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The Good Ol' Boys #1
Complicate Me
It was complicated, it was also just the beginning.
A decision.
A simple choice.
There is always that one moment in life where things could have been different. That one moment where you could have chosen a path that would lead you down a certain road.
A different life.
It was easier to pretend that we were still best friends, and that she was my girl and I was her boy.
Pretending was better than knowing the truth...
I. Ruined. Us.
I had her.
I lost her.
I love her.
All I did was complicate us.
STANDALONE series. New Adult Contemporary Romance: Strong language and sexual content, not intended for readers under 18.
A decision.
A simple choice.
There is always that one moment in life where things could have been different. That one moment where you could have chosen a path that would lead you down a certain road.
A different life.
It was easier to pretend that we were still best friends, and that she was my girl and I was her boy.
Pretending was better than knowing the truth...
I. Ruined. Us.
I had her.
I lost her.
I love her.
All I did was complicate us.
STANDALONE series. New Adult Contemporary Romance: Strong language and sexual content, not intended for readers under 18.
354 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 12, 2015
About the author
M. Robinson
63 books6,361 followersM. Robinson is the Wall Street Journal & USA Today Bestselling Author crowned as the “Queen of Angst” by readers around the world. Dive into her visionary world that will take you on a rollercoaster ride of emotions and leave you wanting more. She writes everything from contemporary to suspense romance and is best known for her novel, El Diablo.
When M isn’t in the cave writing her next epic love story, you will find her shopping and living on a boat in Florida with her real life pirate, her lobster, her husband Bossman. Sipping on Starbucks and hanging out with their two dogs, a German shepherd mix and a gordito Wheaten Terrier reading a good book. Or spending time with her family, who she is extremely close with.
Above all, M loves her readers more than anything and loves to connect with them! She is on all social media platforms @authormrobinson but you will find her in her happy place the most. Her VIP Reader Group on Facebook or her second favorite happy place, Instagram.
Stay connected!
When M isn’t in the cave writing her next epic love story, you will find her shopping and living on a boat in Florida with her real life pirate, her lobster, her husband Bossman. Sipping on Starbucks and hanging out with their two dogs, a German shepherd mix and a gordito Wheaten Terrier reading a good book. Or spending time with her family, who she is extremely close with.
Above all, M loves her readers more than anything and loves to connect with them! She is on all social media platforms @authormrobinson but you will find her in her happy place the most. Her VIP Reader Group on Facebook or her second favorite happy place, Instagram.
Stay connected!
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June 11, 2017
Check out more of my reviews at www.bookaddicthaven.com
This book had been sitting on my TBR list for quite a long time. I am a big fan of M. Robinson's work. After reading 'El Diablo', I knew that I needed to read 'The Good Ol' Boys' series. 'Complicate Me' is the first book in that series and it does not disappoint. I loved this angsty, coming of age romance.
Unlike the other books I've read by this author, this isn't a "dark" read. However, don't mistake that for a lack of emotion or tension. What this book lacks in kink, it makes up for in angst.
Alex, aka "Half-pint", grows up in a small, close-knit community. As an only child, she plays with the older sons of her parents' friends. A few years younger, she follows them around everywhere they go and inserts herself into their group. She is "one of the boys" and they look after her.
As they grow up, their relationships change. As the boys indulge in their hedonistic desires, Alex becomes "the child" in the background. The boys are older and are discovering girls, beginning to date and explore their sexuality.
Alex is prevented from experiencing many of the normal rites of passage as she grows a little older. The boys make sure of that. They protect her fiercely, preventing any romantic inclinations that other boys might have toward Alex. They keep her sheltered, even as they fool around with anything in a skirt.
Unlike the other boys, Lucas has never viewed Alex as a sister. They have a special relationship. He is her "Bo". Lucas loves Alex, but knows that she is too young to act on it. The fact that Alex is off-limits is something that he is frequently reminded of by the other boys.
Instead, Lucas does what is expected of him. He hooks up with the other girls in town that are his age. Alex is forced to watch as Lucas sows his wild oats all over town.
These two never seemed to be able to get on the same page. The timing was never right. Over and over, they broke each others' hearts. It was a sweet torture to read their story.
As I listened to their story, I empathized with Alex. M. Robinson did a wonderful job of capturing the essence of young love and first heartbreak. The emotions were raw and so real they were almost tangible. I was immediately transported back to my teenage years, remembering the emotional highs and lows of youth that gradually fade over time with the loss of innocence.
There were so many times that I was furious with the decisions that these two made, but I couldn't quit listening. Lucas, in particular, made some insensitive decisions that damaged his relationship with Alex. Despite his claim to be in love with Alex, Lucas spent a lot of time choosing other girls over her. They spent a lot of time hurting one another before they figured things out.
I absolutely loved this angsty, emotional, coming of age love story. There was plenty of heartache, but it only made this book all that much more addicting. I fell in love with all of the characters. I will definitely be continuing this series.
This book had been sitting on my TBR list for quite a long time. I am a big fan of M. Robinson's work. After reading 'El Diablo', I knew that I needed to read 'The Good Ol' Boys' series. 'Complicate Me' is the first book in that series and it does not disappoint. I loved this angsty, coming of age romance.
Unlike the other books I've read by this author, this isn't a "dark" read. However, don't mistake that for a lack of emotion or tension. What this book lacks in kink, it makes up for in angst.
Alex, aka "Half-pint", grows up in a small, close-knit community. As an only child, she plays with the older sons of her parents' friends. A few years younger, she follows them around everywhere they go and inserts herself into their group. She is "one of the boys" and they look after her.
As they grow up, their relationships change. As the boys indulge in their hedonistic desires, Alex becomes "the child" in the background. The boys are older and are discovering girls, beginning to date and explore their sexuality.
Alex is prevented from experiencing many of the normal rites of passage as she grows a little older. The boys make sure of that. They protect her fiercely, preventing any romantic inclinations that other boys might have toward Alex. They keep her sheltered, even as they fool around with anything in a skirt.
