Monday, September 16, 2013

Review: Wild Cards by Simone Elkeles

Title: Wild Cards
Author: Simone Elkeles
Series: Book One in the Wild Cards Series
Published By: Walker Children's (October 1, 2013)
Source: ARC Copy Provided by the Publisher (in exchange for an honest review)
Genre: YA Contemporary
My Rating: 4 Stars!


Book Description:
After getting kicked out of boarding school, bad boy Derek Fitzpatrick has no choice but to live with his ditzy stepmother while his military dad is deployed. Things quickly go from bad to worse when he finds out she plans to move them back to her childhood home in Illinois. Derek’s counting the days before he can be on his own, and the last thing he needs is to get involved with someone else’s family drama.

Ashtyn Parker knows one thing for certain--people you care about leave without a backward glance. A football scholarship would finally give her the chance to leave. So she pours everything into winning a state championship, until her boyfriend and star quarterback betrays them all by joining their rival team. Ashtyn needs a new game plan, but it requires trusting Derek—someone she barely knows, someone born to break the rules. Is she willing to put her heart on the line to try and win it all?








My Thoughts and Review:
Is it wrong to say I liked Derek from the very beginning? He isn't a good boy, in fact he can be down right sarcastic, mean, and unbelievably witty, but I loved him for it. Why you ask? Because I saw the goodness deep down inside too. The boy who stands up for his friends, the guy who hasn't had it easy and the man who really has a heart of gold but still likes having a good time and hellooo sexy Texans drawl! 

If there is one thing Elkeles can do well it is write a bad boy that is almost impossible not to fall in love with, she made that pretty clear with her Chemistry series. And if her bad boys weren't enough for you then her heroines will cinch the deal. She writes them strong and feisty and every bit as loveable as her male counterparts and Ashtyn is no exception.

I loved her right away. How could you not love a girl tough and strong enough to be on the boys football team but still be girly enough to care about those around her? To have her heart broken by her family and yet she still loves them and wants to put them all back together again. A girl that isn't afraid to show who she is and fight for what she wants. 

The secondary characters were every bit as great as the main. Julian, Falkor, Jet, Vic, Grandma (she was my favorite, I loved how feisty she is!), Brandi, really all of them. 


This not only lived up to my expectations of what I expect from Elkeles but it surpassed it. I don't think there was a single thing I didn't love about this story. I love that she stuck with the dual point of views, I love that she writes swoon worthy characters that melt my heart and make me smile. I love that her stories feel real. The characters feel real. I love most of all that I know I will get a story with a happily ever after when it is all said and done. And can I tell you how excited I am that this isn't a stand alone? That there will be more books in the series. I can't wait to find out who the next one will be about and I can guarantee it will be on my automatic buy now list.









*All thoughts and opinions are my own and were not influenced by the author or publisher. I was not compensated for this review.*

11 comments:

  1. I really loved her Perfect Chemistry series and I cannot wait till I read this book. Characters sound great and I know that I'll end up liking them. I just how I'll like the story too. Great review :)

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  2. If you loved her Perfect Chemistry series you will love this one too Tanja!

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  3. Wonderful review, I actually have this in my tbr pile..LOL I think it is great that you connected with him right away and spotted the good guy under the surface.

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  4. Yeah, it is always nice when you are able to do that with a character. :)

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  5. I fell in love with Derek right from the beginning too Ali! He and Grandma were the highlights of this book for me for sure:) I felt so bad for Ashtyn at camp, I just wanted to reach in and throttle some of those boys! Grrrrr. Glad you enjoyed this one, fantastic review!

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  6. Oh yeah, Grandma was quite the surprise!

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  7. I've heard a lot of mixed reviews for this book so I'm really happy to see a positive one. I do have a copy of it and I'm looking forward to giving it a try. Hopefully I like it as much as you did!

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  8. I really love her work so I am probably a little biased but Jenny loved it too so hopefully you will as well Candace.

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  9. I've never read a book by Simone Elkeles, but I've been promising myself I'd change that for a while now. Maybe this is a good book to start with.

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  10. I think this would be a great one to start with Maja. :)

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  11. I have this for review also and it will be my first Simone Elkeles book. Now I am really excited. I am glad you liked it, and I am sure I will to.

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