Push the Envelope by Rochelle Paige
This new adult novel is focused on college-aged Alexa, and is the first in a series focused on her and her friends. Alexa grew up in this college town, raised by her widowed father. He is a pilot and so is Alexa, who is continuing to gain more flying credentials as well as studying business at college to prepare to grow and eventually take on her father's private plane business. She has recently come up with a new gimmick to get bookings, a "Mile High" flight service, where she has short flights that return to the same airport, allowing amorous couples to add some spice to their love life.
Alexa has had a serious boyfriend in the past, but when he cheated and started stalking her when she dumped him, she decided to take some time away from dating. Her best friend Aubrey is very much into the dating scene, not ready for a serious relationship.
Alexa's father wanted her to more fully experience the college life, so she and Aubrey are in a dorm apartment with a couple of other girls. Aubrey's older brother, Jackson, is a great guy and played a big role protecting her when her earlier relationship became troublesome. Alexa thinks of him as a big brother, which I understood, but would have liked to develop into something else.
Instead, Alexa is drawn to a newly transferred student in the same fraternity house as Jackson, Drake. Drake has a reputation as a smooth talker and casual dater, not what Alexa is looking for in a relationship, but her pursues her strongly, and the chemistry between them is strong.
Despite this, I really didn't like Drake. He seldom calls Alexa by her name, calling her 'babe' a lot, which felt to me that he didn't see her as her own person. He was also very possessive and jealous, talking about her like she was property. He seemed to feel his wealth should get him whatever he wanted. The dialogue in the book felt unnatural and stilted or formulaic, and I had a hard time getting through it.
The whole relationship felt very focused on sex and less about the people, and the characters lacked any depth. I feel there are much better reads for the in the new adult genre which depict more healthy relationships.
No comments:
Post a Comment