Saturday, May 12, 2018

Love Beyond Opposites by Molly E. Lee - Review

If high school has taught mathlete Jade Aaron anything, it's that nerds never get the guy.

So when rock star Lennon Pryor starts pursuing her, It's not rocket science. This doesn't add up.

I mean, sure, he's hot.

And charming.

And a god on the guitar...

But he's also the world's biggest player. Being with him would be a bigger mistake than 2+2=5.

Until graduation night, when a reckless moment leads to a reckless kiss. And now Jade's falling for the one guy destined to break her heart.

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Love Beyond Opposites is a cute summer romance starring two teenagers who are just trying to figure everything out  before college. The premise wasn't quite what I was expecting - a rock star and a nerd usually goes something like "Girl: He's so popular and I'm not, we'd never work, but I'm so attracting to him, what will I do? Boy: She has no idea how much I love her but I'm not good enough for her, what will I do?" Now, I'm totally for the story quoted above, but this played with those ideas and shifted them in good and bad ways. 

Lennon isn't a star yet. He's a high school senior with dreams of stardom and the talent to make it happen. Jade's a mathematical genius but would rather pursue art after graduation. Really, the story is about following your passions, both professionally and romantically. There are some shades of the classic story - Jade is convinced that Lennon doesn't like her, and Lennon has at this point told himself he wasn't good enough for her for four years. But the fact that the story is about high schoolers and takes place basically in one night gives it a fresh feel. 

There were some things that threw me off in a different way. The pacing seemed a little strange, the beginning covering multiple days and years, but the last two thirds taking place all in one night. Halfway through the night, I found myself wondering how long it had actually been and if it was possible to do all that without a time-turner. The other part of the story that I had a slight issue with was the dialogue. Some of it seemed stilted, and moments that were supposed to be funny or sharp snapbacks didn't quite hit. Save for the last thirty pages or so, I didn't find that the dialogue really moved anything along or reveal anything interesting about the characters. 

This is the 3rd book in the Grad Night series, and while I haven't read the first two, I can imagine that reading the entire series will create a more well-rounded, developed story. The other characters are fairly prevalent, and it would be interesting to see Jade and Lennon from other points of view. 

Overall, Love Beyond Opposites is a cute summer read that will fit right into post-graduation YA romance lulls. The characters are lovable, if not lacking a little depth, and the whirlwind adventure that takes place in a span of hours will keep you reading to see what will happen with Lennon and Jade's futures. 
** This book was provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review **
Find out more about Molly E. Lee here: https://www.mollyelee.com/about-me.html

Molly E. Lee is an author best known for her romance novels, the Grad Night series and the Love on the Edge series. She is a 1001 Dark Nights Discovery Author for 2017. Molly writes Adult and Young Adult contemporary featuring strong female heroines who are unafraid to challenge their male counterparts, yet still vulnerable enough to have love sneak up on them. In addition to being a military spouse and mother of two + one stubborn English Bulldog, Molly loves watching storms from her back porch at her Midwest home, and digging for treasures in antique stores.

Happy Reading!

Jasmine

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