Notable Reads (Recommendations and Reviews)

"The Boy in the Gray Hoodie"

Title: The Boy in the Gray Hoodie

Genre: Science-Fiction, Romance

Author: Hannah

Username: DoubleJinxBuyMeSoda

Summary: I was never meant to leave that room. I had spent my whole life in there, imagining what it was like on the outside. I looked forward to the day when I would finally be allowed to leave. But that day was never supposed to come. Until James decided to keep his promise. He had always been there, on the other side of the glass. Waiting. The experiment wasn't over. He was still waiting for me to change. But I didn't change. Not until that night. It was dark, and there was rain. The sound of the car engine was loud, but the crash was louder. In the crash, I became something different. I changed. But not for James. This new part of me emerged for one reason; to save her.

Story Link: http://www.wattpad.com/story/11245304-the-boy-in-the-gray-hoodie

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As I have probably mentioned before, I am not the biggest fan of the romance genre because I am never quite accepting with how the relationship blossoms. I understand that a story is fiction for a reason, but I want to be able to relate to a character and their emotions and that there should be at least some aspect of realism to it all. I really detest the following structure:

Generic Romance Chapter 1

Pretty Girl: "I am so plain and boring and everybody hates me!"

Absurdly Hot Guy: "Hey babe, I think you're hot and that you need somebody to love."

*more awkward, mushy nonsense*

Generic Romance Chapter 2

*Pretty Girl and Absurdly Hot Guy make-out and deal with struggles for the rest of the story*

...

No, just no. Whatever happened to pacing and character development? At least properly establish a character before you have them sucking face with some model person. Seriously, how often does the prior nonsense ever happen in real life? P-A-C-I-N-G!

*takes deep breath to calm down*

*repeats*

And kudos to Hannah, because not only does she create a gripping romance that's believable, but the gradually developes the relationship between her main characters and eases them into story where the force keeping them apart is complex and entirely plausible!

She not only has wonderful pacing and growth, but I actually found myself intriqued by each character she introduces and builds upon. They are relatable and deep, and through their interactions, entirely able to be sympathsized with or understood, even if their motives are sometimes questionable. (James, that means you.)

Hannah has written a modern day romance that is unique, yet believable, and I hope she gets it published some day because it's definitely a book worth your time many times over!

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Rating on a Scale of 1 - 5: * * * * *