Fool Me Twice
Author: Mandy Hubbard
Series: None
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Release Date: May 6, 2014
Publisher: Bloomsbury USA Childrens
Summary:
Then, Landon takes a nasty fall and gets amnesia. Suddenly, he’s stuck in the past — literally. His most recent memory is of last summer, when he and Mack were still together, so now he’s calling her pet names and hanging all over her. It’s the perfect chance for revenge. The plan is simple: keep Landon at arm’s length, manipulate him so he’s the one falling love, and then BAM, dump him. There’s just one problem: Mack can’t fall for Landon all over again.
The If Only romance line is all about wanting what you can’t have, and Mandy Hubbard’s hilarious break-up/love story is sure to captivate anyone who has ever wished for a second shot at love.
First Sentence: “I love it when you act like guys are aliens,” my best friend, Bailey, says, smirking as she tosses me a fluffy white towel.
I received a copy of the book from the publisher in exchange for a honest review. All opinions are my own and I was not compensated for this review.
My Review:
I love reading romance novels. (I wonder how many of you guys are rolling your eyes at this.) Romance novels are a huge guilty pleasure of mine and as soon as I saw that Bloomsbury was releasing a new young adult line called If Only that focused on romance novels, I knew I wanted to read the new line asap. I was lucky enough to get an ARC of Fool Me Twice from them (thank you Bloomsbury!) and was really looking forward to reading it, especially since Fool Me Twice consists of a revenge plot – specifically getting back at the ex-boyfriend that dumped you. There were so many directions Fool Me Twice could go with that idea.
He flashes me a wolfish smile, the one that makes him seem half-dangerous, half-sexy. But now I know what really lurks beneath all those muscles and cowboy swagger, and his smile is no longer so attractive. (ARC 12)
Right from the very first page of Fool Me Twice, I had a problem with Mandy Hubbard’s writing. It was choppy, messy, and it just didn’t flow. The writing was awkward and that made the book itself confusing sometimes. Mandy Hubbard’s writing made me want DNF Fool Me Twice when I was just two chapters in, but the premise of the book kept me engaged enough to read on. However, the writing did become better as I read on. The writing was not as awkward toward the end of the book, but it could also be because I got used to Mandy Hubbard’s writing.
Another problem I had with Fool Me Twice was the characters themselves, namely Mackenzie, “Mack” for short, and Landon. Let’s start with the issue I have with Landon, namely the way he broke up with Mack. I don’t count this as a spoiler since the way Landon broke up with Mack (if it could even be called that) was revealed on page 11. Basically, both Mack and Landon were still dating when they left the ranch after the summer and when Mack goes back to school, she goes to greet Landon, only to see him making out with his ex-girlfriend in the hallway. To make matters even worse, Landon is well aware of Mack crying when she saw them, but he just doesn’t care. I have a very hard time believing that Mack would want Landon back after that, especially when she had a year to get over him and just move on to better pastures. To make matters even worse, Landon’s reasoning for why he dumped her that way didn’t make matters better, just worse. I can’t tell you why he dumped her that way because it’s a spoiler, but believe me, his reason for dumping Mack is so insensitive and just dumb.
He was leaning in to kiss her, while I stood there dumbfounded. He knew exactly what he was doing because mid-way through their steamy makeout session, he saw me staring, a strange gleam in his eyes as he watched the way I unraveled. (ARC 11)
Since I didn’t like Landon and what he did to Mack, I obviously couldn’t cheer for the couple. Sure, I wanted Mack to be happy even though what makes her happy was an awful guy like Landon, but I was hoping that maybe she’ll find a new, better guy, even though there would be a 2% chance of that happening. So I’m sad to note that in Fool Me Twice there is no love triangle. And yes, this is the first book where I’m dying for a love triangle to happen, but didn’t get. Anyone would be better than Landon in my opinion.
The only redeeming factor Fool Me Twice had was that it was ultimately a cute book once you reach the middle of the book. There were moments that made me smile and other moments that made me tear up. My recommendation is that you’ll definitely enjoy Fool Me Twice more if you can look pass the characters’ past actions (especially Landon) and get used to the awkward writing like how I did towards the end of the book.
Overall, Fool Me Twice was a cute read, but I did have my problems with it. (I still can’t get over Landon’s awfulness.) I’ll love to read more books with a similar premise, so if you guys know any, let me know!
