This was a compelling story. The writing felt well-developed and was easy to follow. The theme of addiction is something that doesn't seem to be often touched upon in YA books. The book will make a nice addition to the genre where those themes are lacking.
I didn't connect as much as I would have liked with the characters and at times the writing felt a bit repetitive. I'm not sure the romantic element was really needed for this story, or if it necessarily added anything. I wonder if it would have been better had that relationship just been friendship.

Thank you so much for the opportunity to read this book. Unfortunately it’s not the book for me. DNF @ 19%.

First things first this was hard for me to finish, I couldn't get past how Adam sees Dez. It annoyed me the whole book. So to start off the review, this books main focus is on addiction then various other vices. Adam's parents get a divorce then he gets a porn addiction which he denies. There is an intervention, a typical ditzy blonde love interest, Adam's sister sides with their mom and dad just wants their mom back. I wish it was less predictable, it was also slow paced. I wish the love interest was something out of the normal.

This book deals with a lot of heavy topics, but focuses mainly on addiction to various vices. I don't think this was the book for me. I didn't love but didn't hate either. I thought it was a bit slow pacing. Overall it wasn't bad, it just wasn't for me.

Super late coming to this one, but better late than never I guess. Sadly, I had a hard time getting in to this one. It's raw and witty but I didn't connect.

Ok, wow. What a premise and character trait to give to a teenager in a young adult novel, I found it really interesting to read, definitely recommend for older young adults.

Although the premise and subject were interesting, I just couldn't find a rhythm with it. I felt like I wanted to like the MC (and I should), but he annoyed me time and time again. I might give it another try, but for now, I'd consider it okay.

Something I loved about this book was the fact that it talked about an addiction that many young adults deal with but it's never talked about. I couldn't relate to this story but Dave Connis told this story in a way that I felt every conflicting emotion.

I fell in love with this novel.
It was so poetic and intriguing and I flew through it in just a couple of days.
Adam was such a relatable character. He was funny and I was rooting for him through out the whole thing. I thought the author did a good job at making the characters quirky and totally unique and yet not totally ridiculous.
Also the romance was super sweet and I enjoyed how they addressed issues what with them both going through their own stuff and how they helped each other without being each others saviour if that makes sense. There was support between the two but not "oh I'm in love with you and so now all my problems have all gone away".
I am definitely up for reading anything else Dave Connis has or publishes in the future because this was fab.
Also this was pretty emotional. The one heart tugging thing that happened I saw coming from a mile off but it was still impactful

I read this book not because of the synopsis, but because of the title and interesting cover. I'm so glad I did. The synopsis just cannot capture what this book encompasses, what it gives the reader. It's an unapologetic look into the mind of an addict and the recovery process, and not the movie-version either. Addictions aren't always about drugs or alcohol, and this is a true, down-to-earth take on addiction and the journey of recovery, including the chances to fall.

This YA contemporary read is not widely known and it might just be that it benefits from the lack of hype around it, because it was easy to say I was completely blown away by this story. The writing style and tone of The Temptation Of Adam had me charmed from the first page and I just LOVE the quirky, direct and blunt way the main character Adam Hawthorne bulldozers through his life. Sure, if you don't get along with Adam, you might have a problem enjoying this story. But if you let him take over and tell his story, you will be in for a pleasant surprise. A story about addiction that had me seriously addicted until the very last page... Hilariously funny, serious, emotional, heartwarming and heartbreaking: The Temptation Of Adam will take you on an emotional rollercoaster ride that will leave you both satisfied and drained by the last page. If you like quirky, blunt characters, give this story a chance!

I didn't finish this book. I really wanted to, as I've heard good things about the representation, but I honestly couldn't get past how Adam sees Dez - yeah, sorry, not into that.

I loved how this book portrayed addiction and recovery, and the way porn addiction was handled as this is a Young Adult book. The sexual elements in this story were handled non-specifically, there were no explicit scenes or references, and I feel this is important in YA because the readership for this classification starts at twelve years old. I did have a hard time with the suicide scene because it ends in the person getting a lot of attention with no health consequences and I think this gives teen readers the idea that fake suicide attempts could be a good way to get a lot of attention from friends and family, and that impression might backfire in a deadly way. This aspect of the story left me in quite a quandary about how to rate this book. If the suicide attempt had had serious consequences, then I would have rated this book five stars, but teens being given the thought that they will be found in time and comeback physically 100% is a very bad message to send.