Unlike the other boys, Lucas has never viewed Alex as a sister. They have a special relationship. He is her "Bo". Lucas loves Alex, but knows that she is too young to act on it. The fact that Alex is off-limits is something that he is frequently reminded of by the other boys.
Instead, Lucas does what is expected of him. He hooks up with the other girls in town that are his age. Alex is forced to watch as Lucas sows his wild oats all over town.
These two never seemed to be able to get on the same page. The timing was never right. Over and over, they broke each others' hearts. It was a sweet torture to read their story.
As I listened to their story, I empathized with Alex. M. Robinson did a wonderful job of capturing the essence of young love and first heartbreak. The emotions were raw and so real they were almost tangible. I was immediately transported back to my teenage years, remembering the emotional highs and lows of youth that gradually fade over time with the loss of innocence.
There were so many times that I was furious with the decisions that these two made, but I couldn't quit listening. Lucas, in particular, made some insensitive decisions that damaged his relationship with Alex. Despite his claim to be in love with Alex, Lucas spent a lot of time choosing other girls over her. They spent a lot of time hurting one another before they figured things out.
I absolutely loved this angsty, emotional, coming of age love story. There was plenty of heartache, but it only made this book all that much more addicting. I fell in love with all of the characters. I will definitely be continuing this series.
September 15, 2015
4 Angsty stars!
M. Robinson knows how to deliver the angst. This isn’t my first book by her, so I was somewhat prepared. Complicate Me is a friends to lovers/second chance romance that was stressful to read, emotional and angsty as all get out. It was also sweet and funny at times and warmed my heart. I loved watching these characters grow up. This book was so much more than a romance and focused on more than the main characters. It was a book about friendship first and foremost. A coming of age story about finding out who you are and what you want in life and just maybe finding the love you were always meant to have along the way.
What happens when you find the love of your life at ten years old? Alex and Lucas- affectionately known as Half-Pint and Bo have known each other since the day Alex was born. They’ve been the best of friends, along with the 3 other boys in their group. Alex has always had a special bond with Lucas who is 2 years her senior. As she gets older, it only intensifies, turing into more. This story starts when she is 10 and he is 12 and spans the next 15 years or so. Alex is not perfect. Lucas is not perfect. Their story is not perfect. But their love is true and it’s real. It’s also raw, messy and complicated.
Overall, I loved a lot about this story. It had some five star moments. I’m gonna tell you the reason this wasn't a five for me. There will be spoilers so read at your own risk :) This story definitely brought out the emotions in me. I went from being happy, to sad, to angry, to livid, to stressed out, to sad again, then to happy again. Their story is one the will stay with me.
I loved the bond that Alex and Lucas shared. Even though both (especially Lucas) infuriated me with their choices, they DID grow up. I can imagine how difficult it would be to find love that young and have everyone going against it. It was fun to see all the boys grow up along the way. I can’t wait for each and every one of their stories. All are interesting in one way or another.
I feel like this book will be a memorable one. One of those books you can look back on remember how you felt when you read this scene, the characters and how much their actions effected your feelings. This book was long, but it didn’t feel long. The story hooked me in pretty quickly and I read most of the book in one sitting. I know this is going to sound crazy, because of the length of the book… but I almost wish it would have been longer. I wanted more of Alex and Lucas together. Through all the stress of the book (and trust me, there was plenty of it) I was happy with the end. I can’t wait to read about the other boys. And after reading that last page… GAH! I need the next book ASAP!
M. Robinson knows how to deliver the angst. This isn’t my first book by her, so I was somewhat prepared. Complicate Me is a friends to lovers/second chance romance that was stressful to read, emotional and angsty as all get out. It was also sweet and funny at times and warmed my heart. I loved watching these characters grow up. This book was so much more than a romance and focused on more than the main characters. It was a book about friendship first and foremost. A coming of age story about finding out who you are and what you want in life and just maybe finding the love you were always meant to have along the way.
What happens when you find the love of your life at ten years old? Alex and Lucas- affectionately known as Half-Pint and Bo have known each other since the day Alex was born. They’ve been the best of friends, along with the 3 other boys in their group. Alex has always had a special bond with Lucas who is 2 years her senior. As she gets older, it only intensifies, turing into more. This story starts when she is 10 and he is 12 and spans the next 15 years or so. Alex is not perfect. Lucas is not perfect. Their story is not perfect. But their love is true and it’s real. It’s also raw, messy and complicated.
Overall, I loved a lot about this story. It had some five star moments. I’m gonna tell you the reason this wasn't a five for me. There will be spoilers so read at your own risk :) This story definitely brought out the emotions in me. I went from being happy, to sad, to angry, to livid, to stressed out, to sad again, then to happy again. Their story is one the will stay with me.
I loved her. I knew I loved her, I always have and I always will. She owned every part of me. My heart was hers since before I knew what having her even meant.
I loved the bond that Alex and Lucas shared. Even though both (especially Lucas) infuriated me with their choices, they DID grow up. I can imagine how difficult it would be to find love that young and have everyone going against it. It was fun to see all the boys grow up along the way. I can’t wait for each and every one of their stories. All are interesting in one way or another.
I feel like this book will be a memorable one. One of those books you can look back on remember how you felt when you read this scene, the characters and how much their actions effected your feelings. This book was long, but it didn’t feel long. The story hooked me in pretty quickly and I read most of the book in one sitting. I know this is going to sound crazy, because of the length of the book… but I almost wish it would have been longer. I wanted more of Alex and Lucas together. Through all the stress of the book (and trust me, there was plenty of it) I was happy with the end. I can’t wait to read about the other boys. And after reading that last page… GAH! I need the next book ASAP!
“I’m not going to tell you it’s always been easy because it hasn’t, but you’ve always been worth it.”
September 9, 2015
2.5 “She’s just a girl” STARS
”Our relationship was filled with what ifs, and maybe somedays… It was complicated. It was messy. It was us.”
Well...
When an author asks me to ARC a book, I try very hard to take into consideration all the time and heart that they have poured into their finished product. That being said, I started this one and did like prologue (perhaps only part of book the book that I can say I truly liked) and got to 17% and if not for being asked to read this story directly by the author, that would have been my quitting mark.
