ARC Review – Landslide by Jenn Cooksey

Title: Landslide
Author: Jenn Cooksey
Series: No
Source: Received from the author in exchange for an honest review

Description from Goodreads:

For Erica and Cole, the bond of friendship was forged in childhood.

Now, torn and broken by grief, that bond will become paramount as two friends look to one another for comfort, strength, and hope in the aftermath of loss. On a journey taken both together and alone, Erica and Cole search for healing and life born anew. Although when mistakes, secrets and betrayal are revealed, the two must each learn to accept that even saints and some angels are human and people aren’t always who they appear to be.

But in the age old struggle to forget and forgive, realization dawns. And with it, so does the understanding that sometimes, the sturdiest foundation for the future lies buried in the dust of the past. Because, for some people…

…love is friendship caught on fire.

Review

This review is also posted on my new blog, Two Moms Reading.

Ever since Jac recommended Jenn Cooksey’s Shark Bait to me back in 2012, I have been a huge fan! Her Grab Your Pole (GYP) series is one of my favorites, and it is so realistic, hilarious, and heartwarming all at the same time. I have been anxiously awaiting more from Jenn since I finished Shark Out of Water back in July 2013, so when I heard that she was releasing a new, non-GYP book, I was super excited, but also a little bit nervous. Like I said, I have come to consider Jenn as a favorite, go-to author based solely on her GYP series, so what if I didn’t like it? Aside from loving Jenn as a person (seriously, I have conversations with her), I would have been devastated to not like Landslide. My nerves were very quickly eased when I was completely hooked within the first two chapters!

If it’s one thing that I would have to say that Jenn excels at, it would have to be writing her characters. She has written some of the best characters I’ve ever read. None of them ever feels flat or underdeveloped, and they’re so real that I sometimes forget that they’re not! And Landslide is no different. Right from the start, I was completely drawn to Cole and Erica. Their friendship was so fun, and as their romantic feelings grew, they just got better. Also, Cole’s use of pet names, specifically “sweetheart”, kind of reminded me of Haymitch from The Hunger Games, which was always good for a smile.

I pretty much loved everything about Landslide. That’s not to say I didn’t occasionally get frustrated and want to smack someone for being stupid. That’s pretty much par for the course with any romance. But those were very minor. There were so many surprises! Every time I thought I had the book figured out, I’d quickly find out that I was wrong, and so I could not put it down!

There’s not really much more I can say about Landslide without spoiling everything (which would suck for you and get me in trouble with Jenn!), but I absolutely loved it, possibly even more than GYP. It’s one of the best books I’ve ever read, and you need to read it NOW! Honestly, I would give it more than 5 stars if I could!

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