Nothing Special is a Ya paranormal fantasy romance book. Whilst following the main character Paisley who has the ability to sense and see emotions, we follow the story of her struggles to form relationships because of her ability. I felt the best friends story at times overshadowed Paisley story before it completely dropped off and she was gone. I did enjoy learning the side characters backstory which gave the side characters depth which I do enjoy. When Paisley meets James who has a similar ability at first she’s shocked before eventually they develop their own relationship. This book does seem to focus mainly on the romance more than the magical abilities.
In this book we see Paisley go through such a range of emotions from loneliness , grief to happiness.
I don’t know what it is but I did feel like this story was missing something. I enjoyed it but I wanted more from the book’s description.

Thank you to Netgalley, the author and publisher for an eARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

↠ 3.5 stars (rounded down)

initially, i had little to no expectations for this book as i did not pay much attention to its summary before reading it. however, i am grateful for my decision to enter into the story without prior knowledge. the first premise immediately drew me in, and i was pleasantly surprised to dive headfirst into the story and gain insight into the main character's power.

the protagonist, Paisley, initially came across as a young girl with an attitude, but as the story progressed, her immaturity overshadowed any strength she possessed. although she constantly laments her loneliness, she does little to change her circumstances and keeps her power a secret from her best friend, Mikayla, which was disappointing since i was hoping for a more profound and heartwarming friendship between the two. Paisley's childishness made her seem weak and turned her into anything but an enjoyable character. this negatively impacted my reading experience and led me down an annoyed path at times.

however, the writing had a handful of thought-provoking quotes that struck a chord with me, and i found myself entertained and fairly amused flipping through the pages. nevertheless, i did not connect with the characters, except for Paisley's dad, whom i felt empathy towards. James, in particular, was a character that i remained indifferent about throughout the book, a terrible thing given he's our love interest. but that's, in all honesty, how their relationship felt: uninteresting and dull.

overall, this book served its purpose of entertainment. while i do not feel compelled to read the next book in the series and despite my reservations about the character development, the author's writing style has sparked my interest in her other works, and so i'll most definitely be checking them out in the future.

i would recommend this book to anyone looking for a light and fun read with a bit of magic and colorful auras, but i would caution that it may not leave a lasting impression.

thank you to netgalley, the publisher and the author for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

The writing style is engaging, with vivid descriptions that bring the book's world to life in a way that made it very hard to not like. The magic and the magic system is why I chose this book, but sadly it took a back seat to the 'pick me' romance story. The feeling of self-importance, like every boy having a crush on her did feel like our main character had a lot of deeper rooted mental health issues, rather than just being a regular teenager.

I really don't think this one ended up for me. Thank you for the chance to review.

Please heed the Trigger warnings. I had difficulty getting through the way a particular character was mistreated by their family. If abuse is a trigger for you, this won't be the right book. I struggled with reading those portions, but it was handled well. That particular story line is important to the book and is neither treated lightly nor used for shock value.

That said, the book is absolutely stunning and feels remarkably personal. It's phenomenal how the writer presents reality in an honest, magical way. Paisley feels real. Her thoughts are natural and flow in a way that takes the reader along with her as she deals with both the emotions and struggles of others as well as her own.

I think I misread a promo ad and had the wrong idea going into the read. I had expectations for the ending that marred my enjoyment. The ending, however, was wonderfully written, presenting closure and an honest look at how everything changes in life. So go into this book knowing it will be sad because it's gonna take you with it.

I really enjoyed the concept of this book, however I think it was far too much like a teen drama with Paisley sifting through all the men who have crushes on her, and it ignores the magic quite a lot. The side characters actually have a great deal of depth to them and their own side stories, I really liked this. I didn't particularly like how the book ended I think it was quite disappointing. I feel like so much more could have been done with this idea, the magic and the people and the consequences.

This book was a YA urban fantasy about a young girl who was coming into her own and learning the importance of friendships, leaning on a pal and family.

I really enjoyed the premise of the book. I picked the book because the magic system and the idea of the story really gripped me. It was a newer concept to me for the magic system and I was excited to see what someone could come up with for it. The side-characters had a lot of depth and were an important part of the story which was really good to see. The writing itself was done really well, the words used were great and not too intense. It definitely didn't come across as someone writing a book to show off all of their fancy words, and the sentences and grammar were near perfect. I think the type of setting and the magic system has so much promise and so many new aspects that were really intriguing.
I enjoyed how the magic itself was described, and it really immersed you into the feelings that the FMC was feeling when she tapped into the magic.

