Saturday, June 29, 2013

Review + Giveaway: Confessions of an Almost-Girlfriend by Louise Rozett

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I received this book for free from Harlequin Teen in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Review + Giveaway: Confessions of an Almost-Girlfriend by Louise RozettConfessions of an Almost-Girlfriend by Louise Rozett
Series: Confessions #2
Published by Harlequin Teen on June 25th 2013
Genres: Contemporary, YA
Source: Harlequin Teen
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Rose Zarelli has big plans for sophomore year—everything is going to be different. This year, she’s going to be the talented singer with the killer voice, the fabulous girl with the fashionista best friend, the brainiac who refuses to let Jamie Forta jerk her around...

...but if she’s not careful, she’s also going to be the sister who misses the signals, the daughter who can only think about her own pain, the “good girl” who finds herself in mid-scandal again (because no good deed goes unpunished) and possibly worst of all...the almost-girlfriend.

When all else fails, stop looking for love and go find yourself

*Spoiler free for the series*

After enjoying Confessions of an Angry Girl more than I expected to, I’m happy to report that this is a strong sequel with impressive character growth. I may even have enjoyed it more than the first.

What surprised me in the first book was the amount of depth there was to the story. You think it will be this whiny drama-filled book, but while there is definite drama, everything feels so realistic and raw. The protagonist, Rose, does come off as someone very confused at first, especially in the first book. She’s mean to herself and lacks self confidence, in this sequel, however, her character comes out of her shell and she finds where she truly belongs; where she wants to belong. I loved this dramatic change in her. She’s realizing that being like everyone else is not what will make her happy. She figures out who she’s really meant to be and takes the leap, transforming into a confident, passionate girl who had me cheering her on. Her supporting characters don’t let down either. We have the same old charismatic friends who bring it up a notch. With everyone a year older, we have louder, more distinguished personalities of people who are… can I be cheesy and say “spreading their wings”? >.< My favorite side character is Angelo; he just amuses me. Though Tracy is pretty fabulous, too!

As for the romance… GAH! It’s just as frustrating as the first if not moreso. It’s realistic in its high school-ish mess, I’ll give you that, but it has me wishing Rose would let Jamie go. He has obvious issues and plenty of secrets, I don’t trust him nor his intentions. It feels like he’s stringing Rose along just because he can – exactly as Conrad told her. They do have swoony chemistry, but he either has to give in or leave her alone. I think Rose is finally thinking the same way by the end, at least, so hopefully in the next book she’ll kick him to the curb if he doesn’t figure himself out stat! I’m actually hoping she ends up with Angelo to be honest. That guy is just so caring and… uncomplicated. I think that’s exactly what she needs.

The first book touched a lot on Rose’s grief from the death of her father, this sequel follows this largely through emotionally charged therapy sessions with Rose and her mother who are both struggling with anger and heartache. Her brother is more present as well; we learn what changed him so much since starting college while he reconnects with his family. Family oriented books always touch my heart. I found the complicated relationships to be full of realistic conflict and heartfelt emotions. Furthermore, we also explore some serious topics in this book: anti-gay bullying, drugs, physical abuse. Each one is handled skillfully without being cheesy after school special-ish or stereotypical. It’s honest, even a little gritty. It all adds up to being a surprisingly profound novel.

Confessions is a perfectly balanced series with just enough drama, just enough humor, and just enough emotion to get us invested without being overwhelmed. I’d recommend it for when you’re looking for a quick, vibrant read speckled with life’s turmoils.

four-stars
4 Hot Espressos

Find my review of Confessions of an Angry Girl 14, here!



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Canadian blogger, wife, mother, coffee lover, and sarcastic at heart! She has had a love for all things bookish since before Amazon and eReaders existed *le gasp*. You can also find her organizing tours and other fun things at Xpresso Book Tours.

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13 Responses to “Review + Giveaway: Confessions of an Almost-Girlfriend by Louise Rozett”

  1. Melanie

    I’m glad you enjoyed this. Confessions had such realistic characters that I could relate to so well- especially Rose. Like you though, the romance was a little iffy for me but still very sweet! Hah, Angelo’s an awesome dude.

    Fantastic review, chick! <33

  2. Amy

    I haven’t read the first one, but this series does sound really good. I’m glad that you are enjoying it!!

  3. Jenea Whittington

    Rose is just an amazing character, so realistic to the teens now. I was kinda happy to see the relationship between Rose and Jamie end up the way it did. Maybe she will end up with Angelo. 😉 I liked him. Glad you liked this one. Great review.

  4. Ellen Alwaysyaatheart

    I really love this series and I think I might have liked the second book even better to. I really hope they get a third, would be great if she did dual POVs with Jamie. I’d like to get inside his head and see how he thinks.

  5. Nick

    Wasn’t Jamie the most frustrating guy ever? I have such a love-hate relationship with him. Sometimes, I’m drooling all over him and at other times I just want to slap him into his senses.
    I’m secretly hoping she ends up with Angelo too, but Angelo doesn’t give off a vibe like he wants to be more than friends with Rose. Anyways, I need to pester the author to see when the next book releases. I had so much fun reading this book. I loved the surprising amount of depth it possessed too!
    Fabulous review, Giselle! 🙂

  6. J. Anne Huss

    I felt the same way – for me it was the gun thing with Jamie. I just could not get over that part. And I’m an Angelo fan as well! Still, I enjoyed both these books and they are not typically what I read at all.

  7. Megan K.

    After enjoying Angry Girl quite a bit as well, I’m more hyped for the sequel after reading this review! I love that the author didn’t stop developing the characters, and how Rose’s emotions are still very much present here. It’s also great the Louise is exploring darker and deeper issues, but that it isn’t overwhelming, like some books can be. This is such a fun series, I can’t wait to check this one out. Lovely review, hon!

  8. Rachel @ Unforgettable Books

    Authentic and touching family relationships in stories make a book amazing to me too, I love that area more then romance most of the time. This book is amazing! I enjoyed reading your review! Tracy is very “fabulous” I love her blog idea! :0

  9. Siiri

    I am reading the first one (thanks to you btw 😀 I wouldn’t have picked it up, but your 4 amazeballs stars gave me the push I needed to end the doubting and start READING) and I probably wouldn’t have picked Angelo as a possible love interest for Rose. I haven’t seen the douchery of Jamie yet though (I’m only very little in atm) so I can’t really be furious with him lol. Anyhow, I am surprised by the little depth I’ve seen as well since she’s only 14. I hope it’ll go on as great as it has so far. I hope you’ll love the third one even more 🙂

  10. Megan R

    I haven’t started this series yet, but I do have the first book on my kindle. Your take on the series makes me want to move it up a little in the queue!

  11. Aman

    I haven’t started this series but I’ve heard a lot about Rose’s whiny character in the first one. It’s great to know that she matures in this one. The romance doesn’t sound very healthy, but high school romance mostly never is. It’s good that you’re enjoying this series, Giselle.