Robin Constantine

Review courtesy of Dark Faerie Tales

Quick & Dirty: A somewhat average contemporary that was an okay read.

Opening Sentence: “Breathe,” Leif commanded.

The Review:

Madison’s life seems to be perfect, if she ignores the troubling price range of a summer program she wants to take. After all, she has a hot boyfriend and amazing friends. Jesse, or “Broody Barista” is struggling to pick up the pieces after his girlfriend cheated with his former best friend. When Madison learns of a huge show more secret her mother has been keeping, and Jesse decides to pick up the guitar and try to heal, they are to each other a nice distraction from the harder parts of life – but the relationship becomes much more than that. Can two deeply wounded people heal together?

There were a couple plots at work in this book, multiple of them being the romances. The main one was between Jesse and Madison, but there was also the healing process between Jesse and Hannah, which I honestly found more interesting than the first. At the beginning of Secrets of Attraction, Jesse was still a mess. Even seeing Hannah would bring back all the old pain he tried so hard to erase. He was still in love with her, but it was unrequited, and there was also a lot of hatred with his old best friend for stealing her away. I despise books with cheating, so immediately I felt a passionate hate towards him along with Jesse. As he saw more and more of Madison, Jesse began to heal, but it didn’t happen overnight.

The Madison and Jesse storyline fell flat for me. It wasn’t that it was bad. But it dominated the main plotline of the story and was underwhelming to me. It was the same kind of love story in every contemporary ever, with a few twists and turns along the way to add originality. In conclusion, eh. It was cool how their personalities fit together even though they were so different, with Jesse being a rocker in a band and Madison being a flirty, girly teenager with an easygoing personality. Madison’s old boyfriend, Zach, had the hotness appeal but there wasn’t any real emotional connection or chemistry between them. Jesse, on the other hand, was someone she felt like she knew on a deeper level- and that scared her, of course.

Madison’s mother and her had trouble getting along in this book. At the beginning their relationship was easy, cute. But then a curveball was thrown and their relationship became off balance. Madison’s mom worked so hard for redemption, but Madison used her anger as a buffer for the hurt. I understood Madison’s feelings considering what her mother had withheld from her. Speaking of her mother, there was this whole second storyline of her and “hot yogi” getting along oh-so-well because he was training her to instruct yoga classes. I don’t think we ever saw resolution on those two — did their relationship ever bloom into something more?

I went into this novel without many expectations. I wanted a cute, fluffy contemporary. In the end, yeah, I got it. But I felt very underwhelmed with the whole thing. It was a simple, easy contemporary, but it dragged in parts and wasn’t that spectacular. I liked it, sure. But was it everything it could have been? No, not really. One thing I did like was how all the characters developed in their own ways, and I also really enjoyed the deul points of views. I definitely think that others will enjoy this book a lot, especially in the teen range, but having just finished an amazing book it fell short in comparison. I would recommend this to people who enjoyed her first book, as well as those who are fans of easy contemporaries.

Notable Scene:

Wren smirked.

“What?”

“You really don’t see it?”

Of course I saw it, but I didn’t get it. At all. We crossed the street with arms still looped.

“Zach’s hot and fun, but you never had that thing.”

FTC Advisory: Balzer + Bray/HarperTeen provided me with a copy of The Secrets of Attraction. No goody bags, sponsorships, “material connections,” or bribes were exchanged for my review. show less

Reading The Promise of Amazing was a really fun experience for me! After reading a few darker fantasies, I was super glad for the breath of fresh air. This book had me smiling and rooting for the characters in the way I had hoped and needed!

I loved the alternating viewpoints of Wren and Grayson. Wren is the quiet student, looking for change, and Grayson is the social troublemaker in, you guessed it, a heap of trouble. I really am glad that they each had their own distinct voice, as I hate it show more when POVs meld together.

I really liked how each character has his/her own family problems... making this story have multiple layers. Wren feels a pressure to live up to her siblings, and Grayson and his father have problems. While we are on the topic of Grayson, I have to say I really enjoyed his character. He is flawed, funny, unpredictable, and realistic. And I could totally relate to Wren. Seeing these two characters build a relationship was so awesome!

Although the story had it's serious side, that doesn't there weren't fun, lighter parts! Yeah, I was guily of laughing aloud a lot while reading The Promise of Amazing! I have this tradition where I highlight every line that produces a laugh out of me, and in this book I highlighted 19 parts. The romance was so sweet with such fun dialogue and inner monologue! Overall, I highly reccomend Robin Constantine's debut novel!

P.S. (Post Script) I also really liked Wren's friends, Maddie and Jazz!!! I cannot tell you how stoked I am for Madison's story! show less

Cassidy decides to spend her summer with her father and his new family when a breakup from her cheating boyfriend threatens to overwhelm her summer. She heads to dad's bed and breakfast at the Jersey shore, gets a job at a local summer camp, becomes the object of admiration for her little half-brother, and wonders why she thought this all was a good idea. She encounters Bryan and his brother one tearful night at the beach, and later meets him since he works at the same summer camp. Bryan is show more struggling with his own problems - he's recovering from an accident that has left him partially paralyzed. Without planning it, the two fall in love, but it's a relationship fraught with challenges caused by their pasts, and what they're trying to escape.

Robin Constantine has written an insightful, sensitive and funny story depicting the reality of teens, heartbreak, love and disability. This book goes beyond what one expects from a summer romance with a main character who has some serious issues. Teens who like Sarah Dessen will enjoy this novel. The parents are present, and family life is depicted in a realistic fashion. Great for high school, but a little too advanced for junior high due to the inclusion of petting and sex scenes (not graphic, but definitely present). show less

Okay. Colour me annoyed. This rolls way too fast.
I'm not jumping this ship, YET. But if it steam-rolls any faster the book will be in danger of deteriorating into sappy. Not the best of first impressions.

Ch 4 - and my scepticism is climbing.
Ch 6 - and I'm leaning towards running away.
Ch 14 - Up till now it was cutesy and fluff. Expect some major drama to saunter in right about now. So. Predictable.

13/01/14
Right. I'm glad I stayed for the ride.
Can't say it was spectacular, but it was an easy show more entertaining read. It wasn't awful like some people are saying and it wasn't OMG-ah-mazing like the others claim. Firm middle ground IMHO.

Ultimately, there are some amazing books out there that are more deserving of your time and effort (not to mention money).
But if you got your hands on this one - give it a shot. It's a light read and pretty entertaining, all things considered.

VERDICT: Try It show less