Penny Reid - Attraction

Kaitlyn Parker has no problem being the invisible girl, which is why she finds herself hiding in various cabinets and closets all over her college campus. Despite her best efforts, she can’t escape the notice of Martin Sandeke—bad boy, jerkface bully, and the universe’s hottest, wealthiest, and most unobtainable bachelor—who also happens to be Kaitlyn’s chemistry lab partner.
Kaitlyn might be the only girl who isn’t interested in exploiting his stunning rower’s build, chiseled features, and family's billionaire fortune. Kaitlyn wants Martin for his brain, specifically to tabulate findings of trace elements in surface water.
When Kaitlyn saves Martin from a nefarious plot, Martin uses the opportunity to push Kaitlyn out of her comfort zone: spring break, one week, house parties, bathing suits, and suntan lotion. Can she overcome her aversion to being noticed? Will he be able grow beyond his self-centered nature? Or, despite their obvious chemistry, will Martin be the one to drive Kaitlyn into the science cabinet of obscurity for good?

Comment: I got interested in this book in 2015 for some reason. It probably had something to do with the fact the heroine was described as shy but intelligent and sort of a nerd in some reviews. I was quite interested in seeing how the author would deal with such a heroine and how the dynamics between her and the hero would go. I also told about this story to my friend H., and we have decided to buddy read it.

This is also the first part of three, which means the story doesn't end with the first one.

In this story we meet Kaitlyn Parker, a young college student who is very intelligent, shy and very focused on being rational. She is also attracted to her lab partner, Martin, a guy that is popular, rich but also very clever and who she feels would never be interested in her. Things change one day while Kaitlyn is at the lab and she randomly listens to a conversation where two people try to make a plan to deceive Martin. 

That same day, Martin kisses Kaitlyn and tells her he has wanted to do it for a while but Kaitlyn feels it can't be so. Still, she knows she can't rest until she tells him about what she heard and goes to a party to meet him. They then agree on a week together at the beach, with other friends, to see if the attraction between them is real and could mean the start of something more...

If you read what I wrote above again, you'll see I have two paragraphs. In the first I summarized what made me want to read the book in the first place. In the second I summarized what made it be a lot less interesting than I hoped for and why I grade it as only average.

This is labeled new adult and sadly I think I'm past my endurance of them unless I know with more certainty about specific situations that would convince me I'd like it. For me, this was more about YA, and not because of the characters' age (nowadays, at 20, most young people are adults but don't act like it). I feel the characters behavior was too childish and even Kaitlyn, described as clever, nerd and aware of herself disappointed me in this regard. They just focus too much on things I don't find interesting. Even admitting the main goal here was to see the development of their relationship or how they would go step by step into becoming a couple, the situations they see themselves in was not interesting for me to read about.

The notion they were together in college makes me immediately imagine scenarios around school or where their activities would be important details to include. I liked the first chapters because of that and because of Kaitlyn's thoughts and personality. She would be someone I'd like to be friends with to talk about books and such (maybe except science). But then they go to the beach, there's a certain "pressure" by Martin and others for Kaitlyn to see only one perspective, even if not to a point where it becomes offensive, that I didn't think was happening. But Kaitlyn had so many interesting tastes and ideas and to see her interact in a completely different scenario just to put some things in evidence felt annoying. I certainly didn't find the scenes in the beach interesting and just wanted to get them over. But then, the story was finished for this first part.

Kaitlyn is also described as someone who likes to be invisible. I would describe myself as such too, so another huge factor that made me read this. But then Kaitlyn is "pushed" out of comfort zone and I felt we are supposed to infer she wanted that to happen because although she was used to it, it doesn't mean she wanted it to be so. Of course her reactions are awkward in situations she can't control and I liked some of her thoughts and ideas about that but the goal here was obvious: to show you need to try new things to find more or better things beyond the safe. I feel disappointed because I wanted Kaitlyn not to change, not to give in to something was not comfortable with for the sake of a love interest but...I also know readers wouldn't want to have boring scenes I suppose. But for me, that would have been perfect, especially if there are more books and probably believable and better ways to put the protagonists together and make their relationship move along.

The writing was not bad and I can see why the author has fans but if all the content of her stories has characters behaving like in here, I don't think I'd find them appealing either. I won't read more about these characters as I don't feel invested in reading about them, so to try something else is not a priority but I'll investigate other series to compare, eventually.

