Review: Diamond in the rough. Also, you are gonna need your dictionary
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 05 8, 2014
First order of business, this book needs to get a better cover and title. It is so much better than what you get at face value. I thought it would be some silly, bratty kids pissing away their parents money, doing drugs and sexing all over the place. They aren't even in high school anymore. They are sophomores in college who live and act like adult nearing 30. Their lives, decisions and actions were beyond their years and I loved their clique however cliched the view on college life was. It was a good and held it's own in the world of NA and college romance.It's another one of the genetic crazies and you know how I love this type! I will admit that I was lost in the beginning and thought about quitting ... *knocks wood* ... something I have yet to do with a novel. I am glad I powered through though, because this is a diamond in the rough. Even though it ended with a HEA for two of our main characters, I wanted more. I wasn't ready to let go of Adonis and Tessandra yet.I was a little hesitant with Adonis in the beginning because this novel skipped years of tension, friendship and changes to show us a smitten Tess, undecided Cameron and the douche druggie that is Adonis.Yes, his name is pretentious, but so is the guy. He is crude, easy to hate and carries most of the sarcasm and levity of this novel from beginning to end. He is blunt, in your face and not afraid to wear his emotions on his sleeves. I loved that about him. Even when he wasn't coming down from a manic high, he had no problem voicing his thoughts.I loved him even more closer to the end when he started to reveal his past and his current struggles. While not much of a fight for him, I liked when he fell in love and tried to be a better man. He didn't lose the Adonis we met in chapter 1 but his remarks were spun to give him a different angle and I love that they continued to bicker like enemies with all the benefits at the end :)Their sex was passionate, rough, wild and a game of upstaging the other but it worked. Their personalities shined and there was never a dull moment. Tess is still a mystery to me because I don't understand why such an awesome girl would want to change even though I loved the different aspects of her personality and all her struggles with the parental figures in her life.Cameron was the golden boy turn vindictive prick when things went south. He was however, right. He was smart, loyal, caring and got the bad end of the stick when the smoke clear. His character made for the best of friends even if he lacked in other areas. The fact that we got almost everyone's POV was good for the development of the story also.This novel held a great cast of characters and I loved every one of them. Their camaraderie was evident and their friendships solid even when rocky. I was surprised to see such a vindictive side to Cameron towards the end of this novel but then I thought about it, every one in this novel had their hang ups and smoke screen mirrors in place in one aspect or another of their life.For those adverse to cheating, I won't say it wasn't present, but it wasn't done in a tacky sense and if you were to get technical it could almost be seen as non existent. Tess and Cameron make great friends and to me some dynamics shouldn't be disturbed.Adonis and Tess on the other hand have passion like no other and their relationship is unpredictable, wild and ever changing. We also got to see the struggles of Jade and Lance and spent some time with the Irish, Riley. At times I wavered with his sexuality, but for now, I'm gonna say he's straight.They might be privileged teens trying to find their way through life while fighting through college and the events of their past but this came off more as New Adult than Young Adult. A lot is skipped and you will feel lost in the beginning trying to get your bearings right, but in the end, you'll come out with a great story of mental illness, love, drug abuse and unfortunately betrayal. They work it out but you can't help but wonder if there is more. I personally hope so :)