Review: Claire (Hard University #2) by Abigail Strom

Series: Hart University #2
Release date: April 26th 2016
Purchase: Amazon | B&N

Synopsis via Goodeads:

It’s sophomore year, and Claire Stone has sworn off romance. She’s just gone through a breakup and she wants some time to find out who she is on her own. The only flaw in her plan is her friend (and hot quarterback) Will McKenna, who’s a walking temptation to forget all about her singlehood pledge.

Will has had a thing for Claire since freshman year. Now that they’re both single, he wants more from her than friendship. But Claire doesn’t want to be anyone’s girlfriend right now, and with football season underway, Will’s got issues of his own to deal with.

When an injury on the field changes everything, Will and Claire are driven apart. But when the two of them end up trapped together in a snowstorm, they’re forced to deal with each other again. Can they confront their feelings without ruining their friendship? Or will their friendship turn into something more?

*Author provided ecopy in exchange for an honest review.

In spite of my frustration with the two characters in the first book, I truly loved Rikki (see review) and was super elated when Abigail Strom gifted me a copy of the sequel. I don't remember Claire or Will from the previous book, but I did end up finding their story just as interesting if not as FRUSTRATING as well, and it felt like I was just introduced to their characters so I was able to develop a fresh understanding of who they were.

Again, Claire is as infuriating as Rikki, it's pretty much just another set of two complicated individuals denying their strong feelings and trying hard to convince themselves that they should lay off relationships and focus on their future. That's good and all, but when you feel that intensely for each other, there should be no reason to wait. No time is better than the present. 

In regards to how I feel about the characters, I did like them, but wasn't as connected as I was with Rikki and Sam. Claire came off as a headstrong girl and I liked that about her, but often times she'd contradict herself. Like how she came up with this silly idea about not dating when she knew very well she wanted to be with Will. And she even asked for something ridiculous as wanting to meet any girl he decided to date. Like why put yourself through that torture? Another thing that frustrated me about her was a slight bit of selfishness on her part. For instance, when Will went through a difficult situation, she was all concerned about him not talking to her above anyone else, when the guy was already having a rough time trying to figure out his next step. It was still nice of her to take it upon herself to give him an "intervention" when times got tough, but sometimes I just couldn't figure her out.

As for Will, I liked him. But in a way I wanted more from his character. It's almost like there wasn't enough of him whenever it was his POV, like I wanted to be in his head space more and try to connect deeper. Still, he was a good guy that had dealt a terrible blow and I'l love to see what happens with his future, should he make a reappearance in the third book. 

Overall, an enjoyable story with complex characters that in a sense reflect new adults in college. I can relate to some things, and I'm sure other readers will if they give this series a chance. Looking forward to the next book, Abigail!

About the Author

Abigail Strom started writing stories at the age of seven and has never been able to stop. On her way to becoming a full-time writer she earned a BA in English from Cornell University as well as an MFA in Dance from the University of Hawaii, and held a wide variety of jobs from dance teacher and choreographer to human resource manager.

Now she works in her pajamas and lives in New England with her family, who are incredibly supportive of the hours she spends hunched over her computer. When she needs a break from writing she watches episodes of Doctor Who, Sherlock, and Monty Python with her husband and son, and talks to her cats in a British accent.

www.abigailstrom.com | FACEBOOK | TWITTER

Review: Rikki (Hart University #1) by Abigail Strom

Series: Hart University #1
Release date: September 22nd 2015
Purchase: Amazon 

Synopsis via Goodreads:

Ever since junior high and an ill-fated game of seven minutes in heaven, Rikki Eisendrath and Sam Payne have hated each others’ guts. But when they end up at the same college—and the same dorm—they figure it’s time to declare a truce. 

They even become friends… sort of. But when Sam asks Rikki to model for his sculpting project, they start spending more time together—and her feelings for him get more complicated. 

She tries to focus on the guy she’s been crushing on instead. But Sam’s the one she can’t stop thinking about, even though their arguments are starting to heat up as much as the chemistry between them.

With antagonism and attraction this intense, there’s bound to be an explosion. But when the dust settles, will Sam and Rikki be enemies, friends… or something more?

*Request was approved via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I loved this story. I loved how it played with my emotions and had me really invested in the characters, in spite of how frustrated they made me. Rikki and Sam had so much angst between them that it gave me the fireworks. They spent years oblivious and completely misunderstanding each other, and throughout the book I just wanted to shake some senses into them. There were moments that made me laugh, and there were moments that made me want to cry. Yeah, like I said, the emotions were definitely there. 

I connected with Rikki in the sense that she liked holding on to control. I understood her character and felt like she was as realistic as an eighteen year old trying to figure out her life gets. I liked the family she came from, and I admired her determination and her drive to focus on her education and excel at everything. She was very intellectual, and I think the greatest thing about the story is that Rikki and Sam connected based on something they had in common: they were both very smart and always performed at their utmost best. And I loved that there wasn't an insta-love or constant gushing over one's appearance, but they were attracted to each other's minds. Their relationship wasn't the best at start, but after several years of competing in academics and misunderstanding their feelings for each other, I was happy when they realized there was no hate and decided to be friends in college. I felt like had they not done that, then they wouldn't have been able to spend more time learning about each other and developing clarity about their true feelings.

Sam was such a good person. He wasn't the typical model-like guy found in most YA books, and he wasn't a star athlete, but he was sort of a nerd with great qualities and the type of guy I swooned over because he was cute in his own way. He had to deal with loss and some other issues in his family, and it was so sad how he liked Rikki in secret all that time but believed she wasn't interested in him because of her silly crushing on the supposedly good-looking guys in school. It was funny how in the end, they both admitted to thinking the other wasn't interested and hence thought it was best to start pining over someone else. But their feelings were so strong that trying to be with someone else never worked out for either of them.

Gosh, there's so much I could go on about but I don't want to spoil it too much for anyone who hasn't read the story. All I can say is that you'll definitely feel like plucking your lashes out over the relationship between Rikki and Sam, and your emotions will be scattered from beginning to end. These characters didn't only go through high school completely oblivious and often in denial about each other, it continued to university. So you can only imagine how much their craziness will frustrate readers. Aside from the constant back and forth, there were juicy moments and some humor thrown in the mix to keep things interesting. The writing is great, and the pacing is quick. Not necessarily light, but this book will indeed make you feel things. I highly recommend. 

About the Author
Abigail Strom started writing stories at the age of seven and has never been able to stop. She lives in New England with her family, who are incredibly supportive of the hours she spends hunched over her computer.

www.abigailstrom.com 

twitter.com/abigailstrom