Blog Tour Review & Giveaway: Rival Love

Title: Rival Love
Author: Natalie Decker
Release date: August 26th, 2014
Publisher: Swoon Romance
Source: Blog Tour Host


Summary from Goodreads:
Skylar Fletcher is a proud Harris Academy Bulldog! She has everything she’s ever wanted: a perfect boyfriend, great friends, and her dream college waiting for her in the fall. But nothing lasts forever. Skylar's world shatters when her mom decides it is time to move and drags Skylar, kicking and screaming, into Bobcat territory.

At Delmont High School, home of the Bobcats, Skylar has no friends and is often bullied. To make matters worse, her home life sucks thanks to all-star quarterback Caleb Morgan, nephew of her mom's live-in boyfriend.

At first Skylar and Caleb want nothing to do with one another. But they soon discover they're not that different after all--and each is harboring a secret attraction to the other. But can a Bulldog and a Bobcat ever really be more than friends? And are Skylar and Caleb willing to risk everything to find out? Rival Love is a debut young adult contemporary romance from Natalie Decker.

But it now on Amazon

About the Author:
Natalie Decker is the Author of Rival Love. She loves oceans, sunsets, sand between her toes, and carefree days. Her imagination is always going, which some find odd. But she believes in seeing the world in a different light at all times. Her first passion for writing started at age twelve when she had to write a poem for English class. However, seventh grade wasn’t her favorite time and books were her source of comfort. She took all college prep classes in High school, and attended the University of Akron. Although she studied Mathematics she never lost her passion for writing or her comfort in books. She’s a mean cook in the kitchen, loves her family and friends and her awesome dog infinity times infinity. If she’s not writing, reading, traveling, hanging out with her family and friends, then she’s off having an adventure. Because Natalie believes in a saying: Your life is your own journey, so make it amazing!
Website |Goodreads | Twitter Facebook

Review:

★★★★

Three and a half stars, rounded up.

---

Rival Love is a book that I sped through in a day. It was a gripping and entertaining tale of young love that isn't always as easy as the television and movies seem to be.

A large reason of why I liked this book is Caleb. He's the star quarterback and is a pretty alpha-minded young man. He is both protective and insufferable, while managing to have just the right amount of teenage angst. I feel this way largely about Skylar as well. At first I thought she was really whiny and annoying, but I grew to like her the more I got inside her head. I loved seeing what would happen next, and how this forbidden high school romance would come to be. This book offers sides of both characters' stories, so you get a well-rounded opinion as the plot unfolds.

A plot that I really liked, from the get-go when I first read the summary. I really, really like the idea of this book. This is probably in large part to the fact that I was in a school district where loyalty was pretty fierce. The other school was the "rough school", and it would have been horrid to go there. (I am sure it was lovely and all, but pride is pride.) I think a lot of readers will relate to this idea of rivalry.

That being said, I do feel like this die hard high school loyalty is a bit extreme, to the point of violence. So were her old "friends" and boyfriend. It felt a bit over dramatic, which annoyed me a little bit. But really, it's high school. Don't we all think we're the kings of the world when we're there, before we're out in the real world? High school is full of drama, so while annoying it is not entirely unbelievable.

Another thing that hung me up about this book a bit is the use of slang/profanity. I have no issues with either clean reads, or ones that are rather colorful. But I felt that in Rival Love that it was a weird blend of the two. Sometimes swears were greatly avoided, like hitting Caleb in his "bad area". But other times, f-bombs were dropping. It just didn't gel quite right, and it was something that I noticed.

However, even with these hang ups, this was a pretty good read for me. It had a good sense of humor to it but also addressed some relatable, real issues like bullying and divorce. This is a great read for anyone currently in high school, especially for the athletes or those in schools with notorious rivalry. As mentioned earlier, this book does contain some language and bullying content, so be aware of that.

I was given a copy in exchange for my honest review.

Giveaway:

$10 Amazon gift card + ebook of Rival Love (INT)

a Rafflecopter giveaway


Blog Tour Organized by:
YA Bound Book Tours