Now, to the not so great parts. The FMC was, in my opinion, a bit of a pick me girl. She seemed to always be complaining about something and constantly talking about how she was 'not special' but also that all the guys in her life must have a crush on her. She was very high school but in the worst way. When she was honest and realistic she was bearable, but that was quickly countered when she became increasingly and frustratingly contradictory. She was also kind of awful and a bit selfish. I know a lot of teenagers go through this, but there was a moment where she said her mother "can't comprehend the weight I am carrying" but the mother had lost her only son? And the way the FMC talks about her best friend and her love interest just rubs me the wrong way. She can be quite awful.

I felt like the story was very basic and a little boring and that the use of the magic system was incredibly lacking and a very quiet background story instead of a really important plot point. There was little to no follow up on the extra information about the system and the world that the MC was a part of. It just felt very janky and, unfortunately, not very well planned out. There was a definite idea of what the story was supposed to be about, but I feel like they focused too much on very small, minor things, instead of exploring the main point of the story. There was a conversation about half way through the book where it was explained that there was more to the world on the magic side, but it went no further than acknowledging it and then moving on. That really took a lot of my interest out of the story as I was intrigued to see what could have been explored there.

There were far too many pop-culture references that, although, might come across as super common jokes, etc. it came off as a little bit of a crutch. That the only way things could be explained or joked about was something to do with pop-culture.

Overall, it wasn't for me personally. I am kind of interested in reading the author's other works, but this one was a big miss for me. It would probably have been a book I liked when I was about 12 years old, but I felt kind of let down by the promise of the book, and the execution just did not hit. The author creates an incredible story and their writing is quite well done, just the story work itself and perhaps planning a little more and not being scared of longer chapters or longer books.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for granting me a copy of this book in return for my honest opinions.

The book is a young adult paranormal romance fantasy. It had everything I love. Magic, fantasy, a mythical world and of course heart break.

The author did a super fantastic job in creating the magical paranormal world. I loved Paisley and James and hope there a many future books to come.

This author may become one of my favorites. Not just for YA, I am 61!

Recommend

Superb fantasy for both younger and very much older YA. If you like a ‘falling in and out of love coming of age’ story then you will find it here. If enjoy stories of emotional turmoil and the (probable) sunshine on the other side then it’s here too. If you enjoy fantasy that makes you reminisce for the days of your youth and the friendships and relationships so strong and now long left behind, that’s here too. Dina S, as a reader, I’m glad you picked up your pen, and I’m sure your Dad would be proud of the story you have shaped for us all to enjoy. Thank you to Lost Boys Press and NetGalley for the ARC. The views expressed are all mine, freely given.

Paisley has magic. She can sense emotions and feelings of others. She has a best friend, several romantic interests from different angles and a loving family missing one lost brother and a ailing father, who also has magic. This whole story reads like a teenage angst diary. I spent the first half of the book waiting for something to happen. What does happen is the development of the characters and the bonds between the main players. As it grows, and we follow them through their teenage trails, we are drawn in more deeply to the powers that give the teens insight into their world and their peers always with the promise of more to come. I think this would be more enjoyable to someone more their ages and mentality.

Nothing Special is the exact opposite of its name. It is the most special, beautifully told story I’ve read in a long time. This might just be my new favorite book. From the start this book will suck you in like quicksand you’ll slowly disappear into its pages. The world of Decerment is interesting, intriguing and unexpected. This is not your typical YA and I love that it breaks the molds. Romance and fantasy mix beautifully to become tragedy and heart break.

The book started out well, and the writing style goes great with the story. There are teenagers with magical abilities, and teenagers with actual problems. I enjoyed the fact that the best friend kinda had her own story, but she kind of got booted off. There are some uncommon themes in this book, compared to other ya, but it manages to be pretty unspectacular in the end. I get the heartbreak, the drama. It could have been longer and actually finish handling the story. It has been set up for a sequel (it will be a trilogy in the end) but it seems more like a filler story unfortunately. I have so many questions left unanswered, but I also didn't care in the end, I just wanted it to be over. So I give it only 3 Stars.

Warning: There may be spoilers in here

I really liked this book. The concept was a novel approach to magic and I thoroughly enjoyed it. The character development was strong and the book was full of feelings and trauma to overcome. The characters felt three dimensional and the dialogue flowed. The diary entries were great attention grabbers for the chapters. I was very glad that Paisley learns to stand on her own rather than remain codependent on Mik or James. My only complaint in the entire book is the final text message from her “new life.” I can’t explain why it felt this way, and why it ruined my vision for a self sufficient Paisley, but the tone of the message that included a private jet and personal pilot as well as the other details that lead one to believe Paisley is now partnered with some rich dude who takes care of her felt wrong. I really wish the author could change the message to one filled with love and appreciate for Paisley’s strength, uniqueness and independence rather than one that felt like she was still being “taken care of.” It just really ruined the concept of everything else in the epilogue related to her strength and growth.