Title: Almost Impossible
Author: Nicole Williams
Genre: YA Romance
Format: Ebook
Rating: ☆☆☆/5
Synopsis (via Goodreads):
When Jade decided to spend the summer with her aunt in California, she thought she knew what she was getting into. But nothing could have prepared her for Quentin. Jade hasn’t been in suburbia long and even she knows her annoying (and annoyingly cute) next-door neighbor spells T-R-O-U-B-L-E.
And when Quentin learns Jade plans to spend her first American summer hiding out reading books, he refuses to be ignored. Sneaking out, staying up, and even a midnight swim, Quentin is determined to give Jade days–and nights–worth remembering.
But despite their storybook-perfect romance, every time Jade moves closer, Quentin pulls away. And when rumors of a jilted ex-girlfriend come to light, Jade knows Quentin is hiding a secret–and she’s determined to find out what it is.
Clickbait. The book title and blurb are clickbait. The major conflict comes up way past the 85% mark and is resolved in less than 10 pages.
When I saw the title, I thought that the supposedly insurmountable problem would be introduced earlier on and the characters would try their best to wade through the murky waters of the plot to find their HEA, but I got none of that.
What I got was 70+ pages of mundane discussions, too many contradictions, topped with a rather anticlimactic conflict and resolution. It was nice to see the development of their relationship in realtime, and I reckon I would have enjoyed this if I didn’t feel tricked.
The blurb made it seem like a problematic ex was included in the equation, when the said ex didn’t make a single appearance and was only brought up in the latter 15% of the book.
I prefer character–driven stories and don’t mind being stuck in a character’s head, but there was little—I mean, pretty non–existent—development. It was almost like the plot was happening to the characters.
That said, I didn’t enjoy this one. It might be another person’s cuppa, but not mine. This will appeal to YA-romance lovers, so if you enjoyed the likes of As If On Cue by Marissa Canter, or XOXO by Axie Oh, then this might be your jam.