Thursday, November 19, 2015

Review: Eighteen (18) by JA Huss

Eighteen (18)
Cover Source: GoodReads.com
Title: Eighteen (18)
Author: JA Huss
Version Reviewed: Finished, eBook
Website: www.jahuss.com
*I purchased this book myself.*

GoodReads Summary:
Eighteen is hard.
And so is Mateo Alesci.
He’s hard to read, hard to predict, hard in every way that counts. He wants things from me.
Dirty things, nasty things, forbidden things.
And I have to give in.
His attention is completely inappropriate, but I can’t say no. The way he looks at me… the way he watches me through my bedroom window… the way he drags me deeper and deeper into his completely forbidden fantasy world just… turns me on.
He knows it turns me on.
He holds all the power. He holds all the cards.
He holds my entire future in his hands.
And I have to give in.
Because Mr. Alesci is my teacher.
And I need everything he’s offering.
Review:
Alright, so I first heard about this book through the Shrike Bikes (Julie's fan group) and the subscriber newsletter.  As soon I read the summary, I knew that it was a book that I was going to have to read.  I can't help it.  I'm a sucker for taboo, forbidden romances.  Especially when they're hot and steamy and romantic. I like to read about difficult relationships and ones that really make you think and question things.

Eighteen was definitely one of those books.  I'd be lying if I told you that I read this entire book and was perfectly fine with every single thing in it.  I definitely wasn't. There were times when Mateo creeped me out. There were times when their relationship was a little too one sided for me.  Time when I was really uncomfortable with the things that were happening.  But I can also tell you something else.

I dropped everything else I was reading to read this book. One paragraph and I was hooked. I read over half of the book in one sitting and the only reason I stopped was because I knew that it was way too late and I needed to go to sleep or I would regret it. And then I laid there in bed, unable to sleep because I couldn't think about anything but what was going to happen next.  The next day, I finished it as soon as I possibly could.

I know it may seem a little off-putting, reading a book that makes you uncomfortable at times, but I think that sometimes the best ones are supposed to do that.  Sometimes really good books make us question our morals and make us wonder what we like and don't like. And sometimes, a really good book does have things that you don't like or that you're not comfortable with. And that's okay because that's how life is. Sometimes it isn't easy. But it's damn well worth it. And Eighteen was worth it for me.

I loved this book. Very rarely do I finish a book as quickly as I did this one and that really does have some measure to it.  I'm not a fast reader but if you give me a book that I can't let go of... well, I don't let go of it until I'm finished.

Shannon and Mateo's story was really interesting and the things that Shannon had to deal with honestly broke my heart on occasion.  I've seen some things while growing up, not necessarily the same things that she dealt with, but it was easy for me to imagine how she felt in certain situations and it didn't take much for me to empathize with her.  I really enjoyed Shannon's character because she did have flaws.  She made mistakes and sometimes she made the wrong decisions.   But she had conviction.  She meant the things that she said and she didn't do anything that she didn't want to do.  I respected her character for that.

Eighteen was a great read.

Rating: 4 Stars. 

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