drama and who aren't looking for realistic characters or situations, this book may appeal to them.
What do you guys think about books like this one? Stories that are driven purely on intense, irrational emotions and drama? Does there need to be more realistic details for you to enjoy the story? Also, what do you guys think about spelling/grammar mistakes? Do they bug you (if you even notice them at all lol)? Let me know in the comments below!
Thanks for reading, and as always:
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