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Will The Real Abi Saunders Please Stand Up?
by Sara Hantz
Publisher: Entangled Teen (May 6, 2014)
Genre: Contemporary Romance, Young Adult
Format: eARC (320 pages)
Source: Free book from publisher for honest review
Find It: Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble
Rating: ★★★☆☆ (3 stars)
Summary
Abi Saunders might be a kickboxing champion, but when it comes to being the center of attention, she’d rather take a roundhouse kick to the solar plexus any day. So when her trainer convinces her to audition to be the stunt double for hot teen starlet Tilly Watson, Abi is shocked—and a little freaked out—when she gets the job.
Being a stunt double is overwhelming, but once the wig and makeup are on, Abi feels like a different person. Tilly Watson, to be exact. And when Tilly’s gorgeous boyfriend, Jon, mistakes Abi for the real star, Abi's completely smitten. In fact, she’s so in love with her new life, it isn’t long before she doesn’t have time for her old one.
At A GlanceAbi Saunders might be a kickboxing champion, but when it comes to being the center of attention, she’d rather take a roundhouse kick to the solar plexus any day. So when her trainer convinces her to audition to be the stunt double for hot teen starlet Tilly Watson, Abi is shocked—and a little freaked out—when she gets the job.
Being a stunt double is overwhelming, but once the wig and makeup are on, Abi feels like a different person. Tilly Watson, to be exact. And when Tilly’s gorgeous boyfriend, Jon, mistakes Abi for the real star, Abi's completely smitten. In fact, she’s so in love with her new life, it isn’t long before she doesn’t have time for her old one.
But when the cameras are turned off, will she discover
running with the Hollywood A-list isn’t quite the glamorous existence she
thought it was?
I am still conflicted about this book.
The Good
Okay, so I have had about a week to think about this book and I still don't know what the correct rating is. So, for now, it's three stars, but I might change that later. Also, I am going to change it up and do a key point review today. Hope you guys like it:
- I loved Abi. She was a badass kick boxer and a really resilient and strong stunt double.
- The beginning of the book was super fun and I really enjoyed myself while reading it.
- There were good and bad characters and I actually found them all interesting. They were flawed but redeemable.
- I love how Abi grew throughout the novel. She gained so much real world knowledge and courage to fight for what was right.
- I don't know how realistic it was but I liked the behind the scenes look at the making of a Hollywood movie, especially through a stunt double's eyes. It was crazy, fun, and a little sad.
- The concept was unique.
The Bad
- The plot was predictable.
- The whole thing was so cliché it made me roll my eyes a lot.
- Halfway through, I started to get a little bored.
- It seems like a lot of people think Abi was in the wrong when she let 'fame' change her, and she was wrong in some ways, but really it was her friends and family who were not supportive or understanding at all. It's like all of a sudden they couldn't walk all over her anymore so they got pissed. I guess Abi wasn't allowed to have a life outside of them.
The Snuggly
- The true romance happens at the end, so we don't get to enjoy the main couple being together at all.
Final Thoughts
I don't know whether I would recommend this book or not. It's light and fun, but the book as a whole was somewhat bland. Ugh, so conflicted. I guess everyone will have to decide for themselves after reading my review. Um, recommended?
Quotes
“You can dress up and pretend to be someone else, but you'll never be able to hide who you are from me. Because you shine through everything. Forget the glitz and glamour. Just be yourself. No one can compete with that."
“The other girls. You always bolt when things get intense. Remember? You don't do meeting the parents. You don't do serious."
A corner of his mouth quirks upward. "You really don't know, do you?" he asks, echoing Liv's earlier words.
I'm completely at a loss,"Know what?"
"It wasn't that they were serious." The smile he gives me then is so vulnerable, it's devastating. "It's that they weren't you Abi.”
“You can dress up and pretend to be someone else, but you'll never be able to hide who you are from me. Because you shine through everything. Forget the glitz and glamour. Just be yourself. No one can compete with that."
“The other girls. You always bolt when things get intense. Remember? You don't do meeting the parents. You don't do serious."
