Gutter Girl | ARC Review

Synopsis

Star football player Jace Rovers has a secret. And not just any secret—a shocking secret… He writes romance. The kind with swords. And dresses. And kissing.

Nobody knows. Not the other kids at Twin River High. Not his overbearing parents. And certainly not the millions of fans who’ve read his book on the writing platform Scribbles. And that’s the way he plans to keep it.

Except suddenly one of the other football players grabs his notebook in jest and starts reading a kissing scene out loud…and Jace knows he’s busted.

But then McKenna Storm, resident goth girl who avoids the spotlight like a virus, snatches up the notebook and tells everyone she’s the author. And lucky for Jace, she later agrees to continue the ruse…for a price.

Heck, he’d give her anything not to reveal his secret. But when they start to fall for each other, he knows he’ll have to keep the biggest secret of all—his darkest character is based on her…

Review

I liked this one but wasn’t in love with it. It had some sweet romance and lovely stereotype flipping, but there were also many other parts I wasn’t a fan of.

Starting on a positive note, as I mentioned, I love how this book flipped a few gender stereotypes on their heads. The big one was saying how it’s totally okay (great, actually) for guys to write fantasy romance novels. One of our main characters, Jace, writes “kissing books” and is terrified for anyone to find out. I love how the authors don’t just throw his concerns out the window once his love interest says it’s okay for him to write these types of books. They really address his fears and concerns and the stereotype in general. I was so happy about this.

They also vaguely discuss the stereotype behind those who suffer from bipolar disorder. They don’t focus on this one as much as guys writing romance novels, but it’s mentioned.

I also liked that our characters had some depth to them. It wasn’t just popular jock meets uncool, outcast. There was more to them and more to the story and I’m glad we were able to explore that. I think the family dynamics these two face help a lot with their character depth and growth in the book.

Now, down to the nitty-gritty. I was really enjoying the first half of this book and then it went downhill the second half. One big reason for me was the whole make up-break up thing Jace and McKenna had going on. They would break up on a whim and then get back together after a few flowery words. This issue was briefly discussed among the characters, but it didn’t smooth over my annoyance.

As well, I would have liked to have seen a little more development in the book with the characters, specifically McKenna. We see some change in Jace, but I would have liked to see how this whole experience changed McKenna a little more. We see it a little, but I think her character was really shorted the development she deserved.

Overall, it’s 3.5 out of 5 stars for me. I think I’m interested enough to read the forthcoming books in the series, but I also won’t be making them my top priority.

Disclaimer: I voluntarily read and reviewed a gifted and advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Rating

To check out my other reviews, click here. Or to check out more books by Lynn Rush, go to her GoodReads profile or her website. Or to check out more books by Kelly Anne Blount, go to her GoodReads profile or her website.