REVIEW: Junk Miles (Brenna Blixen #2) by Liz Reinhardt

 

Author: Liz Reinhardt

Pages: eBook

Genre: Young Adult - Contemporary Romance

Publisher: Self

Buy Links - Smashwords - Amazon - Barnes & Noble

Synopsis. (Goodreads)

Kissing someone other than your boyfriend is cheating.

But what about thinking about kissing someone other than your boyfriend?

What about thinking about it a lot?

Brenna Blixen has the perfect boyfriend. He's sweet, sexy, loyal, and sure that Brenna is the best thing that's ever happened to him. But being the perfect girlfriend isn't as easy as Brenna thought it would be, and the pressure that comes with trying to be Jake's everything is beginning to weigh on her. When her mother surprises her with a trip to Paris over winter break, she's torn. She anticipated spending her vacation snuggling with Jake Kelly, ice-skating, drinking cocoa, and relaxing...but what girl in her right mind would turn down a trip to Paris?

Things only get more confusing when she winds up unexpectedly and unavoidably thrown into Saxon Maclean's arms in the City of Lights. Far away from the comfort and stability she finds at Jake's side, Brenna faces down the feelings that have been swirling through her since the day she laid eyes on Saxon. Is it fair for her to call herself Jake's girlfriend when she has so many unresolved feelings about someone else?

Brenna is determined to figure it all out, even if it means making some of the hardest decisions of her entire life. She also learns that every single thing she does has rippling repercussions, some that fill her with total regret. By the time she figures out what her heart truly wants, she realizes that she may not be able to have it after all.

This book is recommended for Older/Mature YA.

REVIEW: 4.5 out of 5 stars

Wow! Another amazing installment in the Brenna Blixen series by the wonderfully talented Liz Reinhardt.

Junk Miles continues where Double Clutch left off. Brenna Blixen’s life is going seemingly well, she has a sweet, adoring boyfriend, Jake Kelly, the most wonderful parents and she is doing really well promoting and selling her t-shirt designs. But her mind tends to wander to bad boy, cigarette and tic-tac loving Saxon Maclean.

Its Christmas time and holiday break and Brenna has received a trip to Paris with her mother, an amazing gift and definitely something she is excited about but it means having to leave Jake behind but her independence is something she holds onto and she is happy to be spending time with her mum. Other professors and their family members are also going along on this trip, and Saxon’s mother is also a professor which means Saxon will be accompanying her.

Saxon being in Paris sends Brenna’s thoughts and emotions into upheaval, she loves Jake but also has strong feelings for Saxon which are reciprocated. Saxon is a straight talker and he is upfront from the beginning about what he wants from Brenna but them being in the same city turns her relationship with Jake upside down.

I am completely torn about Saxon and Jake, I was all for a Brenna/Saxon hook-up but after reading Junk Miles I truly couldn’t decided who I wanted her with – I adore everything about each of them, they seem so very different and I have a tendency to go for the bad boys but Jake really put his heart out there in this book which I loved. Saxon has his issues but he means well, he is misunderstood and seemingly lonely and I think his flaws are emphasized more.

I absolutely adore Brenna! She is so independent, smart and stylish and she stands up for what she believes in. I love the close relationship she shares with her parents, especially her mother who at times was a tad over the top but I still loved the way she trusted and respected Brenna and let her make her own decisions.

Ms Reinhardt writing really packs a punch, she writes in a way that is realistic and true to the characters, I was squirming at times (sometimes in a good way, other times not so good) but I think it makes for a great novel which gets you thinking, you also never know which way the story will go which I really like.

At times I was so mad at Brenna, Saxon and Jake, they each did things that were wrong even spiteful but it was retaliation for the hurt they felt. Ms Reinhardt’s storytelling was pure enjoyment, the way she described the conflict, confusion, heartache and emotional turmoil of each of the characters was believable and even though I truly despise love triangles – and it is pretty much a plot revolving around Brenna’s feelings for two different guys, I found the situation these teenagers were in to be very real.

Liz Reinhardt’s writing is absolutely brilliant! I was immersed in the story from the beginning to end and was constantly annoyed by real life pulling me away ;)

I can’t recommend this series enough; there is romance, drama and ongoing conflict that keep you turning the pages. Ms Reinhardt is now an auto-buy for me. I am really eager to get hold of Slow Twitch which is told from each of the main characters POV’s.

 

Obtained: Amazon for Kindle