Hi everyone! Please enjoy all the information and the review I’ve written for Mia Hoddell’s newest book, Not Enough!
Not Enough by Mia Hoddell
Genre: YA Romance
Release date: November 16th 2015
Blurb:
Neve Colvin isn’t good enough. As an introvert, her life is a never-ending list of labels and criticism. Pressures to change come from everyone—including the one person she thought would love her unconditionally … her mother. All Neve wants is acceptance, but surrounded by extroverts it’s a wish that’s nearly impossible to fulfil.
For Neve there’s only one solution: anyone disapproving must go. Even if it means only one person will remain.
That person is her lifelong friend Blake Reynolds. He’s seen the fights with her mum, the breakdowns caused by attacks on her personality, and the battles for acceptance. Each time she is left shattered and questioning who she is, he’s the one to collect the pieces of her broken heart. Shielding her from the cruelty is his only concern. But how can he protect her when Neve is concealing a secret so dark?
Blake thinks he knows everything about her, and with their relationship developing, he assumes Neve trusts him fully. However, there is one memory Neve is too ashamed of to share. Revealing it will test Blake’s loyalty beyond what she could ever ask, and Blake is the only friend she can’t afford to lose. He’s the one person capable of dragging her from the darkness plaguing her, but with pressures to conform increasing, even Blake may not be enough to pull her back this time.
My Review
Disclaimer: I have been a huge fan of Mia Hoddell’s works for a long time and have been apart of her previous Seasons of Change tour (another great series that everyone should check out) and she did not disappoint with her newest novel!
I love the way she blends her love stories into real life situations and creates characters that anyone can easily relate to, whether they themselves have been through similar struggles, or someone they know has. It’s so refreshing to read stories about people who have to overcome something genuine and real, while finding love through their loss. I think too often we are given novels where everything is sugarcoated and sweet. Ms. Hoddell however, strays away from that trend and presents a work that is realistic and pleasant to read.
I immediately connected with Neve. She has such a sweet soul and you can tell from the get-go that she struggles to find this within herself. I was rooting for her all the while and absolutely adored her best friend, Blake. They say guys are better in books, and he definitely is. If there is a guy like Blake out there in the world somewhere, think of this as your sign to call me.
I flew through the first three quarters of the novel, and then started to slow down a bit towards the end, and it almost felt as if it could have been 50 or so pages shorter, but at the same time I wanted more! I loved reading about Neve and Blake’s relationship grow and develop (also Robbie is awesome. Can we hope for a spin off series with him?).
This is definitely something worth checking out, and I highly recommend it to anyone who is in high school and up! A great winter read too!
Only 0.99 for the release week!
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About the Author
#1 Amazon bestselling author Mia Hoddell lives in the UK with her family and two cats. She spends most of her time writing or reading, loves anything romantic, and has an overactive imagination that keeps her up until the early hours of the morning.
Mia has written over ten titles including her Seasons of Change series, the Chequered Flag series, the Elemental Killers series, and her standalone novels False Finder and Not Enough.
Her favourite genres are contemporary romance or romantic suspense, and with an ever growing list of ideas she is trying to keep up with the speed at which her imagination generates them. She also designs book covers on her website M Designs
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**Giveaway**
1 x $5 Amazon gift card
Excerpts
“Come on, Neve. Don’t do this.” He’s shaking his head in despair.
“Don’t do what? What am I doing?”
“Pushing me away. You’re too stubborn for your own good. You don’t have to do everything yourself, you know. Let me in; I can help you.”
“Don’t you start, too. There’s nothing wrong with me! Why does everyone think I’m deficient, broken, or need fixing?”
“No, Neve. Do not lump me in with everyone else. You know as well as I do that I don’t think any of that. You’re great as you are, but you’re not happy. That’s all I want. I want to see you smile again like when we were little. I haven’t heard you truly laugh in a long time.”
“Maybe if people minded their own business and stopped telling me who I am is wrong then I would be. But for now this is who I am.” I’m aware I’m being unfair, that my outburst is unjust, but that’s how it comes out. There’s no controlling the words that spew from my mouth. A part of my emotional dam has cracked and allowed them to run free. For a moment it sounds like the one person who has stood by me is joining the other side. He’s the only person I couldn’t take that from, and my instinct is to defend myself.
Blake’s face depicts both anger and hurt. Nonetheless, the anger is slowly winning as I push him further than normal. He’s tense, his body stiff like the cold has frozen him, but I know better. It’s my words that have cut him. He doesn’t deserve them, yet I hurl them at him because he’s here … because he took the time to care. He followed me without question because I needed a friend and this is how I repay him.
“You know I have nothing against who you are, Neve. When you wake up and realise that come and find me.”