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ARC Book Review: Wild Cards – Simone Elkeles


wildcardsWild Cards
Author: Simone Elkeles
Series: Wild Cards #1
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Release Date: October 1, 2013
Publisher: Walker Books for Young Readers

Goodreads | Amazon | TBD

Summary:

After getting kicked out of boarding school, bad boy Derek Fitzpatrick has no choice but to live with his ditzy stepmother while his military dad is deployed. Things quickly go from bad to worse when he finds out she plans to move them back to her childhood home in Illinois. Derek’s counting the days before he can be on his own, and the last thing he needs is to get involved with someone else’s family drama.
Ashtyn Parker knows one thing for certain – people you care about leave without a backward glance. A football scholarship would finally give her the chance to leave. So she pours everything into winning a state championship, until her boyfriend and star quarterback betrays them all by joining their rival team. Ashtyn needs a new game plan, but it requires trusting Derek – someone she barely knows, someone born to break the rules. Is she willing to put her heart on the line to try and win it all?

 
First Sentence: Getting caught wasn’t part of the plan.

My Review:

The good news: Wild Cards was good.

The bad news: It wasn’t as good as I wanted it to be.

Let me explain. Reading Perfect Chemistry is a guilty pleasure of mine. I loved that book right from the very first page. However, as I continued on with Simone Elkeles’ Perfect Chemistry series, I noticed one very obvious problem that I’m sure tons of other people have noticed: the Perfect Chemistry series pretty much have different characters, but with basically the same plot. When I heard that Simone Elkeles was starting a new series, Wild Cards, I was beyond excited, but also a little wary. Will her Wild Cards series have the same problem as her Perfect Chemistry series? Should I even get my hopes up?

“Stop or I’m calling the police!” demands a girl’s voice from behind me. (ARC 18)

Here’s the thing: don’t read the book summary if you haven’t already. I’m serious, skip it. There’s a spoiler in there that covered one-third of the entire book. That spoiler had me really nervous because I just knew it was going to happen, but at the same time, I didn’t know when it was going to happen, and I also knew that when it happens, all hell will break loose. Each page was a nerve-racking moment until I reached that specific part, so trust me, you don’t want that to happen to you.

Before I started Wild Cards, I was admittingly worried about the book. I’ve heard from many of my fellow trusted book bloggers that Wild Cards had a huge case of insta-hate/insta-love, so I lowered my expectations before going into the book. I shouldn’t have worried. After reading and finishing Wild Cards, I have to say that I agree, Wild Cards does have insta-hate and insta-lust (I personally don’t think it’s insta-love), but it didn’t bother me at all. Let me tell you why: If a new guy arrives and moves into the house I’m living in without another moment’s notice, that’s my age as well, well, I will insta-hate him too, especially if he steals all the attention and family love away from me. And, well, if he’s also ultra-hot, you can definitely expect some insta-lust to happen because hey, you’re living with him 24/7 and will be seeing him every single day, sometimes with his shirt off. Lust definitely develops after that.

“Don’t be afraid of her,” Derek tells Julian. “Your aunt’s not mean. She’s just crazy.” (ARC 25)

Wild Cards is told from two different characters’ point of view: Ashtyn and Derek. I don’t know about you, but I love it when contemporaries and romances are told from two different points of view: the main character and the love interest. (I always love peeking into a guy’s brain. I need to know more about how their brain works.)

Ashtyn, one of the main characters, was one annoying girl. She was really emotional, and believe me, I’m pretty emotional myself. Ashtyn cried over a not-so-sad letter (but again, that’s just my opinion that the letter wasn’t sad at all), destroyed an object that could probably be sold for like $500+ on ebay just because the guy who gave her that object rejected her not so subtly, and talks/lashes out without thinking it through. I was shaking my head at Ashtyn’s horrible attitude throughout the book. To make matters worse, Ashtyn is also totally clueless. Yeah, definitely not a good combination.

