Review : This Is Now by Maggie Gilbert (NA)

Goodreads

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Book Blurb

A gritty, urban New Adult Cinderella story where the princess can do her own rescuing — she just needs someone to believe in her.

Sister to car thieves, ex-girlfriend to a drug dealer, high school dropout, no-hoper and loser — Jess is on the sidelines, watching her life become one epic fail. Her dreams of university are fading fast, as the people in her life fight to confine her to their own expectations.
Then she meets Sebastien, a gifted cellist from a very different walk of life. Sebastien is clean and strong and talented. He likes and respects her, but he too has expectations. Sebastien seems to think she can do anything, and Jess, despite her fears and the secrets she hides, is starting to believe him.
But just as Jess dares to hope, the secrets in her past and the lies in her present catch up with her. All seems lost and she has to make a choice. Between past and future. Between home and hope. Between now and never. And this is now.

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Toot's Review by Stacy Sabala

Jessica Carter lives with her mom and her two older brothers. She is trying to make it through school and save money she earns from waitressing. She wants to go to the university and study architecture. Buildings are her passion. She likes to inspect them and see how they are made. She wants a life different than what she has now. Her brothers deal stolen parts and her ex-boyfriend deals drugs. She wants out.

Her life changes when Anna, a new friend, wants to go to the clubs one night and invites Jess to go with her. Before they go they need to make an appearance at a concert Anna’s brother is playing at. Jess is not thrilled. She is dressed for the clubs and sticks out.

When the lights go out Anna’s brother, Sebastien, takes the stage and plays the cello. Jess is spellbound as she watches him. He is the hottest guy she has ever seen and feels an instant spark when she meets him. However, he is from a rich family and he is so far out of her league. There is no way he could possibly be interested in her, but somehow he is. Jess knows that any feeling he has will be killed when he learns what her life is truly like. She works hard to keep everything going and separated until it all comes crashing down.

I really liked this book. It was a modern day Cinderella and I liked the author’s spin. There were brothers and they really cared for Jessica. Things that happened in the book were believable and I couldn’t put it down. I wanted to see what else was thrown at Jessica and how she was going to handle it.

She was a fabulous character and I wanted to see her succeed. She worked so hard to get what she had and kept trying to better herself instead of sinking into the life her family had planned for her. She was a great character that the reader could invest in and root for. I recommend this book and give it a 4 out of 5.

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