Rock and a Hard Place, and Snapshot by Angie Stanton

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Title: Rock and a Hard Place
Author: Angie Stanton
Series: The Jamieson Collection #1
Published by: Indie, HarperTeen
Release Date: April 15, 2011
Format: Kindle Book
Pages: 309
Genres: Romance, Young Adult, Contemporary
Reading Challenges: Lenoreo's COYER Quarantine Edition
Find it: Goodreads ✩ Amazon ✩ B&N ✩ Google ✩ Kobo ✩ iBooks ✩ Book Depository
My rating:

Blurb:

When you fall in love with a rock star, anything can happen. . . .

In an instant, Libby's life went from picture-perfect to a nightmare. After surviving a terrible car accident, Libby is abandoned by her father and left with her controlling aunt. A new town, a new school, no friends—Libby is utterly alone. But then she meets Peter.

The lead singer in a rock band with his brothers, Peter hates that his parents overly manage his life.

Constantly surrounded by family, Peter just wants to get away. And when he meets Libby, he's finally found the one person who only wants to be with him, not the rock star.

But while Peter battles his family's growing interference in both his music and his personal life, Libby struggles with her aunt, who turns nastier each day. And even though Libby and Peter desperately want to be together, their drastically different lives threaten to keep them apart forever.

My Review:

ORIGINAL REVIEW:
5 stars — OH YEAH BABY!!! LOVED IT!! This was the book where my hubby looks over at me, sees me grinning like a moron and asks “good book Lenore?” This is the book where I give the big happy sigh at the end. This is the book where I’m fighting back tears occasionally. Yeah, this was the book… Loved Peter and Libby….what a strange pairing, but they fit so well together. So much heartache, and Peter’s emotions and reactions and just…gah angst, but not bad angst when they’re separate was just….AHHH!! So good. Great secondary characters too. And Libby had more hutzpah than I gave her credit for…she just stepped up when I would have fallen.

I’m excited for Adam’s book, but I must say I’m having a hard time forgiving Garrett…

ON REREAD:
4.5 stars — This was one of those books that always stayed in my memory as a favourite from my early days reading Indie authors.  I don’t have that pretty cover and the updated version once it got picked up by HarperTeen, so I was still reading the original version.  I’ve grown as a reader, so there were little things here and there I couldn’t help but notice, but in general it really held up on reread!  And that’s saying something.  I think I can’t help but gravitate towards those books of one character in a bad situation meeting their special someone who has a completely different life.  It was hard to see the hardships that Libby struggled through, hella hard…but it made her sweet romance with Peter all the more satisfying.

And Peter really was a sweetie — right down to his marrow.  It’s not that he didn’t have flaws, but he was *good*.  I loved that they found what they needed in each other.

I forgot the bumps on the road to happiness, especially nearer to the end!  I think that impressed me a little.  It took an easy HEA and made it one they had to work for.

Basically, this was, and still is, a guilty pleasure read for me.  Can’t wait to reread Adam’s story, and FINALLY find out what happens with Garrett the jerk!

Title: Snapshot
Author: Angie Stanton
Series: The Jamieson Collection #2
Published by: Indie, HarperTeen
Release Date: June 10, 2012
Format: Kindle Book
Pages: 287
Genres: Romance, Young Adult, Contemporary
Reading Challenges: Lenoreo's COYER Quarantine Edition
Find it: Goodreads ✩ Amazon ✩ B&N ✩ Google ✩ Kobo ✩ iBooks ✩ Book Depository
My rating:

Blurb:

Marti Hunter hates rockers and anything remotely related to the rock-and-roll lifestyle. She thought she’d left that all behind, along with her drug-addicted mother and absent-minded rock legend father. Now she lives with her grandmother, and Marti’s life is finally normal. Just the way she likes it.

For Adam Jamieson, normal is not possible. He is the genius guitar player of the band Jamieson. He’s ecstatic to finally get a two-week break from his micromanaged life and a chance to hang with regular teens. Adam’s shaving off his trademark curls and going undercover.

But when Marti, the reluctant rock princess, and Adam, the undercover guitar wizard, meet, sparks fly in more ways than one. They spend their time alternating between making out and driving each other crazy. But their summer adventures of skinny dipping, storm watching, and stolen kisses are brought to a halt when tragedy strikes.

Suddenly, they’re on opposite sides of the country, just when they need each other the most. Can Marti survive life with her dad and his vicious girlfriend? Will Adam get so fed up with his over-managed life and controlling parents that he quits the band?

Snapshot. A moment in time that changes two people forever.

My Review:

ORIGINAL REVIEW:
5 stars — I was wondering how Ms Stanton would top Rock and a Hard Place, or at least remain consistent…well Snapshot was fantastic. Adam is so loveable, and it was fun seeing them act like teenagers and get in trouble and make mistakes and all that jazz. Lots of emotion, lots of sniffing tears, lots of fear and angst and ahhhh! But yeah, definitely did not disappoint. Marti and Adam were nicely different from Peter and Libby too, so it wasn’t like a formula… I still can’t see how Garrett will ever be redeemable….we’ll see.

ON REREAD:
4 stars — I think I forgot how mature this YA was!  Not that it was explicit, but it tackled some tough topics, and had some fade to black moments that I’d forgotten about.

I also forgot the brief enemies to lovers feel in the middle!  That made me a little more uncomfortable this round…it was hard to see Marti being so unreasonable, even if I understood where her fears came from.

I definitely still enjoyed the book, but definitely not to the same degree as the first time through.  Both characters had depth though, and in general were very likeable.  And I thought they were cute together.  There was just…something.

And dudes, Garrett got even worse in this one!  I honestly understand why I’ve avoided his book.  But damn it all, I’m going to suck it up and finally find out if he has a shot at redeeming himself.