Title: A Perfect Mess
Series: A Perfect Secret, #1
Author: Zoe Dawson
Published: Blue Moon Creative; 2013
367 pages, kindle edition
Source: Netgalley
Description (from Goodreads):
I know what you did last summer.
Aubree Walker, the perfect girl most likely to succeed, is sure there’s only one person who knows what she did.
Booker Outlaw, one of the three Outlaw brothers—all identical, all gorgeous, all from the wrong side of the tracks, and all pure bad boys. He was always the unpredictable one, the one who would be brash enough to make it big self-publishing horror novels on the internet. He promised never to tell, but everyone knows you can never trust an Outlaw.
Then a year later, in the middle of the night, she receives a phone call at Tulane. Her aunt, who took her in after her mother’s death, is in a coma under suspicious circumstances. Now she has to face that one person who knows all about what she did that summer—sexy Booker.
Returning to Hope Parish to be with her aunt, stirs up all those ugly memories. When Aubree starts getting threats, she can’t help but wonder if what she did last summer was tied to her aunt’s “accident.” Afraid, she turns to the only person who knows the truth and Booker doesn’t hesitate to offer his broad shoulder for her to lean on. But Booker has a secret of his own that could crush their fledgling relationship.
As the hot, sultry summer days move on, she finds that even a perfectly smart girl can lose her heart to a perfectly bad boy. What is she going to do when someone starts asking questions Aubree doesn’t want to answer? She’s knee deep into a terribly dangerous, wholly life changing, who-can-she-really-depend-on perfect mess.
Aubree Walker, the perfect girl most likely to succeed, is sure there’s only one person who knows what she did.
Booker Outlaw, one of the three Outlaw brothers—all identical, all gorgeous, all from the wrong side of the tracks, and all pure bad boys. He was always the unpredictable one, the one who would be brash enough to make it big self-publishing horror novels on the internet. He promised never to tell, but everyone knows you can never trust an Outlaw.
Then a year later, in the middle of the night, she receives a phone call at Tulane. Her aunt, who took her in after her mother’s death, is in a coma under suspicious circumstances. Now she has to face that one person who knows all about what she did that summer—sexy Booker.
Returning to Hope Parish to be with her aunt, stirs up all those ugly memories. When Aubree starts getting threats, she can’t help but wonder if what she did last summer was tied to her aunt’s “accident.” Afraid, she turns to the only person who knows the truth and Booker doesn’t hesitate to offer his broad shoulder for her to lean on. But Booker has a secret of his own that could crush their fledgling relationship.
As the hot, sultry summer days move on, she finds that even a perfectly smart girl can lose her heart to a perfectly bad boy. What is she going to do when someone starts asking questions Aubree doesn’t want to answer? She’s knee deep into a terribly dangerous, wholly life changing, who-can-she-really-depend-on perfect mess.
My Thoughts:
A Perfect Mess was your average New Adult contemporary read. It had a lot of the old clichés: virginal protagonist, a rough-around-the-edges "bad boy" with a deeper side, a mysterious secret that each of the love interests kept from one another which threaten to break up the relationship if they had told, but they keep it secret anyway and more. There were a lot of things that didn't work for me. Its was a little to rough and patchy for my taste but putting that aside, if New Adult is more of your thing than by all means you might want to give it a go.
The thing about these sorts of book is that they rely heavily on the fact the characters have to be relatable and real to the readers. Its no fun reading about a romance if one of the protagonists irritates you. My problem was that I found Aubree to be...? I don't know what the exact word to describe it is. Distant? Closed off? There felt like there was some sort of invisible wall blocking her from us readers. Something that stopped her from emotionally touching us or seeming as real(?) as Booker did and this let the book down.
Booker on the other hand I felt was perfectly nailed. He seem like a real guy. A bit broken, a little strange maybe and most definitely messed up but real. I much preferred getting inside his head and reading from his perspective then Aubree.
I especially enjoyed the fact that there was quite an air of mystery in this that created a thick and tense atmosphere. Unlike other books of its genre, it didn't just focus on the romance but took other directions to make sure we weren't sitting there twiddling our thumbs and hoping for something to happen. What ruined it? I guessed exactly what would happen less than 10% into the book. By chapter two.It was that obvious but its the thought that counts... I guess.
The romance still took a heavy priority though, but that wasn't an issue at all. The chemistry between Aubree and Booker was hot and led to some pretty steamy parts that I have to say I enjoyed...
There were these two major problems that irritated me and really effected my overall enjoyment of this though. They were the numerous similarities A Perfect Mess had to the TV show Home & Away's Braxton brothers. I mean seriously? Come on! One of the brother was even named Braxston. My other qualm was the names. Look I get that its a "thing" now to call your character unusual names but Booker? Booker!? Not only is that a terrible name but he is a freakin' writer, you cannot do that. The other names? Boone and Braxston aren't even names, they are last names and Aubree is spelt Aubrey.
To end, this was your pretty average New Adult romance that wasn't abnormally bad and I can't say that I am sorry to have read it. I am definitely going to be checking out the other books in the series.
Note: a copy was provided courtesy of Zoe Dawson and Blue Moon Creative through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. No compensation was given or taken during this process.
The thing about these sorts of book is that they rely heavily on the fact the characters have to be relatable and real to the readers. Its no fun reading about a romance if one of the protagonists irritates you. My problem was that I found Aubree to be...? I don't know what the exact word to describe it is. Distant? Closed off? There felt like there was some sort of invisible wall blocking her from us readers. Something that stopped her from emotionally touching us or seeming as real(?) as Booker did and this let the book down.
Booker on the other hand I felt was perfectly nailed. He seem like a real guy. A bit broken, a little strange maybe and most definitely messed up but real. I much preferred getting inside his head and reading from his perspective then Aubree.
I especially enjoyed the fact that there was quite an air of mystery in this that created a thick and tense atmosphere. Unlike other books of its genre, it didn't just focus on the romance but took other directions to make sure we weren't sitting there twiddling our thumbs and hoping for something to happen. What ruined it? I guessed exactly what would happen less than 10% into the book. By chapter two.It was that obvious but its the thought that counts... I guess.
The romance still took a heavy priority though, but that wasn't an issue at all. The chemistry between Aubree and Booker was hot and led to some pretty steamy parts that I have to say I enjoyed...
There were these two major problems that irritated me and really effected my overall enjoyment of this though. They were the numerous similarities A Perfect Mess had to the TV show Home & Away's Braxton brothers. I mean seriously? Come on! One of the brother was even named Braxston. My other qualm was the names. Look I get that its a "thing" now to call your character unusual names but Booker? Booker!? Not only is that a terrible name but he is a freakin' writer, you cannot do that. The other names? Boone and Braxston aren't even names, they are last names and Aubree is spelt Aubrey.
To end, this was your pretty average New Adult romance that wasn't abnormally bad and I can't say that I am sorry to have read it. I am definitely going to be checking out the other books in the series.
Note: a copy was provided courtesy of Zoe Dawson and Blue Moon Creative through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. No compensation was given or taken during this process.
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