Wet

NEW ADULT ROMANCE

Title: Wet
Author: Stacy Kestwick
Publication date: 05/05/2015
Publisher: Amazon Digital Services
Kindle Unlimited: No
Cliffhanger: Yes
Rating: 2 out of 5

Amazon blurb
Doughnuts were her weakness.

If Sadie Mullins hadn’t been running on the beach to burn off the calories from her doughnut addiction, she wouldn’t have noticed the man not moving out in the water.

Wouldn’t have dived in after him.

Wouldn’t have met West Montgomery.

The cocky bastard should have been thankful, grateful even. 

Of course, he wasn’t.

That should have been the end of it. 

Of course, it wasn’t.
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Damn doughnuts.

My Review
I’ve arrived at the conclusion that, like Roger Murtaugh, I’m too old for this shit. And by “this shit,” I mean new adult romance that features immature heroines. Sadly, there’s no way to know if the new adult romance you’ve downloaded features an immature heroine until you start reading, and by that time, you might be sucked into the story (against your better judgement) and not want to quit. And I’m not a quitter, damn it! So, even though I suspected early on in the story that the heroine, Sadie, was one that would eventually irk the crap out of me, I persevered.   

Sometimes I really wish I was a quitter, folks. 

So, given my advanced age and grumpiness, I’m sure you’re all wondering why I tackled this read at all. Well, first of all, it was free. A free book can often make me throw caution to the wind and read something I’d normally avoid. And second of all, it has a great blurb. I mean, the whole doughnut thing was adorable. I should’ve liked this book. I got my hopes up that I’d love it. 

Hope is a dark, dangerous thing.

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Needless to say, I didn’t enjoy Wet.

After being betrayed by her boyfriend in a truly disgusting way, Sadie and Rue (her best friend) devise a plan to “have fun” with the tourists in their small coastal town. No attachments, no relationships--just “no strings” sex. Now, I don’t believe in slut shaming. If a woman wants to have “no strings” sex with hundreds of guys, I would never judge her for it. But for a girl like Sadie to go out and actively search for such flings because she’s been let down by ONE guy in her young life? Um...no. I’m not OK with that. That IS NOT a normal reaction to betrayal for a girl so young—especially a girl who hadn’t been intimate with any men other than the asshat who betrayed her. And I’m sorry, but going to the home of some dude you just picked up at a bar sounds like a recipe for disaster (and syphilis) to me. But apparently, our intrepid heroine has no fear of being raped, murdered, or dumped into a pit in some serial killer’s basement. Maybe those are just things old ladies like me fear. But I digress…

Sadie also tended to create a whole lot of drama for herself, which is, again, I think, a sign of immaturity. I hated how insecure she was with West and how she ran (sometimes literally) away from him whenever she thought he might have feelings for The Other Woman. Hey, Sadie, let me help you out, here: how ‘bout you put on your big girl panties and TALK to West about your feelings? Just a little advice from me to you, hon.

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I also can’t stand books that rely on a stereotypical evil Other Woman as the main source of conflict between the hero and heroine. Aubrey, The Other Woman, is a textbook bitch, and is pretty much the only thing getting in the way of Sadie’s happiness with West (other than Sadie’s immaturity, of course...that definitely trips her up a time or two as well) I mean, Aubrey could’ve just as easily been named Regina George and been in Mean Girls.

Overall, this book gets one star for the writing (the mechanics were all solid) and one for West, who was all kinds of sexy and deserved a better heroine, in my opinion.

But all that being said, you kids might enjoy this one. All my fellow grumpy old ladies should skip it, though.

Oh, and fair warning, there’s a giant cliffy at the end of the book. If I’d liked the book, it would’ve pissed me off. But as it stands, I don’t really give a crap. Just a heads up, folks.

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Does this book contribute to or help crush the romance stigma?
It’s well-written enough to avoid contributing to the romance stigma, but it certainly doesn’t paint young single women in a flattering light. The women in this book come off as REALLY immature.

Other reading suggestions
There are a few authors who have written new adult romances that even grumpy old ladies like me can appreciate. They include (but aren’t limited to) Kylie Scott, Elle Kennedy, Mia Sheridan, Penelope Ward  and Vi Keeland. Check them out. You won’t be disappointed.

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