Review: Stir Me Up by Sabrina Elkins

Stand Alone

Format: Ebook

Rating: 4 Stars 

How I Got It: Purchased

Genre: Young Adult, New Adult, Contemporary, Romance, Military

Publisher: HarlequinTEEN

Synopsis (from Goodreads) 

Cami Broussard has her future all figured out. She'll finish her senior year of high school, then go to work full-time as an apprentice chef in her father's French restaurant, alongside her boyfriend, Luke. But then twenty-year-old ex-Marine Julian Wyatt comes to live with Cami's family while recovering from serious injuries. And suddenly Cami finds herself questioning everything she thought she wanted.

Julian's all attitude, challenges and intense green-brown eyes. But beneath that abrasive exterior is a man who just might be as lost as Cami's starting to feel. And Cami can't stop thinking about him. Talking to him. Wanting to kiss him. He's got her seriously stirred up. Her senior year has just gotten a lot more complicated…. 

Review

Look, another book I read because of the DBSA podcast. I was re-listening to some old episodes and Jane mentioned this one. I like cooking books (especially when done well) and wounded people stories so it was up my alley.

I think this is technically a young adult book since the main character, Cami, is seventeen and a senior in high school. But I see it as more of a new adult book. The romance is definitely mature and so much of the story is Cami figuring out what to do after high school which is huge new adult theme to me.

It was an interesting story and I liked Cami as a main character. She’s easy to connect with and you can tell how passionately she feels about food. And I really liked that she prioritized her friendship with Taryn, her best friend. Often I read books were the romance takes center stage and any kind of friendship disappear.

The romance was very enjoyable. I didn’t completely see their banter as sexual tension, but I liked that Cami didn’t put up with his crap. Once they admitted their attractions for each other I was invested. And they had to deal with some very real couple issues especially for this age. Ms. Elkins did a good job of making them realistic, but mature.

Sometimes I found the writing a little weak-especially in the beginning. And there were some things that happened with Cami’s ex and stepmom, Estella, that I thought would be more and that disappointed me. There was also less focus on Julian’s PTSD and injuries then I would have liked. This is a common complaint I have with books told in 1^st person. But I would have loved more especially with his injuries because that was one of the things that brought me to the story. I also thought it ended a little abruptly.

Even with my complaints I would recommend this book and am open to reading more books by Sabrina Elkins.

Thanks for reading!