Stupid Girl

Stupid Girl by Cindy Miles

Rating: 3.5 out of 5

 

Synopsis (via Goodreads)

Only fools fall in love...
After her senior year of high school leaves behind nothing but heartache, Olivia Beaumont is sure of this: She’s no stupid girl. She sets out for Winston College, promising herself that she will remain focused on her first and only love – astronomy. But all it takes is cocky sophomore Brax Jenkins and an accidental collision with a football, to throw her entire year off course. 
A quick-tempered Southie who escaped the inner city streets of Boston to pitch for Winston, Brax is known to play way more fields than just the baseball diamond. So, when his name is drawn to take part in his fraternity’s hazing dare, Brax eagerly accepts the mission to take Olivia’s virginity. But he doesn’t plan on falling hard for the sweet and sassy Texas girl who sees right through his bad-boy persona. 
As Olivia and Brax battle their feelings for each other, echoes of the past year begin to surface. A boy who once turned Olivia’s whole world upside down reappears, and “harmless” pranks wreak havoc. Pretty soon the aspiring astronomer is on the verge of revealing her most difficult, heartbreaking secret. All the while, Brax must wrestle with the irrevocable dare, and Olivia struggles against all logic as she does the one thing only a stupid girl would do: fall in love.

Review 

"My heart had begged me to change my mind. But my brain had decided not to ever be stupid again."

Okay, so this book isn't going to change your life. In fact it's stuffed full of NA/YA clichés and the ending was particularly corny. HOWEVER, I honestly couldn't give a fudge! I really enjoyed this book, and it's delinquent Southie, Brax. He's the bad boy with a heart who has a tendency to throw punches first and ask questions later.

Stupid Girl follows Olivia Beaumount as she starts her life over at university. Just before her senior year of high school her boyfriend attacked her, making her last year of high school hell. University is her escape. But it doesn't take two seconds before she's been knocked to the ground by some tattoo's jock and her life gets flipped once again. The story shows Olivia as she tries to come to terms with her growing feelings, as she tries to keep her past in the past and everything else that comes with starting college. All of which is made increasingly harder by the fact her ex - Kelsey - just happens to show up!

One thing I really liked about this was that from the very beginning we knew what Olivia was hiding, what her big secret was. In way too many books you spend half your time trying to figure it out and it just becomes a distraction from the actual book, but with the prologue telling use all we need to know it makes reading the story a lot easier. Like you're living it with Olivia rather that working the with other character's in the story trying to figure her out. 

Throughout the entire book I felt this abundance of admiration towards Olivia. She's strong and doesn't take any sh*t from anyone. She has strong principles that kept her motivated and enough common sense not to end up being the clique love-sick girlie girl. Saying that, it's about the only cliché Miles didn't hit.

And then there's Brax. Oh Brax! Tattoo's, a motorbike, cocky attitude & a cute accent... SWOON ALERT! He's the quintessential bad boy and I loved him. He scared me at times, with all the fighting but all in all he was just so damn hot. I can't explain it, he's just... I'm just... yeah. 

I did have one or two issues with the story line... I mean out of ALL the universities in America her ex just happens to apply and get into the same one as her? It seemed a little far fetched too me. There was also the fact that we had this weird semi-duel narrative going on. I have no problem with multiple points of view, in fact it seems to be the trend at the moment. But there was only two chapters told from Brax's prospective. If you are going to do this you need to to be closer to 50/50 with the characters otherwise there really isn't much point. The 2 Brax chapters just seemed a tad random. Like the author was bored and wanted to mix it up. 

Also I really don't think we needed for Brax to punch quite so many people. I understood why he needed to hit a couple of these douchebags but at one point I think he knocked out 3 DIFFERENT people in one chapter. 

But saying all that I really liked this story. I honestly think this is one you'll have to make your own mind up on. The character's were enough for me to enjoy it but the clichés may be too off putting for some. But this was only my two cense. I hope you give it a shot though! Brax is one book boyfriend you don't want to miss out on! 

**I received this book as an ARC from NetGalley to read and review. This is a 100% honest review**

Time for a little something extra! I love the cover of this book so I decided to create a Book Look for it! 

