Hi everyone! I hope that you're all doing great! I'm back now with another blog tour. This time I'm featuring and reviewing a YA contemporary book entitled "Breaking Lauren" which is written by Ms. Jordan Deen.
This fun blog tour was organized by AToMr Blog Tours.
Plus Ms. Jordan Deen is giving away 2 printed copies of this book so please read on.
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Title: Breaking Lauren
Author: Jordan Deen
Publisher: Black Rose Writing
Date Published: May 24, 2012
ISBN-10: 161296110X
ISBN-13: 978-1612961101
Book Blurb:
Seventeen-year-old Danny Cummings' life is far from a fairytale, but that's okay since he doesn't believe in happy endings. After spending a year in juvenile hall for maliciously beating his sister's boyfriend, Danny embraces his badass image. Spending most nights drinking, fighting and collecting gambling debts for his Uncle, Danny's life is out of control. His addiction to the bad boy lifestyle won't let him do anything about it, even with his family begging him to go straight. But, when fifteen-year-old Lauren McIntosh stumbles into one of his nightly escapades, the self-proclaimed anti-romantic can't concentrate on anything except Lauren and the fact that she's on the same path his sister was on. Danny knows true love happening for the villain is as common as gamblers paying their debt on time, but he's never backed away from a challenge before and he hates the idea that history will repeat itself.
Growing old with the man she loves—in the small town where she was born—is the only dream Lauren McIntosh has ever had; that is until her family is practically run out of town amidst rumors of arson and adultery. So, when she meets Danny at her new school and hears the rumors about his activities from her new friends, she wants nothing to do with him or the gossip that seems to follow Danny everywhere. After a dangerous and ill-fated attempt at sneaking out, she develops unwelcomed feelings for Danny that he seems to reciprocate. But, Danny’s unrelenting pursuit makes Lauren nervous, especially since he's the only one that wants to know the secrets surrounding her family’s move. Lauren can't tell if Danny's intentions are true or if he has other plans for their newfound and unlikely friendship. The only way to figure out is to let him in and that could destroy everything, including the popularity and social acceptance she desperately seeks.
My Thoughts:
Breaking Lauren is one of the most intriguing and frustrating reads I've ever had.
Let me start with the plot. I must admit that I liked it. I enjoyed the plot of this book. It's actually one of the reasons why I signed up for this tour. I was really intrigued on the plot of this book. To those who had been on my blog, you know how much I love angst in my books and Breaking Lauren definitely have a lot of angst.
The characters of this book are so complex and so frustrating. I love Danny the most. Danny is the typical bad boy, I guess. He's so hard and misunderstood but he has this soft spot inside him. Every time he was misunderstood and blamed for something he didn't do or meant to do, I just want to hug him and tell him it's okay. I wanted to hurt Lauren for hurting Danny.
Now, for Lauren. This is hard. I didn't like her at all. The whole book she's whining and whining as if she's the only person in this world who experiences pain. All she thought about is herself and what she feels. I know Danny isn't perfect. He has his dark side after all and that dark side is really scary but I think Lauren had been the most ungrateful heroine I've ever read. All she did was misunderstood Danny's intentions. All she saw was Danny's imperfections. She has conveniently forgotten how Danny saved her life the first time. Lauren is so infuriating. I can't explain how much she didn't deserve Danny's love and devotion.
Now, don't get me wrong. Danny and Lauren do have a chemistry in this book. I guess, that's why I was so mad at Lauren for treating Danny that way.
Although, I didn't like Lauren at all because I think she was a brat, I still enjoyed reading this book. Jordan Deen wrote a book about two teenagers who are so different and yet the same in some things. She didn't make her characters perfect. Both Danny and especially Lauren are very flawed and imperfect which I think makes this book more real to me. Lauren was a brat but I think we could say that she was only 15 and at that age, mostly we're all as self centered as Lauren was (or maybe not that much but to some extent we were). I hope that in the next book she would change. I really want her to grow up and mature a bit. I want her to realize how lucky she is that she has a family who loves her and protects her no matter how imperfect (or perfect depending on how you looks at it) she thinks they are. I want her to stop whining on how she doesn't fit in her family because they're all popular when they were in high school. I actually liked Lauren's mother in this book. I think she's the kind of mother who sees her daughter and knows that Lauren could be more than the girl who's on a cheering squad who dated the most popular guy in high school because her mother experienced it before and she knows that there could be so much more for her daughter than being the popular girl.
Overall, I still enjoyed reading this book and I'm actually looking forward to reading the next book even though I really disliked Lauren. I want to see where the story would go. I'm excited to see how Danny and Lauren could progress together and individually. Jordan Deen wrote a very intriguing and angst-filled romance that could very well frustrate you but it would also make you think and feel as a reader. I think "Breaking Lauren" is still a nice read despite its flaws and I'm looking forward to more of Danny and Lauren's journey together.
About the Author:
I grew up in a small town 45 minutes outside of East St. Louis, Illinois. I discovered my talent for telling tall tales at the age of seven when my family home burnt down. Of course losing my family home wasn't exciting enough! So, aliens did it. The dogs wanted revenge against the cats because they could be inside... you get the idea.
At twelve, my family relocated to California and I've continued to concentrate on my love of all things reading, writing and story-telling.
My reading taste hovers towards the YA audience as there is just something authentic and magical about first loves and building friendships that will last a lifetime (or not).
Even though 'The Crescent' is a YA Urban Fantasy, I tend to write a bit of everything. I have a few edgy YA novels in process, a book about witches, a Sci-Fi novel and several others that I'm not sure where they are going yet. Again, I write what I feel, when I'm feeling it.
Writing is like the air I breathe, I'd die without it.
Goodreads link: http://www.goodreads.com/author/Jordan_Deen
Author Website: http://www.jordandeen.net/
Twitter: @Jordan_Deen, https://twitter.com/Jordan_Deen
Giveaway:
Get a chance to win a printed copy of "Breaking Lauren" and swag by Ms. Jordan Deen.
OPEN TO US RESIDENTS ONLY
OPEN TO US RESIDENTS ONLY
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