My rating: 4 of 5 stars
“He was a mystery to her, and every time she tried to solve him it caused her a little more pain. But when she tired to give him up he pursued her in her thoughts, stronger each time.”
----Anna Godbersen, an American author
Ali Dean, an American author, pens an enticing novel about a high-schooler-cross-country runner and her decisions about love and relationships, in her new book, Pepped Up which is the first book in the Pepper Jones series.
Synopsis:
Pepper Jones is ready for an epic cross country season. She wants to qualify for Nationals, and she’s willing to do anything it takes to make it happen. She can handle long miles and hill sprints, but boys? That’s an entirely different challenge.
Pepper’s never considered revealing her deeper feelings for her longtime friend, Jace Wilder. After all, he’s got the personal magnetism and good looks to hook just about any girl in town -- and he has. Their friendship stands apart from high school social circles, and they’re both just fine with that (or at least they pretend to be).
That is, until running star Ryan Harding moves to town.
When it comes to running, Pepper’s goals are clear. But when it comes to Jace and Ryan, it’s nowhere near as simple.
Pepper Jones, a 16year old high school junior, loves to run, in fact she is so good at it that she is preparing herself to compete in the national cross-country running championship. But the only thing that muddles her life is her crush on her childhood best-friend-cum-sort-of-family, Jace- a high school senior, a top-class footballer, who is terribly attractive and a complete womanizer. But Jace never showed any interest on Pepper mainly due to the reason that she is actually a part of her family. Pepper's love life sparks up when another cross-country runner named, Ryan joins her class, but unlike Jace, Ryan shows his interest on Pepper, whereas Pepper's heart is torn between Jace and Ryan? Who will she choose? Yeah this book is a complete YA story featuring high school, sports and a love-triangle.
Being not so much of a YA fan, I still enjoyed reading this light-hearted romantic YA, which definitely reminded me of my school days and all the dramas about hot boys. Pepper is one hell of a lucky chick who had two hot admirers in her school. The writing f this book is really nice, pretty eloquent with a moderate pace. Although there weren't much layers in the story which allowed me to contemplate and anticipate things bit easily, but the mystery of who Pepper will choose was tightly wrapped under layers of confusion and drama, and all that surrounding Jace and Pepper.
The characters are real and Pepper's dilemma over Jace and Ryan sounded pretty believable, but then again, given the fact, that Pepper is the narrator of this book, it was easy for us to ponder about who she will finally choose. The author portrays the voice of a 16year old teenager quite strikingly and the way she have layered her narration with a bit of humor and drama, simple kept me engaged to the story.
Pepper is a charming character with a lot of determination to be the champion of this cross-country running championship. And through Pepper, the author brings alive the world of a sportsman, his/her stamina, determination, strength, in short, it was very insightful to read about an athlete. In fact, because of Pepper's running, Colorado comes alive in front of our eyes, it was very picturesque and vivid with intricate detailing.
In the beginning of the book, Jace made me feel irritated about his whole drama about not dating Pepper, whereas he did have feelings for Pepper. Jace is like a closed book, turning one page after another. The rest of the supporting characters are also very well-developed like Pepper's nun as her guardian is someone who is very lively and brings a shade of happiness in some gloomy moments.
But what really made me glued to the book was Pepper's character. She is one hell of a powerful YA character who knows what she wants best for her heart, by not causing much pain to those who adore her.
Verdict: Don't miss out this book if you're a huge YA fan!
Courtesy: I received a copy of this book for a blog tour.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Author Info:
I think I will definitely read this one. It sounds like a great story. I have been trying to read more books that revolve around sport but not only football because that one seems most common. But I like that this one is about something different.
ReplyDeleteYeah it is, thanks for stopping by :-)
ReplyDelete