Review: Falling for the Wrong Guy by Sara Hantz
Note: This ARC was provided by Entangled Publishing in exchange for an honest review.
The return of Drew Scott to school after a year of recuperating from injuries he sustained in a fire has tongues wagging. After all, people haven't forgotten that the very same fire cost one girl her life, a girl who was Drew's best friend's ex-girlfriend and someone that Drew had just slept with. Now, Drew lives with the physical and emotional scars that remind him of his failures as a best friend and in saving someone's life. He thinks he deserves what's happened to him, but Mia Davis begs to differ. She wants Drew to open his eyes to the possibilities around him and she hopes that he'll open his heart to her. As drawn to Mia as he is, Drew doesn't believe himself worthy of her or her care and attention. Her being his former best friend Blake's younger sister is yet another complication. Can Mia convince Drew he isn't the wrong guy for her?
Falling for the Wrong Guy is a standalone young adult (YA) romance from author Sara Hantz and tells the tale of high school junior Mia Davis falling for her brother's former best friend Drew Scott. This is a falling-for-your-sibling's-best-friend love story but with a certain twist--Mia's brother Blake and Drew are no longer best friends--that gives it a more forbidden love touch. The fallout between Drew and Blake was one that reverberated within Blake's family as well as in the school they all go to. Finding out that your best friend slept with your on-again, off-again girlfriend is terrible enough, but to learn about it because the ex-girlfriend died in a fire that had Drew trying and failing to rescue her from makes it far worse for everyone concerned. If ever there was a love story overflowing with complications, it was Mia and Drew's.
It was easy for me to relate to Mia because I'm rarely the type of person who breaks ties with someone who no longer shares a relationship, regardless of what kind, with an individual close to me. I'd also like to think that I'm someone who sees a situation from the perspective everyone involved, so I can understand and empathize where they're coming from. If it concerns family, my loyalty is with them, but I'm also not blindly going to attack or bash whoever they're up against. Mia knows how hurt Blake was by Drew's betrayal and she's protective of him, trying not to push him beyond his comfort zone and accepting him even though they no longer share the close sibling bond they once had, but she's also got her eyes open to how things really were between Blake and his ex-girlfriend and sees Drew as being as much of a victim too.
The story itself was a touching one and brings with it a lesson on forgiveness and redemption. There were moments that I felt a bit more delving into whatever was happening was merited even if it meant a higher page count. This isn't an excessively long story so I think the book could have afforded extra pages if it would have resulted in a more beefed-up tale. I would have also liked to learn more about Blake and how he was dealing with everything that happened a year ago and what was happening now, though I certainly wouldn't mind if all of this were tackled in a sequel of sorts. While I did have an issue or two, Falling for the Wrong Guy was an overall good read, one that isn't your usual YA love story and one that makes you feel for the characters while thinking about what you would do in their shoes. I'm giving this four stars. ♥
Release Date: 12 October 2015
Date Read: 10 October 2015
Learn more about Sara Hantz here.
Comments
Post a Comment