Review: Baya is hilarious!
Rating: 3 out of 5
Date: 09 25, 2013
*Actual Rating: 3.5 Stars*3:AM Kisses was a very enjoyable read and a great new adult novel. While it held my attention and it had some really interesting plot twists. It did hold some of the NA clichés that I'm getting a little burnt out on; primarily man-whores and insta-love.First of all, I freaking adored Baya. She is so cute and innocent and nave. She has spent her whole life being the good girl and she has a very overprotective big brother. He has smothered her a bit and sheltered her to the point of nausea. I loved being inside Baya's head because she is funny and the inner workings of her thoughts, especially when it comes to sex, were hilarious. Even though I felt like she was a pretty strong character, she definitely showed her age and inexperience when it came to Bryson. However, I totally get it and felt like the way she behaved to get his attention was definitely realistic."I wish Bryson were some big bully who gave new meaning to fornicating frat boys everywhere, but, he's not, he's a downright nice guy who just so happens to keep a careful accounting of girls he's had his way with."Bryson is a good guy but he is definitely what you would consider the typical NA man-whore. He doesn't do relationships or love. He sleeps around a lot with a lot of different girls. He has his reasons and it is obvious he is hurting and living with some sort of guilt. He doesn't feel like he deserves to love or be loved by someone. I wasn't a big fan of him at first because I felt like he was a little cocky and he flaunted his whorish lifestyle right in front of Baya. However, I felt like he changed a lot when he realized his feelings for her and I definitely saw a lot of growth in him. I liked how caring and gentle he is with Baya and how much he lets her in. He allows her to see the side of him that no one else does."Sometimes when you take a risk, great things happen--- mountains move, and you see exactly what you've been waiting for, right there, in front of you."Baya's brother Cole is very protective of her and I found that sweet. It is clear he really loves his sister. However, I found him to be a little to stifling and a hypocrite. He treats her like she is still 13 and would never approve of her relationship with Bryson. On the flip side, he has a different girl in bed every night and he is a total player. It really bothered me the way he treated Baya but didn't even tone down his playboy status in front of her. When he saw how strong and grown up Baya really was after she stood up for herself finally, I did like how he supported her and even though he was a douche at times, his love for his sister was obvious. I also really liked Roxy and Jen and felt like they were really great friends for Baya. She was in a new town and a new place and they really opened up to her. Aubree on the other hand is a world class bitch and you can add crazy as hell to that too. She is super obsessed with Bryson and sets her sights on Baya. I loved how Baya handled her though and I particularly loved a certain scene at the sorority that made me laugh."Aubree Vincent is the devil in disguise, and half the time she doesn't bother to disguise it."While I really liked Baya and Bryson together, I was a little disappointed in how quickly the "I Love You's" and "forevers" came. I'm just so jaded on insta-love right now and this definitely had a case of it. However, they had a really great connection and I definitely felt the chemistry between them. I really liked the growth in both of the characters and I felt like Baya really came into her own and learned a lot about herself. Bryson finally allowed a woman to penetrate his walls and I really liked watching him heal and feel whole again. I loved the forbidden romance aspect of this book and enjoyed the little suspense and revelation in the plot towards the end."Sometimes life has its way with you. It peels back the layers of your existence like the skin of an onion until the real you glows underneath, raw and painful to the touch."