Title - Stupid Boy
Series - Stupid in Love #2
Author - Cindy Miles
Publication date - February 17th 2015
Genres - New Adult, Romance
Source - Copy for review
Purchase - Amazon | B&N
Synopsis
From Cindy Miles, bestselling new adult author of STUPID GIRL, comes the next installment of her blockbuster Stupid in Love series - STUPID BOY.
Brax Jenkins and Olivia Beaumont are the most envied couple at Winston University - but the so-called "virginity dare," orchestrated by Brax's old fraternity, almost tore them apart. Now, a new dare is taking shape, and it's sure to set emotions ablaze - more than ever before.
Winston's "It Girl" Harper Belle isn't just president of the Deltas - she's also a master at keeping her ugly past a secret. So, when the Kappas' dare hits closer to home for her more than anyone realizes, she devises a competition of her own as payback. Three sorority sisters will seek out a notorious womanizer on campus and - unbeknownst their "mark" - secretly train him to be the perfect boyfriend. Always up for a challenge, Harper targets the biggest player she can find: Brax's wickedly handsome foster brother Kane McCarthy.
But, Harper discovers there's much more to Kane than girls, games, and partying. His easy smile belies the quiet, old soul reflected in his deep brown eyes. All it takes is one night, one secret laid bare, and one kiss from Kane to shift Harper's world on its axis. Suddenly, the girl who's always walked a straight and narrow path can't think of anything else except losing control.
After loving Stupid Girl, I was excited to read Stupid Boy. With different characters as the focus, Stupid Boy can be read as a standalone, although I think reading Stupid Girl first will enhance your experience since the stories are connected.
This is probably going to sound morbid, but I do like reading realistic fiction where the characters are broken and need to work through their dark past in order to truly live. Stupid Boy makes me think about the saying, "Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a harder battle." Kane sees that right away about Harper despite the outer image she's trying to project, and I think it's because he comes from a painful background, too.
Kane's experiences have given him the ability to see it in someone else, even someone he's just met. When both people have that in their past, they can understand each other in a way without words that other people may not be able to do. I think Harper was trying much harder and more desperately to repress the experiences she had been through, and that was why she didn't see past Kane's exterior shell right away. She wants to pack her pain in a suitcase and keep it in the back of a closet, away from her sight.
I wanted to know what had happened to both of these characters, and through bits and pieces here and there, you come to know what they went through. It's horrifying, and no one should have had to go through that.
I was happy to see Olivia and Brax from the first book in Stupid Boy. I really liked them and was hoping they'd be connected to the characters in this book, which they are.
The only thing that kept me from giving the book five stars was the story lulled in places. It might have been just me and my frame of mind at the time, but a few places were slow for me. Other than that, I really loved reading about Kane and Harper's story, and I'm looking forward to reading about new characters in the next installment.
About the Author
National bestselling author Cindy Miles writes edgy romance, ranging from contemporary love stories to sexy paranormals. A native of southern coastal Georgia, she loves reading (naturally), baking swoon-worthy desserts, traveling abroad, yoga, and classic rock. The cover for her debut New Adult romance, STUPID GIRL, was featured on USA Today's Happily Ever After blog. In the novel, a volatile mix of bad boys, sassy smart girls, dark secrets, and red-hot romance add up to one wild ride through college. The second book in her Stupid in Love series, STUPID BOY, features a wickedly handsome law-breaker who falls for a beautiful, straight-A college student with an ugly past of her own.
Connect with the Author
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I'm the same with characters I love broken characters I find it makes a story very gritty and compelling. Great review, Jennifer! :)
ReplyDeleteThanks, Giselle! They definitely make a story worth reading. :D
DeleteI missed your review of Stupid Girl. Sounds like I need to add this series. Broken characters gives us something to root for, but I've read some books that turned me into an emotional wreck. I kept needing happy reassurances. I hope you're doing well and the article writing is rocking. I'm behind on them, but you're amazing at it! Really!!
ReplyDeleteI read Stupid Girl I think a year ago, so I doubt you probably missed it, lol. Some have done that to me as well. I think I'm comfortable in being emotionally wrecked, which is a weird thing to feel, but it's all I know. It would be weird for me to feel peace I guess. Thanks so much for your kind words!! I'm really enjoying it, just miss being behind in the blogging world!
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