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Scotland, United Kingdom
Hi! My name is Kendall, I'm 28, a Media Graduate and I'm from Scotland. I'm a Reader, Reviewer, and Blogger.

Wednesday 20 August 2014

Review: Upside Down [Off the Map 01] by Lia Riley!


Publication date: 5th August 2014
Paperback edition: -
Source: Kindle
Rating: 4 stars
Synopsis: If You Never Get Lost, You’ll Never Be Found...

Twenty-one-year-old Natalia Stolfi is saying good-bye to the past-and turning her life upside down with a trip to the land down under. For the next six months, she'll act like a carefree exchange student, not a girl sinking under the weight of painful memories. Everything is going according to plan until she meets a brooding surfer with hypnotic green eyes and the troubling ability to see straight through her act.

Bran Lockhart is having the worst year on record. After the girl of his dreams turned into a nightmare, he moved back home to Melbourne to piece his life together. Yet no amount of disappointment could blind him to the pretty California girl who gets past all his defenses. He's never wanted anyone the way he wants Talia. But when Bran gets a stark reminder of why he stopped believing in love, he and Talia must decide if what they have is once in a lifetime . . . or if they were meant to live a world apart.

Favourite quote: "You see me, Bran, and you didn't run, you came closer."

I was so happy when the UK publishers of this book emailed me and asked me if I would like to review it! I'll be honest and say that I'd never heard of this book until they contacted me, but as soon as I saw the cover and read the synopsis, I knew it looked and sounded like my kind of book! This book was pretty different to contemporary books I normally read, but I think it was more the author's writing style! The plot of this book sounded brilliant from the synopsis and the author did a really good job of executing it! There was a lot in it and it was interesting to read a book about a girl who had severe OCD! I haven't read a book with a plot surrounding OCD before, but I know a lot about it and suffer from it slightly myself, so I was looking forward to reading about it! I loved the Australian setting of the book too! I haven't read a book set in Australia either, so this book was two birds with one stone lol! Overall, the plot was very enjoyable and I loved the growing relationship between the two main characters! The characters were amazing and so different to the characters in books I normally read, but I did have a few problems with the main female character! Natalia was the main female character and I liked her for the most part of this book! There were a few times where I thought she was maybe a little bit ungrateful or unappreciative! Talia had been through a lot though, and because of this she was left with a lot of guilt, even though it wasn't her fault! My heart went out to Talia too because she suffered health problems and her OCD became more severe because of her family's loss! Talia grew a lot in this book though and she was completely different at the end to what she was at the start! Bran was the main male character and he was so forward with Natalia! I loved that about him! Bran had been through an experience that few people experience in their lifetime! This made him realise that he wanted to get the best from life and that he should spend every moment embracing it! I could see how what Bran had been through had affected him and that it made him want to be a better person! Bran also found out some pretty sad news near the end of this book and this affected his relationship with Natalia! I loved that he was able to face his fears to get her back and prove his love for her! I loved that this book was written from both Natalia and Bran's point of views! It made the plot even better as it was written through both of their eyes! Even though I had a few problem with this book, I'll definitely be reading the others in the series when they release! I can't wait to find out what's in store for Natalia and Bran in the next book! The ending of this book was so beautiful! I smiled like an idiot while reading it lol! The cover for this book is absolutely stunning! I love the colouring, the couple on the front, everything! I love how well it suits the book too! Big thank you to Little, Brown Book Group for sending me a review copy of Upside Down!

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