Jennifer Echols

I don’t think it’s a secret that I’m a fan of Jennifer Echols. She has a way of telling fun stories in a way that they don’t come across as mindless fluff. Most likely because they’re not mindless, but also because her characters are exceptional and her voice is flawless. For example, take this scene at the beginning of the book when Hayden and Nick are sitting in the hall during class and Nick not-so-subtly places his hand on Hayden’s thigh.
But Nick was only toying with me. show more Nick was only toying with me. I could repeat this mantra a million times in my head, yet no matter how strong my willpower, his fingers rubbing across my jeans threatened to turn me into a nervous gigglefest. Sometimes I wish I were one of those cheerleaders/prom queens/rich socialite snowbunnies who seemed to interest Nick for a day or two at a time. I wondered if any of them had given into Nick’s fingers rubbing across their jeans, and whether I would too, if he asked.
The world of The Ex Games revolves around Hayden and Nick. With the exception of Hayden’s brother Josh, all the other characters seem to blur in the background of the story, allowing the relationship between Hayden and Nick to take center stage. And their relationship is a roller coaster. Due to their bad breakup and Nick’s teasing over the years, Hayden hates that she still wants Nick, but the truth is, she does. But Nick is known for loving and leaving – his longest relationship is three dates with one girl – so she’s not about to put herself out there to be hurt again. Throughout the book these two are pulling each other close one minute and slapping each other away the next. They both run hot and cold, and between this and their banter, my head was often spinning in confusion. But have I mentioned the kissing yet? Because there’s kissing. Lots of it. Delightful amounts of kissing, just like I’ve come to expect from Echols.
Moving beyond the romance, Hayden’s family is a stand-out feature of the story. First of all, the relationship between Hayden and Josh is the finest example of a sibling relationship I’ve seen in fiction. They bicker, they tease, but at the end of the day they support each other. Hayden’s parents, while not a huge part of the story, are realistically moving around in the background, offering advice and inserting an occasional humorous comment to the mix. They aren’t overbearing, but they’re involved in their kids’ lives.
What I liked about the storyline of this book was that Hayden wasn’t just out to get the boy. I mean, yeah, that part’s fun and exciting, but the upcoming competition on the slopes actually gives her a chance to aim for a goal other than a hot guy, even when that hot guy is Nick. Oh, Nick, Nick, Nick. He’s not dangerous, he’s not a bad boy, he just thinks rather highly of himself. The arrogant high school boy who’s actually got a heart is a bit of a cliché, and usually not written well, but Echols writes it perfectly. I. Love. Him. And the way he treats Hayden when he thinks she’s passed out from pain medication? Swoon! show less

Tia Cruz is an underachiever with a desire to avoid responsibility as much as possible. She's also vehemently opposed to having a boyfriend. Hook-ups are fine but boyfriends lead to nothing good. But on the night before band camp starts, Tia meets the ridiculously attractive and new-in-town Will. While Tia is still definitely not going to have a boyfriend, flirting with Will in drumline is the highlight of her day. Suddenly Tia has to figure out if responsibility and boyfriends are as show more terrible as she thinks.

I was not sure I was going to like this book going into it. Tia is at the opposite end of the spectrum from both high school and current me and I wasn't sure I was going to find her worth spending time with. But I'm so glad I pushed past my initial impressions because Tia has a highly rewarding character arc in this novel. While there is plenty of high school romance to be had (there are even non-metaphor filled sexytimes in this book), the book is just as much about Tia recognizing why she is the way she is and grappling with the decision of whether she wants to continue. As the first in a trilogy, I'm looking forward to enjoying the next two books and getting glimpses of Tia and Will after their book ends. show less

Okay, seems a bit dramatic doesn't it? Well things are dramatic when you're a teenager and I think Jennifer Echols catches that very well. I've only read Going Too Far by her before this and it's along the same vein as this one. Troubled, strong female MC. Sex isn't an issue, it's in the book. So be prepared along with some strong language and some pretty bad parenting and other things that people might object to. None of it is stuff that doesn't occur on the news nightly or isn't written in show more the papers. It's just that Jennifer Echols isn't afraid to write it down in a book about teens for teens. And I think she should.

Leah has been raised in trailer parks next to airports her entire life. So, at the age of 14 when they move to Heaven Beach, South Carolina, she ducks under the fence and gets a job at the airport. She watches the planes come and go. She listens to the old pilots shoot the breeze on the front porch of the small airport that doesn't even have a flight control tower. And she eats it up. It's about the only thing she's got going right in her life. And so what if she's got a huge crush on Mr. Hall's of Hall Aviation son, Grayson. Nothing will ever come of it. They don't know she exists. The boys don't. But Leah figures out how to get flying lessons from Mr. Hall and he takes her in as a daughter, his sons are too busy to come visit after the divorce. By the time Grayson, Alec and Leah are all 18 they have their commercial pilot's licences and plan to spend Spring Break and the summer flying banners for money for Hall Aviation. But bad things happen and those plans go down the drain.

Now, I'll say this about Jennifer Echols characters- they are complicated. I thought I had Leah figured out. She lived in a trailer and wanted to get out of it. But she wasn't going to be handed anything, she was going to earn it. And if people thought she had been handed something because she was sexy and knew how to use it, well they could think what they wanted to, she wasn't going to correct them. But Leah was also fierce to me. And I didn't expect her to take certain things that she did. I thought she acted a little out of character in certain parts of the book.

Grayson, he was exactly who I thought he would be. Cocky, self assured, good looking and always had to have everything his way. Alec, was probably the easiest to like because he wasn't in the picture that much. And Molly, well let's just say, I don't want a best friend, if that's what I have to have. They all seemed to be good and wholesome and caring, but Leah just didn't see them for who they really were. She never let her own feelings out. She had a crappy mother who was always leaving her. She rarely had food. She didn't have a car to get food. No one ever offered to take her to get food and she never asked. Her reasons were stupid.

But you know what, I loved this book. For all the flawed characters, I still loved the book and I will buy my own copy. I stayed up all night with a bad eye to read this one. I guess it was because the characters didn't fit a mold. They changed up when I thought I knew them. And I had to think about them for a few days before I could even write this review. They're still swimming around in my head. I really loved this book!

It's definitely for older teens. It contains, strong language, sex, drugs, drinking, and other suggestive things regarding sex. I can't say what age, my teen is old enough for it. Use your best judgement.

I did read the ARC of this book supplied by Southern Book Bloggers ARC Tours. I was not compensated for this review. show less

There’s sort of a triangle here but not quite, Leah is pushed into fake dating one brother while she’s actually crushing on the other brother. The brother Leah’s actually interested in swings back and forth between being a jerk to her and being thoughtful towards her. The way he speaks to her at times does border on toxic but I guess I was mostly okay (barring a couple moments) with their relationship because those two sides of him basically balanced out, plus it helped that he isn’t show more just randomly cold to her, you’re at least given insight into his behavior, understanding that it’s less about Leah and more about his strained relationship with his dad and still coming to terms with losses in his life.

Also speaking of toxic, there is a lot of slut shaming in this story, it’s wince-inducing at times but that type of judgement of women still very much exists, it’s unfortunately realistic and generally I’d rather contemporary fiction go for realism than pretend the world is more enlightened than it is, still, I could see it understandably being a dealbreaker for some readers.

While romance is at the forefront in this book, what I really appreciated and loved most is that we get a well-rounded look at Leah’s life beyond just boys, pretty much all my favorite moments here, the stuff that felt truly absorbing and emotionally engaging involved the financial and emotional struggles of Leah’s homelife, and most of all her aspirations to become a pilot and her passion for flying. show less