Grade: 5/10

TBR Challenge: LH Cosway & Penny Reid - The Hooker and the Hermit

Annie Catrel, social media expert extraordinaire at Davidson & Croft Media and clandestine celebrity

blogger, can make anyone shine in the court of public opinion. She is the Socialmedialite, anonymous creator of New York’s Finest and the internet’s darling. Virtual reality is Annie’s forte, but actual reality? Not so much.
Ronan Fitzpatrick, aka the best hooker the world of rugby has seen in decades, despises the media—social or otherwise. The press has spun a web of lies depicting him as rugby’s wild and reckless bad boy. Suspended from his team, Ronan has come to Manhattan to escape the drama, lay low, fly under the radar. Only, Ronan isn’t easy to overlook, and he can’t escape the notice of the Socialmedialite…
When Ronan is sent to Davidson & Croft Media to reshape his public image, he never expects to cross paths with shy but beautiful Annie, nor does he expect his fierce attraction to her. He couldn’t be happier when her boss suggests pairing them together.
What lengths will Annie take to keep her virtual identity concealed? And what happens when the hooker discovers who the hermit really is?

Comment: April is here and more books out of the TBR are being read. 

It's also time for another specific TBR challenge read and this month the theme is Contemporary. I picked this book out of many possibilities mainly because it would suit the theme. I was curious about it but now that I have read it, despite having interesting points, it wasn't as amazing I hoped for.

In this book we meet Annie Catrel, a introvert young woman who works at a marketing company and has a blogger where her secret identity works as an alter ego to all the vivacious attitude she doesn't have in real life.

Ronan Fitzpatrick is an Irish rugby player who is in the US to rest and to improve his public image after a break up. Ronan and Annie meet quite by chance but he is immediately smitten with her. Annie is definitely more cautious but being forced to work together will bring them even closer. But what was only a job will develop to something more unless Annie can't admit she wants to be with Ronan a lot more than she wants to keep her life tidy...

When this book begins, our main couple is brought together so Annie can work her magic on Ronan and make him a new, better liked person online. Usually I'm quite fond of relationships developing in a work environment, as long as they're realistic and don't make the characters act silly in a situation where people should behave a certain way. Thankfully, most of the plot is set outside the office, so we don't have that idea in out face all the time. But I still think it's completely inappropriate that they go from client/employee to people in who act in lust.

Ok, this is mostly on Ronan's side but... I understand the romance had to start somehow but the way things were happening just didn't convince me.

Another situation that got me thinking is Annie's condition. She is described as an introvert and we read several scenes where that becomes obvious. I liked this. I like shy heroines, so going to introvert ones can be interesting, even more so because the two can be confused often. But similarities apart, Annie isn't very sure of herself in social situations and rather prefers to be left alone. Yes, she had to come out of her shell in order to a romantic heroine, but she has some actions I can't see an introvert having. Or maybe, the way the situations were being described just didn't give the right impression.

The romance was along the lines of what we would expect. Ronan is clearly an alpha type and that's fine but he pushed Annie into saying and doing things I thought were too much. I just can't seem to appreciate how forceful he acts in some situations and how gentle he is in others. It felt weird and to be honest, their connection didn't seem as romantic as that. Yes, they were sexually attracted to each other and they might even be a good couple but I struggled to think that instead of all the details I'd change.

Plus their intimacy scenes just...well, I could easily skip them because I felt weren't interesting. Somehow their emotional journey didn't convince me so the sex felt secondary and could easily not have been included and I wouldn't mind. In fact, one or two scenes related to sex were actually bad in my opinion, not the descriptions themselves, but the state of mind in which Annie sometimes is before they happen. I can't say for certain but...it felt she wasn't much into it at first or maybe Ronan is more kinky than he had to Why I don't know. My impression perhaps.

Odd questions: If Ronan is a rugby player and his career matters why don't we see him talking more about it?

Why it always look so easy and fast to simply run from one place to the airport and fly home? There is no airport control, no check in, no waiting time to go through?

This was my first story by both authors. I also didn't read anything by each one individually, so I'll try something else by both in the future. But I have to say I wasn't as impressed by this story as I wanted. Some readers have mentioned in some parts we can see two people wrote this. I confess I don't pay much attention to that sort of detail, but in some scenes it can be easy to see it if you look for it.

All in all, maybe not the best book by either to start with but it does offer some good scenes and presents social media as something all of us are aware of but how real is what everyone thinks or says online? Interesting detail but not totally when I think in general terms.

Grade: 5/10