Now onto the romance. At first, I was way into the book – the way Ashtyn and Derek met was just too cute to not swoon over. However, as I read on, things dulled down, by a lot. The main reason why things dulled down is because Simone Elkeles did a lot of telling instead of showing with the romance in Wild Cards. Instead of telling us that Derek felt a lot of chemistry with Ashtyn and vice versa, she can show us that like she sometimes did: Derek thinking about the shape of Ashtyn’s lips, Ashtyn admiring Derek’s body, etc. Unlike the Perfect Chemistry series, Ashtyn and Derek’s romance just didn’t jump out at me. Ashtyn and Derek’s romance just don’t stand out with the other amazing romance couples I have read about.

“Let’s just get one thing straight, Cowboy.” She eyes my collection of boots lined up in the corner. “You might be used to getting girls to rub your feet or do whatever you want by flashing that smile or showing your six-pack, but it’s not gonna work with me.” (ARC 27)

Wild Cards reminded me of Catching Jordan by Miranda Kenneally. Both of the two books have the struggling female football player trying to go big aspect. Both of them features female characters that are struggling to be the best football player that there can ever be, with some huge obstacles in the way, starting with their gender. Too bad Catching Jordan doesn’t have the dual character point of view Wild Cards does though because I’ll love to get into Sam Henry’s mind like how I was able to get into Derek’s mind.

As a final note, I don’t know if the finished copy of Wild Cards has this, but the ARC of Wild Cards had tons of random underlining. Some of them made sense (some of the underlining were used to emphasize a certain point/word) while sometimes, it didn’t make sense at all (why do you need to underline a period? I still don’t get that). I’m too lazy to check my finished copy to see if it has the same problem, but I’m suspecting that it probably doesn’t have the same problem.

Overall, I’m still kind of, sort of, a Simone Elkeles fan. Just like Jennifer Echols, I love their first books, but their latest books just aren’t doing it for me. As for whether or not I’ll recommend this book, I think dedicated Simone Elkeles fans will absolutely love Wild Cards, while others will just plain old either like it or not like it. It’s a toss-up.

three

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-Kelly

Posted by Kelly on 10-06-13 · 22 Comments
Categories: 2013 book, book review Tagged: 3 star

« Stacking the Shelves [52]
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Speak Your Mind

  1. Cali W. says

    10-06-13 at 3:09 PM

    Cool review! I love this author. I thought this book was cute it wasn’t my absolute favorite of hers. I hope she writes a book about Vic, he intrigues me. <3

    Reply
    • Kelly says

      10-07-13 at 9:11 PM

      I predict that Simone Elkeles would write a book about Jet next. I dunno, that whole “I’m not going to fall in love thing” was pushed a little too hard in Wild Cards, which is why I think that Jet’s book would be next. :P
      Kelly recently posted…Judge A Book By Its Signature: Just One Day – Gayle FormanMy Profile

      Reply
  2. Dianne says

    10-06-13 at 11:31 PM

    I have an egalley of this for review. It would be my first Simone Elkeles book and I’ve been reading mixed reviews or so-so reviews for this. So I’m a bit afraid and wary! I want to love Simone but if my first book of hers isn’t THAT great, I might postpone reading her other novels which I heard were great. So there. Good thing the insta-love/lust didn’t bother you. I hate insta-love but sometimes when the execution’s right, I don’t mind it. Great, honest and very detailed review, Kelly!
    Dianne recently posted…Review: Cracked Up to Be by Courtney SummersMy Profile

    Reply
    • Kelly says

      10-07-13 at 9:14 PM

      I recommend you postpone reading this one and read Simone Elkeles’ Perfect Chemistry instead. Perfect Chemistry is THE book that made me fall in love with Simone Elkeles’ writing. Too bad the rest of the Perfect Chemistry series basically has different characters, but the same plot. :l
      I think the insta-lust is right in this case, I mean, you’re living with a hot guy 24/7! I’ll be drooling everyday. ;P
      Thanks Dianne! :D<3
      Kelly recently posted…Judge A Book By Its Signature: Just One Day – Gayle FormanMy Profile

      Reply
  3. Jane says

    10-07-13 at 8:02 AM

    I’m a huge fan of Simone Elkeles’ Perfect Chemistry series so I’m really sad to see that Wild Cards wasn’t as good as Perfect Chemistry was. I’ll still give Wild Cards a try though. Maybe I’ll like it more than you did.
    Great review Kelly!

