Saturday 25 April 2015

Review: The Secrets of Attraction by Robin Constantine


Set in the same world as The Promise of Amazing, this smart, surprising, and romantic follow-up to Robin Constantine's debut novel follows two New Jersey teens as they become friends and fall in love. Perfect for fans of Stephanie Perkins, Sarah Mlynowski, and Jennifer E. Smith.

Madison Pryce thinks she's got everything figured out—she's working on a portfolio for a summer art program and hanging with her friends. Plus she has her hot boyfriend, Zach. But then a visit from a family friend turns Maddie's life upside down.

Jesse McMann is still reeling from a breakup that shattered his heart and his band. Then pride (and some goading from his bass player and fellow barista) forces him to find a new drummer—and the inspiration to write music again.

Kismet arrives in the unlikely form of Grayson Barrett, who tries out for Jesse's band, and whose girlfriend is BFFs with the cute girl who orders a chai latte after yoga every Thursday: Maddie. What Jesse and Maddie thought they knew about the secrets of attraction and the rules of romance changes once they start falling for each other.


ebook, 384 pages
Expected publication: April 28th 2015 by Balzer + Bray

Terri's Thoughts

** I received an advanced copy of this book from the publisher via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.  The expected publication date is April 28th 2015**

I am going to start this review a little bit different than normal and begin with a topic that has nothing to do with the plot of the story.  I want to talk about the book cover.  I know, I know....never judge a book by it's cover...and I don't.  BUT....if you are going to put people on your cover they should at least match the general description of the characters in the book.  The reason why I bring this up is because I have seen it happen time and time again where they don't match and this is the FIRST time I can recall in recent history where it actually matches!  Madison had short blond hair...so does the cover model, Jesse has shaggy hair....you get the picture. It may seem trivial to some but it is a great relief to see the attention to detail between what is written in the pages and what is put on the cover.  My sister (and fellow blogger) and I have had endless rants on this topic and I can't wait to point out a case where they got it right!

Ok perhaps I have lost focus.  Back to the review.  I didn't realise it but there was a book that came before this one that features some of the same characters.  It didn't impact my enjoyment any or leave any blank spaces that needed to be filled.  The only real aspect that you could tell about the previous book is that the two characters in this one who were blissfully happy must have been the ones it focused on.

This was a good YA love story with likable main characters and an even better supporting cast of characters.  As seems pretty typical the character of Jesse was slightly better than Madison.  I'm not sure why the male characters are always so much better to me.  Is it an accurate portrayal of girls/woman?  Am I not able to see in to the mirror?  Enough philosophy, it is what it is.

I will not divulge plot as I do not want to give any spoilers.  I think this story will be enjoyed by the YA demographic who is looking for a good romance.  For me it brought me back to high school and the friendships and loves (won and lost).




About the Author

Robin Constantine is the author of The Promise of Amazing and The Secrets of Attraction. A born-and-raised Jersey girl, Robin likes to spend her days dreaming up stories where love conquers all, eventually, but not without a lot of peril, angst, and the occasional kissing scene. She loves swoony books, flip-flops, dark chocolate and the full moon.


Website: 
Twitter:  RConstantine14



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