Undecided by Julianna Keyes (Website, Twitter, Facebook, Goodreads)Also by this author: My Roommate's Girl
on April 4, 2016
Nora Kincaid has one goal for her second year of college: be invisible. Last year’s all-party-no-study strategy resulted in three failed classes and two criminal charges, and if she messes up again she’ll lose her scholarship. But there’s one problem with her plan for invisibility, and his name is Crosbie Lucas: infamous party king, general hellraiser…and her new roommate’s best friend.
Crosbie’s reckless reputation and well-known sexcapades aren’t part of Nora’s studious new strategy, but as she’s quickly learning, her new plan is also really boring. When Crosbie’s unexpected gestures of friendship pull her head out of her books long enough to see past his cocky veneer, she’s surprised to find a flawed and funny guy beneath it all. The muscles don’t hurt, either.
But as Nora starts to fall for Crosbie, the weight of one of last year’s bad decisions grows even heavier. Because three failing grades and two misdemeanors are nothing compared to the one big secret she’s hiding…
I was so pleasantly surprised by how much I loved this story! I’m always on the lookout for new NA authors to completely adore, and I think that Julianna Keyes has made my new favorites list. I struggle very much with a lot of NA as you all probably know about me by now. Typically you get over-dramatic stories filled with sex and very little substance… and that’s not what NA should be in my mind. Sure I want the sexy times as much as anyone else, but I need to have a story that keeps me interested and Keyes definitely did that for me here.
Undecided is an apt title for this story… Nora is undecided about her future, she’s undecided about her degree direction, she’s undecided about her family and she’s undecided about her friendships. The one thing she is decided on is that things have to be different than they were last year.
Let’s start with Keyes’s characters. Our main character Nora had a rough year at college… after years of bland and boring in high school, she’s decided to come out of her shell with her friend Marcella and that to her meant, hooking up with guys, getting noticed and partying instead of attending classes. Which leads to criminal charges, community service and meetings with the school dean. Now on the straight and narrow, she’s determined to catch up on her classes and change her ways. Work, studying and school are the only things on her radar, but when her only option for a place to live has her sharing an apartment with Kellan, the school heart throb and frat member, she isn’t sure she’s making the best decisions. Partly because she has a history with Kellan but mostly because his best friend is Crosbie Lucas, local hell-raiser and big time partier.
I can’t help but smile when I think of both Crosbie and Kellan… they seriously have one of the best bromances in NA that I’ve read in quite some time. Can you say Bros before Ho-roommates? Crosbie is totally not the guy he’s been made out to be, and you find out quickly that Nora isn’t the only one who wants to make changes in her life.
I honestly loved that their “connection” wasn’t immediate. I loved that they took the time to get to know each other and get to learn about each other a bit before anything happened between them… it had me rooting so much more for their relationship. And when things happen… hoooomygod. So hot, and so sexy. I loved the light-hearted moments between them, but I loved when they also delved a bit deeper and shared more. I loved that neither one of them held their pasts against them realizing instead that we all have a history. And the way Crosbie opens up to Nora and shows her how much she means to him (despite the Crosbabes) and how he’s changed his ways was just so perfect.
The secondary characters here were also a wonderful way to expand on the story as well. I kind of loved all of them. Kellan for sure, but also Marcella and Nate, and I honestly hope they all get their own stories from Keyes.
The story itself was fun and had me turning pages. Mostly because everything wasn’t over the top drama. I loved the way Kellan and Nora built their friendship despite the thing that was between them, and here is where I tell you straight up that there is NO love triangle. I know it may seem that way, but Nora never waivers in her true feelings throughout this story so please don’t think that there is, I know that cover might make you think that.
If you are a fan of new adult, you need to have this one on your to read list… and you need to read it as soon as it’s out (APRIL 4th!) Believe me when I say I read a lot of new adult and I’d put this one at the top with some of my absolute favorites. If you’re a fan of new adult that isn’t over done… one that shows a real adult relationship with characters that communicate and don’t just stew and get angry and run away when the going gets tough, characters who are willing to put effort into a relationship then you’re going to love this one as much as I did.
Thank you to the publisher for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest thoughts.
About Julianna Keyes
Julianna Keyes is a Canadian writer who has lived on both coasts and several places in between. She's been skydiving, bungee jumping and white water rafting, but nothing thrills - or terrifies - her as much as the blank page. She loves Chinese food, foreign languages, baseball and television, not necessarily in that order, and will go to her grave swearing that 'ain't' is not a word. She has volunteered in Zambia, taught English in China, and dreams of seeing pink dolphins in the Amazon. It'll happen.
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