Defying Gravity (Finding Perfect, #2)

If you're ever in the mood for a cute, fun ad light YA romance then you should definitely consider checking out the books in the Entangled Crush line. Defying Gravity is the second book in Kendra C. Highley's Finding Perfect series. However, you don’t necessarily need to read the first book to enjoy this one as it features a different couple, although the characters from the previous book do appear in this one as well.

Defying Gravity is a book for those who are a fan of the friends to lover trope, as it follows Parker and Zoey who have been best friends since they were kids. However, Parker wants to be more than "just friends" with Zoey who unfortunately has a thing for his brother, Luke. I was definitely rooting for Parker the entire time, and was glad to see that the "triangle" wasn't really a triangle as I'm not a fan of love triangles. It was obvious early on that Parker and Zoey were meant to be, so much so that even random strangers shipped them. This lead to an adorable and hilarious scene involving the two of them, a little girl and her mom during a sleigh ride. Though I'm happy with the conclusion, I kind of wish there was more so that we can get more of Zoey and Parker as a couple. For instance, I love the idea of another book, maybe focusing on Luke as it would be cool to see what type of person would win him over and get him to clean up his playboy act. Regardless, Defying Gravity was an adorable read and the fact that it takes place in the snowy mountains of Aspen made it a "cool" read to read on a hot summer day.

4.5 “Best friend and snow” STARS

ARC via NetGalley

Thank you, Entangled!

Sometimes you just start reading and you enjoy the story so much you can’t even stop to update your Goodreads status. That’s what happened here.

I started “Defying Gravity” thinking it’d another super cute YA love story published by Entangled Crush – I’ve been having a lot of luck with those – but I didn’t expect to fall in love with it as fast as I did.

I mean, by the end of chapter one I already had a major crush on Parker. Major. I’m serious. That was a positive and a negative thing. Why? Because it kind of made me angry at Zoey and how long it took her to realize Parker was just the perfect guy for her – and for me too, if I were more than ten years younger.

Honestly, being a little angry at Zoey was kind of pointless because I came into this book knowing it’d take her a while to choose between the brothers. After all, the premise is the famous Parker likes Zoey who likes Luke who likes all girls. Either way, I still yelled How can you not love him? a couple of times.

Sorry, Zoey. Nothing personal. Just my love for Parker taking over me.

The story of Zoey, Parker and Luke starts way before chapter one. Their parents have been BFFs since college, which means the kids have known each other since they were born. And while they live miles apart, these two families always meet in Aspen on holidays.

It’s days before Christmas when Parker, Luke and Zoey meet again after months apart. Both Zoey and Parker have a goal in mind: making a move on the people they like. Zoey is ready to impress Luke, and Parker is ready to move away from the friendzone and finally tell Zoey he wants to be more than her best friend. Except he notices how Zoey is flirting with his older brother, who is obviously flirting back, and that puts a temporary stop to his plans to come clean. Acting on that brotherly rivalry that always makes things entertaining and complicated, Parker accepts the challenge when Luke suggests they should both fight for Zoey’s attention. The brother she doesn't choose in the end will have to just deal with it.

Oblivious to that little bet, Zoey starts winter break by trying hard to get Luke’s attention. She doesn’t want him to see her as the little girl he grew up with anymore, but she also doesn’t want to be the next girl in a long line of forgettable flings. That’s when we have problem #1: the girl is clearly hoping to change Luke and make him into a one-girl kind of guy when he clearly isn’t like that. Problem #2: she’s trying to impress him so hard, that she’s forgetting Aspen is the only place where she doesn’t have to hide who she truly is. Unlike when she’s home, Zoey doesn’t have to pretend she’s Queen B for the weeks she’s around the Madison boys, especially with her best friend Parker.

But there’s hope for Zoey, because as Parker starts to show her how much fun they can have by just being the two of them – no Luke and no masks needed --, she starts noticing him as more than a friend. Funny how that’s when I stop wanting to shake some sense into her.

Look, the author does a great job creating two very different brothers, and that’s clear after just a couple of pages.

Luke is the typical player and more than just a bit arrogant – he’s known around for his snowboarding skills and has a legion of fans (snow-bunnies – didn’t even know that was a thing) following his every move. Parker, on the other hand, despite being as good-looking and just as talented on the snowboard as his big brother is a much more humble soul.

Though we don’t get to see Parker around his other friends as much as I would’ve liked, it’s pretty clear that he’s nice to everyone around, not just Zoey. He’s legitimately a good guy – and he’s sexy AF. That little towel trick? Awesome. You'll agree with me once you read it. Plus, he has all the good traits that make a great boyfriend: he makes sure to ask Zoey if she's okay instead of assuming one way or the other, he listens to her, he respects her boundaries, he takes care of her when she's sick… *swoons* These are all things that made me like him even more. Everything about Parker was amazing.

