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Showing posts with label Steph Campbell. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Steph Campbell. Show all posts

Tuesday, 14 May 2013

A Review for Grounding Quinn (Grounding Quinn #1) by Steph Campbell

Grounding Quinn (Grounding Quinn, #1)Posted by Donna
Release Date: May 9th, 2013
Finished Date: May 13th, 2013
Publishers: Simon & Schuster 
Source: For Review 
Format: Paperback
Pages: 240
Eighteen-year-old Quinn MacPherson's biggest fear has always been turning out like her mentally unstable mother or cold-hearted father. That is, until she meets Benjamin Shaw.
Quinn thinks hooking up with Ben over summer vacation will be nothing more than a quick fling, and with his hot body and heart-breaking smile that's all she really wants from him. But she quickly realises that, Ben is not just some guy. He gets her - the real her, flaws and all - and that scares the hell out of her. So when Ben does the unthinkable and tells Quinn he's in love with her, she does what comes naturally: she pushes him away, breaking his heart, before he can break hers.
Ben isn't prepared to let go that easily, he knows that Quinn is something special, and he'll do whatever it takes to make sure they're together. But will he be able to persuade Quinn to open herself up and allow Ben in to her life… and her heart?

The Review: “You always hear people talk about how there are moments in your life when you just know that things will never be the same. I always thought that was all horses**t. But here, now, with the feeling of her soft, incredible lips moving with mine, I know that it happens.” 

This was my second book by author Steph Campbell (the first being Delicate) and I have to say, I definitely enjoyed Quinn's story more than Sydney's.

In Grounding Quinn we see Quinn, an eighteen-year-old high school student struggling in life. She hasn't got the best relationship with her mother or father, and she tries to be the best she can for her younger brother, but life keeps getting her down. She has no-one she can confined in and, no-one seems to understand her. When she meets Ben, Quinn finally feels like she has someone to lean on, but somewhere in the back of her mind is, knowing that she will eventually destroy the one good thing she has in her life - because she's no good for anyone. Will Quinn be able to let people help her, or will she always feel like her life is out of control?

Grounding Quinn is definitely a highly charged emotional read and it's one of reasons I enjoyed it more than Delicate. Quinn's life has so many different problems and yes, most I believe she brings on herself, but for a girl of her age and to be struggling as much as she is, can I really blame her? Of course not! I felt for Quinn's situation, I wanted her to open up to her friends or talk to her parents about the mistakes they're making but I could also see why she couldn't. It was easier for her to run from her problems, instead of facing them head on. 

With the story being told in Quinn and Ben's point of view, it really gave you an insight to see how Ben was feeling about everything. Quinn does some pretty mean stuff to him and it was good to get inside his head. He proved himself to be a very loyal character and I loved that about him. 

The story has a few good twists and once again it's very emotional with very likable characters, so it was definitely worth a read if you're a fan of this genre. 

Monday, 6 May 2013

A Review for Delicate (Grounding Quinn #0.5) by Steph Campbell

Delicate (Grounding Quinn, #0.5)
Posted by Donna
Release Date: May 9th, 2013
Finished Date: April 27th, 2013
Publishers: Simon & Schuster UK 
Source: For Review 
Format: Paperback
Pages: 204
With a thriving gymnastics career, Trevor her loving boyfriend and a stellar academic record, anyone would assume that Sydney Pierce has it all. But beneath the pretence of perfection, Sydney's life is crumbling around her and she's terrified that everyone will find out that she's living a lie and is desperate to try and keep the world from discovering the truth. 

Then the gorgeous and charming new boy, Grant, starts paying her attention, and Sydney's carefully crafted life is thrown into chaos and confusion; why is he the only one who seems to be able to break down her barriers and care for her because of her imperfections? Sydney knows she should stay away from Grant, but she can't deny the attraction between them, and, as their connection grows deeper, Trevor's jealousy takes an intense and dark turn, forcing Sydney into a position in which not only her happiness, but her safety is at stake.

Can Sydney learn to let go of everything she is clinging to in order to gain everything she has ever wanted or will she realize her breaking point too late?

The Review: "Letting go is never easy. Especially when you can’t see where you’re going to land. But I’ve learned that sometimes, you just have to throw your weight behind the change. Take the chance that you may fall.”  

The Grounding Quinn series is a series I've heard a lot about, so I took the chance and decided to read Delicate which is set before Grounding Quinn takes place, and I'm really glad I did. Delicate is a sweet YA read that deals with a very heavy subject, and I believe Steph Campbell wrote this story very believable for us readers.  

I really enjoyed Delicate, it wasn't a great read but it was certainly a very entertaining one. It easily pulls you in from the very first page and doesn't let you go until the last. As a reader, I always love stories that gets me emotionally attachment to the characters, and that's just what Steph Campbell did. Sydney's story was very realistic and it brings a lot of awareness to girls who may be in the same situation, or know someone in the same situation as Sydney.

The characters were easy likeable and I thought Sydney and Grant made a perfect team, whether that being friends or in a relationship. Trevor was definitely a love/hate character because you like him to start with but of course, it turns to hate. I thought at one point that the reason for him acting the way he did was because he was using drugs (seems as the author mentioned him doing this at one point) however, that part of the story was never revisited and I'm not sure why it was relevant in the first place.

Even though there were some small holes in the plot, that doesn't stop this story from being enjoyable and I'll look forward to reading more from Steph Campbell in Grounding Quinn and her future works. 
 
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