The Temptation of Adam was fine. Nothing more, just fine. It could have been better but it could have been worse too. Adam has an addiction to porn and honestly that is what caught my attention. I don't often read books with male main characters and have never read a book that focuses on such a teen taboo. We do need to adress the fact that he simply doesn't like porn, he loves it. The book touches on this topic of addiction in a light way. I enjoyed the first chapters and thought this would be a 5-star book but ever since they went on a roadtrip I lost interest in the story and I would have loved for it to go another path.

Think of this book like a darker John Green. Its very much an emotional journey, far more than one of physical events. Certain aspects of the plot were predictable but that's not entirely to its detriment. I will say that the characters are somewhat unrealistic. Still, worth a read.

The Temptation of Adam was either going to be really good, or really bad. Dealing with topics like drug abuse and porn addictions, there isn't a middle ground. Luckily, even though I started this book feeling skeptical, it ended up being a good read.

This is a book that without a doubt is meant for mature readers. It is a YA book, but that doesn't mean that it is appropriate for anyone that reads at that level.

Adam is a teenager addicted to porn, and his actions reflect the affects of the addiction. Of course, most people can't see the damage they are doing, and have a hard time accepting help. When Adam is told he has to join the Knights of Vice in order to be able to return to school, he starts on a road to change that he never expected.

While dealing with the topic of porn is difficult, especially in a book geared towards teenagers, I feel that it is important to show how your life can be affected by it. The book also shows the struggles other have with their various vices. It's not just a one note warning. We all have our vices, and sometimes it takes a lot to admit to having them and start to move forward.

The Temptation of Adam shows addiction through the lens of someone who has an addiction, and someone who is watching someone else go through the struggle. Hopefully this book and other like it serve as a wake up call to anyone that might be struggling with something like that.

This is a recommended read, especially for those who may be struggling.

I received a copy of this from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Author: Dave Connis
Publisher: Skyhorse Publishing
Publication Date: 21 Nov 2017

Unfortunately, I didn't get around to reading or downloading this book. I decided it wasn't up my street at all but there are plenty of other reviews that people can read to get an idea about it. Sorry.

So this is a hard one for me to review. On the one hand, this is an amazing book. Like so good that I couldn't put it down. I had it on my phone and I was picking it up to read a few pages between classes, on my breaks, in the car (when someone else was driving). I was wholly invested in the characters and the mystery and their recovery that I needed to know what was coming next. On the other hand, the author made a choice that completely derailed my momentum and I found myself obsessively doing research to figure out if this choice was based on fact or if it was just some artistic license to push the story forward. This is a problem I have that other readers may not. I'm a researcher at heart. I tried to be a writer once, but what I discovered was that what I really loved was the research, discovering something new, following a trail to see where it led. To me that's fun. It's probably why I have degrees in History, Library Science and Cultural Heritage Preservation - all three are super research heavy. When I attempted to be a writer I had binders of cool tidbits or research, but no real desire to put it into a story. When I read (or watch TV and movies) sometimes a fact will jump out to me as not quite right and I'm off. I'll fall into the black hole of research for hours and if it bears fruit, if the author's claims check out I'm all in. Nothing is cooler then learning something new from a book, especially if that thing seems far fetched. However, if I can't fact check it. If there is no discernible facts to back up the claim, then I'm out. I'll finish the book, I might even enjoy the book (as I did here), but there will definitely be a little cloud above it that won't go away. When I talk about the book, there will always be an aside, or an *, "This was a great book, but..." So that's where I am with this book... It's great, really great, but... and in order to talk about that, be warned, there will be spoilers.

SPOILERS WILL FOLLOW- I couldn't figure out a good way to explain what bothered me about parts of this book without them.

Still with me? If you keep reading, there will definitely be spoilers.... consider yourself warned....


​So first, the good. Connis does a superb job dealing with addiction and trauma. The main characters in this book are all addicted to something and Connis makes it clear that while addicts have similarities, each is different, with different triggers and ways that they cope. When we first meet Adam we know he probably has an addiction to porn and has done something so egregious that he has been suspended for months, but we don't know yet what that incident was. As the book progresses, we see Adam come to grips with his addiction and his actions and Connis slowly reveals what Adam did to get expelled. As Adam accepts his actions and consequences and begins to share them with the people around him, we learn about them too. The players around Adam are also really well fleshed out, when he is expelled a teacher Mr. Cratcher advocates for him and Adam is placed into a few programs that will help him rehabilitate. Through the groups, one being The Knights of Vice, Adam meets several other addicts, including Dez who is addicted to addiction, who needs that new was to get an adrenaline rush. One of the things that felt huge to me was this idea that someone doesn't have a specific vice, they are just addicted to feeling something, anything and can bounce from addiction to addiction.

