Better Than Perfect: A Wild Cards Novel (Wild Cards, #1)

by Simone Elkeles

Ashtyn’s life just got complicated. Her boyfriend is being distant and her sister’s back at home after ten years – with a stepson in tow!

Derek has a perfect body, THE sexiest smile and a car – Ashtyn’s only way to escape from her crazy life. But Derek likes to play by his own rules and is keen to take Ashtyn on a ride she’ll never forget. As they spend more and more time alone together, will Derek’s flirty games drive Ashtyn wild?

A sweet and steamy romance from New York Times bestselling author Simone Elkeles.

• ISBN10: 1408852993
• ISBN13: 9781408852996
• Publish Date: 14 August 2014 (first published 1 October 2013)
• Publish Status: Out of Print
• Out of Print: 7 September 2023
• Publish Country: GB
• Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing Plc
• Imprint: Bloomsbury Childrens Books
• Format: Paperback
• Pages: 352
• Language: English

Reviews

[melanchalina]

Симона Элкелес "Лучше, чем идеально"

4 из 10

Жанр: YA, современный любовный роман
POV: 2 POV, от первого лица (он/она)
Геометрия чувств: мнимый треугольник
Отличительные черты: герои-спортсмены, злобная бабулька (на самом деле нет), страдашки от мнимой никому ненужности

РЕЦЕНЗИЯ:
Что-то у меня очень смешанное впечатление от этой книги. Так и хочется сказать «я слишком стара для этого дерьма», а с другой, вроде как такое заявление будет не совсем честным, ведь я обожаю милые романчики и поглощаю их пачками.

И все же.


Открывая роман, я знала чего стоит ожидать. Такие книги довольно предсказуемы: плохие мальчики, хорошие девочки, любовь-ненависть, семейные неурядицы… звучит как набор клише, но я всегда говорила, что ВСЕ зависит от автора. Например, я очень люблю «Идеальную химию» Элкелес. Да она полна штампов, но при этом в ней есть свое очарование, магия легкой романтики, хороший юмор и герои, которым сопереживаешь.

В «Лучше, чем идеально» поначалу тоже так было. Где-то до середины я не могла оторваться от книги, потому что… ну потому что это была Элкелес. А потом что-то явно пошло не так, и я с ужасом осознала, что УСТАЛА. Пришлось книгу отложить, и вернуться к ней в более «удачном настроении».

Надо отдать роману должное – читать его легко, проглатывается история быстро (но главное сесть за нее с правильным настроением), мелькает присущий Симоне юмор. Элкелес нужно отдать должное за создание «нетипичной» героини – спортсменки, которая при этом бывает не только пацанкой, но и сексуальной и женственной (так и хочется сказать цыпочкой). Но вот чего у нее не отнять, так это того, что она немного… истеричка. Любит высказывать претензии, наезжать и что-то вечно требовать от героя. Также я не поверила, что Дерек бэд бой. Хоть это и повторили сотню раз за книгу, мне он показался весьма милым и забавным. Ничего от «опасного и непредсказуемого». Он был дерзким, решительным, но до статуса плохиша не дотянул, как бы меня не пытались уверить в обратном.

ИНСТА-любовь. Да. И хотя обычно мне совершенно по фиг на этот пункт, тут вся эта фигня была слишком вычурной и бросающейся в глаза. Плэтому определенно минус.

Вот как-то так.

[Sam@WLABB]

Rating: 3.5 Stars rounded up due to the strong ending

I really liked Ashtyn. She was a girl trying to make it in a boys' world. She had to work harder, and endure a lot of negative treatment, but she was able to earn the respect of her teammates. She had a lot of personal losses, mostly, of the abandonment kind, but she did not let that stop her from going after what and who she wanted.

Derek was so complicated and frustrating. I did empathize with him, but gosh, I didn't think he was ever going to come to his senses. Deep down, I knew he had a heart of gold, but he was playing that hand close to the vest, and only let his goodness shine in secret.

I loved Derek's grandmother. She was probably one of my favorite characters (her and the dog). She was a surprise and I liked how she surprised me.

Lots of fun moments, lots of heartfelt moments, lots of steamy moments.

It was enjoyable, but the ending was great and left me with a smile.

[KitsuneBae]

The ending could have used a lot of polishing. But yeah, I love the chemistry between Derek and Ashtyn. And I love the goofy moments that they've shared.

[Kelly]

3.5 Stars (first half - 4 stars / second half - 2 stars)
http://www.divabooknerd.com/2013/12/wild-cards-by-simone-elkeles.html
Wild Cards was surprising. I assumed it would have been bad boy with issues, meets innocent girl with even greater issues of her own, but the one asset that sets Wild Cards above the typical young adult contemporary romance? Ashtyn. She's tough, unconventional and although beautiful, she's a tomboy at heart. I'm tired of reading about the flawless young adult characters, intelligent and attractive just doesn't cut it for the mass audience anymore, and creating a footballing playing, junk food eating teen girl with a tough exterior really is a breath of fresh air. Derek isn't a bad boy, he's a normal teen male who is scared of being hurt, so he's built a persona that will protect himself. The two teens are similar and both share feelings of loss and abandonment.

I enjoyed Perfect Chemistry by Simone Elkeles, but books two the three in that particular series were almost carbon copies of the first. Wild Cards could be seen as being of the same mould, but it's actually a fun read that held my attention from the first chapter. I felt as though the storyline veered off in order not to address the loose ends, such as Brandi's situation, Ashtyn's father and Derek's grandmother, although she was my favourite character, her snap decision was baffling. The only downside is that when Ashtyn and Derek began becoming physically involved, the storyline loses it's spark, but recovers just in time for a heartwarming ending. Seeing that there is set to be a second book in the Wild Cards series, hopefully it may address the forgotten about issues. A nice little read though, fans of Perfect Chemistry will enjoy Wild Cards even more.

