Just a little crush
Author: Renita Pizzitola
Series: -
Pages: 242
Release date: 21st October 2014
Publisher: Flirt/Random
House
Synopsis (Goodreads): Good girls stay away from Ryder
Briggs . . . or, at least, they try to. In Renita Pizzitola’s
emotional novel of heartache and seduction, one college freshman just can’t get
enough.
Brinley Dawson doesn’t drink, she studies—and despite the accusations of her alcoholic mother, she’s still a virgin. But if Brinley’s life is so put together, why is she freaking out to be going to college with the gorgeous, green-eyed jerk she kissed on a stupid dare in high school? Ryder Briggs can have any girl he wants . . . and the rumors say that he does. So why, after publicly embarrassing Brinley four years ago, is he suddenly acting like he’s interested?
Ryder never forgot Brinley. In fact, those perfect seven minutes permanently raised the bar for what a kiss could be. The truth is, Ryder doesn’t dare get too close to anyone. He knows how that worked out for his parents. But when his roommate takes a shot at Brinley, Ryder can’t contain his jealousy. Now he must do the hardest thing he’s ever done: forget about sex and convince Brinley his feelings are real.
Brinley isn’t sure whether she believes Ryder, but for the first time, her body isn’t playing by the rules. Then she discovers that she’s an unwilling part of a cruel game, humiliating her all over again—and Ryder might be to blame. Has Brinley’s little crush turned into a huge mistake . . . or has she found the one guy worth trusting with her heart?
Brinley Dawson doesn’t drink, she studies—and despite the accusations of her alcoholic mother, she’s still a virgin. But if Brinley’s life is so put together, why is she freaking out to be going to college with the gorgeous, green-eyed jerk she kissed on a stupid dare in high school? Ryder Briggs can have any girl he wants . . . and the rumors say that he does. So why, after publicly embarrassing Brinley four years ago, is he suddenly acting like he’s interested?
Ryder never forgot Brinley. In fact, those perfect seven minutes permanently raised the bar for what a kiss could be. The truth is, Ryder doesn’t dare get too close to anyone. He knows how that worked out for his parents. But when his roommate takes a shot at Brinley, Ryder can’t contain his jealousy. Now he must do the hardest thing he’s ever done: forget about sex and convince Brinley his feelings are real.
Brinley isn’t sure whether she believes Ryder, but for the first time, her body isn’t playing by the rules. Then she discovers that she’s an unwilling part of a cruel game, humiliating her all over again—and Ryder might be to blame. Has Brinley’s little crush turned into a huge mistake . . . or has she found the one guy worth trusting with her heart?
Review: 3/5 stars
The premise for this book is what I was drawn to when I purchased Just
a little crush and despite enjoying it overall I did have a few issues
with it.
Our MC is Brinley Dawson, her first kiss with Ryder Briggs was more than
memorable at the age of fifteen, it turned her from crushing on the guy one
minute to despising him the next and she has never quite forgotten the
humiliation so she is more than eager to ignore him four years later when she
sees him at a party and finds out he attends the same college. Ryder too hasn’t
forgotten Brinley and I thought the way they reconnected was done well, he
wasn’t the jerk everyone believed him to be, he was quite sweet and patient
with her.
I thought Ryder was a great character, fleshed out, confident and
intriguing but Brinley I found to be quite lacklustre at times; shy and timid
she didn’t truly wow me. The side characters were each interesting, I liked
Fallon and I thought Mason was a great best friend; the parents on the other
hand drove me batty!
I usually love these types of books! Bad boy, good girl both with family
drama, miscommunications and unfortunately other NA clichés is what let this
book down for me; there is also a small amount of shaming of other women which
I always find unnecessary.
The writing kept me entertained but the generic NA storyline wasn’t
fresh and unique and I was able to guess a twist we are given towards the end.
Overall, Just a little crush was a quick and
entertaining read; I enjoyed it but I feel it could have been perfect without
the aspects mentioned above.
About the author:
Renita Pizzitola is
the author of New Adult contemporary romance and Young Adult fantasy. When not
writing, she can be found feeding her caramel macchiato addiction and reading
just about anything she can get her hands on. She lives in Austin, Texas, with
her husband and two children.
I struggle with miscommunication. A little can make some delicious tension but overdone it annoys me. Great review Sharon :)
ReplyDeleteMe too Kimba! I am finding the miscommunication and clichés in NA are a little too overdone these days unfortunately.
ReplyDeleteIn theory, i love NA but finding good NA reads that don't boggle down to typical stereotypes are increasingly rare. I've read some really great NA books before but the vast majority of the ones out there right now are more or less the same. i'm glad you found yourself still enjoying your reading experience with this one though Sharon! Lovely review :)
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