Stupid Girl by emily-bradley-dorman featuring bleached shorts

BOOK of the MONTH

by Carrie Lofty 

  

Title: Blue Notes

Author: Carrie Lofty

Publishing Date: May 6th 2014 

Publisher: Gallery Books

ISBN: 1476706891  

Summery - From Back Cover

A piano prodigy on scholarship to a prestigious New Orleans university, Keeley Chambers is finally striking out on her own after a roving life dictated by her criminal parents. Her soulful, brilliant, fiery improvisations tear through her like a storm but are played for an audience of one: herself. However, sinfully handsome Jude Villars refuses to abandon Keeley to her private world and calls her out on her fear of performing in public. The irreverent, seductive billionaire playboy awakens Keeley to the blissful pleasures of letting go as he tempts her into the spotlight of the city's hottest clubs. Yet Jude has secrets of his own and pain that no one but Keeley recognizes. Will revealing themselves as they really are be too great a risk? Or will the truth make their tumultuous connection hotter and more irresistible than ever?

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**EXCERPT**

 It’s a test. The whole night is a test. How to survive a trial by spontaneous masculine overdrive. Jude Villars—his eyes, his gorgeous face, those built arms, his man in a man’s world way of dressing . . . 

Show him what you can do. 

Take him by surprise. 

I take myself by surprise when I dig my fingers into his broadcloth collar. I drag him closer. The gap between our mouths isn’t big. I could kiss him if I wanted. I want some revenge for being emotionally tossed around. I want to break him into a thousand pieces. 

“You think you’ve got it all figured out,” I say. “You don’t. Not about me.” 

The exhales between us are thick and hot. At least he’s breathing as hard as I am. He chuckles softly. The sound, the secondhand feel of it, ricochets down my chest. I’m tinder catching fire. I can do anything. 

 “I wonder,” he whispers, “have you ever kissed anyone as hard as you want to kiss me right now?” 

I shove him away, but not before his words settle like lava behind my breastbone. I’m both molten and airy, and learning fast what it means to get really turned on. That’s even more shocking than the idea of taking to the stage. No man has ever touched me with such knowing confidence. Brushing his thumb along my lower lip? He knows exactly what he’s doing. 

And I want more. 

He’s already made me angry. Now he’s making me reckless. 

If that means going head to head with me makes him smile all wispy like he did at Adelaide, then bring it on. He’s played with my brain all night. I can at least be memorable. 

He stands when I do. I thought his height was a trick of perspective when he’d towered over the seated jock. No way. He’s a good six feet, but I’m not letting him get away with talking down at the crown of my head. I tilt my chin. “Me and the piano. And you’ll watch.” 

“I won’t be able to take my eyes off you.” 

A thrill zings from head to toe before settling in my fingertips. Itching. Ready. “You better not.”

People hoot when I approach the stage. 

I’m not in court, but neither am I safe in a rehearsal room. 

I’m in a hot, colorful, loud, feverish club in New Orleans. And everyone in here expects to be entertained. 

Can I give them that? 

I shed my linen shirt. The upright piano is in surprisingly good condition. A spotlight turns the shiny brown surface into glass beneath the sun. It also has the welcome effect of blotting out the crowd. 

When I sit on the bench and touch Middle C, I realize the truth of my words. Me and the piano. I pet the key, easing all other thoughts into a distant corner. They simply scatter, becoming air—the air that fills my lungs and gives me strength. 

Straightening my shoulders, my hands in place, I throw one last glance toward the obscured audience. I don’t care what will burst out of my musical id, or what I’ll look like afterward. No future now. Just the here and now and my music and Jude watching.

Dream Cast

"Turn me on, sugar," he says, smoldering and daring. "Just you and the piano."

They may be a little older than the characters in the book but in my opinion I couldn't think of anyone else I'd want to play Keeley & Jude.

