27 March 2014

Book Review: Juilliard or Else by Nichele Reese

Format: Kindle
Publishers: Indie
Published: 23rd May 2013
Pages: 452
Genre: New Adult, Contemporary Romance
Main Characters: Abigail, Tucker
Date Read: 16th March - 23rd March 2014
Rating Given:
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Blurb:
This is a twisting story of young love torn in two. 
Abigail McCall has been accepted into Juilliard for Ballet. Being nineteen, she’s ready to move out of her tight shell at her parent’s house and in with her new roommates. Abigail finds herself distracted with things she never saw herself doing.
'Hey, I’m Tucker.That’s all it took. His own name rolling off his tongue.'
With no job and coming from a broken home with a mother who doesn’t care what happens to him, could you blame Tucker for being so secretive? The dark and mysterious Tucker has his sights set on the prim and proper ballerina. So he knows he has to change his self destructive ways in order to keep Abigail in his life. Which means, betraying his closest friends.
Obstacles are thrown at them. They don’t approve of the ballerina and the poor boy.
The world won’t let Abigail and Tucker be together. What do they have to sacrifice to stay together...
Can the good come out in the bad? Or does someone always end up hurt and alone?
Tucker has nothing, but Abigail has everything to lose...

I saw quite a few good reviews for this one and then add that it's about a dancer (never read a book involving dancing) I knew I just had to buy it.

The cover for this book is stunning and very fitting for the actual story, the cover is another reason why I had to get this book (yes I judge a book by it's cover even though I know I shouldn't).

I loved the sound of this book as it sounded like it was similar to Romeo and Juliet which for the most part it was but for the most part I was disappointed with this book. The first half of the book was so boring I didn't think I was going to continue with it but I am glad I did as the second part picked up loads and I found myself wondering what was going to happen next. The hard hitting issues where a great addition to the story which gave it the much needed action even if some of it was completely unbelievable. As for the dancing side of the story I would have loved to have seen more incorporated seeing as that was what she loved. I didn't feel like there was really any chemistry between the two main characters as it seemed like they where friends rather than being in love. There was a few things that I didn't see coming and then other things that I could see a mile away which I didn't mind as it did keep me guessing. I adored the ending as it went a little bit into the future so I felt there was the closure that I sometimes find missing in stand alone/series finales.

I didn't feel like the characters where relatable and for most part they kind of annoyed me. At first I kind of liked Abigail as I could tell she had a rough childhood even if her family did have money it just goes to show that money doesn't always buy happiness. In the end though I felt like she was far too needy and too trusting when she shouldn't have been. She also kept making the same mistakes and I just thought she seemed younger than her 19 years. Tucker I thought I was going to like as again he had a troubled childhood even more than Abigail so I understood the way in which he acted. He ended up making far to many wrong choices and I was shocked to find out that he was supposed to be 25! He definitely didn't act like it. He did have some very sweet moments which I loved. As for Abigail's friends Rachel and Jade I actually liked but there was something that Jade did towards the end that I thought was not what a friend would and she should have been there like she was in the beginning.

Overall there was a lot of times when I wasn't liking this book but when it was good it was very, very good.