Very Wicked Things - Mini Review

Very Wicked Things (Briarcrest Academy, # 2)

By: Ilsa Madden-Mills

Published: May 13th 2014 by Little Dove Publishing

332 pages

Genre: New Adult, Contemporary

Source: Personal Kindle Library

( Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository )

*Note: The above links to Amazon and Book Depository are affiliate links. Affiliate links support giveaways for Somewhere Only We Know readers.

Goodreads description--Born on the poor side of town...

Ballerina Dovey Beckham is a scholarship student at Briarcrest Academy, determined to prove she’s more than just a girl with the wrong pedigree. She does whatever it takes to succeed in her endgame, even if it means surrendering her body…but never her heart.

Until the day she meets him, and he rips apart all her well-laid plans. Suddenly, the girl everyone thought unbreakable might just shatter.

Born into wealth and privilege...

Cuba “Hollywood” Hudson is rich, spoiled, and a star football player. With his fast cars and superficial girlfriends, he lives the high-life, hiding his secrets from the world.

Until the day he meets her, and she offers him something he’s never tasted... love.

But once in a lifetime kind of love doesn’t come easy. When trust crumbles and doubts creep in, both will have to decide to either love or let go... forever.

Welcome to Briarcrest Academy, where sometimes, only the wicked survive.

I don't have too much to say about Very Wicked Things, but I did want to make a few comments. I really liked how Dovey and Cuba have an entire history before the start of Very Wicked Things. Granted we do get most of their backstory in the form of flashbacks which I don't always love, but I did really like how we were thrust into the middle of their mess of a relationship rather than starting at the very beginning.

Cuba had a lot of moments that could have induced severe eye rolling. The way he pushes Dovey away and how he uses girls and sex as an escape. The way he treats Dovey isn't in any kind of way excusable even though there is a reason.

Dovey also had her moments. Despite being treated like dirt she can't stop caring for Cuba. I respect her ability to forgive, but still. Also, I struggled with her own decisions in the name of protecting those that she cares about.

Overall this was a quick read for me. It was exactly what I was in the mood for in the given moment that I read it, but I don't think Very Wicked Things will be an epic romance in my mind. I did enjoy it though. Very Wicked Things gets 3 Stars from me. Have you read Very Wicked Things? What did you think? Let me know!

*Note: There were sexual situations, but not too terribly many and not in as much detail as some new adult books. Obvious language was present as well. Just an FYI.

Very Bad Things - Review

Very Bad Things (Briarcrest Academy, # 1)

By: Ilsa Madden-Mills

Published: September 9th 2013 by Little Dove Publishing (first published September 7th 2013)

389 pages

Genre: New Adult, Contemporary

Source: Publisher via NetGalley (Thank you!!)

( Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository )

*Note: The above links to Amazon and Book Depository are affiliate links. Affiliate links support giveaways for Somewhere Only We Know readers.

Goodreads description--Born into a life of privilege and secrets, Nora Blakely has everything any nineteen-year-old girl could desire. She’s an accomplished pianist, a Texas beauty queen, and on her way to Princeton after high school. She’s perfect...

Leaving behind her million-dollar mansion and Jimmy Choos, she becomes a girl hell-bent on pushing the limits with alcohol, drugs, and meaningless sex.

Then she meets her soulmate. But he doesn’t want her.

When it comes to girls, twenty-five-year-old Leo Tate has one rule: never fall in love. His gym and his brother are all he cares about... until he meets Nora. He resists the pull of their attraction, hung up on their six year age difference.

As they struggle to stay away from each other, secrets will be revealed, tempers will flare, and hearts will be broken.

Welcome to Briarcrest Academy... where sometimes, the best things in life are Very Bad Things.

Let me start off by saying that not everyone is going to like Very Bad Things. There’s insta-love (aka love at first sight). There’s talk of being soul-mates. There’s cheesiness. There’s ridiculously fast happy endings. But you know what? Sometimes I just need these types of books. Sometimes I like cheesy. Sometimes I need an unrealistic love story that’s going to hook me until I read every page. And Very Bad Things fit that bill for me.

Very Bad Things is told from alternating POVs between Nora and Leo. Nora is a high school senior. She’s the class president, a star debater, she’s got an IQ of 160. She’s a beauty queen. She’s a talented pianist, and she’s on track to go to Princeton. But Nora doesn’t really want any of that anymore. She only wanted it before to please her mother who demands perfection from her. But Nora’s been through some very bad things in her life and she doesn’t want to pretend anymore. Leo has recently moved to town. He’s older than Nora and solely responsible for raising his younger brother, Sebastian. And he’s terrified of letting anyone too close because he knows how quickly they can be ripped out of your life.

Nora and Leo have this moment when their eyes meet across a parking lot. I think there’s a lot to be said about the circumstances surrounding the events taking place that contribute to said moment. And I can definitely understand having a moment with someone, feeling connected, and then seeking them out after that, but it’s a bit of a stretch to say anything more than that took place within the moment. Nora is pretty set on the idea of Leo from then on out. Yet Leo fights the relationship tooth and nail for much longer than I expected.

The secondary characters could have used a bit more page time. Sebastian and Mila especially since they had the biggest roles outside of Leo and Nora. But even Cuba felt like he could have been explored more. I had many questions about Mila and Cuba. And Sebastian was just such a likeable character that I’d love to learn more about him. I’m excited to say that book 2, Very Wicked Things is Cuba’s story and I look forward to delving deeper into his character. Of course, we’ll have to wade through the man-slut to get to the good stuff, but I’m invested at this point.

Very Bad Things only had two or three graphic scenes, and as new adult books go this is pretty tame.

Truthfully, Very Bad Things isn’t one of those books that I want to dissect too much. I’m not expecting anything too deep, too philosophical, or too poetic or beautiful from a story such is this one. It was good enough that I was interested to keep reading. Very Bad Things gets 3.5 Stars from me. Have you read Very Bad Things? What did you think? Let me know!