Review: The Autumn Review for I See London
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 02 12, 2014
3.5 starsFirst impression:I'm pretty obsessed with anything British, so I was on board for trying this one out.The story:In high school, Maggie was so focused on her studies that she didn't leave much room for a social life. Now, she has the chance of a lifetime. She's off to London for college and she wants to make the most of her time there. There are new friendships formed, reluctantly, and lots of boys to ogle. One particular boy, Samir, seems to constantly creep into her thoughts, but she doesn't think he's right for her. She wants someone solid, steady. She learns a lot about herself in her first year of college. Now, the question is...where does she go from here and will Samir be a part of that picture?The characters:I kinda liked Maggie. She was a bit naive, but I understood that. I couldn't relate to her in that way, but I had some friends like her, so it was easy to connect with her. I felt like her experiences in her first year of college were pretty realistic. Maybe not all the flash, but the basics like meeting new friends, adjusting to life away from home, boy drama...all pretty real stuff.I was surprised that I like Samir as much as I did. When he's first introduced, he seems like such an jerk. But, I liked how gentle he was with Maggie. Sure, he made bad choices, but I think he's really good for Maggie. I think she grounds him a bit too.What didn't work for me:The first thing is that I just didn't get the relationship with Hugh. It just never really fit with me.This is an NA novel, but to me it read more like a Mature YA. I've read some Mature YA that had more steam. I think Cleeton could have pumped up the romance. Samir and Maggie had great chemistry.Overall:I liked it. It certainly kept me entertained, but I could put it down. I will say that I've thought about the book since I've read it, so it must have made a decent impact. I'm definitely interested in seeing where Maggie's story goes from here, so I'll likely pick up the next book, London Falling.Quotes:~It scared me that it was always like this with him, always a spectacular loss of control. It scared me that he pushed me out of my comfort zone and made me crave more than I should.-Loc 1510~"You should expect more from some guy than having to fight for his attention. Don't sell yourself short. You deserve more. You deserve everything.''-Loc 4986