Wednesday, April 30, 2014

Review: Down London Road by Samantha Young


Title: Down London Road (On Dublin Street, #2) 

Author: Samantha Young

Rating: 4 Stars

Young surprised me, nearly a year and a half ago, when she released On Dublin Street. Usually, I struggle with the romantic genre, but despite the cookie-cutter appearance of On Dublin Street, its unexpected depth, warm characters, and complex love story won me over, heart and soul. By the time Down London Street rolled around, however, I bought myself a copy and proceeded to forget about it in the hidden depths of my Kindle. It got lost somewhere in my TBR Collection and though I would glance over its cover online, the synopsis failed to capture my attention and it slipped my mind. Again.

Desperately in the mood for an intense, all-emotions-consuming romance, however, I stumbled upon Down London Road and, re-calling the roller-coaster ride of emotions I went through while reading On Dublin Street, prayed that Young's sequel would be even half as good as its predecessor. From the moment I began reading Down London Road, though, I already knew it would exceed my every expectation. Quite simply put, Jo's narration sucked me in. While I re-called her character - and the worst aspects of her persona - quite vividly from On Dublin Street, I expected only to like her grudgingly, as the novel wore on and revealed her many layers. Yet, from the first few sentences itself, Jo's heart and soul were laid bare with her frank, honest voice which bled through the pages and I found myself a goner, re-evaluating everything I knew about Joss's friend and sympathizing with her every step of the way.

Stuck caring for her alcoholic mother and younger teenage brother, Jo's life has been far from easy. While juggling two jobs, she finds the time to snag rich, older men in the hopes that marriage and wealth will solve the plethora of problems she finds herself facing every morning. Accompanying her current "sugar daddy" at an art exhibition, Jo meets Cameron, a sexy young graphics designer who takes one look at her and immediately judges her. Long past caring what others think of her, Jo shakes off Cameron's rudeness and finds him a job as a bartender, working alongside her. As Cameron gets to know Jo, however, stripping away the layers of her day-to-day facade and acknowledging his prior errors in judging her too quickly, the two form a fast friendship and grow to unexpectedly trust one another as well; somewhere along the way, love slips in.

What I've come to appreciate about Young's romances are the fact that they so effortlessly subvert tropes. While the romance genre is known for its general predictability, Young forces her strong, independent, and intelligent protagonists to confront their own personal problems and face them. During crucial moments of common misunderstandings, Jo deigns to discuss her issues with her boyfriend, not hide them from him and stew in silent agony. While that isn't to say that Jo faces her own set of troubles at every corner, it makes for a painless read as Jo fails to stumble into the tell-tale potholes that countless romantic heroines have found themselves in. Jo even goes so far as to steer clear of the problems Joss faced in On Dublin Street which only made me appreciate Young further. Instead, the dilemmas brought up throughout this narrative are real, harrowing ones. It is impossible to feel emotionally detached from Young's characters and, as a result, my heart ached and my pulse quickened with every new problem brought forth.

Down London Road isn't the easiest of reads to breeze through, but the character relationships - everything from friendship to strong sibling bonds to true love - are strong, vital components that drag this novel forward. Young is a master at complexity, but she has also mastered the art of conveying the heart within her novels into our own hearts as well. Down London Road was just the sort of riveting, engaging read I needed to propel me out of a reading slump. Moreover, it certainly didn't hurt that I met a couple of unforgettable characters along the way.

16 comments:

  1. Yay Keertana! I loved this one, too. A lot of people had issues with Jo but I felt her reasoning and actions were understandable given her circumstances. She was doing what she thought was best. Wonderful review! :)

    ReplyDelete
  2. "it makes for a painless read as Jo fails to stumble into the tell-tale potholes that countless romantic heroines have found themselves in."