I DNF this book for the same reason , and I have read her other books too. This one didn’t work for at all.
julie@m5monkeys recently posted…We were Liars
I haven’t read any of Mandy Hubbard’s other books, but was interested in reading Ripple. Now, not that much sadly. :l
Kelly recently posted…A Weekend Signing With Jenny Han + Morgan Matson With A Giveaway
Oh no, this definitely sounds disappointing. I was excited to read you review, but the cover and summary looked interesting (I love romance, too!!) but I can tell from your review that this book isn’t for me either.
Quinn @ Quinn’s Book Nook recently posted…Audio Review: Slimed!: An Oral History of Nickelodeon’s Golden Age by Mathew Klickstein
The summary of Fool Me Twice made me want to read it NOW, but yeah, it was disappointing in more ways than one. :l
Kelly recently posted…A Weekend Signing With Jenny Han + Morgan Matson With A Giveaway
I had the same thoughts on this book as you did! I thought Landon’s reason for dumping Mack was flimsy and if I were Mack, what he said would definitely raise a red flag no matter how sweet he became after the accident.
Annie recently posted…Annie’s Ultimate Playlist (2)
RIGHT?! Don’t you just want to do some physical harm to Landon, especially with this less than satisfying reason? I just don’t get what Mack sees in him!
Kelly recently posted…A Weekend Signing With Jenny Han + Morgan Matson With A Giveaway
I have been curious about this one. The chopping writing I think would bother me and an awful main guy sounds like I will be passing on this one for now.
Ashley @The Quiet Concert recently posted…April 2014 Recap
I was really curious about this one too, but the writing and the love interest just ruined things for me. ):
If you ever decide to read this one, I hope you’ll enjoy it better than I did Ashley! (:
Kelly recently posted…A Weekend Signing With Jenny Han + Morgan Matson With A Giveaway
I don’t think I know any books with the same premise as this one, but there are two books I would love to see you read and review: Solving For Ex by LeighAnn Kopans and Effortless With You by Lizzy Charles (there’s a sequel coming out towards the end of this month called Pretty Messy). I loved both of these books. And I think you might like them too! I’m glad I read this review. I’ve heard of this book every now and then, but the way you describe the book makes me think twice about reading it. Landon definitely sounds like an awful guy and I hate when guys act like jerks. I wish I knew why he broke up with Mack that way though…Great review! :D
I’ll love to read those two, but sadly my libraries don’t have them. :l
Landon is the ULTIMATE jerk and I just stared at the book in disbelief when I read his reasoning for dumping Mack that way. His excuse wasn’t even an excuse, it was that horrible.
Kelly recently posted…A Weekend Signing With Jenny Han + Morgan Matson With A Giveaway
Romance stories aren’t really my cup of tea, but I would never roll my eyes because of it. Everyone should read what they like :D I like to branch out and try different things, but I don’t think this would be the best book for me. Choppy, awkward writing-style doesn’t sound very appealing to me! I think the whole book would end up being one disappointed and I like to pick my romantic stories more carefully :) Thanks for the warning, because I had this one on my radar.
Mel@thedailyprophecy recently posted…Early Review 256. Jennifer Donnelly – Deep blue.
Some people just automatically roll their eyes when I tell them I’m reading a book with romance in it. -sighs- But yes, everyone should read what they like!
Yep, this one was full of choppy, awkward writing. It took me A LONG time to get used to it.
Kelly recently posted…A Weekend Signing With Jenny Han + Morgan Matson With A Giveaway
I will not like Landon either, he sounds like a jerk. I guess I would be skipping this one.
Sadly, Landon is a jerk. Just thinking about what he did makes me mad all over again. :l
Kelly recently posted…A Weekend Signing With Jenny Han + Morgan Matson With A Giveaway
I love romance and this premise sounded oh so good too but wow Landon doesn’t sound like the type of guy I’d want with a lovely lady ever! I had this book on my theoretical TBR list but now its definitely been crossed of and scribbled into the dirt. If you find any other books with a similar idea I’d love to see a post on them.
Katie McCue recently posted…I’ve Hit A Slump – WWW Wednesday #6
I love romance novels. I’ve read some books where characters did unforgivable things and even though I didn’t like it at all, was able to get past it. Hopefully I’ll be able to do the same here.
Chanpreet recently posted…Check out this amazing summer sale going on for two more days!
Don’t worry, I’m not rolling my eyes at you!! :D
But this doesn’t sound so good… I mean, London sound horrible. I wouldn’t want a guy like him back, especially if the reason for his awfulness is not satisfactory…
Nitzan Schwarz recently posted…Review: Monsters of Men by Patrick Ness
Yay! Another book to check out! :D
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