Review : Falling For You by Lisa Schroeder

*Warning: This review may contain spoilers. Read at your own risk.

Publisher: Simon Pulse
Release Date: January 1, 2013
Pages: 355
Source: Own
 

The Story:

Affection turns to obsession—and love means both devastation and redemption—in this gripping novel from the author of I Heart You, You Haunt Me.

Rae’s always dreamed of dating a guy like Nathan. He’s nothing like her abusive stepfather—in other words, he’s sweet. But the closer they get, the more Nathan wants of her time, of her love, of her…and the less she wants to give.

As Rae’s affection for Nathan turns to fear, she leans on her friend Leo for support. With Leo, she feels lighter, happier. And possessive Nathan becomes jealous. He’s not about to let her go. And with danger following her every move, Rae must fight for the life and love she deserves if she’s going to survive.

via Barnes & Noble

Rating: TWO Gold Stars!!!!

My Review: 

Tag Line:

Love found her. Now it won't let her go.

Opening Line:

At last I can breathe.

Plot:

The plot of Falling for You was decently laid out. The pacing was a little slower than I expected. To be honest, what made Falling for You 's rating suffer was my disappointment with the climax. For once, I wanted blurb predictable. I wanted the psycho, obsessed ex-boyfriend to be the murderous stalker I knew he had in him. Although, at first I thought the pacing steady considering what I hoped it would boil and blow up to become. However, when the plot conflict volcano finally exploded, it felt unspectacular so it made the pacing seem to drag (if that makes any sense at all).

Character Breakdown:

Rae Lynch - What I enjoyed about Rae's character so much is that she wasn't the weak, thirsty-for-love teenage girl I assumed she would be. Sure she had insecurity and wanted to be wanted, to be loved but it wasn't to the point that she remained in an abusive relationship out of some misguided need to fill a hole her parents didn't. It's nice to read a story that circles closely to matters I can relate to in real life but without the same exact mistakes being made.

Nathan - Perfect stalker ex material! Sexy, mysterious, confident, selfish, and so on. Nathan had so much potential! I was so disappointed I could see him in his Super Saiyan (Dragonball Z nerds will get this reference; in other words, his 100%, max potential).

Overall, I didn't hate Falling for You, it simply didn't do enough for me. I think Falling for You lost a star in rating for the lackluster finale showdown. Had there been some full-fledge stalker, obsessed ex insaneness with violence and psychological thrill and blood, my rating for would have definitely gone up. Still, Falling for You is not so bad that I would dissuade anyone from reading it. If you're bored or waiting between release dates then maybe give Falling for You a try.

***Check out Lisa Schroeder's website for more information about her and the Falling for You: HERE

Happy Reading!

Feature Friday ARC Review : Made For You by Melissa Marr

*Feature Friday is a meme I came up with to feature YA books that have not yet been released by reviewing them on The Tattered Page.*

*Warning: This review may contain spoilers. Read at your own risk.

Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
Release Date: 9.16.2014
Pages: 368
Source: ARC

The Story:

When Eva Tilling wakes up in the hospital, she's confused—who in her sleepy little North Carolina town could have hit her with their car? And why?

It seems impossible that anyone would have it out for the town darling. Thanks to her family's distinguished history and her own unassailable reputation in old-money Jessup, Eva is universally liked. But she has little time to consider the question when she finds that she's awoken with a strange new skill: the ability to foresee people's deaths when they touch her.

Eva is struggling to understand just what these visions mean when a slew of murders takes place back home. The victims, all classmates, are discovered alongside eerie messages that tie the incidents to her. There is a killer on the loose, and he is after Eva.

While she is recovering from the hit-and-run, Nate, an old friend, reappears. The two traverse their rocky past as they figure out how to use Eva's power to keep her friends—and themselves—alive. But while Eva and Nate grow closer, the determined killer grows increasingly frantic in his attempt to get to Eva.

Chilling twists, unrequited obsession, and high-stakes romance drive Melissa Marr's racy thriller—a story of small-town oppression and salvation.

via -- Barnes and Noble

Rating: THREE Gold Stars!!!!

My Review: One word: EDGY

I think must start off by saying that Made For You is the first book I have read by Melissa Marr and my first thought is: Not bad. While I am not totally in love with it, Made For You is a book worth reading if you have the time. Do not get me wrong, I loved the storyline and the fact that there were chapters written from the killer-stalker's point of view (which was totally fun) but I felt the story lacked imagery. I don't know ... maybe I got stuck under Diana Gabaldon's weight of imagery that I am being unreasonable?

Anywho, Eva Tilling, as the main character and the character of obsession, I liked. She did not annoy me and she felt real -- like she could exist in the tangible world -- and that is always a plus. Though, I did felt bad for the way her parents neglected her but I think that added to the story. Not to mention, do I see a possible redemption in the making? *hint, hint*

Moving on, although Eva is the It Girl of the town who has to follow the southern social status rules of malarkey, she wants to break away from the mold. Not surprising is it then that her best friend, Grace Yeung, is a newbie to town who does not give a crap about the stiff, anal retentive way things are done in the south and Eva's childhood crush happens to be Nate Bouchet, "Jessup's Man-Slut."

"Hush." Offering him my most innocent look, I say, "I'm going to sleep. You're here. Ergo, sleeping with the man-slut."

"Jesus, Eva. You can't say things like that."

I put my hand over his mouth. "Shh. Sleeping now. I'll let you know if you live up to your reputation, although so far, I'm not seeing what all the fuss was about."  [page 101]

As for "Judge" -- as he so calls himself --, the killer-stalker who is obsessed with Eva, he was definitely believable. As I read his chapters, I honestly felt like the dude was off his rocker. But not to the point that Judge seemed fake. While there is no logic to crazy, there still seems to be some sort of system in place and Melissa Marr did a fabulous job and portraying that; Marr did not just throw a bunch of crazy bullshit into mix and hope for the best. If that makes any sense at all?

All in all, Made For You is a decent read if you have the time. What I absolutely appreciate the most about the book is that it is not abundantly easy to determine who the killer-stalker is. It sucks when you know who it is right away. Yes, the killer-stalker was a High Priority on my List of Suspects (out of 3) but it is not a dead giveaway. Made For You is a nicely spun tale of obsession, murder and unlikely love with a dash of suffocating southern charm. Nice job, Melissa Marr.

Also, I want to say thanks to HarperTeen for handing out copies of Made For You at BEA 2014!

*** Check out Melissa Marr's website for more information about her and Made For You: HERE

Happy Reading!