Book Review: Stop! by Alison G. Bailey

Stop! exceeded my expectations and then some. 

I had no real grasp of what Stop! was about before going into the book, which I was able to get through a goodreads group. The novel follows Hollis Murphy as she navigates her first year of college. She has major anxiety issues due to severe burns on her face and arms from an accident, and mean girls don't help. While figuring out how to overcome her anxiety, she not only gets paired up with a seemingly weird roommate, but bumps into a certain boy a couple times that she can't take her eyes off of. 

While Stop! was a much darker read than I anticipated, I enjoyed where Alison G. Bailey took it. However, the last third of the book did seem really rushed. So much was happening in so little of time that I had a hard time suspending my disbelief. Besides that fact, this was a pretty good book. I do wish some characters were fleshed out more, like Hollis' roommate and her best friend. 

I would recommend this for anyone who wants a refreshing contemporary novel that focuses on topics that are ignored far too often. There is a great LGBTQ+ plot to the story, and I loved it. A lot of the times books capture everyone as being straight, which is not realistic. Though I personally do not feel the struggle of being part of the community and feeling oppressed my society, I think Bailey captured it very well. 

Another plot point that I don't see often enough is the fact that the main character is a trauma survivor. A lot of the times in NA and YA we see people go through traumatic things, but we don't see the aftermath of that. In new adult, you see the classic guarded guy with a mysterious secret, but his secret is normally not that bad. Hollis on the other hand has gone through something truly horrific. 

One of the things I truly appreciated was how Hollis' love interest was not a douche bag for a good portion of the book. He wasn't this guarded mysterious guy, he was just a good guy. It was an accurate representation of what a healthy relationship looks like. 

All in all, I would recommend this book. I did have some issues with the pacing and characters, but that is something I can definitely look past. I enjoyed myself reading this, and I believe others would too!

With that, I give this book 

3.5 out of 5 Stars!

  

What are some of your favorite books set in college? Thanks for stopping by and I'll see you soon with another post!

Happy Reading!

Genni @ Ready, Set, Read!

Currently Reading/TBR: The Rose Society, Stop!, Half-Blood

Hey guys and welcome back to my blog! I'm Genni and today I'll be showing you all what I am currently reading and what I am planning to read next.

As of right now, I just started two books: The Rose Society by Marie Lu and Stop! by Alison G. Bailey. These two could not be more different. The Rose Society, as I'm sure you know, is the sequel to The Young Elites. Stop! is a contemporary novel that is following a young woman and her first year in college. 

While the books definitely have a different feel, I'm getting really interested in each of them! I haven't read a lot of contemporary recently, and I've been feeling the need to get back into the genre. The Rose Society is a fantasy novel that has a heroic villain of sorts as the lead. Adelina, the main character, isn't good news and her enemies know it! I'm excited to see how the story progresses and Adelina evolves into a darker, stronger, scarier characters. Hollis Murphy, the main character in Stop!, is on the other side of the spectrum from Adelina. After surviving an accident that left her severely burned and almost dead, Hollis is a very insecure and unstable girl. She is not confident in herself as of the exposition. Once again, I'm excited to see her character develop into a strong young woman. 

After those two, I don't necessarily know what I want to read. I did say I wanted to read The Winner's Crime, but I don't want to force myself into reading the book. If I do, I know that I will not like it or appreciate it as much as I would just reading it on my own time. I recently just bought Half-Blood by Jennifer L. Armentrout. I can't get enough of her! Her books are the equivalent of what crack is for drugs. They are addicting and give me an amazing high. I can't get enough of it!


If I don't read Half-Blood, I will be reading The Fifth Wave by Rick Yancey. I planned on reading it in January, and I have a couple days left to fulfill that! The movie just came out (today actually!) and I want to read the book right before I see the movie so it is fresh on my mind. That way, I can give a review that is able to pinpoint the differences!

Have you read any of the books I am currently reading or planning to? What are you currently reading?

Thanks guys for stopping by and I'll see you soon with another post!

Happy Reading!

Genni @ Ready, Set, Read!