The prologue is interesting, as Lucas is confronting Alexandra on her upcoming marriage to someone else. Thereafter, I was tortured reading way too many pages about very very young characters. Somewhere along the way it should have been mentioned that first 65 percent needed to be condensed because the day to day of a 10 year girl with a crush on her 13 year old guy friend (who’s getting it regularly from same girl from 7th Grade to Senior year of high school) and thinking of this young girl in sexual ways early on, is simply icky for this mom of two daughters.
”Stacey and I weren’t friends, we barely even spoke, but I knew her role in Lucas’s life and she knew mine. End of story.”
Half Pint and Bo, that’s their nicknames, are never actually a couple. They are friends within a larger group of boys that have been hanging out since diapers. There’s a lot of outside advice offered, angst, hurt feelings, and double standards. Both characters have long standing relationships with other people as well.
Lucas and Alex just keep messing up their chances with one another. The author wants us to believe that they are the forever kind of love that just never had it’s shot. I must have missed the part where we experienced how wonderful they are together.
Once the characters get out of high school, the story actually moved at a good pace. However during their late teens and twenties they aren’t together either just the typical run ins that involve:
I LOVE YOU BO
I LOVE YOU MY BROWN EYED GIRL
IT’S TOO LATE FOR US
and repeat...
The story ends on a happy sappy note, as our couple has come of age and all falls into place, leaving two hearts crushed in their wake. The chances of these two making it after the epilogue to me are slim to none. Since they argue after seconds together and don’t speak for months at a clip throughout the whole book. But hey if you’re a true romantic and not cynical like myself, this whole story maybe a big win for you.
*ARC provided in exchange for an honest review*
”Our relationship was filled with what ifs, and maybe somedays… It was complicated. It was messy. It was us.”
Well...
When an author asks me to ARC a book, I try very hard to take into consideration all the time and heart that they have poured into their finished product. That being said, I started this one and did like prologue (perhaps only part of book the book that I can say I truly liked) and got to 17% and if not for being asked to read this story directly by the author, that would have been my quitting mark.
The prologue is interesting, as Lucas is confronting Alexandra on her upcoming marriage to someone else. Thereafter, I was tortured reading way too many pages about very very young characters. Somewhere along the way it should have been mentioned that first 65 percent needed to be condensed because the day to day of a 10 year girl with a crush on her 13 year old guy friend (who’s getting it regularly from same girl from 7th Grade to Senior year of high school) and thinking of this young girl in sexual ways early on, is simply icky for this mom of two daughters.
”Stacey and I weren’t friends, we barely even spoke, but I knew her role in Lucas’s life and she knew mine. End of story.”
Half Pint and Bo, that’s their nicknames, are never actually a couple. They are friends within a larger group of boys that have been hanging out since diapers. There’s a lot of outside advice offered, angst, hurt feelings, and double standards. Both characters have long standing relationships with other people as well.
Lucas and Alex just keep messing up their chances with one another. The author wants us to believe that they are the forever kind of love that just never had it’s shot. I must have missed the part where we experienced how wonderful they are together.
Once the characters get out of high school, the story actually moved at a good pace. However during their late teens and twenties they aren’t together either just the typical run ins that involve:
I LOVE YOU BO
I LOVE YOU MY BROWN EYED GIRL
IT’S TOO LATE FOR US
and repeat...
The story ends on a happy sappy note, as our couple has come of age and all falls into place, leaving two hearts crushed in their wake. The chances of these two making it after the epilogue to me are slim to none. Since they argue after seconds together and don’t speak for months at a clip throughout the whole book. But hey if you’re a true romantic and not cynical like myself, this whole story maybe a big win for you.
*ARC provided in exchange for an honest review*
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September 14, 2015
RATING 4.5 STARS
Complicate Me is book one in The Good Ol’ Boys series by M. Robinson. This book was generously provided to me in exchange for an honest review.
Alexandra Collins was born and raised in Oak Island, North Carolina. Her four best friends and constant companions were a set of four boys, three of which were two years older than her, the third just one year. Alex was known to them as their ‘Half Pint.’ She went everywhere with them and they thought of her as their little sister. They all loved her and protected her. They were her world as she was theirs. But there was one boy in the group that Alex had a special bond with, different than the others. Lucas or to her he was her ‘Bo.’ When she fell down, it was always Bo that bandaged her knee and it was his handlebars she would ride on.
As they all grew older, the boys got interested in girls. Bo felt the special bond he shared with Alex but she was eleven at the time. She was a child. And in their eyes, none of them were good enough for their Half Pint. She was their little sister, their responsibility, and that is where it ended.
“You’re a good girl, Alexandra. That’s what makes you my Half-Pint. You’re the calm to my storm; it’s always been that way. You’re my refuge.”
As they all grew up, Lucas made so many mistakes and hurt Alex in so many ways. But the love between them was so deep. Still, they danced around what their true feelings were for each other.
“The feelings I had, what he provoked and stirred within me, what he always did to me. No one could ever explain or understand what it was. How it happened. No one else could do this. It was only Lucas. Always Lucas. Not one other soul had this pull. On me. On him. On us.”
This book takes us through their childhood, middle school, high school, then on to college and adult hood. So many mistakes were made. If they only were honest with each other about the depth of their feelings, would it have made a difference? And it wasn’t just them, there were others keeping them apart, each for their own reasons.
“We have so many barriers placed in between us and I don’t know how to remove them.”
I am writing this review right after I finished the book so my emotions are still a mess. I want to warn you that this book will rip your heart out, not just once, but over and over again. Alex and Lucas had pretty much loved each other from birth. But they were kids and kids make mistakes. I won’t lie to you and say that there wasn’t times that I hated Lucas for what he was doing. Just typing out this review is making my eyes burn all over again.
When all is said and done, though, these are the characters I am going to think about when I first wake up in the morning for a very long time. This is a beautiful and heart breaking story of love, loss, growing up and figuring out who you are and where you belong. The next book in the series will be about Lucas’s younger sister, Lily and Lucas’s friend, Jacob.
“I loved you then, I love you now, I’ll love you always.”
