{ARC Review} Sideswiped by Lia Riley
Labels:
5 Stars,
ARC,
Contemporary Romance,
Lia Riley,
New Adult
·
Title: Sideswiped
Series: Off The Map #2
Author: Lia Riley
Published: 7th Oct 2014
Age Group: New Adult
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Source: eARC provided via Netgalley for fair & honest review
Rating: 4.5/5
BLURB:
It was only meant to last the summer . . .
Talia Stolfi has seen more than her share of loss in her twenty-one years. But then fate brought her Bran Lockhart, and her dark world was suddenly and spectacularly illuminated. So if being with Bran means leaving her colorless NorCal life for rugged and wild Australia, then that’s what she’ll do. But as much as Talia longs to give herself over completely to a new beginning, the fears of her past are still lurking in the shadows.
Bran Lockhart knows that living without the beautiful girl who stole his heart will be torment, so he’ll take whatever time with her he can. But even though she has packed up her life in California and is back in his arms for the time being, she can’t stay forever. And the remaining time they have together is ticking by way too fast. Though fate seems determined to tear them apart, they won’t give up without a fight—because while time may have limits, their love is infinite . . .
Sideswiped is multi layered book full of humour, heartbreak and emotional depth
REVIEW:
The story:
Sideswiped picks up right where we left off in Upside Down. Talia is getting ready to pack up her life and move to Tasmania for the remainder of her studies, to be with the man she love, Bran. But their time together appears to have an expiration date, with Talia's visa set to expire within only a few short months. Talia and Bran both have ideas of what will happen, and how they can stay together, but can they agree on a future that will keep them together, or will the world outside their bubble of happiness tear them apart forever?
This book gave me ALL THE FEELS and tore my damn heart out. All the things that these two have to deal with just seems so unfair; Talia's visa expiring, her horrible mother, her OCD, missing her sister, and then there's Bran struggling with his parents, and most importantly trying to hold onto their relationship. Everything that happened in this book, feels like it is a necessary step to what will hopefully become a Happily Ever After in the final book.
The characters:
Talia has grown up so much since we first met her. She's focussed on a future that will make both her and Bran happy. It was painful to see her struggling with her OCD - but it was good to see her issues didn't just evaporate overnight. She works so hard to overcome them, and Bran is there to give her the encouragement & support when she needs it. She's growing into a strong confident young woman.
Bran still has a lot of growing up to do. He's running from his past, and trying so hard to be different from his father, and yet struggling to find a way to follow his dreams. He allows his past to affect how he views the world and it's affecting not only his career, but his relationship too.
The romance:
Sideswiped shows us how a real relationship takes hard work and most importantly trust. Bran is still so scared of loosing Talia that he clings onto her for dear life. He doesn't realise that by doing so, he's doing more harm than good. I was so impressed with the decisions Talia makes about their future - she remains strong and makes the difficult chooses that needed to be made for the good of their relationship. This book hurt my heart, but I know these two are destined for each other and will find a way to make their love last.
The writing:
Lia has a way with words, the dialogue between Bran and Talia has me snort giggling and crying tears of laughter it was that comical! It was reminiscent of an episode of Gilmore Girls…only a little dirtier perhaps! But she has also woven so many other emotional layers into the story, it created and incredibly powerful read.
FINAL WORD:
Sideswiped is multi layered book full of humour, heartbreak and emotional depth. This is one incredible NA series you don't want to miss!
CONTENT:
Sexuality: medium / some sex scenes
Violence: mild
Language: medium / some f words
Drugs & alcohol: medium / main character get extremely drunk
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I'm glad you enjoyed this one! I really like Lia's fun writing style and I really love Talia's character. I like Bran too, even though he drove me a little crazy with his constant pulling away and avoiding key issues. I am looking forward to reading the final book and am really nervous after reading that first chapter! Great review girl!
ReplyDeleteoh man I am always looking for fresh exciting NA that's a bit different and this sounds really wonderful. Her writing alone sounds like something I would enjoy :D always welcome the humour
ReplyDeleteMany thanks for placing up this post, I feel every person will thanks for that.
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