Tuesday, February 18, 2014

Blog Tour (Review + Excerpt + Giveaway): Solving For Ex by LeighAnn Kopans

Welcome to my stop in Solving For Ex blog tour!
Check out my review, excerpt, and giveaway below. ;)


Solving For Ex
by LeighAnn Kopans

Genre: YA, contemporary, romance
Published February 11th 2014
Source: Author


Blurb (Goodreads):
1 crush on your best friend +
1 gorgeous, scheming new girl +
1 Mathletics competition =
1 big mess

SIMPLIFY.

Ashley Price doesn’t have much in life after being bullied so hard she had to leave her old school to live with her aunt and uncle in Pittsburgh. But the camera she borrowed from her best friend and secret crush Brendan, and her off the charts math abilities, make things a lot more bearable. Plus, since Brendan is the captain, making the school Mathletes team should be easy. 

But when gorgeous new girl Sofia rolls in and steals Brendan, Ashley's place on the team, and her fragile foothold on the Mansfield Park Prep social totem pole, it’s on. Sofia is everything Ashley left her old school to escape. The only thing Ashley didn’t count on is Sofia’s sexy twin brother Vincent.

Vincent is not only the hottest boy in school, he’s charming, sweet, and he’s got his eye on Ashley. He’s also not taking no for an answer. There's no real reason Ashley shouldn't like Vincent, but with the
battle lines being drawn between her and Sofia, Ashley’s not sure which side he’s on. Or which side she wants him to be on.

She does know Sofia is trouble with a capital T, and she’s determined to make Brendan see it.

SOLVING FOR EX is a YA contemporary romance that remixes Mansfield Park as Clueless meets Mean Girls in a crazy mix of high school society, mathletic competition, and teenage romance.





My Thoughts:

*This review is based from an advance/uncorrected proof reading ebook copy provided by the author.


When I saw the first paragraph equation of Solving For Ex's blurb, I knew I have to read it. That's what I also told Leigh, the author. Having a crush on your best friend always makes me wonder how they deal with it and how will it end up. That, and this looking like a cute contemporary read sure won me wanting.

The first chapter proved right away that it is indeed a light and fun read. Something that would send butterflies in my stomach crazy, and it did. Ash/Ashley and Brendan are best friends and are Math geniuses. Their relationship are well, like best friends, but there's also spark whenever they're together. The first few pages are intriguing and enjoyable to read until the drop-dead gorgeous twins arrived.

Sofia and Vincent are the kind of characters a girl lead like Ash gets in trouble with. The twins arrived and her world turned upside-down. These characters are very effective as an antagonists, so great that I wanted to tear their faces and hair out because of being mean and just annoying, no matter how good-looking they are.

The story was something I expected, chaotic yet fun. However, I got a little bored and frustrated in the middle of the book. The events are irritating rather than cute and I came to the point where I'm not sure which character is the most annoying: Sofia, Ash, or Brendan. I also noticed some typos but since I read an uncorrected proof, I understand. The ending was a little predictable and I hoped I saw a better, cute ending than what I read. Nevertheless, this book was entertaining.

Solving For Ex was like something you'd watch on a rom-com movies or light contemporary novels. And just like others, this book has its own strengths and weaknesses. But in overall, I enjoyed reading it and liked it. I would recommend this to people who likes light and fun contemporary romance.


*Thank you so much Leigh for this opportunity and for the review ecopy!

Rating:







EXCERPT

Chapter One
the means of settling well 
If every problem had as clear and quick an answer as those on the Mathletes exam, I would have been winning at life. Too bad things didn't work like that, and Brendan, the guy I was hopelessly in love with, reminded me of the fact every day.
I could almost hear the smirk on his face from behind me on the rickety metal grated walkway at the top of Squirrel Hill's water tower. "If a is less than b, and three squared plus four squared plus five squared plus twelve squared equals a squared plus b squared is satisfied by only one pair of positive integers, what is the value of a plus b?"
I yawned. "Eighteen."
"Damn, Ashley. You didn't even write that down."
"I did in my head." I grinned, lining up my shot.
"Doesn't count. You've been practicing, haven't you? We swore we wouldn't practice. Now you'll be faster than me!"
"Not possible. And I haven't been practicing. Not that much." Only a couple of hours a day.
"I knew you were awesome, but man. That's fast."
My heart seriously skipped a beat.
I was in love with Brendan because he was Brendan, and I was me, and we were perfect for each other.
We weren't together because I didn't have the balls to tell him.
"So. You're psyched to be back, right?"
"Was there ever a question?" The truth was, wild horses couldn't drag me back to my old school.
It was the last Saturday morning before classes started for the year at Mansfield Prep, and in Squirrel Hill, Pennsylvania, summer had overstayed its welcome. If I hadn't known better, I would have sworn the fog was steam. It draped itself over the sleepy Pittsburgh district like a blanket, conforming to the curves and angles of every street lamp, late-summer rose, and porch swing. And whoever sat on them. Including me.
Even though I knew sitting up here would make the top layer of my freshly straightened hair frizz, I loved the feel of the warm wet air on my face. I loved the mountains pushing up all around the moat of rivers that cradled the city of Pittsburgh. I loved how the fog diffused even the harshest summer-morning sunshine and cast the glittering skyscraper windows in a magical mist.
It was a welcome change from the farming town of Williamson, where my parents lived. Where I'd lived, until eight months ago.



About the Author
Raised on comic books and classic novels, I developed an early love of science fiction and literature.  As an adult, I rediscovered my love for not only reading, but also writing the types of fiction that enchanted me as a teen. 

I live with my husband and four children in Columbus, Ohio. When I'm not immersed in the world of fiction, you can find me obsessing over the latest superhero movie or using my  kids as an excuse to go out for ice cream (again.)



***

GIVEAWAY!







1 comment:

  1. This sounds like a cute book with some interesting drama. It sounds like the story is a bit predictable, but I am glad you were still able to enjoy it. Thanks for sharing and for the giveaway. :)
    ~Jess

    ReplyDelete

Don't leave with your thoughts unshared!