Monday, September 3, 2012

Book Review and Giveaway: Reflection by Jessica Roberts




 Author: Jessica Roberts
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Series or Stand-alone: 
            Book 1 in a Two Part Series
How I got it:
            For a Book Tour
Formats available in:
           Ebook
Pages: 289
Publisher: S/P
Genre: New Adult / Contemporary
First Published: February 17 2012
Buy it from: Amazon
                  Barnes & Noble
Add to Goodreads


FIRST LINE(S): "Thrills...In all her teenage years, they had never come more powerfully than the moment Heather zipped her small suitcase."

The GIST (From Goodreads):

Bright, spunky Heather Robbins has escaped her small hometown and is anxiously beginning her freshman year of college. Rising above her rocky childhood, she’s found a place where good things are finally starting to happen: her own private apartment, refreshing college classes, and an intense attachment to a mysterious and rugged classmate, Nick Richards.

But when her dreamy college life turns out to be nothing more than a wonderful dream while resting in a coma, questions threaten.

Now, Heather must press forward to unlock the real past, and find the answers buried deep in her mind. What she unlocks instead is a roller coaster ride through flashbacks, embellished memories, and a whirlwind romance.

And when it’s all over and she comes face to face with the truth, will she lose everything she’s fallen in love with?

OPINION:

Reflection follows the story of Heather Robbins who just woke up in the hospital after an accident that left her in a coma. She doesn't remember what happened or how long she's been there. Even more worrisome is that the things she does remember could be false memories she's been living during her coma; the memories could be a combination of real memories and things she heard and smelled while she was in the hospital. The story starts out like a prologue about what led Heather to go to college and explaining her dysfunctional family life. Straight from there it goes into Heather waking up in the hospital. The story then splits from Heather telling the doctor the memories she relived in the coma (from when she went to college til the accident) to present day in the hospital. You don't know how long she's been there at first.

Although I liked Heather's story, I skipped a lot of scenes where she was doing things with her friends or just thinking about stuff in order to get to the nitty gritty. This book is a primary example of good, interesting plot but bad pacing. I wanted to know what happened between Heather and Nick (how they got together, if they stayed together, where he is, etc.) and what her coma means for their relationship now, not any mundane activities of her life. I might have skipped a third of the book but I didn't miss anything important which says a lot.

As for characters, Heather was a bit annoying at the beginning but I grew to like her as the story went on. She was supposed to be the quirky, different girl but she came of as whiny and judgmental. In her first day of class, she got so freaked out by people looking at her but then would say how she never got flustered. It didn't make sense. I connected with her by the end but she wasn't my favorite character.

Nick was really the redeeming character in this book. He was withdrawn, quiet, and utterly mysterious. His avoidance of people was understandable when you hear his full story. Of course he was completely gorgeous too but just didn't care about it which is attractive. I really liked how calm and unconcerned he was. He is unlike any male interest I've ever read in his quirks and personality which is saying a lot with the amount of books I've read. What I had a hard time understanding was why he liked Heather who was admittedly weird and awkward. It's like every uncool girls' fantasy that a cool, hot guy will look past the weirdness and find it all oh so cute (in my experience, it doesn't happen like that.)

Their relationship wasn't insta-love (thank God!) but I didn't really think the connection was strong enough to span all the problems that they encounter. Heather is even more unwilling to open up emotionally than Nick. Her reason was similar to Nick's but I still didn't understand the logic. I wanted to shake the crap out of her and say just get over it. It warranted a few emotional issues but not to the point she took it.

The ending really makes me overlook the problems I had with the book because I need to know what happens next! Talk about an ending that leaves you wanting more. I think the story next will probably be better than in this book.

OVERALL:

I had a lot of issues with his books. Redeeming factors: Unique male love interest and a great set-up for the second book.---7.0 out of 10.



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