    Reply
    • Kelly says

      10-07-13 at 9:22 PM

      Eep, I hope you’ll enjoy Wild Cards more than I did Jane! Who knows, maybe you’ll like it more than me.
      Thanks! (:
      Kelly recently posted…Judge A Book By Its Signature: Just One Day – Gayle FormanMy Profile

      Reply
  4. Nancy @ Tumbling Books says

    10-07-13 at 7:23 PM

    What a shame! I haven’t read any of her other books, because I’ve read the summaries and they all sound pretty similar to me. Bad boy + good girl. Always. I was thinking of getting this and I read the summary, but like I said, it sounded like all others.

    It’s so frustrating when you don’t really like the characters, especially whinny cry-baby girls. Ew. GROW A BACKBONE. haha

    I’m surprised you rated it 3 stars! I was sure you would give it less, so at least there’s a little bit of hope there. :)
    Nancy @ Tumbling Books recently posted…Review: FangirlMy Profile

    Reply
    • Kelly says

      10-07-13 at 9:28 PM

      Yeah, bad boy + good girl is definitely a common theme in her books, but then again, most contemporaries + romances focus on some kind of bad boy/girl + good boy/girl.
      I know! Is it so hard to suck it up and actually sell that $500+ object on ebay, earn a profit, and show off the money in front of the guy, making him regret giving her that object for a LONG time? That’s a WAY better plan than just destroying the object in my opinion, plus she can buy more pretty clothing with the money she earns.
      I rated it 3 stars because I LOVED the beginning. I was smiling a wild goofy smile while reading it, especially when I discovered the way how Derek and Ashtyn first met. It was definitely creative and unique. :P
      Kelly recently posted…Judge A Book By Its Signature: Just One Day – Gayle FormanMy Profile

      Reply
  5. Leah @ The Pretty Good Gatsby says

    10-08-13 at 2:44 PM

    haha, it looks like you enjoyed this one a bit more than I did. Given that the blurb talks about football, I expected, you know, FOOTBALL. Sadly that just wasn’t the case.

    I noticed a lot of those marks (underlining, etc) while reading my copy too.
    Leah @ The Pretty Good Gatsby recently posted…164 years ago..My Profile

    Reply
    • Kelly says

      10-08-13 at 8:29 PM

      None of the contemporaries I’ve read that has a certain sport as a theme REALLY focuses on the sport, only on the romance/family problem/whatever. I think Catching Jordan did a better job with the football talk though, although Catching Jordan still mainly focused on the romance instead of football.
      Those marks were so annoying. At first, they were used correctly, but then they were used randomly, distracting me from the story a little. ):
      Kelly recently posted…Top Ten Best/Worst Series EndersMy Profile

      Reply
  6. Sandra @Sandra's World of Books says

    10-14-13 at 3:28 AM

    I haven’t read any books by the author and this book seemed interesting as I read a couple of ARC reviews and I got curious to the plot. I added it to my TBR list.
    Sandra @Sandra’s World of Books recently posted…September Wrap UpMy Profile

    Reply
    • Kelly says

      10-14-13 at 8:36 PM

      I honestly don’t know if you’ll like this one Sandra. Wild Cards lacked Simone Elkeles’ usual chemistry and entertainment in her books. Maybe you should give her Perfect Chemistry a try instead? o:
      In the end, I hope you’ll enjoy this one!
      Kelly recently posted…Spooktacular Giveaway HopMy Profile

