Review: Surrender by Rachel Van Dyken
SYNOPSIS:
From #1 New York Times bestselling author Rachel Van Dyken comes the next standalone rockstar romance in her Seaside Pictures series…
I had his posters on my wall when I was sixteen and when I accidentally got pregnant in high school—his was the face I dreamt of when I closed my eyes at night.
Now, over twenty years later, that dream’s turned into a reality.
Not only is Drew Amhurst in my tiny town of Seaside, live and in the flesh…
But he’s mentoring my rockstar son.
Drew says he’s mine for a week.
And he made me three promises.
“No strings attached.”
“No falling in love.”
“It’s only seven days.”
He’s confident that he can help me rediscover myself both in and out of the bedroom, and I’m confident that he’s too arrogant for his own good.
And at the end of seven days, he swears he’ll walk out of my life the way he came into it.
The only problem is, the more I get to know him, the more I want to surrender the last pieces of my heart and beg him to stay.
REVIEW:
*Book Received in Exchange for Honest Opinion/Review*
This book was disappointing to say the least. I didn’t think there would be a character that I disliked as much as Angelica, but then there is Drew. This story was filled with insta-love, the corniest one-liners I have read in a very long time, and a lack of heart. It seems like Rachel’s books have take a shift in 2020 and not for the better.
I am not really sure what is going on. I like Drew as an individual character and Bronte isn’t bad as a character either but these two have met a handful of times and then suddenly their lust for one another turns to love and my brain is having trouble wrapping around it. And on this lust to love journey are the awful, cheesy, cringe-worthy lines. You know the ones I am talking about, “I wasn’t watching the sunset, I was watching you” or “you aren’t beautiful, you’re breathtaking” .
The drama between Drew and Bronte felt unnecessary, especially because they hardly know each other to begin with. Their whole relationship seemed superficial, it lacked the emotional depth and deeper connection. Drew’s relationship with Amelia, Bronte’s daughter, was deeper than his relationship with Bronte. Also Drew calls Bronte, who is older, ‘little girl’ which made me cringe every single time it was mentioned.
As always, Rachel does pull through with some A+ bromance texting which left me with a temporary smile. The epilogue was cute and predictable. I guess at this point in following and reading Rachel’s work, I want more. I want more depth and more heart. This book felt rushed, like she was on a timeline and as a result, it felt like a glass half-empty kind of read, one I wouldn’t recommend.
LINKS:
Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble
