Review: Complex heroine, fantastic read! <3
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 03 2, 2014
Jess is from the wrong side of the tracks, but she has no intention of staying there. She's gone back to school and is working hard to complete her high school certificate, against the wishes or comprehension of her family. She's in an on and off again relationship with Jay, who is also her friend Anna's boyfriend. Then she meets Anna's brother, Sebastien. He's a gorgeous, classy cellist who sweeps Jess off her feet. Unfortunately, she can't quite bring herself to tell him the reality of her life.Almost as soon as this novel began I was offside with the main character, Jess. I felt like I couldn't relate to her at all and really disliked her. At first, she seems to be a bit of a slapper - not for the reasons she has a reputation around the neighborhood, but because she is sleeping with her friend's boyfriend - and so I found it a little difficult to sympathize with her. Despite this, I found myself sucked into her world. Maggie Gilbert's writing is gritty and real and captivating and I couldn't have put down this book if I'd tried - which didn't occur to me once after those first ten minutes reading. Between then and the time I finished the book a few hours later, I had shifted between wanting to slap Jess, shake her, hug her and squeal on her behalf. As you might imagine, it was something of an emotional roller-coaster.So yes, Jess is a difficult character to sympathize with initially, but that's partly because she's so much more realistic and complex than so many other heroines, and in such a way that you completely believe her journey.And then there is Sebastien. He's a gorgeous, sweet, understanding, caring, amazing, swoon worthy hero. But don't get me wrong - he's not totally perfect either.... just maybe perfectly imperfect. Before I gush too much about Sebastien, it might be worth noting that I have a sweet spot for musicians (and cellists especially) and leave it at that.I really love how realistic this novel feels. Yes, it is a romance, if new adult, but it's so much more frank about life than I'm used to. There are no Prado shoes here, instead there's up front counting dollars at the supermarket. Sure, there's still the escapism of the rich, hunky hero who buys expensive presents, but there's also acknowledgement of the issues of such a class divide. One of the reasons I love romance is certainly for the blatant escapism of it all, but the balance with honest realities in this novel was really appealing and made for a genuinely enjoyable read.Although I struggled with the heroine of this novel, that is also strangely one of the things I ended up liking most about This is Now, which is a New Adult Romance I simply can't praise highly enough.