Wild Cards (Wild Cards, #1)

by Simone Elkeles

[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.