1 Dec 2014

Review: Last Will and Testament by Dahlia Adler

Last Will and Testament (Radleigh University #1) by Dahlia Adler
Decemebr 9th, 2014 · Self-published
Source: Review
Format: E-ARC
Page Count: 412
Lizzie Brandt was valedictorian of her high school class, but at Radleigh University, all she's acing are partying and hooking up with the wrong guys. But all that changes when her parents are killed in a tragic accident, making her guardian to her two younger brothers. To keep them out of foster care, she'll have to fix up her image, her life, and her GPA—fast. Too bad the only person on campus she can go to for help is her humorless, pedantic Byzantine History TA, Connor Lawson, who isn't exactly Lizzie's biggest fan.

But Connor surprises her. Not only is he a great tutor, but he’s also a pretty great babysitter. And chauffeur. And listener. And he understands exactly what it’s like to be on your own before you're ready. Before long, Lizzie realizes having a responsible-adult type around has its perks... and that she'd like to do some rather irresponsible (but considerably adult) things with him as well. Good thing he's not the kind of guy who'd ever reciprocate.

Until he does.

Until they turn into far more than teacher and student.

Until the relationship that helped put their lives back together threatens everything they both have left.  

NA is not really my cup of tea. I've read two (one I loved, the other I...let's just say it was an interesting experience), ditched a few and it’s not often I add them to my TBR. Nothing against them, it’s just not what I usually gravitate to. I will state right now: the only reason I picked this up is because Dahlia Adler penned it. Now, it all comes down to the moment of truth. Did I enjoy it? Why, yes. Yes, I did.

I feel like all the NA blurbs I've read seem to be about the character moving on after someone having died, either a parent, sibling, bonfriend. As the blurb clearly states, Lizzie loses her parents and I can't deny that made me a bit wary. (but not much; I'm pretty trust worthy when it comes to Dahlia Adler). But I really liked the way it was written. It wasn’t this dark, dreary, depressing story. More importantly, it wasn't angst-y, which I think is my biggest turn-off with NA's. I was actually surprised how funny it was, which I hadn’t been expecting from the blurb, but should have. I mean, have you met Dahlia? It wasn’t all laughs and games, but when it was, it made me grin and chuckle, and it got to the point where I had to start highlighting my favourite passages.

Early on, I was surprised to look down and see I'd only read 36 pages. Surprised because it felt like I'd read much more than that and I don't mean that in a bad way. But in how well established the characters and story already felt, all of five chapters in. With all Lizzie’s going through, you can’t help but feel for her. Even though she’s obviously devastated by her parents death, she can’t let her grief swallow her whole. She has to step up and become guardian to her two brothers. The way she soldiers on with all this new weight added to her shoulders was pretty damn amazing. I loved her feisty spirit and the fact she was half-Filipina - yay diversity!

This book is SEXY. I loved that while it’s hot, it never felt like it was just written for sexy times. It had more depth than that; with a good MC to lead and its own story to tell. Also? Connor. He may have fashion problems when it comes to pants, but don't worry, Lizzie sets him on the right path. Oh, and the romance between the two? It's good.

Also, random thought I had while reading: MC wears glasses! This makes me ridiculously happy. Not enough characters wear glasses, which is silly. Glasses are cool and I'm a perfect example of this fact. *snickers* *pouts*

If all NA's were this good - full of feeling, page-turning, heartfelt -  I'd definitely be open to reading more of them. I've heard there's a sequel in the works and I'll most definitely be tuning in.

4/5

6 comments:

  1. 'I loved that while it’s hot, it never felt like it was just written for sexy times.' - I'M SOOOO GLAD TO HEAR THAT! This is always the trouble I run across with NA I don't like, which means for sure I'll like this one. Not that I ever doubted that because I pretty much trust Dahlia too. I'm so glad to hear you enjoyed this one, Rebecca! :D Cannot wait to read this one myself! *waits patiently for book to arrive at my kindle*

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    1. Yay! And yes, if you enjoyed Dahlia's YA, even though this is different and older and sexier, I'm sure you'll like LWAT. So far I've enjoyed them both, but I think this is my favourite of the two. So many good, funny passages. Enjoy!

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  2. I'm so bummed that I skipped an opportunity to review this one. I thought that I'd give it a miss because it was NA and I'm a really weak NA reader (along with contemporaries...) But I'm so glad that you enjoyed this one! Heartfelt NA though? This sounds really positive! Fantastic review, my dear! <3 x

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    1. Aw! Shame you missed out. I'm a weak NA read as well, but I thought this was great. More sexy than thoughtful, really. Hope you enjoy it if you check it out.

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  3. So glad that you enjoyed this one too. The more I think back on it, the more impressed I am. While fitting in with the common NA tropes, there's a lot that stands out here, like the amount of character building and the heroine's glasses. Not enough heroines/heroes have glasses. Also that Connor, though gorgeous isn't mr. abs man. They feel a lot more real than the usual Barbie and Ken characters.

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    1. Yes to your comment! I haven't read many NA's, but this is definitely not a trope-filled book. It was refreshing and thoroughly enjoyable.

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