When Dez admits that to Adam, it felt like a revelation. Personally, I'm not addicted to any drugs, in fact I've never tried any drugs, or smoked even a cigarette, why? Because I have a hugely addictive personality. It comes out in my hobbies. I will latch onto something that is exciting and new and ride it out until I no longer get that rush from doing it, then I move on to the next thing. I'll circle back through after enough time, when that thing (be it white water rafting, rodeo, back country hiking, tattoos, whatever) can give me an adrenaline rush again. I"m not addicted to thing per say, I'm addicted to the way the thing makes me feel- which is where Dez is coming from. In short, I was instantly invested in Dez.

The teacher, Mr. Cratcher, was also a great character. As a teacher in a city school I can say that you want to save them all. You want to reach them all, but it doesn't always work that way. Cratcher uses his music to reach Adam. He gives Adam the task of helping him complete an album that has been his life's work. He also uses was of my personal favorite songs to reach the students in his charge, Leonard Cohen's Hallelujah. The lyrics of the song have a profound effect on several of them and, for me, it was really interesting to see how he used the words to connect to their addictions and choices. Through Adam's interactions with Cratcher, the Album and the Knights of Vice we see everyone involved begin to break down walls, come to grips with who they are and start to have hope for a future that doesn't include being beholden to their addictions. I can't say enough about this story and how well it's written.

Which brings me to the part where it went off the rails. Let me again reiterate that this is definitely something that doesn't bother every reader, sometimes I wish it didn't bother me. It has destroyed books (and some authors) for me that other people adore, Laurie Halse Anderson's Speak is probably the biggest casualty. At any rate- this issue was not enough to ruin the entire book for me, but it definitely stopped my obsessive reading of the book and put my mind elsewhere. It has to do with Cratcher and his history. Cratcher is not just a teacher, he's a brilliant musician and lyricist. In fact he could have been extremely famous, but tragedy struck and he made another choice. When Cratcher falls ill, Dez does some digging and comes up with some interesting facts about Cratcher's past.

Here is where I started to get skeptical...
- Cratcher apparently worked at Abbey Road Studios, the branch in the United States.
- While there he became friends with (and did a lot of drugs with) a co-worker who happened to be black.
- This guy was lynched in the studio, Cratcher was a prime suspect, but the sister (Gabby) of the guy vouched for Cratcher, Cratcher was released, Gabby and Cratcher moved across the country, he became a teacher, they lived a pretty normal life.
- Cratcher was a great lyricist who worked with some of the best artists of the time (sometimes under a pseudonym).
- Cratcher had letters and signed memorabilia from major artists of the time in his garage (including a kazoo I believe from Bob Dylan)
- Cratcher apparently wrote at least one line of Hallelujah, as evidenced by a thank you letter from Cohen.

And that's where the book lost me... literally. Was there an Abbey Road in the USA? (As far as I can tell... no) Did Cohen have a co-writer on Hallelujah? Nope. I scoured the internet, read articles about Cohen, read articles about the song... in fact... I actually just lost a solid 10 minutes of writing this post to go double check my research. I can't find anything that indicates that Cohen may have possibly had a co-writer on this song. That the line referenced in the book "A blaze of light in every word" came from anyone but Cohen (for an awesome deep dive into Hallelujah, check out this article from Rolling Stone) So why imply that it did? I can't even tell you how much this, part of the story line bothered me. It was a distraction to what is otherwise a really solid story. I get placing Cratcher into history, by making it clear that he was a brilliant writer and musician and that had things gone another way he would be someone that we talk about as one of the greats alongside Cohen and Dylan. I get placing him inside a studio that is familiar to the reader (although as far as I can tell, that particular studio didn't exist in the US), but why have him write part of a song that we all know? Having the song be important to him is good, even having him be a co-worker or friend to Cohen is fine, but to attribute the lyrics to him was frustrating to me because there was no basis in fact that I can find there. Like I said, it pulled me out of the book, made me skeptical of the whole thing, and distracted me from what is otherwise a phenomenal book.

So... where does this leave The Temptation of Adam? It's a phenomenal book. You should all go read it. Likely you won't be nearly as distracted as I was by some of the plot points. However, if you are, and you love to dig into research too, tell me what you find. I"m looked a lot of places, but there's always somewhere else to look!

Funny, emotional and profound- this story had it all, and I enjoyed every second of it.

This is one of those books that should be #AllTheFeels . Many will pick it up because of Adam's porn addiction and will keep reading to follow the antics of the Knights of Vice. Ultimately, every reader will be moved by this story of kids who, like the author, have struggled with trying to be good enough.