Hurricane Kiss (Worst title of 2016)

Hurricane Kiss by Deborah Blumenthal
Genres: Contemporary, Romance, New Adult
Pages:256
Goodreads
***I received a copy of this from netgalley book in exchange for my honest review***

" For sixteen-year-old Jillian McKay, the threat of Hurricane Danielle means a long car ride with her neighbors--including River Daughtry, the former star quarterback of Harrison High. The guy who was headed to glory until suddenly he disappeared to a West Texas juvenile detention center. Once cocky and flirtatious, he's now silent and angry. When their evacuation route is gridlocked, River is the first to recognize the danger they're in. Together he and Jillian set out to seek shelter in their abandoned high school. As they wait out the storm, they confront the past and realize survival is about more than just staying alive--it's about fighting for yourself. "








Okay, full disclosure, I'm not a huge fan of romance. Because of this, I didn't really expect to love the book but I thought I would give it a try for two reasons; because the early reviews were good, and because it was dedicated to the survivors of Hurricane Katrina.

The first half of this book felt like most New Adult books I've read.
Cliche and over the top with a lot of teen angst. However, as Jillian and River fought to survive during a very serious storm,their secrets came out and their characters gained more depth. The pain and guilt River felt about his time in juvie, and the apparent PTSD he suffered from, was heartbreaking. I was pleasantly surprised by the depth of his character. Jillian, on the other hand, was not a likeable character. I found her to be whiny, and she over thought everything to a ridiculous extent. I do empathize with her when it comes to her dad, but she was painted to be such a troubled character, yet from what I read, she had a good life, wasn't particularly depressed, she was just a typical, angsty teen girl.  She didn't seem to feel any guilt about cheating on her boyfriend (who, by the way, wasn't mentioned at all after the storm) and she was just way too full of little girl drama for her age, in my opinion. 

All in all, I enjoyed the book. It was entertaining and fairly well written. I also appreciate the fact that it was based on a storm that the author really did have to flee, though it didn't end up being the disaster that it helped inspire. It was a good story but could have been better if the minor characters had been better developed and the plot holes had been filled. 3 stars. Would recommend, but only as a beach read or something of the sort.