[Suz @ Bookish Revelations]

Wild Cards is a gritty and complicated, fast paced contemporary read that is sure to keep you flipping the pages until the last one has been read. For those who love realistic, emotional turmoil, and characters that you can easily relate to - this is the book that you'll want to read. For anyone who is a fan of sports, you're definitely going to want to pick up a copy of this book, as well. I think it has a little something, that everyone can resonate with on a personal level. Simone Elkeles really out does herself, with the beginning novel of such a promising, gut wrenching, and heart breaking series.

The characters are wonderfully developed, there is so much heart and emotional turmoil, that as you wade through the story each of them has to tell (from a dual pov), you'll absolutely fall in love with them. Sometimes they can be annoying, other times they can be likable, but all in all they are real. That is the one thing about this novel and Elkeles writing that never ceases to amazing me. She packs so much realism into her stories and characters, that it it incredibly easy to become so wrapped up in their lives that you just absolutely don't want to pull yourself from within the pages of the book your reading.

Incredibly gripping, you're going to be captivated by the stories and self-discoveries that you read within the pages of Wild Cards. It is absolutely not going to disappoint on that front, in the least. Simone Elkeles has created characters and situations, that are definitely going to stay with you long after the last page has been turned. The intensity of the situations that arise between the main characters and the compelling stories they have to tell, will grip you until the end. So, I suggest if you love stories that involve sports, romance, and heart breaking situations, then ante up. You're going to love this one.

[Ashley]

Nose Graze — Young Adult book reviews

Wild Cards was very... meh.

I started the book on good terms. Derek seemed like a troublemaker, but a decent enough guy, and Ashtyn was a cool, tough, tomboy-ish girl. She was apparently really good at football, laid back, and kind of one of the guys. But then this happened:

* Derek wasn't a bad boy at all. He constantly thought he was, but there was no evidence to support that whatsoever.
* Ashtyn became clingy, needy, annoying, and a little pathetic.
* The football plot was very lacking.
* Insta-love....

There was so much telling when it came to all of the characters. We're told that Derek is a bad boy, Ashtyn decides that he only likes one night stands, and Derek tells us that he's not good enough for Ashtyn. But... All Derek does throughout the entire book is be courteous to Ashtyn (except for one occasion), mow the lawn, and completely rebuild Ashtyn's broken down shed (without her even asking him to). That's really.... nice of him.

Then we're told that Ashtyn is a great football player, that she gets along well with the guys, and that she's really laid back. She isn't the clingy, needy girlfriend type. But, we never actually see her play football well. All she does is run a few drills. Even at the end when she had a chance to kick ass, she didn't.. at all. It was a HUGE letdown. And her crush on Derek was honestly a little pathetic. Ashtyn became everything she said she wasn't (clingy, needy, and annoying). She constantly gave Derek hell whenever a girl flirted with him (as if she owned him), she wasn't even dating Derek and yet she burned with jealousy when her friend flirted with him a little, and she couldn't be away from him for even a few days.

But what drove me the craziest and gave me whiplash, was their constant fighting and bickering. It was exhausting. Derek and Ashtyn fight the ENTIRE book. All they do is insult each other and bicker over such stupid things. But the worst part about that, was the dual point of view. We'd read Ashtyn's chapter and it would go like this:

OMG I HATE DEREK! ...But actually, he's so hot... I'm so attracted to him. I totally love him. But OMG wait, I can't tell Derek that. I can't possibly ever tell him, because he'd never feel the same way. He only likes one night stands. But gosh.. I love him so much.

Then we'd read Derek's chapter:

Ugh, that Sweetie Pie Ashtyn gives me hell all the time. Her lips are so damn kissable though. Why can't I stop thinking about her? I have to get these thoughts out of my head because I'm not good enough for her. I can't be the man she wants me to be. She'd never like me anyway, she hates me. But wow, she's amazing. She's so gorgeous. I want to pummel that guy just for checking her out.

And it was like that OVER and OVER again. It was so frustrating to read how they were both crazy about each other, but both assumed the other one wasn't so they refused to say anything about it. For the ENTIRE book. But since I was privy to both their thoughts, it was just frustrating for me! I wanted to tell them to shut up and get together already.

And the fact that they spent the whole book fighting and bickering means there was insta-love. Ashtyn and Derek don't date. Ever. Until like the last page. They don't talk; they only fight. They never sit down and have a real genuine conversation. They do actually go out together once, but it's not a real date because it was to settle a bet. And yet, at one point, Ashtyn goes on about how she's in love with Derek. IN LOVE?? Seriously? She's never even had a real conversation with the guy! They just fight all the freaking time because when they first met Ashtyn decided that Derek was an asshole (even though he's really not...).

The end of the book just got even worse. I wasn't hating the book until the end, when things went downhill. So many weird things happened that I thought were unrealistic. And I didn't like how Ashtyn never proved herself at football. NEVER! I thought going to the camp was going to be her chance to prove herself, but she never did. And maybe it wasn't actually her fault, but I still wanted her to kick some ass! Show us that girls can fucking rock at football... but she never ever did. In general, the ending just felt kind of lame and cheesy, but also unsatisfying.

The only reason I'm giving Wild Cards 2 stars instead of 1 is because I didn't hate the beginning and there were a few lines that made me laugh.