Complicate Me is book one in The Good Ol’ Boys series by M. Robinson. This book was generously provided to me in exchange for an honest review.
Alexandra Collins was born and raised in Oak Island, North Carolina. Her four best friends and constant companions were a set of four boys, three of which were two years older than her, the third just one year. Alex was known to them as their ‘Half Pint.’ She went everywhere with them and they thought of her as their little sister. They all loved her and protected her. They were her world as she was theirs. But there was one boy in the group that Alex had a special bond with, different than the others. Lucas or to her he was her ‘Bo.’ When she fell down, it was always Bo that bandaged her knee and it was his handlebars she would ride on.
As they all grew older, the boys got interested in girls. Bo felt the special bond he shared with Alex but she was eleven at the time. She was a child. And in their eyes, none of them were good enough for their Half Pint. She was their little sister, their responsibility, and that is where it ended.
“You’re a good girl, Alexandra. That’s what makes you my Half-Pint. You’re the calm to my storm; it’s always been that way. You’re my refuge.”
As they all grew up, Lucas made so many mistakes and hurt Alex in so many ways. But the love between them was so deep. Still, they danced around what their true feelings were for each other.
“The feelings I had, what he provoked and stirred within me, what he always did to me. No one could ever explain or understand what it was. How it happened. No one else could do this. It was only Lucas. Always Lucas. Not one other soul had this pull. On me. On him. On us.”
This book takes us through their childhood, middle school, high school, then on to college and adult hood. So many mistakes were made. If they only were honest with each other about the depth of their feelings, would it have made a difference? And it wasn’t just them, there were others keeping them apart, each for their own reasons.
“We have so many barriers placed in between us and I don’t know how to remove them.”
I am writing this review right after I finished the book so my emotions are still a mess. I want to warn you that this book will rip your heart out, not just once, but over and over again. Alex and Lucas had pretty much loved each other from birth. But they were kids and kids make mistakes. I won’t lie to you and say that there wasn’t times that I hated Lucas for what he was doing. Just typing out this review is making my eyes burn all over again.
When all is said and done, though, these are the characters I am going to think about when I first wake up in the morning for a very long time. This is a beautiful and heart breaking story of love, loss, growing up and figuring out who you are and where you belong. The next book in the series will be about Lucas’s younger sister, Lily and Lucas’s friend, Jacob.
“I loved you then, I love you now, I’ll love you always.”
September 17, 2015
***** FIVE STARS*****
(ARC kindly provided by author M. Robinson)
This book was simply stunning!!! The story is full of angst and so much beauty. Small town setting, friends to lovers romance and not an easy journey but a love so strong, that you'll feel it in every part of your body.
Alexandra aka Half Pint, grew up amongst boys. She's an only child but was never in need of sibling love, because these boys have always loved and protected her fiercely. Out of the four boys there is Lucas, he's always had a special relationship with Alex; his brown eyed girl.
The story develops as they all grow up together; from climbing up on trees to, first school dances, puberty, etc...
Alex always wanted to be one of the boys. She had the attitude to fight anybody who wanted to treat her like a girl but when she starts to recognize the nature of her feelings for Lucas, she wants nothing more than for him to stop hanging around other girls and notice her.
Lucas is a total alpha male and gorgeous. He adores Alex. When he was young he struggled with his feelings for her, but he always thought of her as his. As they all grow up, everyone can see they have a really strong connection that goes beyond friendship.
When they become of an appropriate age, the boys still think of Alex as a little sister and they don't want Lucas and his Casanova tendencies hurting Alex. Their parents want them to experience life before trying to change their friendship for a romance. As they say the heart wants what it wants and it's hard for both Lucas and Alex to keep those feeling hidden. As time goes by, everything around them only becomes complicated.
The beauty of this story is how unpredictable it is. The level of angst will keep you at the edge of your seat and most likely you will devour this book in only one day. I loved the complexity of the characters and the intensity in the story. Also the realness of it all gripped my heart.
Another wonderful aspect are the friendships, and the family dynamics between all the characters.
This book will make you feel like you are in a beautiful summer romance; beach, friends and first kisses. Amazing!!!!!
I always love it when an author ventures outside of their genre, and succeeds. M. Robinson is known for Erotica and that she can write it well but I believe this is her best work yet.
My Complicate Me music playlist:
*When You Say Nothing At All by Allison Krauss
*It's Complicated by Keith and Renee
*She Hates Me by Puddle of Mudd
*Storm by Lifehouse
*I loved Her First by Heartland
*Everything by Lifehouse
(ARC kindly provided by author M. Robinson)
This book was simply stunning!!! The story is full of angst and so much beauty. Small town setting, friends to lovers romance and not an easy journey but a love so strong, that you'll feel it in every part of your body.
Alexandra aka Half Pint, grew up amongst boys. She's an only child but was never in need of sibling love, because these boys have always loved and protected her fiercely. Out of the four boys there is Lucas, he's always had a special relationship with Alex; his brown eyed girl.
The story develops as they all grow up together; from climbing up on trees to, first school dances, puberty, etc...
Alex always wanted to be one of the boys. She had the attitude to fight anybody who wanted to treat her like a girl but when she starts to recognize the nature of her feelings for Lucas, she wants nothing more than for him to stop hanging around other girls and notice her.
Lucas is a total alpha male and gorgeous. He adores Alex. When he was young he struggled with his feelings for her, but he always thought of her as his. As they all grow up, everyone can see they have a really strong connection that goes beyond friendship.
When they become of an appropriate age, the boys still think of Alex as a little sister and they don't want Lucas and his Casanova tendencies hurting Alex. Their parents want them to experience life before trying to change their friendship for a romance. As they say the heart wants what it wants and it's hard for both Lucas and Alex to keep those feeling hidden. As time goes by, everything around them only becomes complicated.
The beauty of this story is how unpredictable it is. The level of angst will keep you at the edge of your seat and most likely you will devour this book in only one day. I loved the complexity of the characters and the intensity in the story. Also the realness of it all gripped my heart.
Another wonderful aspect are the friendships, and the family dynamics between all the characters.
