Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

For the first time, I found myself staring at my computer screen in silence, struggling to write a review. Yes, I was super excited to read Pretty Reckless , Yes I freaking love the covers, Yes I am a big fan of LJ Shen’s words BUT this time it was different. Don’t get me wrong it was not different bad… it was a different that left me speechless and in awe. Love is so contaminated. It tarnishes all that is beautiful and corrupts the soul. Love is so much uglier than hate because when you hate, you’re not confused. When you’re in love, you’re dumb. This is the reason why my words will fail me for this review, because there are no words that could really describe what this book meant to me. I have been thoroughly touched on so many emotional levels by the story of Pretty Reckless. If you believe that LJ Shen writing YA means that her words and her story are going to be an easy and sexy read about two young characters, you could not be more wrong. The author knocked me off my feet and made me fall madly in love with this angst, emotional and heart wrenching story….. and as I kept reading I was stunned by the depth of this epic tale. Pretty Reckless drew me in like a drug. LJ Shen is a seriously addictive writer. I don't know what it is she has, but it's the kind of magic that compels you to read on after every chapter. The author throws you into two different worlds that are so unique : On one side you have All Saints High on the other side you have Las Juntas. On one side you have the Totholes and on the other side you have the parents... Daria Followhill is Miss Popular Daris Followhill is the girl that every girl wants to be Daria Followhill is the girl that every guy wants to be seen with Daria Followhill …. Everyone always talks behind her back about how much they hate her, even though everyone secretly wishes they were her friend. Daria Followhill has the power until she met Penn Scully. There’s some relief in this pain I’m feeling. It reminds me that despite my bitchy ways, I’m still capable of hurting for someone else. That moment, their encounter was simultaneously gut wrenching and beautiful. Penn Scully is perfectly imperfect, he is extremely handsome but he has walls, barriers… His love for his twin sister Via is unconditional, his loyalty for his friends/teammates inspirational but everything changes the moment he met SKULL EYES…. They meet again four years later and they couldn’t be more different on the outside, Penn’s eyes remind me of a snake. Mesmerizing but inhuman altogether. They weren’t like that before. but when you really take a good look at them- they’re more alike than you would think. They bring out the best in each other and the worse. It was more than just desire and lust between them. It went deeper than that. They had an exceptional connection. They understood each other They respected each other “You’re Saturn,” she whispers. “Made of iron-nickel and surrounded by protective rings of ice and rock.” But do they deserve an HEA? Can they get it without any sacrifices or collateral damages? Mental and emotional connections are always so much more powerful and this is why when you read Pretty Reckless ......... You shut off the world and embraced theirs. Penn and Daria are in a class of their own. The words just grabbed me and pulled me in so deep that even the thought of ever resurfacing never entered my mind. There was just so much emotion in the pages of this book that it was so hard not to feel them. I rooted for them from page one but I knew that it was going to be a hell of a ride. Being in the world of the Hotholes again, was sinfully good. Vaughn, Knight, Luna and Daria love each other hard and this transpires in Pretty Reckless. Some books will leave a mark on you not only because they made you cried or made you laugh until it hurts, but because you felt something as you were reading it and that feeling would never leave you forever. Pretty Reckless left that kind of mark in me. It made me cry and made my heart ache. As a teacher , I come across Darias and Penns on a daily basis but most importantly, I come across parents that struggle to get it right for their child despite their best efforts. I come across parents that do not know their child when we talk about them and very often say to me “ We do not talk, she comes homes and goes to her room, we know nothing” It will be the easy option to blame them for their parental skills and the author has portrayed this PERFECTLY- essentially through MEL. LJ Shen is one of the most eloquent authors I've ever had the pleasure to read. Pretty Reckless is so much more than a love story. It’s packed with important life lessons. It’s real, raw and moving … because it reminds us all that even when the world seems to be throwing one bad thing after another at us, there’s always someone out there going through a rough patch too and looking for the light. Daria Followhill is magic and is hail, she is without a shadow of a doubt my favourite heroine.