Pretty good but I get tired when characters don't trust each other. Prejudice goes both ways between races

Full review here:
http://literarymatchmaker.blogspot.com/2013/06/hooked-by-liz-fichera.html ( )

Read my overall review of the whole series here! Spoiler Free!

I actually liked this book more than I thought I would. I think that this book could have been really stereotypical (and often at times it is in its delivery) but I feel like it touches upon other important issues like gender and race which are often missed or not as well expanded in other novels.

It is probably a good point to mention that the plot mostly focuses on Ryan and Fred's character development and not so much on their romance--so if you are looking for a hot romance novel like the cover might suggest, you won't really get that here ;)

When reading other reviews found it interesting that some people really admired Fred's ability to preserver while others critiqued her for not sticking up for herself. I personally liked Fred. Sometimes I wanted to give her a smack to set her straight but I think that she is someone to respect as she does carry herself extremely well despite everything thrown at her. When it comes to liking or disliking characters it is a completely subjective review so to each their own I say!

Ryan was a tough one to like though. He was a bit of a D-bag but I appreciate that his character grows throughout the novel.

The only character I really had a problem with was Seth--talk about over the top! I think if he was toned down a bit, I would have given this book a solid 4 instead of a 3.5. Also, I would have appreciated an epilogue.

Overall: This isn't just a story about a popular guy falling for a social outcast. It's about two characters finding themselves and just happening to find love along the way.

Check out more spoiler-free book and series reviews on my blog SERIESousBookReviews.com as well as read book series recaps!

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Check out my review and two teasers here: http://frommetoyouvideophoto.blogspot.com/2013/01/idolizing-in-hooked-series-boo... ( )

If you haven't read this, please don't look at the cover. It has nothing to do with the story.

I always judge books by their covers, either the image on the front or the synopsis on the back. This is a teen Harlequin; I usually don't go for the super steamy, always between-the-sheets Harlequins so one featuring underage kids wasn't something I was excited to read. Because of the front cover of this book, I fully expected to find half a dozen over-the top sex scenes. The synopsis wasn't very interesting and didn't really convince me that the story would hold up to my assumptions based on the front cover.

I hate throwing away books, so after weeks of trying to pawn it off on my sister, mom & niece (all judged its cover as not for them), I decided I'd cut it up and use it for crafting. I flipped to the middle of the book to see if I could find anything worthwhile to cut out as a readable background. And I started reading, and it was interesting! Then I flipped to another section and read a page-still interesting! So I went to the first page and started reading for real.

This is a typical wrong-side of the tracks love story. It also touches on dysfunctional families & racism. There are no sex scenes at all, although there are a couple innuendos & sexual references, and only like two kissing scenes. The ending is predictable. The reading is quick & easy.

The author has created interesting characters with a fair amount of chemistry. Most of the dialog was believable-there's a scene close to the end that is pretty emotional and it was believable enough to make me cry (not too difficult but still).

Needless to say, I'm glad I didn't upcycle the book without flipping through the pages as I had originally planned! ( )

Fred Oday is basically begged by the coach of her school’s varsity golf team to join. He’s convinced she is his only chance of turning the team into champions. Fred is ecstatic to get the chance to play and hopes it might lead to a scholarship or two so that she doesn’t have to spend the rest of her life waiting tables at a fancy restaurant in Pheonix, Arizona like her mother. The problem, though, is that Lone Butte High School does not have a girl’s golf team, let alone a varsity one, so she is forced to play alongside the boys. Unfortunately, making room for her meant kicking one of the original players off the team. Seth is furious and does everything possible to to get “Pocahontas” thrown off the team. Torn between his best friend and his newfound attraction to his teammate, Ryan tries to stay away from Fred but her pull is too strong.

Ahhh, this was SO CUTE! I’m a sucker for these types of romances. I did have a couple issues with the story though. I felt like Ryan changed his mind about Fred a bit too quickly. It would have been more believable to see a gradual change in both of them, rather than having them all of a sudden be in love with each other. The ending resolution was also problematic for me. The issue was completely swept under the rug because everyone was preoccupied by what was going on with Fred’s father. It was a huge problem to just ignore like that. Ryan does redeem himself in a pretty big way though, so I can see why Fred would just want to let it go and start fresh.

Other than those two things, I really did enjoy Hooked. I like it when authors aren’t afraid to deal with issues like racism, gender inequality, and substance abuse. These things just make the story feel more real. People do have to deal with issues like these everyday, so why not incorporate them into your story? It always makes me feel that much more connected to the characters. I also really liked the Native American and golf aspects of the novel. I don’t think I’ve ever read a YA book that revolved around either.; it was a nice first.

I wouldn’t call this a ‘fun’ read, per se, because there are a few heavy topics and moments, but if you like a main character who fights for what she wants and does not give up even when her own family thinks she can’t do it, this is the book for you. Fans of Simone Elkeles’ Perfect Chemistry trilogy will definitely enjoy this debut novel by Liz Fichera. ( )