Blog Tour Review: As She Fades by Abbi Glines

As She Fades by Abbi Glines just released this week & I am so thankful to be on the Blog Tour! You can read my review below and be sure to check out all the book details. Thank you to Feiwel Friends for the advance review copy, which in no way influenced my thoughts below.

 

As She Fades by Abbi Glines

Category: Young Adult, Contemporary Romance
Publication: April 3rd, 2018; Feiwel Friends
Purchase: Amazon

From the #1 New York Times- and USA Today-bestselling author of the Rosemary Beach and The Vincent Boys series, Abbi Glines delivers another smoldering, compulsively readable YA romance with As She Fades.

On the night of her high school graduation, Vale McKinley and her boyfriend Crawford are in a terrible car accident that leaves Crawford in a coma. They were supposed to spend the summer planning for college, for a bright future full of possibility. Together. Instead, Vale spends long days in the hospital, hoping Crawford will awaken.

Slate Allen, a college friend of Vale’s brother, has been visiting his dying uncle at the same hospital. When he and Vale meet, she can’t deny the flutter of an illicit attraction. She tries to ignore her feelings, but she’s not immune to Slate’s charm. Slowly, they form a cautious friendship.

Then, Crawford wakes up . . . with no memory of Vale or their relationship. Heartbroken, Vale opts to leave for college and move on with her life. Except now, she’s in Slate’s territory, and their story is about to take a very strange turn.

 

Review:

[book rating=3.5/5]

This premise caught my interest the second I read it. Add to that the beautiful cover, and I decided it was a book I couldn’t miss.

This isn’t even close to my first Abbi Glines book. Far from it. I have loved some of her past stories and I hoped to add As She Fades to that list.

The story is enjoyable. I think part one can be redundant at times since its focus is Vale being worried about her boyfriend waking up from the coma. She does a lot of inner monologue regarding him. Which, I know kinda makes sense since he’s always been her world. It’s just exhausting at times, that being the only word repeated so often.

Things get interesting when she meets Slate. He’s in a fraternity with her older brother, Knox. He’s a player. Manwhore. She’s been warned. She’s not interested. Her only concern is Crawford. But, Slate starts coming around more often since his uncle is sick a few halls away from where Crawford sleeps. What was once Vale’s reluctance to acknowledge him turns into an odd, but refreshing friendship. They bond over the summer while they visit their loved ones in the hospital. And although she tries to deny it, it’s clear Vale is starting to develop feelings for Slate.

Again, the first part is very…typical of a romance book. Girl meets bad boy, they strike up an unlikely friendship, things begins to change between them. But then, part two starts up and TWIST. Now, before having gotten to said twist, I made a check in on Goodreads. One that stated how parts of this reminded me of a book I read many years ago. One that I loved. I wondered if perhaps this could be going along the same lines. And, to my surprise, IT WAS! Obviously, I can’t say what it was or the title of the other book for spoiler reasons, but just believe me when I say it’s a good one.

This is the moment that everything gets flip-turned. Vale’s life is no longer the one she’s been living. Literally everything has changed. However, it’s clear from all we’ve learned it’s not a bad thing. Different doesn’t mean worse. It’s a moment of truth. A moment when Vale is finally able to find and be herself. I loved that best.

I think Abbi’s fans will devour this book. It has all the components she’s been known for, but that added twist really sets it apart. My only complaint would be how short it is! The ending seems really abrupt. As I was getting to the final pages, I was worried nothing would be resolved and there’d be a companion/sequel to wait for. I *think* it’s safe to say this is a stand-alone…unless Abbi has some other tricks for Vale and company up her sleeve.

 

Author Bio: Abbi Glines

Abbi Glines is a #1 New York Times, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal bestselling author of the Rosemary Beach, Sea Breeze, Vincent Boys, Field Party and Existence series. She never cooks unless baking during the Christmas holiday counts. She believes in ghosts and has a habit of asking people if their house is haunted before she goes in it. She drinks afternoon tea because she wants to be British but alas she was born in Alabama. When asked how many books she has written she has to stop and count on her fingers. When she’s not locked away writing, she is reading, shopping (major shoe and purse addiction), sneaking off to the movies alone, and listening to the drama in her teenagers lives while making mental notes on the good stuff to use later. Don’t judge.

You can connect with Abbi online in several different ways. She uses social media to procrastinate.

Links:

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