Review: Captivating.
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 06 16, 2013
Originally published at The Rookie Romance Blog.I really, really loved this. It was very beautifully written, and the story just completely captivated me.Sera returns home before she moves to Paris with her boyfriend, Chase. She's sophisticated, ambitious and successful, a million miles away from the heartbroken girl she left as. When she reunites with Andrew, her first love, everything she thought she knew changes.Throughout the book you get a really good insight into the important aspects of the story, from the start of Andrew and Sera's relationship to the discovery of Sera's mother's diary and the secrets it contained.I loved both the characters of Sera and Andrew. They didn't have the smoothest start to their relationship, in fact they would play pretty bad pranks on each other when they worked together. It wasn't long before they realised that they were really attracted to each other and got on so well.Andrew was so so sweet! He was always surprising Sera with the most romantic gestures, and I thought he was adorable.Sera was really likable, but she was always haunted by the absence of her mother in her life. She was sensitive and creative. When she finds her mother's diary, she can't help but become somewhat obsessed by it and the secrets within. It also starts to affect her relationship with Andrew, and change the things she thought she wanted from life.Andrew and Sera have a very idyllic sounding initial romance, the perfect summer romance! Unfortunately, their romance starts going downhill once they hit senior year. Sera finds her mother's diary and Andrew becomes the captain of the basketball team, and a gulf starts to open between them.Reading Stella's (Sera's mother) diary was very emotional, her relationship with Alex (Sera's father) is very passionate but destructive. Sera starts to repeat her mother's mistakes, and I was screaming inside when Sera lets Andrew slip.This whole story was mesmerizing and totally captured me. I found myself staying up far too late and waiting with bated breath for what would happen next. The setting of Rosethorn was perfect for their relationship and the twists and turns in the plot kept me hooked. I can't wait for more from Ava Zavora!*I received a review copy of the book from the author, for my honest review.