Review
Title: Kick, Push
Author: Jay McLean
Release Day: August 4, 2015
US: http://bit.ly/kickpushamznus
UK: http://amzn.to/1L0SmwZ
It lasts only a second. Two if you’re good.
Three if you’re really good.
It’s the moment you’re in the air, your board somewhere beneath you, and nothing but wind surrounds you.
It’s the feeling of being airborne.
Then at seventeen, I had my son.
And every single second became a defining moment. Even the ones that consisted of heartbreak when his mother left us.
That’s what my life became.
Yet, every day, I managed to find that feeling of being airborne.
Or at least I convinced myself I did.
But I lied—to myself and to everyone around me.
Until she showed up; Tanned skin, raven dark hair, and eyes the color of emeralds.
Coming down from the high.
Sometimes you land on the board and nail the trick.
Then kick, push, and coast away.
Other times you fall.
You fall hard.
And those are the times when it’s not as easy to get back up, dust off your pads and try again.
Especially when the girl with the emerald eyes becomes your drug…
And you become her poison.
“You said that life’s just like skating; I just need to kick forward and take a chance, push off the ground and follow through. And when everything works out, I’ll coast.” He smiles. “Kick. Push. Coast.” he murmurs, his eyes drifting shut. “Time to coast, son.”
Amy’s Review
This is one of those books that will make you feel. “It should be impossible to feel so much at once. Love. Hate. Envy. Despair. Sadness. Guilt. Yet here I am, sitting on the steps just outside their door, and I feel all of it. It’s like a weight pulling down on my heart and the only thing I can do to survive is breathe. Through the pain. The excitement. The longing for something that isn’t mine. That never will be. Inhale. Exhale.” From the moment I read the first page, I was sucked in. I knew this story was going to amazing. Kick Push was well written and captivating. You can’t help yourself from wanting to read and know more about the characters.
Kick Push is Joshua and Becca’s story. Josh is Hunter’s best friend, whom we briefly met in Where The Road Takes Me. Josh had his whole life ahead of him; not a care in the world. All that mattered was skating and his girlfriend. When Josh’s girlfriend ends up pregnant, his whole world gets turned upside down. Josh does the noble, mature thing and stands by his girlfriend. Only, in the end, he winds up alone. A single parent at the age of 17. To say things were tough for Josh would be an understatement. Josh is lost and feels like there is no way out. That is until Chaz enters his life. Chaz not only becomes Josh’s saving grace, but gives him the help and support he so desperately needs. Once again restoring his faith in humanitly. SHowing him that there are still some good, kind people in this tough world.
Becca is Chaz’s granddaughter. She’s quiet, shy, troubled. Her past is exactly that, her past. She is determined to not let anyone get close to her. All is going to plan until she meets Josh. There’s just something about Josh that calls to her. She wants to know more about him. He makes her want to live, open up again, to be free from her past. The two of them form an unlikely friendship, that slowly turns into something more; something amazing. Becca feels safe with Josh and that’s a feeling she hasn’t had for a very long time. It seems too good to be true and when things seem that way, it’s because it usually is. What will happen when the past catches up with both Becca and Josh? Will they be able to Kick, Push, Coast?
If you are a fan of Jay McLean’s books than you know that you are about to go one crazy, emotional journey. No one and I mean no one, does angst and romance quiet the way that Jay McLean does. Her goal is to make you feel and connect with her characters on a deeper level. To make you take something more away from the story that you’ve read. And for me, that goal was accomplished in Kick, Push. The characters are real. They’re broken. They’re damaged. They are so incredibly easy to connect with. You can’t help but get lost in the characters and their story. Becca and Josh’s journey is not an easy one, but boy is it worth the ride. Their story will consume and captivate you. It will leave you breathless and crying for more. Kick, Push is definitely one story that is not to be missed.
Kristals Review
After meeting Josh (briefly) in Where the Road Takes Me, I, like many other readers, was pretty eager to get to know more about this young lad and his story. You don’t often come across a young single dad in an NA romance, so straight away the book had a point of difference that got me excited to read it. I’m giving myself a huge high five for signing up for this ARC because as Amy said – it has ALL THE FEELS.
Kick Push is a NA romance/coming of age story full of all of the very best things about a romance novel – huge emotions, angst, humour, and characters that you will easily fall in love with. This book is a journey, one that’s hard to be on at times but it will also leave you swooning and begging for more.
I can honestly say that nobody does a male character as well as Jay McLean. Time and time again she manages to write beautiful males characters that have an endearing blend of humour, sweetness and babe-ness (that’s a word). And Becca, she was so damaged but also wanted SO badly to move on from that damage and live a happy, normal life. You can’t help but feel for the girl. Even when Josh was being a total asshat (COMMUNICATION, kids, say it with me.), she had this unwavering inner strength and courage. She never outwardly fell apart or caused a scene, but you could feel the anguish and torment rolling off every page.
On that note – NOBODY does angst quite like Jay McLean. She seems to know exactly how far to push the reader before pulling back and letting the rest of the story flow. I thought I was about to have a conniption at one point. Luckily, I pushed through and saw this story through til the end. With its utterly gorgeous characters (the kid…awwww, the KID), and full blown drama, Kick Push is fantastic read. A quick word of warning – there’s a book two (I assume). I had no idea that this wasn’t a standalone when I started reading it and was quite surprised at the end, so heads up!
(I have to say, I am totally in agreement with you here, Kristal. When I got to the end, I was like, Wait! What?! This is not a stand-alone?! Now, I’m desperate to find out what happens next!! ~Amy)
Jay McLean
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