Name: Last Will and Testament
Rating: 3.20 (5 reviews)

It seems sometimes like I'm on a never ending quest to find quality New Adult novels. I purchased Last Will and Testament on a whim, and was pretty pleased with it overall. Though it did have some seemingly cliché plot elements (why oh why are there so many student/teacher romance stories in NA? Aren't there other illicit romantic pairings that authors can come up with?) I appreciated that the overarching story had a lot of depth, with Lizzie suddenly becoming the guardian of her two little brothers after her parent's deaths. At 18 you're pretty much still a kid yourself, and though Lizzie definitely made her share of mistakes I appreciated her resilience in such a situation. Yes, this is a romance novel in many ways but it felt well balanced with the family aspect of the plot too. I also enjoyed that Lizzie was influenced by her mother's heritage and the Filipino culture, as I'm always thrilled to see diversity in protagonists. Max, my boyfriend, is also half Filipino so I noticed some parallels in the cultural things that were mentioned. The one thing that was hard for me to get past at times was how abrasive Lizzie was, constantly swearing (swearing almost never bothers me but I found its use to be excessive and a bit repetitive here) and having a bad attitude 90% of the time. Her situation was definitely a tough one to be in but she could be hard to empathize with at times.

Overall: Though the teacher/student romance seems overdone, the romance in this novel was OK, but more importantly the topics of family, grief, and responsibility were handled well and integrated into the plot in a unique way. I wouldn't call this book a favorite but I'm glad I read it and it was one of the better New Adult reads I've come across. This review was originally posted on Girl in the Pages

Lizzie was suppose to be going places. She was her high school's valedictorian and got a college scholarship, but now in Last Will and Testament, she's flailing. Instead of attending classes, she's sleeping off hangovers. She's skating by with Cs, instead of the As she needs to keep her scholarships. She's also sleeping with another girl's boyfriend which is where she is when she finds out that her parents have been killed and that she's been named guardian of her two younger brothers.

Last Will and Testament was really great! I don't give a crap about kids, but I was immediately drawn into Lizzie's story. She's practically a kid herself and is now responsible for a moody teenager and a seven year old. I was definitely cheering for her to get her life back on track! Her first step was to start studying so she can stay in school, and that involved tutoring with her sexy but uptight history TA. Their relationship starts off rocky, because of her past behavior, but soon enough Connor is the one person that Lizzie can count on. Not just for helping her pass her class, but he helps her find an apartment, a carpool partner for her brother, and countless other small things.

Let's talk about this romance, because holy crap. Last Will and Testament is hot! I absolutely love student-teacher relationships, and this was an amazing one! Obviously, one of the major conflicts is going to be Lizzie and Connor debating whether to even act on their feelings. He can lose his job, and she can lose her brothers. It's definitely a serious situation, but their chemistry is through the roof! That first hook up is intense! Have a fan ready! Or a cold shower! I didn't even mind their back-and-forth because the tension! Then the release of tension!

The only thing that I didn't like about Last Will and Testament was how Lizzie and Connor get caught. It felt very high school spoof movie drama and I just rolled my eyes a lot. I honestly didn't believe this would ever happen. There are other, more believable ways, that they could have been seen together. It was just silly. I do like how it was all resolved though.

Basically, you should read Last Will and Testament. It was amazing to watch Lizzie regain control of her life after such a tragedy. She doesn't get everything perfect, but she certainly comes a long way from where she was. Also that romance is freaking fantastic. Lizzie and Connor are hot, hot, HOT!

Read more of my reviews at Pinkindle Reads & Reviews.

Last Will and Testament (Radleigh University, #1)

by Dahlia Adler

Last Will and Testament (Radleigh University, #1)

by Dahlia Adler

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girlinthepages

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