Release Date: October 1, 2013
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Source: Gifted for Blog Tour/NetGalley
Reviewed by: Jenn
Links: Amazon / Barnes & Noble / Goodreads / iTunes / Kobo
My rating: 3.5 stars out of 5 stars
Synopsis:
Cami Broussard has her future all figured out. She'll finish her senior year of high school, then go to work full-time as an apprentice chef in her father's French restaurant, alongside her boyfriend, Luke. But then twenty-year-old ex-Marine Julian Wyatt comes to live with Cami's family while recovering from serious injuries. And suddenly Cami finds herself questioning everything she thought she wanted.
Julian's all attitude, challenges and intense green-brown eyes. But beneath that abrasive exterior is a man who just might be as lost as Cami's starting to feel. And Cami can't stop thinking about him. Talking to him. Wanting to kiss him. He's got her seriously stirred up. Her senior year has just gotten a lot more complicated...
To be honest, this was a surprising read for me. I had a little bit of trouble when I first started the book. It felt like I was being told the story instead of experiencing it. It also felt like there wasn't any real consistency between scenes. However, things change fairly quickly once I managed to get sucked into the story, when Cami and Julian first meet.
Cami is this bubbly, all over the place, sweet girl and Julian is this abrasive, rude and hot ex-Marine. When they first meet, their polar opposite personalities cause them to clash right away. They just seem to hurl insults at each other and while Cami was insensitive at time, I believe that Julian deserved it. So when she had to apologize to him, I felt a little indignant for her. He was being a prick and she was just being honest. *pouts*
I love Cami and Julian together. Their banter is so entertaining and how they just seems to bicker about everything reminds me of my boyfriend and I. And the best part is that when they did get together, it didn't stop. It continued but only this time, to make up, there would be some delicious kissing!
One of the things that got to me about this story was the fact that both Cami and Julian are confused with what they want to do with the rest of their lives. And like in many typical teenage relationships, the feelings for the other person would take on a bigger priority. However, Julian (gosh, I just love him for this) pushed both himself and Cami to figure out what their dreams were and pushed to follow them and that they would make the relationship work no matter what. Julian knew that his and Cami's dreams would separate them but he still wanted them to pursue their own path and do what they wanted to do. He didn't want to influence Cami into choosing a path that would just forced her into not following her dreams. I have yet to see something like this in a YA novel and Sabrina Elkins did such a good job at it.
Sabrina Elkins really impressed me with this book. I went in expecting a fluffy romance novel and I came out with a fluffy romance novel with a hero I just love. A hero I would love to see more of in books. Cami a fun character and I'm that both got their happy ending.
Giveaway:
Win 1 of 3 Stir Me Up Fun Foodie Gift Pack! Cookbooks-Chocolates- Magnets
Cami's Cookbook Pack:
Le Petit Paris: French Finger Food by Nathalie Benezet
500 Soups by Susannah Blake
Godiva chocolate bar
Stir Me Up magnet
Julian's Late-Night Pack:
George Noory's Late-Night Snacks by George Noory
Dinner and a Movie by Katherine Bebo
Godiva chocolate bar
Stir Me Up magnet
Sweet Desserts Pack:
Sticky, Chewy, Messy, Gooey by Jill O'Connor
Cutie Pies by Dani Cone
Godiva chocolate bar
Stir Me Up magnet
Rules and Restrictions:
Contest is void where prohibited.Entrants must be 18 or else have parent or guardian's permission to enter.
Winners will be notified via email and will have 48 hours to respond or another winner's name will be selected.
Winning entries will be verified for authenticity.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
You can also follow the rest of this tour by clicking here.
About the author:
I am a former journalist who worked for the Los Angeles Daily News and other newspapers in the greater Los Angeles area. Prior to this, I worked in advertising, writing ad copy for corporate travel accounts and major motion pictures. My first job out of college was as an administrative assistant to an executive chef and a food & beverage director at a Four Season hotel. I also spent some time working as a prep cook for Spago in Beverly Hills.I received my Master's degree in Journalism from the University of Southern California. While in graduate school, I had the privilege of studying fiction writing under renowned author Hubert Selby, Jr., and comedy writing under famed comedian Shelley Berman. I am a past participant of the Squaw Valley Community of Writers Summer Writing Workshop.
Raised in the woods of Vermont, I now live in the greater Los Angeles area with my husband and three children. STIR ME UP is my first novel.
Blog Tour hosted by: YA Bound Book Tours
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