A corner of his mouth quirks upward. "You really don't know, do you?" he asks, echoing Liv's earlier words.
I'm completely at a loss,"Know what?"
"It wasn't that they were serious." The smile he gives me then is so vulnerable, it's devastating. "It's that they weren't you Abi.”
Author BioSara Hantz comes from the UK and now lives in Australia (via ten years in New Zealand). Sara lectured for many years before deciding to devote more time to her writing and working in the family business. She has two grown-up children and, when not writing or working, she spends more time than most people she knows watching TV--in fact if TV watching were an Olympic sport she'd win gold. She is also the author of In the Blood and The Second Virginity of Suzy Green. You can find Sara on
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This is a tour wide giveaway
I saw this on Netgalley a few months ago. I wasn't sure about it then. I think I'll give it a try when I get the chance to get a copy!
ReplyDeleteYeah, I got it on netgalley as well.
DeleteHi. Thank you for this opportunity. :))
ReplyDeleteLoved your honest review thank you. Helpful.
ReplyDelete:)
DeleteSorry to hear there was a predictable plot, but I do like the sound of Abi's growth
ReplyDeleteAbi really does grow. I felt proud of her.
DeleteI think I'm going to have to pass on this one. Predictable + cornball + boring = no bueno. Thanks for the review though. It's nice to be able to definitely mark one of the list for once ;)
ReplyDeleteJessica @ Rabid Reads
see, I need to be this precise with this book but I am still conflicted.
DeleteThanks for your honest review.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the honest review. I was a little curious about this one, but I don't think I will be in a hurry to pick up anytime soon.
ReplyDeleteYeah, no hurry, just if you get it free, then try it.
DeleteI'm not a big fan of overly predictable or cliché'd story lines unless it's in a humorous way, and it doesn't sound like was the case here. Oh well, they can't all be 5-star reads unfortunately.
ReplyDeleteYeah, true. Can't win them all.
DeleteI really enjoyed the key-point reviewing style for this one. I think it getting boring halfway through is a real sticking point. Bummer. Jaclyn @ JC's Book Haven.
ReplyDeleteYeah, true, maybe it's more like 2.5 stars.
DeleteGlad I saw the review for this. I was thinking of buying but I think I will get from the library.
ReplyDeleteEek, yeah, don't spend money on it.
DeleteI love MCs like Abi. Hmm ... I don't know, I think I'd still give this one a chance. It's tough when you feel so conflicted about a book.
ReplyDeleteYeah, I had a tough time. But Abi is such a great character. I would read the book just for her.
DeleteAbi sounds great but at the same time it's really difficult for me when a story is predictable... I get bored as well sometimes. Thanks for the review.
ReplyDeleteYeah, it was boring but for some reason I still liked it.
DeleteThanks for the honest review :) Even though this book may be predictable, I think I still would like to read it. If I get bored then most likely, I probably won't finish it. That's just me. :) Thanks for sharing & Happy Reading! :)
ReplyDeleteI hope you enjoy it if you read it.
DeleteThis sounds great, looking forward to reading it!
ReplyDeleteI like the idea of this book :)
ReplyDeleteJesus, sorry! I apologize for all the blog comments, but I haven't stopped by in awhile and you've been posting about books I've been curious about, like this one. Definitely has an interesting premise and I've always been fascinated by stunt doubles. Never thought of the "career" in YA terms, though. But your review sort of confirms some of the reasons I hesitated picking it up. I might have to still check it out, maybe read it when I need a break from everything else. Thanks for the awesome review!
ReplyDeleteAnd that's just it, parts of it were fascinating, but I wouldn't recommend this book to serious readers.
DeleteHm the thing is, this book sounds like it has a super nice main character, and a super cool idea. It's not everyday you get a main character who is interesting in kick boxing and ends up being a stuntdouble. It sounds super cool, I like it! But then again, I also can see how the bad points would be applicable: predictable and clichéd. I don't know what to think and whether I should read it or not... :/
ReplyDeletehttp://olivia-savannah.blogspot.nl/2014/05/a-thousand-splendid-suns-book-review.html
I know, I felt the same way, and I read it. lol.
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