Love Rewritten

NEW ADULT ROMANCE

Title: Love Rewritten
Author: J. Saman
Publication date: 06/12/17
Publisher: Pronoun
Kindle Unlimited: No
Cliffhanger: No
Rating: 4 out of 5
 
Amazon blurb
Abby Scofield’s love life has been all sorts of wrong.
 
So when lacrosse star, Brandon Kessler, comes along with his all-American good looks, easy disposition and magnetic charm, things seem to be looking up. Even if they come from two totally different worlds.
 
Xander Novak is the ridiculously hot, volatile and often times mean best friend of Abby’s twin brother, Aubrey.

​Her relationship with him is strained at best. But when Xander moves in unexpectedly, things seem to shift between them. But in what direction?
 
One night of deception, lies, and heartbreak are a common link the three share. When the truth about that night comes out, none of their lives will ever be the same.
 
Will Abby be able to find the love she’s been searching for or will everything in her world fall apart?

My Review
I approach new adult romance very carefully. Like, VERY carefully. I read the blurbs, I read a sample, I check out the covers...I don’t make the decision to read a new-to-me author of new adult romance lightly. There are just too many high-angst, low-substance offerings out there in the new adult world to go off half-cocked, one-clicking with reckless abandon. But I did my due diligence with this one and wasn’t disappointed.
 
I’ll be totally honest, though. I thought Xander was a complete tool in the beginning. By the end of the book, I kind of understood where he was coming from. Not completely, but enough that I no longer wanted to kick him in the nuts. It was rough going in the beginning, though. Xander was one of the those complicated, hot-and-cold, brooding creatures that you find in so many new adult romances. You know: the kind of dude all the young gals dream about/swoon over and all the old married gals want to castrate. But still, by the end of the book, I think all fans of new adult will agree that Xander turns into a pretty decent catch.
 
Abby was an interesting heroine. She was smart and funny, and her interactions with her brother and best friend rang completely true. I’d probably read more about Aubrey and Nina if the author decided there was more to their story.
 
As for the boring stuff (i.e.: writing mechanics), it was all good. Very few typos and errors, good pacing and the dialog had a nice flow to it.
 
If I were to nitpick (which you know I always do):

• Abby suffered a little bit from Bella Swan syndrome. She insisted that she was “nothing special” and yet every penis within a 20 mile radius got erect in her presence. She’s talented and smart and gorgeous...and completely oblivious as to why anyone would ever notice little ole’ her. It wasn’t a terminal case of Bella Swan syndrome, and it didn’t wreck my overall enjoyment of the story, but I noticed it.
• I won’t give anything away, but I REALLY wish Xander and Abby would’ve had an open, honest conversation with each other after a defining “incident” in their past together. If they’d handled the situation like adults and talked through it, the entire plot of the book probably wouldn’t have existed. In an adult romance, this would’ve been a deal-breaker for me. But in new adult, I’m willing to accept that these are dumb kids doing what dumb kids do, which is to brood and pout instead of talking shit through. (Doesn’t mean I have to like it, though)
• Minor spoiler alert: I thought Brandon’s evolution from perfect guy wooing a girl, to slightly obsessive/possessive boyfriend, to lying, cheating asshat, to “you can have her; she’s not that special anyway” jerkwad was kind of...nutso. Seriously, I think he might have an actual clinical disorder and probably needs some meds.

   
But, minor nitpicks notwithstanding, I really enjoyed the story overall. I’m glad I took a chance on this new-to-me author, and I’ll be expecting great things from her in the future.
 
Full disclosure: We received an ARC from the author in exchange for an honest review.
    
Does this book contribute to or help crush the romance stigma?
It’s unique enough that it avoids contributing to the stigma.
 
Other reading suggestions
This book was well-written and fun enough that I’d check out the author’s backlist. And for more well-done new adult romance about college students (with just the right amount of humor, sexy times, and realistic plot), my go-to is Elle Kennedy. Start with The Deal. You won’t be disappointed.

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