Review: So much packed into so little!
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 03 15, 2014
Complimentary copy provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.Lyv is a teenager from the wrong side of the tracks, dealing with an overbearing mother who looks for any excuse to make her daughter’s life a living hell. Despite her age, Lyv possesses a maturity to know what she wants out of life and is determined to find her place in the world. When the unthinkable happens and she finds herself wrenched from those few people she loves and trusts, she must put her life back together and figure out where her real priorities lie.Alexander is a rock singer on the verge of hitting the big time. When he and Lyv meet at a club, there is an instant attraction and the two begin a brief courtship. Alexander leaves to go on tour and Lyv goes missing, can love win out when it seems that everything is working against them? How will Xander, as he’s known on stage, react once he finds out the cause of Lyv’s disappearance?Ten, Lyv’s best friend, comes from money and privilege; he and Lyv make a very unlikely pair, but it is with Ten’s help that Lyv is able to get back on her feet once she makes her way back to New York. But when Xander has trouble coming to grips with the domestic lifestyle that Lyv is craving, Ten has a proposal that Lyv couldn’t possibly refuse.Lyv is so desperate for love and positive attention that when Alexander walks into her life, she is quickly smitten, despite the lack of guarantees that come with rising rock star lifestyle. On the other hand, she has Ten, the best friend that has been her shoulder to lean on when it came to her mother, as well as the ups and downs of her brief relationship with Xander. Is there more to the relationship between Lyv and Ten than they are willing to admit, or even understand?Ripped is a fast, easy, well-written read that can easily be devoured in one sitting. Ms. Rigal has crafted complex characters with relationships that are woven in intricate patterns. The story is heartbreaking, yet inspires so much hope. It is not your typical rock star romance by any means, it is much more than that. My only knock on the book is that I wanted more, it seems that there is so much more that could have been exploration into the story, simply because of the complexity of the characters and the storyline itself.