This book will make you feel like you are in a beautiful summer romance; beach, friends and first kisses. Amazing!!!!!
I always love it when an author ventures outside of their genre, and succeeds. M. Robinson is known for Erotica and that she can write it well but I believe this is her best work yet.
My Complicate Me music playlist:
*When You Say Nothing At All by Allison Krauss
*It's Complicated by Keith and Renee
*She Hates Me by Puddle of Mudd
*Storm by Lifehouse
*I loved Her First by Heartland
*Everything by Lifehouse
September 16, 2015
5 hurricane stars
Complicate Me is a story that I knew before reading was going to be full of emotion and feelings, but I underestimated how much of a pull I was going to have with Alex and Lucas. I tend to shy away from books where there is a love triangle, and in this while there was a love triangle it was a seriously unbalanced triangle never leaving any doubt just how strong the bond is between Alex and Lucas; that they were truly meant to be. But as every great love, nothing comes easy... In order to understand, you have to start from the beginning, how it all started and the challenges and complications that were always in their way.
Alexandra a.k.a Alex a.k.a. Half-Pint always wanted to be one of the boys, her boys, Dylan, Jacob, Austin and most importantly Lucas. Lucas she knew was different, they always have shared a bond so strong, nothing else mattered. Being the youngest and littlest of the bunch, she always had to fight to prove she was one of the guys, treating her like a little sister; protecting her and later on keeping the boys at bay.
Lucas a.k.a Bo knew from even when his Half-Pint was in her mom's tummy that she was going to be his. Being older he felt more possessive of her than the rest of the guys, she was his responsibility and he took great pride in taking care of her. He would do anything to keep his girl happy no matter how much shit he got from the guys, nothing mattered but her.
The problem with knowing each other from birth is that we all grow up, all the changes we go through, what we like and what we need. Growing up is confusing as it is, imagine growing up and having feelings you can not understand or make sense of. There is a fear of keeping those you care for close and not wanting anything to change.
Their first kiss was the beginning to their end, the beginning of their complicated love...
Complicated Me put me through the ringer, I had to bust out my big girl panties for this one, it was so tragically beautiful to read. Like watching a giant train wreck and not being able to do anything about it; it made me mad, upset, frustrated and just downright sad for Alex and Lucas. All they ever wanted was to be together, growing up and old together, but it was always them against the world. Love is not easy or kind, and sometimes you have to lose your way before finding where you belong. There was nothing I wanted more for Alex and Lucas to find their way back to one another. There were times I wanted to scream and yell but in the end I had to remind myself they were young, if adults have a hard time acting like adults why should I expect the teens to know any better.
This is the first contemporary novel by M .Robinson, and I have to give it to her she never skimps on telling the story. I started this read around 1 1p.m., I was invested from the very first page, and after the prologue my reaction was "Oh fuck this is going to hurt" and I could not put it down. This was told in dual point of view inviting me to grow with them, it is a stand alone read and has an epilogue to make your heart smile, not to mention get you ready for the next couple whose story is dying to be told. I am happy to say this book was worth rocking the zombie look for, after having finished it at 4a.m. and I had such a book high I knew there would be no sleep. I'd definitely recommend this to my friends especially for those who can appreciate a coming of age tale and who believes in soul-mates.
ARC kindly provided by the author, in exchange for an honest review.
***Quotes above are taken from the ARC version of the book and may differ upon publication.
“I loved you then, I love you now, I’ll love you always.”
Complicate Me is a story that I knew before reading was going to be full of emotion and feelings, but I underestimated how much of a pull I was going to have with Alex and Lucas. I tend to shy away from books where there is a love triangle, and in this while there was a love triangle it was a seriously unbalanced triangle never leaving any doubt just how strong the bond is between Alex and Lucas; that they were truly meant to be. But as every great love, nothing comes easy... In order to understand, you have to start from the beginning, how it all started and the challenges and complications that were always in their way.
"Love shouldn’t hurt this much. All you’ve ever done… is complicate me.”
Alexandra a.k.a Alex a.k.a. Half-Pint always wanted to be one of the boys, her boys, Dylan, Jacob, Austin and most importantly Lucas. Lucas she knew was different, they always have shared a bond so strong, nothing else mattered. Being the youngest and littlest of the bunch, she always had to fight to prove she was one of the guys, treating her like a little sister; protecting her and later on keeping the boys at bay.
You’re the calm to my storm; it’s always been that way,” he paused to let his words sink in. “You’re my refuge.”
Lucas a.k.a Bo knew from even when his Half-Pint was in her mom's tummy that she was going to be his. Being older he felt more possessive of her than the rest of the guys, she was his responsibility and he took great pride in taking care of her. He would do anything to keep his girl happy no matter how much shit he got from the guys, nothing mattered but her.
He was always the eye of the storm. When we were kids I loved it, I wanted to be pulled into his winds and let him take me wherever he wanted to go. I'd follow him anywhere. But as we got older I realized it was too late for me to seek refuge. He was already my destruction and there was no way to get past the heavy gusts of our complicated love.
The problem with knowing each other from birth is that we all grow up, all the changes we go through, what we like and what we need. Growing up is confusing as it is, imagine growing up and having feelings you can not understand or make sense of. There is a fear of keeping those you care for close and not wanting anything to change.
The boy who promised he would never hurt her.
The boy who swore he would always protect her.
The boy who vowed he would never let anything happen to her.
That same boy was me.
I was the reason she was bawling.
I was the reason she was hurt.
I was the reason she was broken.
Their first kiss was the beginning to their end, the beginning of their complicated love...
When… when… when… Our relationship was filled with what ifs, and maybe some days… It was complicated. It was messy. It was us.
Complicated Me put me through the ringer, I had to bust out my big girl panties for this one, it was so tragically beautiful to read. Like watching a giant train wreck and not being able to do anything about it; it made me mad, upset, frustrated and just downright sad for Alex and Lucas. All they ever wanted was to be together, growing up and old together, but it was always them against the world. Love is not easy or kind, and sometimes you have to lose your way before finding where you belong. There was nothing I wanted more for Alex and Lucas to find their way back to one another. There were times I wanted to scream and yell but in the end I had to remind myself they were young, if adults have a hard time acting like adults why should I expect the teens to know any better.
