Scarlet Crowley’s life
was torn apart the day father was arrested for unspeakable crimes. Now
the shock has worn off, but not the horror. It’s a safe bet that Scarlet is the only first year at Harkness College who had to sneak past TV news trucks parked on her front lawn just to leave town. But college will be Scarlet’s fresh start. Clutching a shiny new student ID — with a newly minted name on it — she leaves it all behind. Even if it means lying to the boy she’s falling for.
Bridger McCaulley is a varsity hockey star known for being a player both on and off the ice. But a sobering family crisis takes that all away. Protecting his sister means a precarious living arrangement and constant deception. The only bright spot in his week is the few stolen hours he spends with Scarlet.
The two form a tentative relationship based on the understanding that some things must always be held back. But when grim developments threaten them both, going it alone just won’t work anymore. And if they can’t learn to trust one another now, the families who let them down will take everything they’ve struggled to keep.
Comment: This is the second installment in the Ivy Years series by Sarina Bowen. I liked the first book enough to want to keep reading and that is why I've picked this one but, in general, the first one was a lot more appealing to me.
In this second story, we have a new protagonist couple.
Scarlet is a freshman with a secret behind her that she doesn't want to see coming to light. She has a new name, a new identity and she hopes to just go to class and put aside who she used to be.
Bridger is a well known guy in college for his popularity and energy. However, this new years his friends have noted he doesn't go to parties anymore, he seems to always be busy and even his free time rarely allows him to just hang out.
Scarlet and Bridger become friends over shared class but as they spend more time together, they discover they have some things in common and their relationship becomes more intimate. However, since both have things they don't want the other to know, will they be in the same level when it comes to trust?
This story has interesting elements and the romance, as a whole is sweet. However, I think the themes explored were a bit too complex for such a short story (in terms of pages and objectivity) and perhaps the fact both protagonists were facing such difficult situations felt too much. If one had such heavy issues to deal with and the other didn't or had a "lighter" cross to bear, things might have felt more balanced. The way things ended up happening, it just felt they were too lucky in how their problems were solved and I cannot imagine their emotions ans state of mind were that quickly fixed by love...
The plot was quite heavy on serious issues. Bridger is dealing with her mother's problems and how that affects his young sister, especially because we know social work takes too long and has a lot bureaucracy and Bridger tries his best to not let anything happen to his young sister but, as one can imagine, he is not rich, he has a scholarship and all these elements together mean he has to play with his time just well in order for things to work out.
Putting myself in his hoes, I thought how it would be like to have so many responsibilities, how could I not be stressed out and worried all the time. Bridger is an appealing character and I wished for the best but in the end his problems went a way that seemed a bit too easy. Maybe I just expected more hardship...
Scarlet had a more emotional problem regarding her father. I could really see how difficult it must have been for her or anyone who is guilty by association even before any proof is found or checked. I can understand her need to change, her willingness to become someone else, to have other chances and some of her inner monologue was intriguing to think about.
The fact her father was well known probably gave a different touch to this but I have to say it felt very tacky how she was treated and how the whole situation developed. It just seems like it was one of those b-movies which aren't done with the same professionalism of other productions. It was over the top and brought down quite a sensitive situation.
Since this is a romance, part of the plot is obviously dedicated to this. I don't think the romance was the best it could have because the other issues were clearly serious and difficult and how they had the head or the state of mind to act on attraction, I can't understand. If it were me going through any of that I'd have tried to be invisible and wouldn't look at anyone in the eye. Still, this is a romance series so the two of them connect. I think the way they met and their first interactions were believable but how they thought they were in love was not as convincing.
This is complicated to explain but the amount of time focused on the issues they faced vs the romance development were not leveled up elements and the romance seemed secondary, thus less strong.
I still liked some details, I liked seeing the couple from the first book show up, I liked some passages... but as a whole, this wasn't as compelling as the other book. I have hopes for the next one in the series, though, and I expect it to be a great one.
Grade: 5/10
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