Wild Hearts by Jessica Burkhart
Grade: C-
Release date: May 5, 2015
This ARC was provided by Bloomsbury USA Childrens in exchange for an honest review.
Summary: Brie Carter's father's land development business has taken her family all over the world,
but as soon as they arrive at their new home in Lost Spring, Wyoming, the town turns out to protest. They don't want a new hotel if the resident mustang population will be displaced or hurt as part of the deal. Then Brie meets Logan, a gorgeous local who has a special connection to the mustangs, and she is immediately drawn to him . . . and the horses. However, with Logan's father leading the protests and Brie's father refusing to budge, it's clear that their parents are heading towards an all-out war. Can Brie and Logan find a way to save the mustangs and be together? Or is their love doomed from the start?
The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly: I'm going to preface the rest of this review by saying that the two If Only... books that I've read for review prior to this one were solid 4-star reads. Additionally, I've read Jessica Burkhart's Canterwood Crest series that's aimed at preteens. So I was very excited to see that she was writing the next If Only... title. Unfortunately, it didn't meet any of my expectations. It was distinctively Jessica's writing style, and that isn't the best thing. All of her characters seem to be obsessed with makeup (particularly lip gloss) and clothes, especially when it comes to describing them and dropping brand names. It takes you out of the story if appearances are constantly being described and things like a water bottle brand or a sunglasses brand is being mentioned every chapter. I felt no chemistry between Brie and Logan, and the romance was happening much too quickly, especially when the l-word (love) was said. I'm sorry to say but, when Brie was arguing with her dad during that scene, all I could think about was Ariel, the Little Mermaid, claiming she loved Eric when she didn't even know him. Brie's relationship with her dad felt weird and cliche. She said she sided with him and loved him but sure didn't show it. There's a big part towards the end when she lies to him a lot and she seemed to expect no fall-out. Brie turned into a brat during that and her dad was being ridiculous and so over the top. This is the type of YA romance novel I don't like.
I did enjoy the parts with the horses and what Brie and Logan ended up doing with them. However, those parts were overshadowed so much by all the negative.
Mild language, making out, and talk of sleeping together is as bad as it gets.
The Verdict: Unfortunately, this If Only... novel didn't work for me.
Will I be adding this book to my library?: No.
This was my first If Only book, and it definitely didn't do it for me. It was just really immature, and the instalove thing was so annoying!
ReplyDeleteGreat review, Emma!