“My first thought is that I hope they will let me keep my winnings to use for bail money. My dad cannot afford to bail me out of jail.”

I wanted to get my hands (or eyes, I should say) on this book as soon as I read the synopsis, and let’s just say that it was everything that I thought it would be. For once, I mean that as a good thing. My expectations were met and then some.

Addiction, but more specifically gambling, is nothing new to me. I’ve only had the experience of seeing both a parent and sibling fall down that dark hole, but this was something else. It was very surprising to read about a gambling addiction evolving in an adolescent, much less an adolescent girl. Personal experience tells me that this compulsive behaviour would have been more typical/expected of the Deadbeat Dad character but that was not the case here. Major points for originality.

The writing was succinct and easy to follow. I finished this in one sitting because I kept turning the page waiting for the downfall (read: the point where our heroine hits rock bottom). But she just kept digging herself deeper and deeper into her lies. It was fascinating to see all of the bad choices she made and lies she told slowly stacking up like chips on a poker table. It was only a matter of time before she lost everything. On a side note, I feel like the author did a great job in showing the euphoric state that transpires from feeding an addiction. I would have liked to read more about the lows though. The crash. The burn. The complete destruction.

Now let’s talk about the love interest. A couple chapters in and we are introduced to a character that is described like this:

“Cute guy . . . in a Sopranos kind of way.”

Just my type. Doubtless I’d love any book that has a character affectionately known as “Cute Mafia Guy”, even if no one actually calls him that to his face. At this point, I was already putty in the author’s hands. Is Cute Mafia Guy actually a Mafia guy? How far will Chelsea go? Is he ever going to find out who she really is?

What’s great is that even though the romance is cute, I would have still enjoyed this book even if it was only about Chelsea’s gambling (and that’s saying something).

I honestly thought that everything was going to wrap up perfectly until that darned last page. It was so unexpected. Or was it? Any semblance of closure I could have had was gone and now I’m going to be strung out until a sequel is released.

From my experience, all I can say is: Once an addict, always an addict. I can’t wait to see what happens next. I’m nauseous just thinking about it.

Also, I really need a Miss Stella in my life. Like now.

I really enjoyed this book. I wasn't too keen on Chelsea as the main character, but it's not important to like a lying, chronic gambler. I did feel really bad for her for having such a neglectful father, and I feel like the start of her gambling career as a seventeen year old was believable in these circumstances.
I really liked how addiction was shown in this book. As it was told from the point of view of Chelsea, she is in denial about it most of the time, sitting in the casino and thinking about how sad it is that other people are there but not herself, and she only realises after big losses. A really thought provoking ending too.

Bluff was a somewhat interesting read about poverty, addiction and the troubles that one girl has to face and overcome to build a better life for herself and her family.

I was immediately pulled in by the synopsis of this book, although I wasn’t really sure what I expected. It sounded interesting but I was unsure as to whether or not it would deliver an interesting read. Fortunately, I had a lot of fun with this one.

Whilst this book is somewhat slow at times, from quite early on the story grips you. You’re pulled into the life of the main character, wanting to know what comes next and where her choices will lead. There are many books out there on teenage addiction – you really don’t need me to name them, and if you’re unsure a simple Google search will easily help you – but off the top of my head I cannot think of any that deal with gambling, even rarer is for it to be a female with a gambling addiction. There were instant points in favour of the book right there – add in the fact that it was a lot of fun, and I didn’t care that the book was somewhat slow at times.

Our story follows Chelsea, somewhat of a cliché in the young adult world. She comes from a broken family. Her home is rather decrepit. Her father isn’t the man he should be. She keeps her living conditions away from her friends. Due to all of this, there was a bit of a groan from me at first. However, I plead you to ignore such a reaction if you feel it coming on. These things are actually important. They’re not around for the usual excuses of ‘it adds more depth’ (because we all know that excuse is very rarely the case), but rather these are important for the overall story. Remember how I said the story is of gambling – well, yeah, these things come into the story and play a part.