    *dies of happiness* That alone would be enough to make me want to read this one if I wasn't such a big fan of the series already. Somehow I managed to skip this second book and go straight to Liv and Nate, but I need to backtrack and read Jo now! I know I'm going to love her. So glad this series is successful for you Keertana!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Somehow, this book and series has managed to escape me prior to your reviews, but goodness...you make SUCH a case for them, Keertana! I love how very powerful the characters sound. I obviously need to give this a go. Lovely review!

    ReplyDelete
  4. oh her romances sound nice and different. I haven't read a book by her yet but I keep hearing great things about her work. I should try! thanks for the review.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Great review. I'm glad you loved this so much. I'm happy to hear it avoids stereotypes!

    ReplyDelete
  6. You had me at great characters... but to say that this one pulled you out of a reading slump? WIN! So adding this one to the wishlist!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Like you I was completely surprised by On Dublin Street, it was such a better story than I was expecting! I'm excited to give this a try, though Jo wasn't my favorite character in the first book. But after reading your review, I have full faith in Young's ability to make me care for her and understand her better. I'm much more excited to read this now. Lovely review!

    ReplyDelete
  8. I'm so glad you loved it,Keertana (: I've been meaning to get my hands on a good romance book. I definitely need to give it a shot. Wonderful review, Keertana(:

    ReplyDelete
  9. It's always good to hear of a book/author that doesn't resort to the stereotypes associated with that genre! I'm not too into adult romance anymore, but if I ever feel like it, I'll give this series a go

    Mands @ The Bookish Manicurist

    ReplyDelete
  10. Every time I read your blog there is another author I want to add to my list of must read authors. I have seen On Dublin Street but kind of passed it off as a New Adult novel that fits that group I don't want to read. Seems like I've made a mistake with this author. I might have one of her books buried on my Kindle as well. If not, I'll have to get the first one. Then this one. I just love your reviews!

    ReplyDelete
  11. I have read the first book in this series a while ago and well now in time of my huge NA reading slump I don't even try to continue with this. I'm so glad you enjoyed it and it sounds really good. I love how Samantha writes so I need to get my things together and read this one. Great review, Keertana :)

    ReplyDelete
  12. I love a good romance and I am so sad for missing out on her books, but I am working hard on fixing that.

    ReplyDelete
  13. YES!!:) I am so happy that you liked this novel. I still haven't read rest of the series, but I plan to.
    Great review, Keertana.

    ReplyDelete
  14. I enjoyed On Dublin Street much like you did but haven't picked up the rest of the series. I'm so happy to find out that you found book 2 as rewarding as the first. I'm still not ready to embark on this sort of an emotional journey these days, but I'm glad that this book had the depth you wanted and that it succeeded in avoiding all the genre tropes.

    ReplyDelete
  15. It's a privilege to share this miraculous testimony to the world. My name is Marianella Cordero, My husband divorced me 8 months back and I have been filled with remorse for I didn't know what to do to amend issues with my husband. I searched for help on the internet on how I could get help in my marriage and I discovered great testifiers about DR JOHN SOCO who has been progressive with his spells. I got in touch with him and behold, DR JOHN SOCO, told me that he will prepare a spell for me that will bring back my husband. I was skeptical but I had no other option but to work with him. 3 days later, my husband called me that he's coming back home and from that day till this moment, we have been living peacefully. He is back now with so much love and caring. today i am glad to let you all know that this spell caster has the power to bring lovers back and the most surprising thing is that our love is very strong now, every day is happiness and joy. and There is nothing like being with the man you love. I will highly recommend DR JOHN SOCO to anyone one out there who needs help whatsoever. If you have any problem contact DR JOHN SOCO, i give you 100% guarantee that he will help you!!. Email: Drjohnsoco@gmail.com or whatsApp number: +1 706 871 4571 ..

    ReplyDelete

I love hearing from my readers and I read, reply, and appreciate every one of the comments I receive!(: If you're a fellow blogger, please leave a link to your blog - I'd love to drop by!

Unfortunately, this is now an award-free blog. I simply do not have the time to respond and forward on the award, but I truly appreciate the nomination regardless.