Review: 4 Fabulous, Sexy, Laugh Out Loud, "You Won't Want to Put This Down" Filled Stars!  (Lindy@ A Bookish Escape)
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 06 8, 2014
Make It Count was an excellent debut by new author, Megan Erickson.  It was fun, fresh, and shows just how hot a nerd can be!  Are you tired of reading about the same type of main characters over and over.  The alpha bad boy and the innocent virgin or sleazy female?  Well, Make It Count, brings a refreshing and much needed change to the New Adult romance genre.  Our main characters Kat Caruso and Alec Stone are relatable, and could be your next door neighbor or best friend.Kat has struggled her whole life with academia.  She has to work twice as hard as the average student for satisfactory grades.  This isn't because Kat is lacking in intelligence.  It is because she is suffering from an undiagnosed learning disability.  Unfortunately, her struggles in school have lead to her feeling like she is 'stupid,' and consequently, she suffers from low self-esteem.  While Kat is beautiful, she doesn't expect guys to want her for any more than her good looks and knockout body.  Her relationships never last over three months, and her newest boyfriend, Max, is her typical taste when it comes to the opposite sex.  She tends to gravitate towards muscular, good-looking jocks that don't treat her very well.  The more time Kat starts to spend with Max, the more she starts to notice his best friend since first grade, and one of his room mates, Alec.  Their is a shared mutual attraction between these two, but they would never act on it.Then, Kat gets Alec for her new Statistics tutor.  As Alec gets to know Kat, he appreciates her witty, and fun personality.  The two of them share a similar sense of humor, and make each other laugh constantly.  Their attraction gets harder to fight as their friendship begins to grow, and they both begin to understand each other on a deep level.  As Kat and Alec begin to fall in love, they have many obstacles in their path, and decisions that need to be made.  To top it off Kat needs to overcome her insecurities about her intelligence, and Alec needs to learn how to let her know that he doesn't want to fix her, because he loves her just the way she is.First, I would like to say, that I am so proud of Ms. Erickson for taking a chance and not creating the typical characters that we see in New Adult Romance.  I was so excited to see a character that had a learning disability, and the way that Ms. Erickson addressed stereotypes.  Even though Kat had a learning disability, she was still very intelligent, and this was clarified in the story.  Just because a person has a learning disability, does not mean that they are lacking in intelligence.Alec was considered a nerd, while Max was the one use to getting whatever girl he wanted.  However, Alec was one very sexy 'nerd,' and he gave me many a hot flash!  What made Alec even more sexy was the way he treated Kat.  Just as Alec saw and appreciated how special Kat was, she felt the same exact way about him.  Ms. Erickson's characters were very human, and their flaws made me love them even more.I loved the cast of secondary characters, and am looking forward to getting to know them on an even deeper level, as I continue this series.  Danica, one of Alec's best friends, was one of my favorites.  She was very blunt and called it like she saw it.  She was a great friend who offered good advice, and interfered when she knew that she could help.  She was also very entertaining with her various costume changes, wigs, and colored contacts.  Lea, Danica's room mate, was another interesting character.  She appeared meek and quiet, yet she showed strength, and wouldn't let anybody walk all over her.  I'm looking forward to her story, and getting to know her character on a deeper level, in the next installment of the Bowler University series.My Rating:I enjoyed so many aspects of Make It Count.  I loved the characters, the steamy hot romance, the friendships, and the theme of overcoming adversity.  I loved reading a story that was unique, refreshing, relatable, and fun!  Make It Count was an excellent debut, and I for one want to applaud Ms. Erickson's achievement!  I give, Make It Count, 4 Fabulous, Sexy, Laugh Out Loud, "You Won't Want to Put This Down" Filled Stars!