Wednesday 10 June 2015

Book Review: One Night

One Night
Author: A.J. Pine
Series: Only You #1
Genres: Contemporary | New Adult
Release Date: 21st April 2015
Publisher: Intermix
Source: Review Copy - A.J. Pine
Rating:
Twenty-one-year-old Jess used to have everything - a loyal best friend, a boyfriend she loved, and a future that was right on track. But in a single night, her whole world changed.

Now, Jess lives for the impersonal connection of drunken hook-ups and to-go coffee cups in the morning. All she needs is one night to pretend everything is fine.. until she meets Adam.

Thanks to a sports injury, gorgeous, charming basketball star Adam Carson is stuck in physical therapy at the hospital where Jess interns - giving her the perfect opportunity to see his sweet, considerate nature and making her realize that maybe she does want something more.

But while Adam might be the best thing that's happened to Jess in a long time, letting him past her carefully constructed walls means letting him know what happened.. and why he'd never want her for more than one night.
The moment I found out Pine had another book set for release, I halted everything I was doing and rushed to find out more about it. That's one of the most wonderful things about having an author that you love, especially when you're almost completely certain that everything they write will please you. One Night, much like If Only and What If, isn't doesn't differ much from other New Adult novels in the genre, but there's something about Pine's characters and writing, I just can't get enough of it. One Night is special, and utterly broke my heart.

I expected great things from Pine in this newest novel - I've watched her grow and develop and seen how her work has improved with every book she publishes, I've seen how much her work means to her, and how much research she puts into every issue she covers, and that's what makes her work special, because it's from the heart, and it feels real in every sense of the word, and it always makes me feel a lot of different and conflicting feelings. Let's face it, that's life. Pine's writing was crisp and clear and clean, there was no little mistakes or issues I had with the flow where I may have had them previously, One Night was just a beautifully written, heartbreaking story that I found pieces of myself in, and that's why I come to back to her work, again and again.

Jess and Adam where definitely not my favourite couple I've had the pleasure of meeting through Pine, but they were the couple with the most sexual tension, adorableness and baggage. Everyone has baggage, whether it be awkward ex's, pushy parents, health scares, they're all part of life, and I love how Pine didn't think twice about delving into the darker parts of these issues, through Jess and Adam. She spotlighted the dramatic implications of life in sports, on the pain and recovery process after injuries, on the affect it has on somebody physically, emotionally and mentally. She spotlighted how deep, dark holes of depression can push people into making irrational decisions, life changing decisions, how these decisions can affect every inch of your life - Pine just never holds back, and I'm every so thankful. How Adam worked through his own personal demons, his own issues, alongside Jess', put never putting any pressure on her throughout his own development, it's one of the reasons I love the male character's Pine creates. They have feelings. They struggle to express their emotions. They can irritated by mixed signals. They stick around and support whether or not their female counterparts are open to conversation. Her male character's feel realistic, well formed and it's absolutely amazing. No assholes over here people.

Jess' baggage, well, it was a lot more relatable and personal than I had ever expected it to be, and more fool me for underestimating Pine's talent. Jess' own demons, her past and her struggle with commitment, her fear of the future and thinking too far ahead, her self-hatred and self-loathing, her inner pain and heartache every day, I really felt it. There were times I questioned whether I was reading about Jess or myself, her pain and her fears and her struggles where so tangible, so realistic, so alike those I've been through, it's hard not to relate to her. He development though, was beautiful. Watching her learn from mistakes, seeing her interact with people she cared about and opening herself up to family and friends, to support and care and love, it was bitter-sweet and really rather wonderful. Her friendship with Zoe that blossomed and grew throughout the novel was complete perfection - it was messy and complicated and Zoe's attitude and snark pushed Jess where she needed be, and Jess' relationship with Tracy and the hidden support and care she gave Jess was also really wonderful, as was actually seeing Jess and Adam doing something with their lives.

Yes, the romance was a little messy and unnecessarily complicated at times, as was the plot and the pacing, but the actual story-lines and the emotions I felt, both myself and between all the characters, I felt them all and it brought this story to life. The friendships, the work relationships, the small minor characters that played huge parts in both characters development, the tension and the passion, and the heartbreak and relatabilty of this novel all worked together to produce a novel that I struggle to dislike at all. Pine's work is always made by her characters and the time and effort she puts into them, their issues, the support groups and each other, and it shines. So far, it's 3/3 for the wonderful woman, and I have full intentions in reading her work for as long as she publishes it.

8 comments:

  1. I liked this one too, but I think you liked it even more than I did. I had some annoyances with the characters, but you are right it was full of feels.

    Great Review!

    Michelle @ Book Briefs

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    1. I think I'm a little biased with Pine's work though, whoops? Thanks Michelle!<3

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  2. I can be skeptical about NA at times, but this sounds like a book that I would really enjoy. I'm definitely going to to check out some of A.J. Pine's work now - great review Amanda!

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    1. Oh yay, thanks Eugenia, she definitely deserves more readership for sure! :)

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  3. Nice review! I haven't heard of the author or the book before but now I am curious, this sounds really great. Development and growth like this is one of my favorite things to see in a novel, and the writing itself seems awesome.

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    1. So pleased this is now a book you're interested in Alise. I'm a huge fan of Pine's work, it's definitely worth a read!<3

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  4. I saw this one on Netgalley, but I wasn't so sure about it. Now I think I may need to read it!! Sounds like you really enjoy Pine, so I'll have to check out other books as well. Great review! :)

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    1. Great to hear Lisa! Honestly, I think she's fabulous, and so lovely too, she deserves more readership for sure! :)

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