This is the first contemporary novel by M .Robinson, and I have to give it to her she never skimps on telling the story. I started this read around 1 1p.m., I was invested from the very first page, and after the prologue my reaction was "Oh fuck this is going to hurt" and I could not put it down. This was told in dual point of view inviting me to grow with them, it is a stand alone read and has an epilogue to make your heart smile, not to mention get you ready for the next couple whose story is dying to be told. I am happy to say this book was worth rocking the zombie look for, after having finished it at 4a.m. and I had such a book high I knew there would be no sleep. I'd definitely recommend this to my friends especially for those who can appreciate a coming of age tale and who believes in soul-mates.
ARC kindly provided by the author, in exchange for an honest review.
***Quotes above are taken from the ARC version of the book and may differ upon publication.
September 9, 2015
I've thought about my rating and review long and hard but the bottom line is, Complicate Me isn't for me. I love angst. Love it, but for me, I also need character and plot development, and I found it lacking in this book.
I couldn't connect with the writing at all. The prose, the constant use of semicolons and ellipses were distracting. I also couldn't connect with either Alex or Lucas. Their relationship felt juvenile to me. Their reasons for not being together is more annoying than heartbreaking. I found myself not caring anymore whether they get together or not. And Lucas...he's not much of a hero for me.
Surprisingly, the two characters I ended up liking were Stacey and Lily. Stacey was supposed to be the villain but she was one of the only people who called Lucas out on his shit. Same goes for Lily. She's young but she has more brains that her parents, Lucas and their friends combined.
I have other issues but that's basically the gist of it.
ETA:My original review said Amber, but I'm wrong. It was Stacey. It's fixed now.
ARC provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.
I couldn't connect with the writing at all. The prose, the constant use of semicolons and ellipses were distracting. I also couldn't connect with either Alex or Lucas. Their relationship felt juvenile to me. Their reasons for not being together is more annoying than heartbreaking. I found myself not caring anymore whether they get together or not. And Lucas...he's not much of a hero for me.
Surprisingly, the two characters I ended up liking were Stacey and Lily. Stacey was supposed to be the villain but she was one of the only people who called Lucas out on his shit. Same goes for Lily. She's young but she has more brains that her parents, Lucas and their friends combined.
I have other issues but that's basically the gist of it.
ETA:My original review said Amber, but I'm wrong. It was Stacey. It's fixed now.
ARC provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.
April 3, 2020
I WILL NEVER, ABSOLUTELY NEVER WILL BE CONVINCED that "this guy" who enjoy this sex so much with OW is in love with the heroine as he claimed to love her...REALLY?
Read
September 14, 2015No rating
Out of respect to the author, as I stopped at 52% and skimmed to the end, I won't rate this book.
I'm a self professed angst whore. I love it. I gobble it up and beg for more. I just love how it hurts SO good. Unfortunately for me, this book had angst, but it wasn't at all my cuppa. It had all the ingredients and perhaps if it was laid out different, it would have worked for me. So what didn't?
I did not realize that this book would take the reader year by year through the H/h lives starting from when the heroine is 10 and the hero 13. I can handle YA just fine, but what I don't want to read about is a 14 year old losing his virginity (in detail and not to the heroine), a first kiss when the heroine is 10 then 12, and the hero being for lack of a better word an utter douchebag simply because he's young and doesn't know any better.
I appreciated the idea behind it; truly engrossing the reader in the characters' journey through the years, but I'd have enjoyed it much more had these things been briefly mentioned through memory and not given to me detail by detail. It should have made me connect to the characters more, but it caused quite the opposite effect. I had no connection to the hero or the heroine. I saw no rhyme nor reason for most of the hero's actions aside from him being young and stupid. I'd rather it be hinted at that he's a manwhore than getting the blow by blow through the years, especially knowing he has zero feelings for the girl he's "getting it from" all the while pining for the heroine that he keeps systematically hurting with his actions. Perhaps if his actions made sense. Something other than peer pressure or him just being young. I don't even know. We all did stupid things at that age, but like I said, it doesn't mean I want to read about it. Perhaps most readers will write this off as "coming of age", but for me, there just wasn't a strong enough reason for anything the MCs did to justify it in my eyes. The character development simply wasn't strong enough for me to ever really connect. But again, this is solely a preference and other readers may have the complete opposite.
I think had this story started when the MCs were older, 17 or 18 even and then had some flashbacks to explain their relationship through the years..or maybe in the forms of brief memory descriptions...anything other than what it was. Maybe it's my mom brain kicking in, maybe it was something else. Whatever the case may be, it didn't work for me. There was also plot inconsistencies and some dialogue that was just plain weird. At one point one of the characters channeled his inner Larry the Cable Guy which had me scratching my head because these are supposed to be privileged rich kids. Who talks like that? Then again, this may just be my nitpicking since I was so withdrawn from the story.
I'm very much in the minority with my opinion and many others absolutely loved this book, so it really is a matter of subjective opinion. We all read differently and take things in differently. This is solely my opinion and it by no means suggests that you won't enjoy it. So read it and see for yourself.
ARC courtesy of author in exchange for an honest review
For more reviews visit
Out of respect to the author, as I stopped at 52% and skimmed to the end, I won't rate this book.
I'm a self professed angst whore. I love it. I gobble it up and beg for more. I just love how it hurts SO good. Unfortunately for me, this book had angst, but it wasn't at all my cuppa. It had all the ingredients and perhaps if it was laid out different, it would have worked for me. So what didn't?
I did not realize that this book would take the reader year by year through the H/h lives starting from when the heroine is 10 and the hero 13. I can handle YA just fine, but what I don't want to read about is a 14 year old losing his virginity (in detail and not to the heroine), a first kiss when the heroine is 10 then 12, and the hero being for lack of a better word an utter douchebag simply because he's young and doesn't know any better.
