Monday, February 10, 2014

Review of The Promise of Amazing by Robin Constantine

  Wren Caswell is average. Ranked in the middle of her class at Sacred Heart, she’s not popular, but not a social misfit. Wren is the quiet, “good” girl who's always done what she's supposed to—only now in her junior year, this passive strategy is backfiring. She wants to change, but doesn’t know how.

Grayson Barrett was the king of St. Gabe’s. Star of the lacrosse team, top of his class, on a fast track to a brilliant future—until he was expelled for being a “term paper pimp.” Now Gray is in a downward spiral and needs to change, but doesn’t know how.

One fateful night their paths cross when Wren, working at her family’s Arthurian-themed catering hall, performs the Heimlich on Gray as he chokes on a cocktail weenie, saving his life literally and figuratively. What follows is the complicated, awkward, hilarious, and tender tale of two teens shedding their pasts, figuring out who they are—and falling in love.


(Summary from GoodReads)



I did not hear good things about The Promise of Amazing before I read it.  However, I downloaded it off Edelweiss and felt obligated to read it.  Perhaps if you like bad boys, this book will be your thing.  It was not my thing.

Wren reminded me a lot of myself in high school.  She’s high strung and a goody two shoes. It was cool that her friends, Jazz and Mad, were different from her, but I wasn’t fanatical about them.  Both of them felt too much like stereotypes.

The romance is a large part of the storyline in this one, and I didn’t like it.  There was instalove, and when the relationship got going, it was based too much on physical attraction and was definitely instalove.  Seriously, personalities people. I didn’t think Grayson was so much of a bad boy as a douchebag and I didn’t understand the attraction Wren’s attraction to him.  In fact, I felt like he didn't have a personality outside of his douchiness.

I found the whole con plotline to be really dumb. I just don't think they could've gotten away with as much as they did. There was also a really absurd side plot involving one of Grayson’s friends.

If contemporary romance is your bread and butter, perhaps you’d enjoy this book.  Unfortunately, it was just not my cup of tea.

Disclosure: I received a digital galley of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.

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2 comments:

  1. I appreciate your honesty! I've also heard meh things, which is really too bad. THAT COVER.

    Reply
  2. I've heard pretty negative things about this book, too. I have a copy from Edelweiss, but I never did read it. However, a teen at my library told me today that she liked it. She didn't say it was amazing, but it was a nice in-between book.

    Reply

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