Review: The Promise of Amazing – Robin Constantine

Posted December 26, 2013 by Andi in Review / 0 Comments

promise

Title: The Promise of Amazing [Amazon]
Author: Robin Constantine [website]
Publisher: Balzer + Bray
Genre:  Contemporary
Source/Type: Borrowed/Paperback ARC
Stars: 3.75 of 5

Publisher Description:
Wren Caswell is average. Ranked in the middle of her class at Sacred Heart, she’s not popular, but not a social misfit. Wren is the quiet, “good” girl who’s always done what she’s supposed to—only now in her junior year, this passive strategy is backfiring. She wants to change, but doesn’t know how.

Grayson Barrett was the king of St. Gabe’s. Star of the lacrosse team, top of his class, on a fast track to a brilliant future—until he was expelled for being a “term paper pimp.” Now Gray is in a downward spiral and needs to change, but doesn’t know how.

One fateful night their paths cross when Wren, working at her family’s Arthurian-themed catering hall, performs the Heimlich on Gray as he chokes on a cocktail weenie, saving his life literally and figuratively. What follows is the complicated, awkward, hilarious, and tender tale of two teens shedding their pasts, figuring out who they are—and falling in love.

My Thoughts:
The number one part of this book that I liked was hands down Wren and Gray. They were seriously adorable and lovable and just plain fun to read. But even with the two of them there were parts of this story I just did not like and mostly it was Gray’s “former” friends and the nonsense at the end of the book.  I think without those two things I would have found The Promise of Amazing as it states in the title, amazing. Instead it was a book that turned out to be a little more than okay.

The Promise of Amazing is the story of Wren, a quiet, good girl, that is basically invisible. She has been so passive her whole life that she basically isn’t even living her own life. She does what she is supposed to and that’s that. Then there is Grayson, a popular kid that is all about trouble. He used to rule his school and when he got expelled everything changed.  And Gray and Wren meant due to a life altering circumstance, they are on a course they never expected with a future they never imagined.

Seriously, I really 100% loved Wren and Gray. They were basically all sorts of awesome and enjoyable. It was the other things that surrounded them that brought this book down some. I felt like a lot of the outside stuff wasn’t needed so I had trouble with it. Gray didn’t need the somewhat awful, but maybe not really stepfather and Wren didn’t need to have the over the top at times family. It was background noise that took up too much time in the story. Instead of spending more time on Wren and Gray getting to know each other and fall in love with one another, I had to see Gray with his stepfather.  I also wasn’t a fan of the backstory that got Gray expelled from school and the impact it ended up having on his relationship with Wren. It almost came off as silly when it really was something much more serious.

Basically I enjoyed the main characters a lot but just wish I could have moved them into a different, more fitting story about the two of them.  The book was enjoyable enough and a fast read, but just feel a little flat for the love category. I would still say to pick it up and give it a chance as there really are some magical parts and Wren and Gray are too adorable for words when they are together.

Side note: Doesn’t the girl on the cover remind you of Willa Holland?

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0 responses to “Review: The Promise of Amazing – Robin Constantine

  1. Mehhh. This book sounded so good! Like, my perfect kind of contemporary! That makes me sad that it doesn’t live up to its title. I’m reading this one in a few days so I guess at least I’m prepared to be a bit disappointed.

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