Pretty Reckless (All Saints High)

"It started with a lemonadeAnd ended with my heartThis, my pretty reckless rival,is how our screwed-up story starts"This book was so good that I finished it in a day!I was pretty much more interested in Vaughan rather than any other offspring of the four hotholes lol but then I decided to give Daria's book a try and it was the best decision.This book was emotional. Daria Followill, the daughter of Jamie and Melody Followill was the queen b and the popular cheerleader of all saints high. I loved his character. It was so layered. She was so broken and isolated it was hard for me to see her go through her struggles alone. She was misunderstood and often portrayed herself to be mean even though she was not. I honestly loved the female main character more than the male main character in this book. Penn Scully was the brother of Sylvia Scully. His sister was in Melody's ballet academy. Penn & Via had a seriously problematic mother and step father, they were poor but Via made everyone else in the ballet class believe that they were financially stable and could get whatever they want.Penn was a rude & moody but I liked Daria and Penn's relationship in the past when they first met, it was just so cute! Penn's sister though was a huge part of Daria and Mel's wrecked relationship.I liked the fact about Penn that he was not biased about his sister and treated Daria fairly. He understood her, support her and fought to save her dignity that made him likeable for me.I was quite disappointed in Mel for constantly comparing Via and Daria and it looked like she paid everyone else's kids more attention than her own. I didn't like the way Mel behaved throughout the book. Jamie on the other hand was a good dad to Daria, he always listened to her problems and tried to sort it out for her. He was the one who was holding up the balance in his family.Daria seemed quite immature and selfish in the first parts of the book, then it was explained all in detail. When she repeated mistakes instead of learning from them, it pissed me off but I understood why she did what she did. She had no real guidance from her mother who was supposed to talk to her and learn more about what's going on in her life rather than constantly checking up on others kid's lives. Honestly I blamed both Mel & Jamie because their neglect was the main reason Daria was so messed up and emotionally wrecked.I'm glad that there was an entire chapter with Daria and Mel in the end because that gave me closure but I still feel that Daria should have taken more time in forgiving Melody considering the situation she was put through all those years. Overall this book was interesting and kept me hooked with all the rivalry between Sylvia and Daria (it made me hate Via more and more throughout the chapters lol!). I would recommend to read this book!

My favourite book with my favourite characters. Both the protagonists are flawed and real , which makes the story flow seamlessly

It was a book, and it served its purpose of entertaining!

Everytime I read this book, I feel like I'm reading it for the first. And everytime I finish it, I'm left speechless.Everything is so beautifully written in this book. I hated so many characters, and then feel bad for them towards the end. I couldn't help but cry at so many scenes and I'm not really the one who cries while reading. For me, there're only few authors who have that effect on me and only few authors who can deliver such intense and emotional rollercoaster. And now LJ Shen is one of them.To every single reader out there, I recommend- no I beg you to read this book. Not a book, but a masterpiece.

LJ Shen is trying to do it again.Recreating the earlier series with the next generation of the central characters of the Sinners of the Saint series.the story though interesting is not in the same league and you can feel the repetition in many incidences.But if you are a fan of the series you would like reading it.

4.5stars...read via KU...have always enjoyed reading books by LJShen, and this one was no different, in fact, been waiting to read the stories of the next generation and can't wait for the next books in this series to come out...this story has characters who are not perfect, then again what's perfect anyways (the main leads for most part of the story are 17-18 years old, not sure if the technical term is New adult or Young Adult from age range perspective, always confuses me)...there were some memorable lines in the book:-)

Daria and Penn were not perfect, far from it. Daria is jealous, bitchy cheerleader captain.Penn is the boy from wrong side of tracks.Even though I never liked the jealousy,mean mix but what pulled me in is Daria's inner turmoil, how L.J. Shen showed her actual, inner soul.I felt every pain, every emotion of her.Penn was just exceptional ,as I'm getting to think shen's every protagonist is.It's a high school setting and has many emotional scenes.

LJ Shen has become an auto buy author for me and I know I’m gonna love whatever she writes.Pretty Reckless definitely did not disappoint.It was so much more than a love story.We see the internal struggle of Daria and it is something we all face.Everyone has a ‘hulk’ but some people are better at concealing it than others.Penn too was an amazing character .His scenes especially towards the end just made me love him so much.The drama and steaminess is something that has become this author’s brand and she always delivers .

