Review: More upper YA than NA but a good romance with some culture throw into the mix.
Rating: 3 out of 5
Date: 03 9, 2014
First Impressions...I read the summary for this book before I saw the cover and I was interested.  The idea of going to school in London away from home and everything she knew captured my attention.  Then that half French, half Lebanese guy sealed the deal.The Story... Here I have mixed feelings.  I really, really liked the fact that there was no insta-love going on.  The characters were definitely given time to develop feeling.  The story lasts for the first year of college but I wish this much story had lasted for the first semester.The Characters... I really enjoyed the all the characters.  We get to know more than the two main ones.  Some of the those characters were so rich.  I really enjoyed them.  I hope that we will see more of them in the sequels.  I really like Samir.  He's a player but he's up front about it.  I do think he's met his match but hasn't admitted it yet.  He clearly has feeling for Maggie and I don't think he realizes just how deep they are yet.  He's really a sweetheart and takes care of his friends.  When things get real, he's always there.  Maggie kinda frustrated me.  She portrays herself one way but she doesn't act that way.  She's nineteen and never been kissed.  But in London, she hits the club scene and "falls" for a much older guy.  Which brings me to Hugh.  I guess this is a love triangle but does if the other guy doesn't have a chance then is it a real love triangle.  Really, Maggie thinks Hugh has a chance but her own resistance speaks volumes.  And we don't really get to know Hugh much.  He's Maggie's make-out partner and that's all we really know.  He is VERY patient for a guy.  He claims to be a player but waits patiently for months while Maggie tries to figure out the sex thing.  Not sure I bought that.The Writing... I liked the writing for the most part.  It flowed well and I never had to go back and figure things out after the fact.  I would only change the length.Could I Put It Down...Yeah, I could and I did.  I read it over three nights.  I could have read it straight through if I had had the time but I needed some breaks.  I think that was my frustration with Maggie coming through.In The End...I enjoyed this book.  I like the wide range of cultures that were combined into one place and story.  The setting was nice.  There was a visit to Paris that I enjoyed as well.  Then there was a game of strip rummy that was interesting but ended too soon.  It's billed as New Adult for 17 and up but I see it more as an upper YA book.  Definitely for high school students.  There's not a lot of language or explicit scenes in it.  The sex is there but not center stage.  If you enjoy the upper YA romance books, then this one is a good one to try.