Review: Sweetness by Lindsay Paige

Thank you to Making Connections (on Goodreads) and Lindsay Paige for the opportunity to read and review this book

Genre

YA Contemporary

Series

Bold As Love (Book 1)

Publication Date

October 2011

Publisher 

Self-Published

Available At

Amazon

Smashwords

Format

Ebook

Paperback

Emily wished she was invisible. But after moving to a new town with her dad, a charming boy makes it impossible for her to disappear. Despite her feelings of unworthiness, Emily soon finds herself drawn to the safety of Jake's world.

Good looking and the star of the hockey team, Jake has a lot going for him. What most people don't see is the difficult life he has at home. When quiet Emily steals his heart, Jake vows to help her discover she is worthy of love. 


Just when the two of them realize the sweetness of their relationship, they are put to the test. Only together can they overcome their haunted pasts to fight for a future together.

Review
Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

Sometimes people just instantly connect and that is what happens in Sweetness. Super, super sweet romance. . . predictable, but still really sweet. However, I didn't like that there wasn't a significant struggle between Jake and Emily. For two people that have deep-rooted issues, they both confided and changed too quickly to squeeze out the emotional side to this story.


I also felt jilted on Emily's history. We are given facts (horrific facts), but there was never a tangible struggle (that wasn't rushed) to overcome or work through these facts. I felt that, as a reader, the surface was barely being scratched. I would have liked to see more of the tiny details of each of their pasts tie into the story more. The main focus was the romance and I felt that the realistic issues were added to give the characters depth, but that depth wasn't explored. It was left untapped. That aching emotion that is so addictive to me was missing, but like I said the romance was tender and my attention was captured for the most part. 


With all that said, I did really enjoy the characters. Drake was a quick favorite and I felt that Lindsay Paige did an excellent job in capturing the endearing, exhilirating energy that kids produce. Jake was another great character and I liked the fact that he was a romancer without being a womanizer. And, despite my feelings about the growth of Emily, she was a great character as well, but not my favorite and that is because her growth was just too radical.


Sweetness is a quick read, so make sure you line up I'm Yours for as soon as you're done!