THE TROUBLE WITH GRAVITYby KK ALLEN
Kai's life is a series of choreographed steps, each one shielding her from the tragic memories of her past. Audition, dance, paycheck, repeat. It's a broken record, but it's what keeps her world spinning.
When a tall mysterious stranger zooms into her life wielding an Aussie accent like it's a weapon and effectively shattering her tightly woven cocoon, her safe and secure world quickly begins to unravel.
Sebastian's theater production is a sinking ship. To add insult to injury he's obligated to give it one final run.
The mission is simple--salvage what he can before they all go down with the wreckage. But first he needs to convince the woman who despises him, despite her darkest fears, to join the cast.
Without her, his past will undoubtedly destroy his future. But with her... he may be opening himself up to more of a challenge than he bargained for.
"He was my anchor in a raging storm."
My husbands says, "I thought you were reading!" To which, I replied, "I am!"! He then comes back with, "Is your book singing to you?" HA!! "Uh, no! Coordinating YouTube videos! So cool and so unique. I love it!" <-- That was how my book started out. I was so excited to jump into Kai and Sebastian's story because I just knew I was going to be swept up in another dance book with a love story that was going to make me smile.
Unfortunately, this one, for some reason, didn't read as smooth to me as the previous two books in this series - the flow felt off. What’s weird for me is I didn’t have a hard time picturing their love story playing out because her words were so descriptive, but I had a hard time feeling it which is awkward for me to say because KK Allen's always given me those physical feelings when I’ve read her books. I'm sad to say the butterflies didn't come until later in the book either. But, it was a slow awakening and a worthy growth that eventually emerged between these two. It’s not bad - because obviously she told a story that moved me and made me envision a love that spanned artistry and emotion, but I read more with fascination than with emotion this time. Again, not bad - just.....different.
The predictability was quite prevalent in this story - as if the writing was on the wall. It didn’t deter me from finishing, even though I could mostly figure out what was going to happen, but I found that there wasn't really a challenge to this story, so it read pretty easily. It was an easy going, sweet story about a young lady overcoming her past in order to move on in her career....oh, and throw in some drama. And then more drama. And then, <sigh> more. The drama at the boat was even ridiculous. By then, all this drama had piled up and it didn’t make sense to throw that much more at this couple - the groundwork was already set, the story was moving forward. Throwing more wrenches in didn’t do anything but pull me away from the built up passion I was finally feeling at this point in the story. The probable emotional impact I should've felt suffered greatly.
And then, the fight at the end was just STUPID. Kai's anger hindered my ability to connect with her even more - which I hated because I’d hoped by this point in the book that I would be more sympathetic toward her and would feel more for her plight. I just didn’t and I struggled with any sort of connection that I should have felt.
"You always come harder when you're pissed off at me."
The push and pull in this one was easy to follow because it was marred by secrets and worry, fear and pain - the normal trajectory and natural push in a book. But, it just felt different for some reason. I am not even entirely sure I can put a finger on the disconnect for me. I loved the dynamic between Kai and Sebastian and I loved their camaraderie because they meshed well. They worked in silent tandem without even knowing it. However, their age and their actions didn’t line up for me. She felt/acted younger than the 28 we were told she was and some of Sebastian's inward thoughts proved a little feminine with his analogies, but he was definitely a man/jerk in other aspects. I saw flirting and fighting mirroring each other.
I told myself I needed to calm down enough to write my review and not sound so mad. While I know my emotions drive my reviews most of the time, I wanted to stress that this story was a good one. The writing is wonderful and easy to follow as usual, so I'm not sure I understand why it didn't work for me. I really love KK Allen's stories and her characters and I haven't really complained before. It's just that this one took a dip into the drama section and there was a bit much for me to enjoy without rolling my eyes or getting agitated. I hate being frustrated with a book that I had high hopes for, and I think this one left me just that way....frustrated.
My final thoughts: Kai's immaturity coupled with her brash attempts at being mad at Sebastian for stupid reasons, and then add to it the level of unnecessary drama - this one just didn’t work for me on so many levels. I think my favorite thing about this entire series is she's giving a voice to dancers and their sport, and she's giving me a visual for the artistry and the passion that flows through her characters' bodies. That's my favorite part. I have loved this entire series so far so I'm hoping this is a one-off for me. This was a true standalone in her Gravity Series and they are all able to be read in any order. This really was a good addition to her series...it just wasn't my favorite.
"He was arresting in the worst - and best - possible way."
~BEE
My review: http://bit.ly/2zxBizU
Prequel to Defying Gravity
~MEET KK ALLEN~
K.K. Allen is an award-winning Contemporary Romance author, University of Washington Alumni, and Seattle Seahawk fan!!
K.K.'s debut romance novel, Up in the Treehouse, was named the Best New Adult Book of the Year by RT Book Reviews, an honor beyond belief! Named the Queen of Angst by her readers, K.K. promises to take your emotions on an epic ride every single time with very real, coming of age romance stories.
At age twelve, K.K. picked up a pen and wrote her first novel, a YA rock star romance that will never see the light of day :) She continued filling notebooks until she was finally ready to share her work with the world.
K.K. currently lives in central Florida with her son, works full time as a Digital Producer by day, and writes every other waking hour.
~CONNECT WITH KK~
ARC REVIEW
COPY PURCHASED FOR GIVEAWAY
AFFILIATE LINKS USED
I really love the honesty and heart that you put in every review. You don't sugar coat anything and I appreciate that.
ReplyDeleteI want to be as honest and as transparent as I can about any books I read....and I would hope to get the same from anyone else recommending me a book. It's not always easy, but I always try. Thanks, Joy. <3
DeleteThanks for your honesty Bee. Am even more intrigued with your rating. I can't wait to read it and chat with you.
ReplyDeleteI love this series, so this was hard for me - and I expected more, but I'm glad I read it still. I hope you enjoy it, Bunny.
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