The Next Best Summer Read:

Title: Put It Out There by D.R. Graham

Genre:Young Adult – Contemporary 

RELEASE: 1st July 2016

*E-ARC received via netgalley for an honest review*

Synopsis:

‘Did you miss me?’

Returning home to Britannia Beach a year after her life was shattered is bittersweet for Derian Lafleur. Although some things settle back into place, others don’t click like they used to…especially her friendship with Trevor Maverty.

Derian suddenly wishes the boy next door would see her as more than just a kid sister type. She tries to be everything she thinks he’s looking for— bolder, more experienced – but is that who she wants to be?

With the fate of her family’s historic inn on the line and Trevor making life more complicated by the day, Derian struggles to manage her unexpected feelings, and deal with a past she’s not quite ready to leave behind.

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Review:

Put It Out There is the first book in the Britannia Beach series and my first experience with D.R Graham as an author and to say I was pleasantly surprised is an understatement. I adored this book, from the very beginning it threw me into new depths as I expected just a contemporary romance, this is so much more. D.R Graham incorporates paranormal elements by having her main protagonist Derian receive premonitions. This was a unique element and added a deeper layer to this story, even with its inclusion of premonitions the book is very realistic.

Derian is like any other teenage girl except her father is dead, her mother lives in a whole different town and she has premonitions. Derian has returned to live with her grandfather in the inn he runs, I actually pictured an inn similar to The Dragonfly Inn from Gilmore Girls and I then kept thinking of elements of Stars Hallow as well when picturing the town. Derian is hoping that her next door neighbour, Trevor, will finally start to see her as more than a little sister type. This is one of the main focuses to the book, Derian’s possible relationships/love interests which plays alongside the premonitions and possibly saving people’s lives.

Derian has a few boys who are possible love interests, I myself rooted for Trevor throughout. In-fact I still am because the book ends on a cliff hanger of sorts and I really need the next book now to find out what happens next and who she will end up with or if she could ever end up with Trevor. This book has sent me round the emotional roller-coaster to say the least, especially regarding Trevor and Derian. It’s frustrated me (in a good way) to the point where I wanted to shout at my kindle whilst praying that the next page featured a possible get together for Trevor and Derian. Therefore you can see that this truly kept me on my toes, it is most definitely a will they – won’t they type of story.

In terms of my reading experience as a whole I had no trouble getting into Put It Out There, I really enjoyed D.R Graham’s writing style as it is both descriptive and enticing. Her writing is realistic and relatable, most notably the high school environment which features its standard popular hierarchy and bullies. Furthermore the pace of the book was steady and I continuously wanted to read on to find out what would happen next.

One element of this book which I really liked was D.R Graham’s incorporation of diversity which comes in numerous forms. Firstly the lack of parental figures and the overall family dynamic and role as well as the inclusion of a character who has Downs Syndrome. Kailyn is Trevor’s sister and she plays an important role in this book, she is featured numerously and it’s refreshing to see that Kailyn is shown to be having the same type of boy problems that our protagonist Derian is having. I really liked this because it’s pushing the message that we are all the same and we can all be having the same problems regardless of disability.

Overall I would say Put It Out There is definitely a 4.5/5 star read for me, I highly recommend it. I think this would be a great summer read regardless of your age. I find it to be similar to New Adult Romances as well as Young Adult so I think it could belong in both genres. The book is heart-warming, sad, exciting and funny to say the least and I thoroughly enjoyed my reading experience, the unique elements such as the incorporation of premonitions really added another dynamic to the book and makes it stand out from other contemporaries. If you are a fan of Kasie West’s contemporary’s then this would be one to check out.

P.S. I am hoping that the sequel is released soon, I can hardly wait to find out what will happen with Trevor and Derian.  

 

Let me know in the comments if this sounds like a book you would be interested in reading, if you’ve added it to your Goodreads TBR or if you’ve read anything by D.R Graham before?

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Useful Links:

Goodreads Page |Goodreads – Author Page | Amazon US|  Amazon UK| Harper Collins