Review: You don't know anything.
Rating: 3 out of 5
Date: 04 18, 2013
Throughout the first half (ish) of this book, you will be making guesses.You'll think inside the box, outside the box, you'll be certain that you know what's coming.But you don't know anything.To say that the big reveal was a shocker, would be the understatement of the century. I never saw it coming.This book was well written, original, heart-warming, and the romance was nothing to sneeze at.But, here's my problem. (I'm going to try to explain this the best I can without giving anything away)Once Parker made his big reveal I was...flabbergasted. I know that sounds silly or juvenile, but there really is no other way to describe how I felt.I stopped reading for a few seconds and let myself reflect on what I had read so far of Parker, comparing what he had said and done so far in the story to what I had newly learned about him.It just didn't add up.I felt like Klein wrote half of the book with one plot line in mind, then decided half way to totally switch it up. It's not like you can point at any one thing and go 'Aha! That's why it doesn't work!' but, nonetheless, it didn't completely work.After I reflected a bit, I pinpointed a few things about Parker's personality that didn't mesh well with his, ahem, secret. I pinpointed a few things he had said that didn't mesh. I pinpointed a few things he had done. I pinpointed a few things that he had allowed.I even started referring in my mind to pre-Parker and post-Parker. It was really night and day for me. I felt like they were two different people.And then there's the little fact that pre-Parker lied. A lot. About everything. And that's something that I had some trouble getting over.When all is said and done, I did enjoy the book, and I don't regret reading it, but everything I just mentioned left me with a feeling of...lacking.To be fair, I'll also mention some things about this I really enjoyed.I really liked how Parker helped Jaden through her issues of always having to be perfect, and do the right thing, and make everyone happy.I really, really liked how Jaden always, always defended Parker, even before she liked him, just because she didn't believe in judging someone you knew nothing about. I wholly respected her for that. I felt like Jaden was a genuinely good person, if a little confused.I liked the family dynamic with Jaden and her brothers. It was not perfect, and they fought a lot. I even found myself getting irritated at them at times but, you know what? I get irritated with my own brothers, too. That's what brothers and sisters are for. I liked how Klein didn't try to make it seem like Jaden, Phillip, and Daniel always got along perfectly, because that's not how it works in the real world.So, would I recommend it? Depends on what you're looking for. Fantastic read that leaves you wanting more and has you drooling? No. Cute romance that will leave you  slightly satisfied with a feeling of 'I'm kinda glad I read that'? Sure.Is it worth $2.99? Yes, but I wouldn't pay too much more.