Reviewed by Sam@WLABB on

3 of 5 stars

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Book one, First Blush ended in a cliffhanger, so I wanted to know what happened to all our MCs: Ellie, Grant, Devon, and Charlie. This book picks up a few months after the big scandal, which sent Grant's world into a tailspin, and made Ellie the Hillson pariah. Though Grant and Ellie were dealing with many changes, things were going swimmingly for Charlie and Devon.

Each couple was presented with obstacles. Devon and Grant had to deal with the backlash from the football ban, and Ellie's indecision about staying at Hillson. Charlie and Devon had to deal with their differing socioeconomic statuses. Could Charlie, the son of waitress, ever be good enough for Devon, an heiress and Hillson royalty?

In addition, each individual had a personal struggle. Ellie was being harassed. Grant was feeling adrift without football to anchor his identity. Devon was dealing with her brother's addiction, her mother's disapproval of Charlie and claiming her legacy. Charlie was struggling with his feelings for Devon, his outting, and a new found family secret.

I appreciate the way the characters grew from book 1 to this book. I liked that Wagner softened Devon's edges a little, making her more human and less fembot. I also liked the changes in Grant, but did wish for a little more depth there. Charlie is still my favorite (well, him and Sorenson), and I was a little disappointed in his family secret storyline. It felt too rushed for something so important.

I have to agree with other reviewers, in that, I would love to delve into some of the secondary characters. Sorenson won a place in my heart in book 1, and he solidified his standing in this book. He deserves a bigger piece of this plot, as he is quite interesting (way more interesting than Ellie). We also get a little bit of Andrew's story, and I think there is something intriguing about him, and we have only scratched the surface there.

Overall: Another soapy cliffy (not in a bad way), which I look forward to seeing resolved.

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Reading updates

  • Started reading
  • 25 December, 2016: Finished reading
  • 25 December, 2016: Reviewed