Luke, on the other hand, was a real jackass. I tried to hold on to the hope that he was acting the way he was in order to help his brother and push him into confessing his feelings for Zoey, but that’s not how things turned out. He was really as arrogant as he made it look. He’s still redeemable, and while I can understand why Zoey had a crush on him, I don’t think I would’ve ever chosen him over Parker, even for just a minute. It would’ve been Parker from the start.

In the end, Zoey makes the right choice, and that’s pretty much all that matters.

As you can see, I would've had a heart attack if things had been different. That's how commited to Parker's happiness I was.

“Defying Gravity” is the second book in the “Finding Perfect” series, but you can easily read it as a stand-alone. I did. After finishing this, I wish I’ve read the first book simply because I think the writer is really talented at writing super cute YA romances. I’m guessing the romance in the first book must be as adorable as this one. Besides, it looks like Zoey was a big part of that story. It would’ve been nice to have seen her surrounded by her high school friends in order to better understand the difference between that Zoey and Aspen-Zoey. Plus, the first book has a great premise and awesome reviews on Goodreads.

My advice to you is: read both books, but most importantly, read this one because you won’t regret it.

This author NAILED it! Honestly... for me at least I could really picture what these two were thinking an I could really visualize the book. I could see the Madison brothers being competitive, I could see Zoey being torn and I so wanted to reach into the book an smack Luke upside his head an for me THAT makes a great book.

Thank you Entangled, Kendra Highley, and netgalley for giving me a chance to read this for an honest review!

Review also posted at: http://underthebookcover.blogspot.com/2016/07/book-review-defying-gravity-by-kendra-c.html

5/5

Thank you to Entangled Teen for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for review!

Defying Gravity is the second book in the Finding Perfect series, with characters from the first book making an appearance in this book. However, this book can be read as a standalone and you don't have to worry about missing anything from the first installment! This is becoming a trend (somehow) with a lot of books I've picked up lately, where it is the second in a series but is perfect as a standalone. I thought it would drive me nuts, not knowing what happened in the previous book, but I actually really enjoy them whether I've read the previous books or not. When an author is able to effortlessly expand on a world that they've built and blend any previous or future novels perfectly, I get so intrigued and am immediately interested in reading more!

Immediately after starting the book, I made my prediction about who Zoey would end up with and also spent the entire book wanting to shout at her to make up her mind! Honestly, it was fun going on the journey from start to finish with her and watching her figure things out for herself despite me wanting her to hurry up and just choose. Zoey was a really solid character, although she seems slightly insecure in herself. She had her "Texas Zoey" and her "Aspen Zoey" and throughout the book, she didn't seem to be happy with her "Texas Zoey." By the end of the book, I feel like she was much more confident in just being herself and not trying to put on a different persona just to impress people. I liked that she was able to make that decision to just be happy with who she was and be who she felt comfortable being. It sends a really good message to readers that being yourself isn't a bad thing, and to embrace who you really are.

Reading all about the snowboarding was really interesting, as it's a topic I don't commonly find in books. I've always thought it was fascinating and, even though I had no idea what any of the phrases or tricks were, it was definitely a fun read! Also, making Aspen as the setting allowed me to paint some absolutely beautiful pictures in my head as to the scenery and surroundings. Kendra C. Highley was able to really transport me to the mountain with her descriptive writing skills, and absolutely shines at drawing the reader in no matter where the characters are. I really felt like I could hop on a snowboard and take on The Cirque myself by the end!

Despite contemporary not being my go-to genre, Defying Gravity was a wonderful read. It was funny, with just the right amount of smooching and drama, and some really likable characters that had me laughing almost constantly throughout the book. Zoey was sassy and spunky, Parker was sweet and passionate, and Luke was just a big jerk most of the time, but really did seem to care when it came to Zoey's safety. This book definitely got me interested in picking up Finding Perfect so I can read more about Paige and Ben!

If you're looking for a nice, chilled out (haha, see what I did there?) contemporary romance to curl up and read, then Defying Gravity is the book for you! You'll find great characters, some amazing settings, and a very satisfying ending! The book comes out on July 25th, so be sure to pick it up on release day!

This was an awesome teen friends to more story! Zoey, Parker, and Luke have been friends for as long as they can remember. Parker and Luke are brothers and every year they meet up with Zoey when she comes to Aspen for winter break. Parker has been in love with Zoey for a while but never wanted to risk the friendship. It's now or never though. He's noticed she's flirting with his brother Luke and that just won't do. Zoey is definitely crushing on Luke and plans to let him know this winter. That is until she really starts paying attention to Parker and discovering that maybe he's more to her liking than Luke is. Which brother will win the girl?

A very fun read and a book I would definitely recommend.