I appreciated the idea behind it; truly engrossing the reader in the characters' journey through the years, but I'd have enjoyed it much more had these things been briefly mentioned through memory and not given to me detail by detail. It should have made me connect to the characters more, but it caused quite the opposite effect. I had no connection to the hero or the heroine. I saw no rhyme nor reason for most of the hero's actions aside from him being young and stupid. I'd rather it be hinted at that he's a manwhore than getting the blow by blow through the years, especially knowing he has zero feelings for the girl he's "getting it from" all the while pining for the heroine that he keeps systematically hurting with his actions. Perhaps if his actions made sense. Something other than peer pressure or him just being young. I don't even know. We all did stupid things at that age, but like I said, it doesn't mean I want to read about it. Perhaps most readers will write this off as "coming of age", but for me, there just wasn't a strong enough reason for anything the MCs did to justify it in my eyes. The character development simply wasn't strong enough for me to ever really connect. But again, this is solely a preference and other readers may have the complete opposite.
I think had this story started when the MCs were older, 17 or 18 even and then had some flashbacks to explain their relationship through the years..or maybe in the forms of brief memory descriptions...anything other than what it was. Maybe it's my mom brain kicking in, maybe it was something else. Whatever the case may be, it didn't work for me. There was also plot inconsistencies and some dialogue that was just plain weird. At one point one of the characters channeled his inner Larry the Cable Guy which had me scratching my head because these are supposed to be privileged rich kids. Who talks like that? Then again, this may just be my nitpicking since I was so withdrawn from the story.
I'm very much in the minority with my opinion and many others absolutely loved this book, so it really is a matter of subjective opinion. We all read differently and take things in differently. This is solely my opinion and it by no means suggests that you won't enjoy it. So read it and see for yourself.
ARC courtesy of author in exchange for an honest review
For more reviews visit
July 22, 2016
2.5 Stars
I love angst. I enjoy emotional turmoil, the suffering, the heartache – it makes the resolution so much sweeter. That said, it only works if I connect with the characters – I need development, depth, I need to know them, to care about them and their story. Unfortunately, that is where Complicate Me missed the mark for me.
We would always be linked. We were destined to be soul mates. Star-crossed lovers.
Growing up as an only child in a small coastal town, Alexandra develops a special bond with 4 local boys. She’s one of them, although 2 years younger; she is their little sisters, their ‘half-pint’. They are a tight knit group, caring deeply for each other, but for Alex and Lucas that bond is a bit stronger. As time progresses, Lucas and Alex struggle with their growing feelings for one another, an innocent bond turning into something neither of them really understands. This leads to years of push and pull, while caring deeply for one another, Lucas and Alex attempt to maintain their friendship. This is a coming of age story, full of firsts - crushes, kisses, dates, sex, heartbreak, love – all combining to tell an angsty love story.
Our first kiss was our beginning and in some ways our end. This is where our complicated love began.
Lucas and Alex’s relationship was just frustrating, their reasoning was confusing, and I honestly didn’t really like either of them. They were juvenile, selfish and most of the time unapologetic about it, . Complicate Me also seemed to set up upcoming story lines in the series, which I found distracting, a lot was going on. I almost wish the author had written a novella introducing Alex and the boys, and started this novel with Alex being a bit older (she was 11-14 for a large portion of the story). Then maybe more time could be spent developing Alex and Lucas. I wanted to love this story, but overall it just didn't work for me.
*ARC provided in exchange for an honest review*
June 13, 2016
***5 "My Brown Eyed Girl" stars***
OMG!!! This book wrecked me, but i think that it will stay with me for a long time!!!
It was so difficult to witness this love...
It started at very young age and all those obstacles that were standing on their way were making my heart bleeding!!!
Alex and Lucas hurt each other very much and my heart was breaking for them...
They left other things to complicate their love and at the end they just making one mistake after the other...
Those two were meant to be forever together and i was dying inside that life was so unfair to them!!!
Seriously guys, i spent the last 70% crying like a baby...
But let me explain some things about their complicated love...
"When you're that young, you don't realize how short life truly is. You think you will have all the time in the world to be and do whatever your heart desires. It will eventually get there; it's bound to happen. One day."
Alex, Lucas, Dylan, Jacob and Austin grew up together and they were bound with a unique friendship... Alex was their Half-pint, the glue that was stucking them together and the four boys were her "Good Ol' Boys"...
But Lucas was something more than just a friend for her and Alex was something more for Lucas as well...
From a very young age those two had a unique connection...
They were loving each other fiercely...
...but the circumstances and the people around them didn't leave them room to do what their hearts wanted to do...
"They say you have that one moment in life where things could have been different, that one moment that changes the course of your life or the direction you could have taken. That one moment that could forever change you and everything you wanted to be true, everything you wanted to believe."
The prologue of this book, picked up immediately my interest since I understood that Lucas and Alex had a great love but she was about to bound her life with another man...
And then, it took us back many, many years before at the age of 10 for Alex and 12 for Lucas...
We witness all the important moments of their life, all the love that they were feeling for each other, all the restraint because of others...
We saw them make one mistake after the other and how their choices affected their entire future...
"She belonged to me.
Plain and simple.
Our emotions were running wild, trying to accept the bond our hearts will forever have. We laid our love out for each other years ago. I fought a battle I knew I could never win. The emotional turmoil ate away at me the closer we got to saying goodbye. That’s what happened when two halves of a heart come together and become one.
We would always be linked.
We were destined to be soul mates.
Star-crossed lovers."
Those two were meant to be together but life was so unfair to them...
So will they manage to find their way back to each other???
Will they have their happily ever after???
"I loved her. I knew I loved her, I always have and I always will. She owned every part of me. My heart was hers since before I knew what having her even meant." {Lucas}
"It was only Lucas.
Always Lucas.
Not one other soul had this pull.
On me.
On him.
On us." {Alex}
I loved Lucas and Alex... Bo and his Half-pint!!!
I was living for the moments that they were together, but damn me, they hurt each other so much and mostly Lucas....
But it wasn't his fault and that's why i was mad...
Jacob and Dylan warned him all the goddamn time to stay away from her and their parents were saying to both of them that they had to experience life before they will bound theirs together, and that warnings-advices kept them away for very long time and the constant pressure from the guys to Lucas had awful results!!!