Emilia Clarke as Keeley Chambers

&
 Matt Bomer as Jude Villars

CLICK HERE to check out our review of Blue Notes

Blue Notes

Blue Notes by Carrie Lofty

Rating: 4 out of 5

Title: Blue Notes

Author: Carrie Lofty

Publishing Date: May 6th 2014 

Publisher: Gallery Books

ISBN: 1476706891  

Provided by: Author

Summery (via Goodreads)

After being bounced from foster family to foster family, Keeley, a talented pianist, is read to start over as a junior at Tulane. But when she plays a small concert that attracts the attention of Jude, a brooding playboy and hair to an enormous fortune is the wake of his parent' tragic death, suddenly Keeley's life is thrown off balance once again.

Jude is the first person to confront her about the pain behind her music, and she struggles with whether or not to let him into her life, or keep protecting herself from the hurt that relationships have caused her in the past. But Keeley's about to learn that the melancholy young billionaire who appears to have everything he wants can open her eyes to exactly what she needs...

Before I get into ANYTHING I just want to say that the GoodReads description is a little wrong... for instance Keeley wasn't bounced around from foster home to foster home, she had ONE set of foster parents who ended up adopting her. And she attracted Jude's attention way before the 'small concert'. 

Review

"If I want you, sugar, I'll come and find you."

I didn't know what to expect when I got this book. I'd been really excited to read it but I hadn't read anything by Carrie Lofty before so I didn't know what I was getting. It's not perfect, very few books are, but all in all I really quite enjoyed Blue Notes! It gripped hold of my curiosity from page one and didn't let me go until the very last sentence. It was intense at times and made me smile at others, and it was always 100% sexy. 

Usually the thing I love most about a book is the characters - or at least one in particular - however, with this it was the story. Admittedly there were some predictable moments and parts that made me cringe - although I think they were meant to - but in general it flowed really well and kept me turning the page. The story follows Keeley as she starts University at Tulane, and how she copes with the attention from one dangerously attractive arsehole named Jude. As well as following Keeley as she tries to find the ability to let go of her past, or at least, move on from it. 

I'm not going to lie, more often than not I hate a female POV. This is because they can get winy and irritating. There was the odd moment where I felt that Keeley's decisions where out of character (like getting into Jude's car) but she has this strength that I really admired. Even when her world felt like it was being torn apart at the seems she picked herself up, brushed herself down and kept moving forward. She never gave up! She never complained that her life was too hard - even though she had every right to. Keeley's back story is woven into the book in singular threads, with each chapter giving you more information into her horrific past. More than once I wanted to jump into the book and steal her away from her monstrous parents. I have a real soft spot for this girl!

Now... Jude Villars. Where to start? I mean, there were times when I want to punch that guy in the face and then there where times when I was like...

In my opinion Keeley's obsession with Jude is completely understandable, he's intoxicating! The last third of the book, where Lofty strips away all his bravado and overall dick-ish-ness he starts to become a guy who you'd be happy for her to end up with. But I'll admit it takes a long time to get there. Some things are said that physically made my skin crawl! He has a kind of dirty Christian Grey feel too him, although Mr Grey would never have called Anna 'sugar'. I really didn't like that nickname...

If there was a single character to look out for, I'd say it's Adelaide. Her's and Keeley's transformation throughout the novel is really interesting. They learn from each other and Adelaide's maturity towards the end of the book is almost surprising. I found myself really proud of both characters.

One thing I did notice throughout this book is that almost every male character was build up of fatal flaws. Other than Keeley's adoptive father, they're all kind of dicks. Even the nice ones. Which is a complete 180 from most NA/YA books I read, as it's usually the girls that I have a problem with. 

Overall, I really loved this book! I would have liked a bit more information about her father though. I would have liked to have know more about what happened in California. If anything I would just have liked more! More Jude. More Keeley. More Janey. More Addie... just, more. 

What I will say though, is that this is definitely for older YA readers and NA readers. The sex scenes are incredibly steamy and graphic - which fitted into the story - but is not suitable for younger readers!!

"Turn me on, sugar," he says, smoldering and daring. "Just you and the piano."

These are a few notes I made while reading Blue Notes. All comments were made on my GoodReads page.

**I received this book as an ARC from the author (Carrie Lofty) to read & review. This is a 100% honest review.**