Blog Tour, Review and Giveaway : In Too Deep by Michelle Kemper Brownlow

June 19, 2013 trish Blog Tour, Book review 0 ★★★★

Welcome to my very first blog tour. I made a decision a few months ago to only join a blog tour if I felt the book had something special to offer as I don’t want to ‘sell out’. In Too Deep passed my test and I’m delighted to share it with you. And if you want to read some other opinions, check out the full tour schedule here

My Review of In Too Deep by Michelle Kemper Brownlow:

NA books are often described as intense and emotional but this is one that truly warrants that description.Gracie, a junior in college in Memphis is innocent and sweet. Well she was until she met handsome, cocky, bad-boy Noah. The love she has for Noah is genuine and real however he takes it and twists it in to something ugly

In Too Deep by Michelle Kemper Brownlow
Series: In Too Deep #1
Published by Sapphire Star Publishing on 3 June 2013
Genres: Contemporary, New Adult
Pages: 338
Format: eARC
Source: Blog Tour
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four-stars

Gracie has just finished her freshman year of college in Memphis when she takes a job at a local pizza joint in her home town of McKenzie, Tennessee. She is the epitome of innocence when she meets Noah. Noah is unabashedly handsome, intriguingly reckless and just cocky enough to be sexy. Gracie’s instincts tell her to stay far away from him and based on the stories she hears from her co-workers he leaves broken hearts in his wake. But still, she can’t explain her fascination with him.

Noah puts aside his bad boy ways when what he thought was a summer crush has him unexpectedly falling in love. But soon after Gracie transfers to UT Knoxville to be with Noah, their unexpected love becomes riddled with anger, deceit and humiliation.

Jake, Noah’s former roommate and Gracie’s best friend, can no longer be a bystander. Gracie’s world falls out from beneath her and when she breaks she turns to Jake for strength. As Jake talks her through a decision she’s not yet strong enough to make, together they uncover a truth so ugly neither of them is prepared for its fallout. Will Jake pull her to the surface or is Gracie Jordan finally In Too Deep?

Love should be patient and kind not angry and deceitful but that’s what Noah’s ‘love’for Gracie is. Can she find the strength to pull herself away or is she in too deep?I really enjoyed this book as I think emotional abuse is something most people come across at some stage in their life. Whether it is from a partner, a so called friend, a relative or a work colleague; it is all common and a universal problem that people will relate to. So it was good to see a book tackling this relevant and always topical issue.

It is hard not to like Gracie, she is lost, sinking, trying to find herself, trying to break free and failing time after time. It is also hard not to get impatient with Gracie as times. We have all had a friend who is in a disastrous relationship, who breaks up; cries on your shoulder, works through the pain and you feel relief that they will be ok. Maybe you even have a few girly nights out, have fun and you see your friend coming back to life. And then next thing she is back with the creep. And you get mad and swear that next time there is drama-rama, you want nothing to do with it. But you do because they are your friend and you won’t desert them. Well Gracie felt like that for me.

I hurt for her and for all women in that sort of relationship. And Gracie was lucky enough to have a male bestie –Jake- who was there for her and who was able to build her up time after time. Not all women are lucky enough to have such a great support system. I would like to have seen Gracie on her own more in the book even though I really enjoyed the romance with Jake. In Too Deep would have had a more empowering message if Gracie survived this on her own.

That’s just my personal opinion. And in other ways I’m glad Jake was in the book, he was a tower of strength and seemed like good fun too. Noah is the character everyone is going to hate. However there is good character development in that we do understand why he is the way he is and that a lot of his bullying ways come from fear. The book only slowly reveals the full extent of what is going on and how this bad boy is not one of those with a heart of gold. Far from it.

I enjoyed the writing style and thought that the author got the pacing of this book just right. It is emotionally intense but that is balanced out with scenes of college life and family life. The glimpses of Gracie’s parents and sister that we got hit the mark, not too much and not too little. It seemed just right for a college student who is pulling away from family a little and making her own mark on the world.

I highly recommend this book to all who like NA contemporary books and especially those who like to see hard issues tackled.

Giveaway Time for In Too Deep:

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To Purchase In Too Deep :
Amazon link to In Too Deep by Michelle Kemper Brownlow