Whilst it does take a bit of time for the story to really get moving, once it does get moving you’re pulled right in. Lie after lie builds up, and we watch as Chelsea tries to keep her life moving in the right direction. In fact, what even is the right direction? This is something our character tries to deal with, a rather simple look at moral dilemmas. Honestly, it may seem like very little is happening but all these little things come together to create a wonderful depiction of gambling addiction. Wonderful in the sense of it being an eye opener, not in the sense of it suggesting you go out and take up poker to pay the bills and buy a few nice things.

Another cliché point that I should point out is the romance. It’s predictable from the start, and I’m not entirely sure how I feel about it. Although it does add something to the story, I’m not quite sure just how much it truly adds. It is necessary for some events – but as a whole, I felt rather indifferent to the romance element. This, however, is due to the fact that I’m rather picky with my romances. I don’t ship half the things other people do. I accept that some will enjoy the romance element of this one, but I wasn’t overly bothered by it.

I’m unsure about the ending, too. Not in the sense of I don’t know how I feel about it. I know exactly how I feel. I liked it. You’re made to believe one thing and then things are turned around. It’s great. I simply don’t know if it’s the case of a possible sequel or if it’s just a way to make people stop and think. A part of me hopes it’s the latter. I’m not entirely sure how a sequel would work. I feel as though it would work better as a standalone, with one of those endings that has a bit of a shock factor. If there is a sequel, though, I will be interested in reading it.

Overall, this was a great little read.

As a final note, I’d like to thank NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to advance read this.

I could not stop reading this. I had to find out if she would get caught in the end.

This is a fairly quick read, and in both length and vocabulary. I wasn't sure I would like this book going into it, and I came out of it not quite enjoying what I read.

However, you are not supposed to like the main character. There are a few points where it seems like she is working towards bettering herself, and then it goes sideways somehow. This book is supposed to show you the effects of an addiction, and possible factors that push them forward. I may not have enjoyed this book, or the character, but I came out of it appreciating that I read it in the first place. This is one of those stories that you'll remember out of the blue down the line.

There's something about a casino that you can't quite find anywhere else. It's all about the glamour, the possibilities of getting rich, and the incessant sounds and lights. Then, when you take a step back, you also see how dangerous it can become, and how quickly it can ruin a life. In this novel, Julie Dill meshes the unpredictable live of a gambler with the simplicity of being a high school student. Cheerleading practices, movie dates with a best friend, and shopping excursions are thrown into contrast with the thrill of walking in a casino, of leaving with ten times the amount of money one entered with, of the glitz of being rich -- even if it's just for a moment... and then the book hits you with the dark despair that accompanies a heavy loss.

The protagonist of this story, Chelsea, is unfortunately faced with the hardship of trying to manage a household at a young age. She chose to gamble in order to pay off some outstanding bills, but the gains are never enough to also help her maintain the lifestyle she wanted to have for herself. Every time she entered that casino, I would hold my breath and pray this would be the last one. I think that the author portrayed the addiction quite realistically and explores the unfortunate truth that an addiction can ruin many things.

This is a very fast read - I finished it within just a few sporadic hours. It's not very complex, and I found that some depth could have been added to most of the characters... To be fair, it's targeted perfectly for a high school student, or even middle school crowd, so take this with a grain of salt.

I loved the final page, though. It's a final page that will stay with me for a long time. For those readers who read the last few lines before starting the book, do yourself a favour and make this one an exception!

I'd like to thank Amberjack Publishing, as well as Netgalley, for the free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Keep an eye out for this book as it will hit the shelves on February 7th, 2017!

I enjoyed the book and I loved Chelsea. Great storyline too

I got sucked into this one and couldn't put it down. I felt for Chelsea through all her troubles and excitement. While I'm not sure how likely a teen would be able to pull off going into a real casino for so long this was an exciting read that I think a lot of people would enjoy. You can definitely see Chelsea's addiction, even though its not labeled, and how it begins to affect her life. That ending though...I was totally not expecting that!

Overall, I liked this book. It’s a very relatable read if you know someone who has dealt with addiction before, and even if you haven’t, I feel like Chelsea was very relatable and sympathetic and likable. And it’s a fun read. It’s kind of short, but very fast-paced. The romance is sort of lackluster and the story does have some plot holes, but it’s still a good read! I had a lot of fun while reading and if there’s a sequel, I’d definitely pick it up!