Review: "Days Like This" by Danielle Ellison (Landslide #1)
Note: This ARC was provided by Patchwork Press Cooperative via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
When Cassie Harlen left her small town nearly a year ago, she had no plans of returning anytime soon. After all, she turned her back on her mother, her fiancé, and the only life she ever knew in order to create a new version of herself and not have to think about why she left. But when a phone call from her ex-boyfriend informs her that her mother has been rushed to the hospital after she tried to burn down their family home, Cassie packs her bags, leaves school, and heads back home. She's pretty sure she's going to be met with a less than welcoming reception upon her arrival but she does what she has to for her mother, even if it means having to finally come face-to-face with the only boy she's ever loved--Graham Tucker.
Graham's world imploded when Cassie left in the middle of the night eleven months ago and even when he tracked her down, she simply returned the engagement ring he had given her and told him their relationship was over. Now, he's got a nearly perfect girlfriend and a job he enjoys while he waits for word on whether or not he was accepted to the college he's had his heart on. But when Cassie returns, everything shifts yet again, and no matter how much hurt she caused him, Graham can't seem to resist being around the one girl who meant the world to him. Can they really just be friends and has he really moved on if both his head and heart are constantly filled with thoughts of and feelings for Cassie Harlen?
Days Like This is a new adult story by Danielle Ellison and it reads like a standalone, but I gathered that it's part of a series called Landslide. Don't worry though, it doesn't end on a cliffhanger so don't feel as if you'll be left frustrated by the time you finish the book. I'm honestly feeling a bit torn with this book. I didn't like the female lead character, Cassie Harlen, very much, and while I felt the opposite about the male lead character, Graham Tucker, his reception when she returned was way nicer than you would expect from a guy who got his heart ripped out and trampled on by the girl who ran away from him eleven months prior. Cassie had her reasons for leaving and I can totally empathize with the thoughts going on in her head, but it sure as heck wasn't some selfless act of love. She was selfish, plain and simple, and the immediate acceptance she received from the two people she hurt the most was almost too fantastical to be believed. No apologies, no explanations, nothing! Seriously? Yeah, Graham expresses his anger...but in the last third of the book, after weeks of spending time with one another and lusting after her?! Come on.
Suffice it to say that I was somewhat disappointed with certain aspects of the book and it really is rather difficult to become invested in a story when you don't really have much love for the supposed heroine. The writing was fine and the other characters were okay, but the story went to places I didn't expect it and instead of leaving me pleasantly surprised, I was left a tad frustrated at the turn of events. The ending was probably the best thing about the book because it was offbeat enough that it stood out in a good way from other books. I sincerely wish, though, that I had a better experience with the book overall because I truly do dislike writing reviews that aren't positive or glowing. It's simply difficult for me to accept that this one selfish girl was forgiven by almost everyone she hurt even when she couldn't be bothered to apologize right away or find some way to redeem herself. Graham's friends had it right in the bowling alley when they were making it clear how foolish he was being with regards to Cassie. Thank goodness there were still people who weren't high on whatever happy dust Cassie was sprinkling. Days Like This gets three stars. ♥
Release Date: 02 June 2015
Date Read: 27 May 2015
Learn more about Danielle Ellison here.
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