As soon as I started reading this book I new I was going to be great.I loved Daria and Penn right from the get go and I knew This series was going to be a must read.This is the first book in the All Saints High Series and it will hook you right in. This is a enemies to lovers, high school romance that you will love and the intense words are amazing.Penn and Daria first meet when they are younger around 14 and they catch each other then, but both end up doing something quite immature. They both don't realise the significance of what there actions have on anyone else until a few years later. Daria is a beautiful, rich queen bee of the school when Penn comes back into her life hell bent on revenge. Only they both don't expect what they actually get.I was captivated from the very beginning reading this book and I loved all the twists and turns that I never saw coming. I loved the characters and all the side characters and I can't wait to read there books. I loved how this author has written this book and I love how it flows. This book is a real page turner that I highly recommend.#ljshen #allsaintshigh

Daria is the spoiled rich girl, or is she? She's the daughter that is never good enough, who just wants her mothers attention and to be loved. So she perfects her acting up, and the jealousies and anger inside her.Penn is the poor badboy, who does everything for the benefit of his twin sister Violet. Daria is in his sights, he was revenge and blames Daria for his sisters disappearance.OH MY GOD, this book, what a ride!! My emotions were most definitely pushed to their limit. I both loved and hated it, i both loved and hated both characters!! Yet i was drawn to them like a moth to a flame.So much happens in this book, from beginning to end, its emotional relevations along the way and you barely get time to breatheThis book covers so many issues, lies, jealousy, manipulation, trust, Love, Hate, bullying. It's not the easiest of reads but its one that will have to hooked so deep that like the characters you will have no escape. Both main characters, were in their own way Bully's, and at times i felt this a little difficult, even if i could understand that all their thoughts and feelings were leading to their behaviour. At the same time I loved them, their intensity, their connection. This whole group of people were pretty messed up and dysfunctional yet they were striving to make things right. Each and every step this couple took wasn't easy but i loved every moment of it. This book, just like the characters, challenged me all the way. It hit me deep and it hit me hard. So much happens in this book, from beginning to end, its emotional revelations along the way and you barely get time to breathe, never mind eat, drink or sleep!!! Definitely a book you have to dive into and be prepared for a hell of a ride !!!!

I found this author in the last year and have not stopped reading her books since!! My favourite being Vicious but this one comes a close second. I loved the Sinners of Saint books which were individual books about friends from all different backgrounds and I couldn't put them down as they had so much drama and angst and passion which I love in my books. So now we have the next generation and this book is about Daria, who is the daughter of Melody and Jaime and their story was told in the book Defy. Daria is a tortured soul and finds it hard to cope with her inner jealous demons and she has a troubled relationship with her mum Melody but she's very close to her dad. Penn comes into her life when she's 14 years old and they both come from totally different backgrounds. Penn has a twin sister called Sylvia (Via for short) and she is definitely not a nice person. Penn and Daria set off a chain of events together which neither of them knew would cause so much heartache but this is what makes the book so good. I couldn't put it down but because I'm a fast reader I am now left hanging waiting for the next one!

Pretty Reckless follows Daria Followhill and Penn Scully. Daria, a senior in high school is pretty, popular, and the ice queen of her class. Four years ago, she met Penn, and her jealousy towards Via, Penn’s twin, another ballet dancer in her mother’s class leads to a petty act which turns into her biggest regret and changes Penn’s life forever. For years, she avoided Penn and the guilt, until one night before senior year starts, they are thrown back into each other’s lives. Penn, the boy from the wrong side of the tracks, has always had a crush on Daria, but since that day four years ago, he has been plotting his revenge. What better time to start his payback than when he is taken in by the Followhills. But as they spend more time together, the attraction between them grows and they learn how complex their feelings are towards one another, good and bad. When everything comes crumbling down and their pasts return, who will be left standing?Pretty Reckless is hard to review, because it brings out so many emotions. Initially I couldn’t get into it because Daria was just so unlikable. But as you read, you begin to understand why, and I didn’t expect to empathise with Daria as much as I did in the end. Her character development was the best in the book because she truly evolved to be a better person, more her true self and not what she thought she had to be.Penn, the football playing god with his own secrets gave the Hotholes a run for their money. He initially hated Daria for their actions all those years ago, but their chemistry was undeniable, and I think what sold me most on their relationship was how he saw her. He could see that she was not perfect, she was flawed and jealous and vindictive, but he loved her anyway and he helped her learn to accept that. He was one of the main reasons her castle came falling down, but he was also the reason she knew it would be okay.This is not a flawless story, it’s full of teen drama and angst and did feel like an episode of OTH like Penn says. After mixed feelings at the end, I processed my thoughts, and realised I did really enjoy Daria and Penn’s story!

Nothing is what it seems.Daria is an amazing character.She has a tough armour around her but she feels so much. I have never loved a character more than her. She is not the "Rich Bitch" everyone believes her to be but so much more.All she wants is love, attention and care.Everyone has a Daria inside them, who just needs a little bit of love and attention. The way I connected with her and understood her pain and action, shock my very core. She is someone I want to protect and love.Penn is the one!He has had a tough life and Daria's equal.He is not scared of Daria and could feel her pain before anyone else. I could not have thought of anyone better for Daria than Penn.I love their relationship, I became obsessed with them. When they bantered, argued, loved and were scared. Daria and Penn both faced their pain and somehow their love for each other was a constant, no matter how much they tried to deny it to each other and themselves.Must read!