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[Blog Tour: Review + Giveaway] Mia and the Bad Boy by Lisa Burstein

(Check out the rest of the tour stops HERE!)

Mia and the Bad Boy
Title: Mia and the Bad Boy (Backstage Pass #2)
Author: Lisa Burstein
Publisher: Entangled: Crush
Release Date: May 19, 2015
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This good girl’s about to meet her match…

Ryder Brooks is living the dream—he’s famous, loved by millions of girls, and miserable. All he really wants is to write his own music, not Seconds to Juliet’s sugary sweet pop. In order to do that, though, the “bad boy” of the band will have to play by the rules. And that includes behaving with his new—and super cute—ĂĽber-good-girl tutor.

Mia Reyes is in fangirl heaven. Tutoring her favorite member of her favorite band? It’s a dream come true…until it turns into a complete nightmare. Ryder is nothing like she thought. He’s crude, arrogant, and pretty much a total jerk. And the worst part? She’s roped into pretending to be his girlfriend so that no one finds out he’s being tutored. Fake kisses, plenty of PDA, and even sharing his hotel room…

But sometimes even the baddest of bad boys needs a little redemption.
THOUGHTS:

A bad boy - every band has one. There's that one member brooding in the background of all the videos, and that one member that makes your breath catch whenever he stares straight at you. (Well, he's actually looking at the camera, but you get my drift!) He may or may not be covered in tattoos, but one thing is for sure - he is shrouded in mystery, and every single detail you find about him, you devour. He doesn't even have to be your favorite, you just want to know more about him!

After reading Mia and the Bad Boy's blurb, I knew deep in my heart (whoops who's getting a wee bit dramatic here) that I had to have this book... because I have to find out just who on earth Ryder is. I just have to know who he is beneath that bad boy persona, and I really wanted to see how his story would unfold. It's always interesting to get a behind the scenes look at how famous people act without the cameras shoved in front of their faces, and just who are the people responsible for their very fame.

Also... isn't its premise the cutest thing ever!? Come on - just imagine getting the chance to tutor your favorite member of your favorite band. I would have erupted in squeals... and I would have probably made him fail even more at that subject he's already failing...

And other than that.. a fake relationship. A FAKE RELATIONSHIP. 

MY FAVORITE TROPE OF ALL TIME.

But I digress.

From the first few chapters, we find out straight away that Ryder is not so different from the rest of us. He has big secrets that he's desperate to keep, and he's unable to do that one thing he really loves - he just wants to perform his own music, but he can't really do that when the music that made him a household name is so different from his own. He wants to go to college to learn more about music and writing, and to do that, he needs to graduate high school first. Mia is hired to help him, and the two slowly learn that things are never as simple as they seem...

I liked how the romance between Mia and Ryder player out. It was properly built up but not too drawn out, and the serious conversations and the flirty banter balanced each other out. The dual POVs helped flesh out the development of both Mia and Ryder, as well as how their relationship progressed. We learn so much more about their dreams about the future, and at the same time, we learn about their fears that have stemmed from expectations. Both Mia and Ryder are relateable characters that I had no problem connecting to.

While Mia and the Bad Boy works as a stand alone, I think it would be best that you read the first book in the series. I hadn't had the chance to do so, and as a result, I felt that I was missing out on a few things here and there. There were times wherein something that happened in the first book was touched upon, and while I did understand the general gist of what occurred, I still think that nothing beats actually reading something as it actually transpires. Nothing that vital, let me hasten to add, but ultimately, I feel like reading the previous book would have had me enjoy Mia and the Bad Boy more.

All in all, If you're looking for a cute, fun read with a little drama (AND ONE HOT ROCK STAR), Mia and the Bad Boy is the book for you. It's the perfect book to read after that difficult exam, or even after that long, hard day at work. I had no problem breezing throught it in one sitting, and I can't wait for the rest of this addicting series! 

Rating: 3.5 Stars

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The Next Forever by Lisa Burstein

The Next Forever

Title: The Next Forever
Author: Lisa Burstein
Release Date: January 13, 2013
Published by: Entangled Publishing (Ever After)
Source: An e-copy was sent by the publisher in exchange of an honest review
One night in college can change everything…

Away at college, Amy just wants one night alone without her high school sweetheart, Joe. So when he invites her to go to the library, she heads off on her own instead. How she ended up at a house party with the mysterious bad-boy Trevor is another story…

Joe so isn’t going to the library. He needs space from Amy, too, so he’s decided to rush a fraternity, to get back the swagger he had in high school. But it doesn’t take long for the brothers to invite him to the real rush here the beer is flowing and one particular girl has set her eyes on Joe.

Over the course of one wild night, both Amy and Joe will have to decide if their futures belong with two new people, or whether the next forever will have their first loves in it
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THOUGHTS:

If you've read Pretty Amy (and I do recommend that you read it before delving into The Next Forever), you might have a slight idea of what to expect from this novella. Don't let the gorgeous cover fool you - just like Pretty Amy, The Next Forever is intense, full of gritty, emotional scenes and stark self-realizations. Burstein's writing is as strong as ever as she explores the next chapter of Amy's life, and Joe's as well. Amy got her happy-ever-after with Joe, but exactly what happens after that?

The novella reintroduces us to Amy and Joe, still romantically involved, and currently attending the same college. From the get go, it's rather apparent that their lives now pretty much revolve around each other, which in turn is similar to how Amy's life used to revolve around her high school best friends. Likewise, we also learn that Amy is very strict on herself when it comes to vices, as she is desperate not to revert to the person she once was. This was an interesting change of pace for those who have read Pretty Amy - in the aforementioned book, Amy was rebellious in the sense that she drank and smoked regularly, and this Amy was incredibly different from that Amy. She's not as brash as she once was, and this Amy was very quiet, very timid, even. It also didn't escape my attention that she seems lonelier than ever.

Unlike Pretty Amy, The Next Forever is told in alternating POVs. From the previous novel, readers never really got the chance to know the character of Joe, but this novella remedies that. Joe's POV enriches the novel as we finally get the chance to see what's on his mind, and I love that we are able to view the exact, same scenes from both characters' perspectives. We realize that despite of the fact that Joe loves Amy very much, he needs something for himself - something he can call his own. He misses who he was in high school, and he wants that Joe back. The same goes for Amy - other than Joe, she has no friends, and she's starting to feel like she doesn't know who she is anymore. We then come to the heart of the novel - are Amy and Joe ready to commit themselves to each other without losing who they are in the process? The Next Forever explores the happenings of one night - a night wherein Amy and Joe go off by themselves and see the world of college in a different light.

This is only the second of Lisa Burstein's work that I've read, and I have no qualms in saying that I'm a fan of hers. Her writing completely draws you in and places you deep inside the recesses of the minds of her characters with no problem whatsoever. Moreover, both Amy and Joe achieve so much character growth throughout the novella, and being the emotionally-attached reader that I am, I just felt so proud of them. There aren't a lot of authors who explore just what happens to the characters after riding merrily into the sunset, and I'm ecstatic that Burstein gave her readers this chance to be able to know what happens to Amy and Joe after the events of Pretty Amy.

Rating: 4 Stars