      Reply
  7. The Unofficial Addiction Book Fan Club says

    10-16-13 at 6:05 PM

    Hi Kelly,

    I read Wild Cards the release day and I didn’t find the underling you are saying. Though I totally agree with you. As a fan of Simone Elkeles, this book didn’t stop my heart like her firsts books (Perfect Chemistry, etc.). However, I enjoyed it. I’d give it like you, three or three and a half points. Don’t know… it was not a passionate bookmance, like with other books :( And I was expecting this book SINCE…. forever? hahaha Thanks for sharing your thoughts ;)
    The Unofficial Addiction Book Fan Club recently posted…Poison Princess (The Arcana Chronicles #1) by Kresley ColeMy Profile

    Reply
    • Kelly says

      10-19-13 at 11:49 AM

      Hi! :D
      I’m glad to know that the finished copy don’t have those weird underlining bits. They were REALLY annoying in the ARC.
      Yeah, I was expecting Wild Cards since, like, FOREVER, ever since the Perfect Chemistry series ended. Too bad it was a disappointment. ):
      Kelly recently posted…Stacking the Shelves [54]My Profile

      Reply
  8. Rachelle says

    10-19-13 at 5:39 AM

    I loved Perfect Chemistry I just saw this last week browsing Amazon and was curious about it. It looks good. Thanks for the awesome review and for being totally honest its very much appreciated <3

    Reply
    • Kelly says

      10-19-13 at 11:50 AM

      I hope you’ll enjoy this one as much as you enjoyed Perfect Chemistry Rachelle! (:
      Kelly recently posted…Stacking the Shelves [54]My Profile

      Reply
  9. dajely says

    10-28-13 at 3:51 PM

    hey! i have a problem with this, i dont like perfect chemistry but i like this book, the cover is just so beautiful and good to be honest and the plot was good, the only problem is the narration, that´s my problem with simon, but everything else is ok, thanks for a honest review!

    Reply
    • Kelly says

      10-30-13 at 8:25 PM

      I’m glad you like this one Dajely. It’s sad that I don’t like this one, but hey, everybody has a different opinion on nearly everything right?
      Simon? Do you mean Simone? o:
      Kelly recently posted…Top Ten Best Books To Read For HalloweenMy Profile

      Reply
  10. Joanna V says

    11-13-13 at 7:12 PM

    This book sounds so great. I love Simone Elkeles<3
    Three stars isn't so bad :o
    Although I might have a problem with Ashtyn o.o
    I guess I'll have to read it to see if I'll like it or not. Thanks for the review(:
    Joanna V recently posted…It’s Monday! What Are You Reading?My Profile

    Reply
    • Kelly says

      11-17-13 at 9:06 PM

      I love Simone Elkeles’ books too, but Wild Cards wasn’t as good as I expected it to be.
      Ha ha, I hope you’ll love this one Joanna! -crosses my fingers for you-
      Kelly recently posted…Book Review: Anna and the French Kiss – Stephanie PerkinsMy Profile

      Reply
  11. Richa @ City of Books says

    11-17-13 at 8:34 AM

    I’ve been wanting to read this one for a while, even though I haven’t read the Perfect Chemistry series. I like the idea of the main characters and the plot, but the insta-lust part seems a bit iffy.. I’ve read some mixed reviews of this but I do want to read it and see for myself.
    Great review :)
    Richa @ City of Books recently posted…Review: Suddenly Royal by Nicole ChaseMy Profile

    Reply
    • Kelly says

      11-17-13 at 9:08 PM

      Ahhh, I’ll personally recommend Perfect Chemistry over Wild Cards because Perfect Chemistry is A LOT better than Wild Cards.
      I hope you’ll enjoy Wild Cards when you get a chance to read it Richa! Who knows, maybe you’ll feel differently about it than I did.
      Thank you! (:
      Kelly recently posted…Book Review: Anna and the French Kiss – Stephanie PerkinsMy Profile

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