Series: Heavy Influence Trilogy
Author: Ann Marie Frohoff
Source: Received complimentary e-book in exchange for honest review
Find more info on Skid Out on Goodreads.
I give Skid Out 3.5 out 5 stars. I didn't really love or hate it. I thought the story was somewhere between okay and fairly good. Maybe I just need to know more before really forming an opinion on the series. Keep in mind, this is a short (46 pages) novella only covers one day before the actual Heavy Influence series begins.
The writing style was fine and I liked the alternating points of view from Jake to Alyssa. It was nice to hear the story from both characters and the author did a good job marking each chapter so you knew who's voice you were going to hear from. (I note this because I know in the past I have sort of slammed authors for not having a clear voice. Ms. Frohoff provided a good example of mixing point of views in Skid Out.)
I like the music element in the book. Who doesn't like guys in bands? And it certainly seems the main guy character Jake fits the bill. Hello, rocker hottie meets Abercrombie model. Also, there is always something smexy about an older, more worldly "man."
I thought there was a lot of gratuitous cussing in this book. I get that Jake is the lead singer of a band. But his potty mouth almost came across like he was TELLING me he was a bada$ rather than really SHOWING me. I guess most kids these days (geeez, I sound OLD!) do probably talk like that but I still felt like it was a bit much. I mean some I get, I've been known to swear with the best of them but even I was a tad uncomfortable.
I thought the main female character Alyssa was fickle, which maybe a function of her age. She starts the book with a crush on another guy, starts liking Jake and then also gets flutters about her friends brother. She is just a little all over the place but then again it has been ages since I've been a teen so what do I know.
She also seems to think just because her dad is so strict that gives her a free pass to lie and sneak around. And she thinks he so hard on her but yet both her mom and dad both let her sips of alcohol with them. (That was NOT something that happened in my house growing up.)
The age difference is kind of odd to, it's not doesn't sound too bad, she's 14 and he's 17 but he's going to be a senior, in a rock band that goes on tour, who "hooks up" with girls he doesn't even like "like that" and she hasn't even started high school yet. It just seems the maturity level between the two might be on the same level.
Like I said, I didn't hate it but I think I'll reserve my full judgement until I've read more and decide what if any ramifications this has. I sort of feel bad, I looked at other people's reviews of Skid Out they all seem to really LOVE this book. So I don't know if I'm weird or if I was just in a weird place when I read or what. But I have to be honest, it just didn't blow my socks off.
If the story sounds like something you might be interested in you should totally try it out. I haven't given up on the Heavy Influence series yet, I'm hoping to enjoy the next installment, First Kiss.
No comments:
Post a Comment