Book Review: Scorched by Jennifer L. Armentrout
Sometimes life leaves a mark…
Most days, Andrea doesn’t know whether she wants to kiss Tanner or punch him in the gut. He is seriously hot, with legit bedroom eyes and that firefighter body of his, but he’s a major player, and they can’t get along for more than a handful of minutes. Until now.
Tanner knows he and Andrea have had an epic love/hate relationship for as long as he can remember, but he wants more love than hate from her. He wants her. Now. Tomorrow. But the more he gets to know her, the more it becomes obvious that Andrea has a problem. She’s teetering on the edge and every time he tries to catch her, she slips through his fingers.
Andrea’s life is spiraling out of control, and it doesn’t matter that Tanner wants to save her, because when everything falls apart and she’s speeding toward rock bottom, only she can save herself.
Sometimes life makes you work for that happily ever after…
I’d have to say that Scorched is one of the most realistic and poignant books that Jen has written to date. Andrea’s story is something that I know a lot of readers will be able to relate to, either fully or in one way or another. The book itself isn’t filled with a dramatic roller coaster, but rather an inner roller coaster of thoughts and emotions. It’s through Andrea’s relationship with Tanner, her being able to open up to the possibility of love, that she comes to terms with her issues and decides whether or not she’s going to take control or let it continue to control her. Andrea is such a strong character and handled her situation in a very admirable way.
As for the romance, I really enjoyed Tanner and Andrea’s relationship progression. They’ve had a tentative friendship from the very beginning with an obvious attraction to one another. I’m surprised nothing had happened between them before all this went down. The first half of the story takes place at a cabin that they, along with Kyler and Syd, go to for a vacation. It’s there that their relationship is taken to the next level, as Tanner can’t resist his attraction to Andrea and she decides she might want to give it a try, too. From then on, it’s a real push and pull between these two as their communication skills aren’t the best. I liked that even though there was drama, it wasn’t extreme, which made it more believable. They also had plenty of hot moments, in true JLA fashion, and I was a total sucker for Tanner.
Scorched had all the elements that I’ve come to love and expect from a JLA book, but her writing was also taken to another level with the issues she addressed. She tackles so many – from alcoholism to mental illness to addiction and more. All of that was mixed together well to paint a raw picture of what Andrea is going through and making sure the reader grasps the significance and importance of it all. She makes a point that it’s okay to be who you are and that whoever that is, it’s normal. This book demands to be read and I’m so happy Jen wrote it.
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