Paradise City... Restoring My Faith in New Adult

Paradise City Paradise Book One
Written by C. J Duggan
Contemporary, New Adult
Expected Publication April 28th 2015
339 Pages
Thank you to Hachette Australia
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★★★★★
There's bound to be trouble in Paradise...

When her parents decide a change will be good for her, seventeen year old Lexie Atkinson never expected they'd send her all the way to Paradise City. Coming from a predictable life of homeschooling on a rural Australian property, she just knows that Paradise will be amazing. But when she's thrust into a public school without a friendly face in sight, and forced to share a room with her insipid, hateful cousin Amanda, Lexie's not so sure.

Hanging out with the self proclaimed beach bums of the city, sneaking out, late night parties and parking with boys are all things Lexie's never experienced, but all that's about to change. It's new, terrifying... And exciting.

And when Lexie meets Luke Ballantine, the swoon-worthy, bad boy leader of the group, the chemistry between them is electric. Trouble with a capital T, Luke is impulsive, charming and answers to no one, and he's sexier than any guy Lexie has ever known. Lexie begins to wonder if Luke is going to be good for her... Or very, very bad?
All Lexie has ever wanted to do is to escape the lazy town of Red Hill for the lights of the city. The home schooled seventeen year old has dreamed of Paradise City, since estranged cousin Amanda sent her a postcard. But Lexie had never expected her parents to agree to the move, and she certainly didn't expect that moving into her aunt and uncles house would result in a surly cousin who sees her as nothing more than tragic.

Determined to find her place, Lexie tried to ignore the boys tapping on Amanda's window in the middle of the night, even with her cousin having done nothing to deserve Lexie's silence. Still, she won't breathe a word to Amanda's parents. The boys being the local beach bums, not known for their intelligence but rather being ladies men who know their way around a woman's body. And none more so that the luscious Ballantine. But even being on the outer, Lexie still manages to find herself in detention with none other than Ballantine himself. Their chemistry is undeniable, the sexual tension between the two is palpable and Lexie realises that capturing Ballantine's attention may just be her downfall.

Kelly's Thoughts

As most of you know, I rarely read new adult, never mind actually enjoy it. It's the same tropes over and over and often sexually based with barely a hint of a storyline. Paradise City not only reinvents the new adult genre, but sets the standard that all new adult authors should strive for. Set in the fictional town of Paradise City, Lexie is the girl next door looking for a big city adventure. Originally from the sleepy town of Red Hill, Lexie has been home schooled and longs for the high school experience. Having moved years prior, her cousin Amanda and her parents agree to take the seventeen year old in, but where Lexie and Amanda were once as thick as thieves, now their relationship strained even further with the vapid and arrogant Amanda wanting her gone.

But Lexie is a tough as boots country girl and refuses to let Amanda win. She digs in her heels and is determine to make the most of her opportunity. But starting a new school isn't easy especially when Ballantine seems to be staring her down, the attraction and sexual tension can be cut with a knife. Ballantine isn't the playboy that his reputation leads everyone to believe and he and Lexie form a tentative friendship, bonding over shared detentions and late night rendezvous.

More mature young adult than new adult, C. J has crafted a sizzling storyline that could be considered to be a coming of age for the realistic, every day girl. Lexie is not only likable, but incredibly relatable and wants to find her place in the social hierarchy of Paradise City. She isn't perfect, but awkward, clumsy and naive. Her budding relationship with the sinful Ballantine is tense, but the banter and awkwardness of Lexie navigating her first real crush was absolutely charming.

I loved every moment. Uniquely Australian, Paradise City was simply brilliant. C. J is a born storyteller that breathes a realism into her characters and situations that we've all found ourselves in. But the biggest difference is, that her books span across the ages. Generations of yesterday, today and tomorrow will relate to not only Lexie, but her plight. But be warned, Paradise City does end of a cliffhanger. I can't wait to see what will become of Lexie and Ballantine and head back to Paradise City in the next installment. It can't come soon enough.

Purchase Links

Preorder Paradise City by clicking the links below

25 comments

  1. Okay, now I have to admit that I am verrrrrrrrrrrry curious. NA is definitely a hit-or-miss sort of category for me--either I'll like it or I won't--and it's not something I read all the time. Just occasionally. (Though I'm not so thrilled to hear about that cliffhanger. :P) But I think I'm going to have to add this one to my TBR list. It looks fantastic, Lovely review! <3

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    1. Me too Kara, and I usually avoid new adult like the plague. But having read the authors previous novels, I simply had to give this one a go and she certainly didn't disappoint. It's more mature young adult than new adult and the focus is solely on it's characters and unlike new adult, didn't focus on sex. It really was a breath of fresh air.

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  2. This is so so interesting. I agree, I have been reading a lot of NA lately and tho I enjoy it most of the time, the trope is always the same and thus gets boring from time to time, I'm glad to see that this one of the million great NA's I can check out :D

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    1. I hope you can Jules, it's already available for preorder on Amazon. I generally can't stand new adult, but absolutely LOVED Paradise City. It's a brilliant snapshot of Australia during your late teen years.

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  3. I'm so excited that you picked it up, and actually ENJOYED IT! I haven't heard about this, but of course with it being New Adult, I'm definitely going to add it to my TBR. After reading your review, I will agree that it seems more of a mature YA novel than NA, but I'm pretty sure I'd still love it, especially since I'm so in the mood for a story like this! Great review as usual :)

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    1. Thanks Tika.

