I think I do. I do want to be found. Because I don't want the way I feel for you to be a secret.
When I first met him I resisted.
Like any forbidden love, I told myself he was a crush, and it would pass.
That was a lie. It never faded.
And I never expected he would fall for me just as hard.
There were so many reasons that should have kept us apart, least of all, the decade that separated us. Growing up in New York City, I learned early on that love is a double-edged sword. Love broke up my parents, love took away my friends, and love — the big, intense, never-been-like-this-before love — landed me in therapy. Now I’m heading to college, and it’s time to give love a clean slate again. But, can I really start over when he’s still in my life Because the one man I’ve always wanted, is also the only guy I absolutely can’t have…And he wants me just as fiercely.
Can I settle for anything less than the love of my life?
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Character-driven stories would always require you to have a strong connection with the characters in the story. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to develop that while reading 21 Stolen Kisses. Aside from having difficulty understanding the heroine and relating with the situation, there were also aspects that overshadowed the story like the flashbacks.
These flashbacks would confuse me sometimes. It felt redundant because there were certain parts in the story told in a way that you were the other character and these parts were labeled as “Our Stolen Kisses” which were narrated in second person POV. These were the moments when Kennedy and Noah were having their first affair. Or the first kisses they had in particular. Normally, the story was told in first person POV, with Noah and Kennedy alternating in chapters. There were times where they would suddenly reminisce the first time they met or how their relationship gradually developed without some sort of warning then back to the present. Instances like these made it hard for me to concentrate on comprehending the characters since I was always abruptly pulled from one timeline to another.
I couldn't also understand why it was a big deal for a seventeen year old to date someone older than her. I got that it was a big deal in America. If it was in my country, eyebrows would be raised but nobody would break the couple up as long as they were happy. Heck, a twenty-three year old actor here publicly declared his romantic intentions with a seventeen-year old actress and all of their fans were happy it. Here, Noah got fired, people scorned him even if he wasn't harming Kennedy in any way.
With Kennedy, I didn't like her. There was nothing remarkable about her aside from her love for theater. I disliked her because she allowed her mom to use her for lying even if she didn’t like it. When I was in a similar situation, I remember fighting my mom but it was worth it, I had to let her know that I didn't approve what she was doing. I wanted Kennedy to stand up and fight. I got that she loved her mom so she couldn't hate her but she was her enabler too.
I had to give to the writing though. I liked it and it was the only thing that helped me finish reading this book. While it was engaging for me, their attitudes made it hard for me to connect with them.
Overall, 21 Stolen Kisses was an okay read.
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