Paradise City by CJ Duggan

I know, I'm turning into an all the time review blog, but I promise I'll be back this Friday with a for reals update to writing. Today, however, I'm turning my attention to Paradise City by CJ Duggan.

When her parents decide a change will be good for her, seventeen-year-old Lexie Atkinson never expected they'd send her all the way to Paradise City. Coming from a predictable life of home schooling on a rural Australian property, she's sure that Paradise will be amazing. But when she's thrust into a public school without a friendly face in sight, and forced to share a room with her insipid, hateful cousin Amanda, Lexie's not so sure. 

Hanging out with the self-proclaimed beach bums of the city, sneaking out, late night parties and parking with boys are all things Lexie's never experienced, but all that's about to change. It's new, terrifying . . . and exciting. But when she meets Luke Ballantine, exciting doesn't even come close to describing her new life. Trouble with a capital T, Luke is impulsive, charming and answers to no one. The resident bad-boy leader of the group, he's sexier than any boy Lexie has ever known. 

Amidst the stolen moments of knowing looks and heated touches, Lexie can't help but wonder if Luke is going to be good for her . . . or very, very bad?

This book was full of surprises. I went through a phase where it seemed like all I was reading was new adult books, and they were really good, but this one kind of blew them all away. In Paradise City, Lexie has just moved to a new city from the country. She's been thrown into a strange new world, but she doesn't let it become her life. She wants to adjust, because this will be her first time at a real school, but she doesn't come off as desperate. She has to deal with her cousin Amanda, a former best friend that's now a mean girl Year Twelve, and her aunt and uncle, both of them as different as can be. Throw in a sexy boy, Luke Ballantine, and yet one more sexy dark boy, Dean Saville, and Lexie has it made.

I guess the main thing I really liked about this book was the humor. In most new adult books (well, in most of the ones I've read), everyone is going through some kind of dramatic tragedy, so everyone is either super serious or super sexy. Lexie is neither. She's a Year Eleven in a new school and she's just trying to make it through without pissing anyone off. Certain parts of this book actually made me laugh out loud, which is rather uncommon in new adult books. For example, " 'Oh, please, call us Rick and Jen.' My dad laughed. Mum laughed. Mr. Fitzgibbons laughed - it was an absolute riot." CJ Duggan does an awesome job at writing a teenager that actually sounds like a teenager navigating her way through a bunch of firsts in a short amount of time. It doesn't hurt that there's some hot scenes between Lexie and Ballantine, but I think what really drew me in was the relationship and some mystery surrounding the sexy times. 

I'm already anxious for another one, so I was glad that there was an advertisement for the next one at the end of this book. But not until September, and that feels years away. This one, however, comes out next week, so that's not too long of a wait for it! It's only $3.99 on the Kindle, so click away below!

http://www.amazon.com/Paradise-City-C-J-Duggan-ebook/dp/B00P74VI2I/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&sr=8-1&qid=1429543939

Also, Amazon (RUDELY) has a pre-order link up for the second book in the series. No, I didn't click it. Okay, yes, I did click it and mine's pre-ordered. Oops.

I'll see you all back here Friday for an update on the writing, and maybe something extra.