      It's a cross between mature young and adult and new adult, with the difference being that the storyline isn't heavily sexualised and the characters are still at school. There's no instant love or juvenile relationships that we see in young adult either. I absolutely adored it. Her Summer series is phenomenal as well, book one is free on Amazon at the moment, so definitely check it out.

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  4. Why does it feel like all the good books nowadays - from Contemporary to Fantasy - are from Australian authors?! Australian rights don't extend to the Philippines so we'll have to wait for a while before getting it. Are AU books usually on Book Depository too? I'd LOVE to get this one!

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    1. This one should be, it's being traditionally published by Hachette Australia. It's on there http://www.bookdepository.com/Paradise-City-Duggan/9780733633867 But currently not in stock unfortunately. Definitely try Amazon and the purchase links above, who should have plenty of copies. It's brilliant Faye and well worth hunting a copy down.

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  5. I'm loving the sound of this one Kelly! I can be wary of NA just because it *can* turn into some cliched, stereotypical trope (at times), though I have been lucky that I've found some quite promising ones recently that are wonderfully unique. I've pushed this up my TBR thanks to this review, and now I'm really looking forward to it - especially with that Australian edge. Thanks for the lovely review :)

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    1. Her Summer series is just as incredible too, I love her laid back and easy style of writing. The biggest difference is the realism of her characters and story lines, they remind me so much from when I was growing up. There's just something far more relatable to our Aussie books.

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  6. This one is not on my radar at all and its NA. WHYYYYYY. I'm so interested. I agree with you, I recently decided that I'll avoid NA for awhile because its just so tiring. But I'll make an exception for this one. Great review, Kelly! You made me excited :D

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    1. I was the same Paula, I felt like read one new adult and you've read them all. Having loved the authors previous contemporaries, I had to try this one too and it didn't disappoint. I loved that it focuses on the characters and not sex, as most new adult books do. You need this book in your life Paula. It's brilliant.

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  7. This is new. I'm not a regular reader of this subgenre either, so when I read a review from someone like me, I take it to heart. I will definitely put this on my TBR. And 5 stars!

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    1. Oh Joy, I loved it. I couldn't even put it into words how much, and for me that's an awesome read. I like to think of it more as mature young adult, as new adult really seems to make a lot of readers cringe with all the shitty books without plot flood the market. This is what new adult should be.

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  8. Why do I feel like I missed the opportunity to read this? Maybe it was a part of a blog tour and I skipped over it, but I feel like I missed a great opportunity to love a new book. Like you I try never to read NA too much of the same ole dramatic crap I'm not a fan of but there are always a few that prove me wrong. Maybe one day I'll pick up a copy and see what I think. Lovely review, Diva!

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    1. It was part of an Aussie blog tour, but Paradise City was originally available on Netgalley as well. Not sure if it's still available though. You definitely haven't missed out, as it's available for preorder and will be out soon. Hooray! I shy away from new adult for the same reason Sarah, but having loved her Summer series (book one is free on Amazon at the moment I believe) I had to give this one a try. And so glad I did. I absolutely loved it!

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  9. So glad to hear you found a NA book that you loved, especially one that is coming up on my TBR! I know you're not the biggest fan of NA, so this one sounds relatable especially with Lexxie's character. Great review Kelly! <3

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    1. I loved Lexie's character Jeann, she was the everyday girl that I think we call all relate to. One of her best qualities was her ability to never give up, and she's thrown a few curve balls as well. I can't wait to see what you think of it.

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  10. I wouldn't have been that curious by the summary alone, but that's great you really loved this one and it was more than just another NA trope. I haven't read many NA books, but I love the idea of it, so it's great to hear about authors that do it well.

    -Lauren

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    1. I have unfortunately, and so far more of them have been the same old tropes again and again. So when I seen this one and loved the author's previous releases, I knew it would be one of those new adult books I'd adore, and I wasn't wrong. Grab a copy Lauren, especially if you don't normally read new adult, it's the prefect introduction.

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  11. I've never read a book based in Australia before, but this does sound pretty interesting! I'm glad there aren't too many stereotypes too!
    Beth x
    www.thequietpeople.com

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    1. They're always awesome Beth. Being Aussies, I think we get sick of reading books set in the US all the time, as it becomes a little hard to relate to something as trivial as the school system over there. The author really sets the scene and gives readers a snapshot of teen life in Australia, I absolutely loved it. I'd love to see what you think of it too!

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  12. I have this book added it to my TBR, and I'm so glad to hear it's a wonderful New Adult novel - I hate a love/hate relationship with NA books, I love the genre but I dislike most of the books :/ I do want to check this book out though, seeing your amazing review makes me more excited now! I do like the title of this as well.
    <3 Benish | Feminist Reflections

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  13. I've only just started getting into New Adult and this one had suddenly start appearing everyone. I'm glad you really liked it, Kelly!

    x Ely

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  14. Perfect review :-) I've found N.A. to be a bit of a unrealistic hit and miss mess, but this was beautiful - brought back good and bad memories. I found it really enjoyable (damn cliff hanger) and I am looking forward to reading more of C.J. Duggan.

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