"The boy who promised he would never hurt her.
The boy who swore he would always protect her.
The boy who vowed he would never let anything happen to her.
That same boy was me.
I was the reason she was bawling.
I was the reason she was hurt.
I was the reason she was broken."
I loved Alex... She was sincere, wild, innocent, kind and very, very sweet...
She loved Lucas since she was remembering herself...
Yep, she was a tom boy most of the time, but deep inside she was just a girl!!!
I know that she was very young and at that young age is impossible to know what love is, but while i was reading the book, it gave me the impression that the past was narrative... So, i personally could accept it!!!
As a girl, Alex was even harder to move on from Lucas... She was there for him all the time, with the hope that something will change between them, but at some point, it became really hard to loving him... It was hurting her so much!!!
But she kept doing it, no matter what!!! And i love her for that reason...
"It overwhelmed me and consumed me. It hurt me and slayed me. Like a giant blade was driven directly in my heart."
I loved Lucas instantly... He was untamed, hotheaded and such a wonderful friend...
To Alex was always thoughtful, tender, possessive... He loved her fiercely and completely and that fact never changed even everything that happened between them...
Alex was the only person that could tame his wild soul...
And he was hurting so much when he was away from her, but everyone around him was pressuring him and he hurt her in an effort to let her free...
And that was his biggest regret!!!
"You're a good girl, Alexandra. That's what makes you my Half-Pint. You're the calm to my storm; it's always been that way. You're my refuge."
I liked all the rest of the boys, but to be honest, i got mad with them... Especially with Jacob and Dylan...
Why??? Why they had to interfere in Alex's and Lucas relationsip??? Why, guys???
I liked very much Austin and i'm dying for his turn to tell his story... He was such a troubled guy!!!
I also loved Aubrey, even though that i have so many questions about her and Dylan...
I adored little Lilly... She was a lovely girl!!! She was such a spitfire!!!
I hated Cole from the first moment... I didn't like the way that he was provoking Lucas and i hated that Alex wasted so much time with him!!!
Yeah, i know that he was charming, but still...
I also was very angry with their both parents because they knew how much they loved each other, but in a way, they stood between them with bullshits!!!
But damn me, if i wasn't sad at the end with Lucas's mom... I couldn't see straight from the tears!!!
“If you would just tell her you loved her and wanted to be with her then… voilà,” she exclaimed with her hands out in the air. “Problem fixed.”
“There’s way more to it than that, kid.”
“Nah uh. Love is easy. It’s you that’s making it hard.” {Lilly-Lucas}
Well, as you can understand i loved that book even though that it hurt me deeply...
That's one of the things about me...
Everything that is hurting me, it will stay with me forever, and this story will be not an exception...
I'm already on the fourth book and i know that this one will be always one of my favorites...
Bo and his Half-pint will be always close to my heart!!!
"When... when... when...
Our relationship was filled with what ifs, and maybe some days...
It was complicated.
It was messy. It was us.
I couldn't take her in small doses and I couldn't take her in large ones. Nothing was never enough."
OMG!!! This book wrecked me, but i think that it will stay with me for a long time!!!
It was so difficult to witness this love...
It started at very young age and all those obstacles that were standing on their way were making my heart bleeding!!!
Alex and Lucas hurt each other very much and my heart was breaking for them...
They left other things to complicate their love and at the end they just making one mistake after the other...
Those two were meant to be forever together and i was dying inside that life was so unfair to them!!!
Seriously guys, i spent the last 70% crying like a baby...
But let me explain some things about their complicated love...
"When you're that young, you don't realize how short life truly is. You think you will have all the time in the world to be and do whatever your heart desires. It will eventually get there; it's bound to happen. One day."
Alex, Lucas, Dylan, Jacob and Austin grew up together and they were bound with a unique friendship... Alex was their Half-pint, the glue that was stucking them together and the four boys were her "Good Ol' Boys"...
But Lucas was something more than just a friend for her and Alex was something more for Lucas as well...
From a very young age those two had a unique connection...
They were loving each other fiercely...
...but the circumstances and the people around them didn't leave them room to do what their hearts wanted to do...
"They say you have that one moment in life where things could have been different, that one moment that changes the course of your life or the direction you could have taken. That one moment that could forever change you and everything you wanted to be true, everything you wanted to believe."
The prologue of this book, picked up immediately my interest since I understood that Lucas and Alex had a great love but she was about to bound her life with another man...
And then, it took us back many, many years before at the age of 10 for Alex and 12 for Lucas...
We witness all the important moments of their life, all the love that they were feeling for each other, all the restraint because of others...
We saw them make one mistake after the other and how their choices affected their entire future...
"She belonged to me.
Plain and simple.
Our emotions were running wild, trying to accept the bond our hearts will forever have. We laid our love out for each other years ago. I fought a battle I knew I could never win. The emotional turmoil ate away at me the closer we got to saying goodbye. That’s what happened when two halves of a heart come together and become one.
We would always be linked.
We were destined to be soul mates.
Star-crossed lovers."
Those two were meant to be together but life was so unfair to them...
So will they manage to find their way back to each other???
Will they have their happily ever after???
"I loved her. I knew I loved her, I always have and I always will. She owned every part of me. My heart was hers since before I knew what having her even meant." {Lucas}
"It was only Lucas.
Always Lucas.
Not one other soul had this pull.
On me.
On him.
On us." {Alex}
I loved Lucas and Alex... Bo and his Half-pint!!!
I was living for the moments that they were together, but damn me, they hurt each other so much and mostly Lucas....
But it wasn't his fault and that's why i was mad...
Jacob and Dylan warned him all the goddamn time to stay away from her and their parents were saying to both of them that they had to experience life before they will bound theirs together, and that warnings-advices kept them away for very long time and the constant pressure from the guys to Lucas had awful results!!!
"The boy who promised he would never hurt her.
The boy who swore he would always protect her.
The boy who vowed he would never let anything happen to her.
That same boy was me.
I was the reason she was bawling.
I was the reason she was hurt.
I was the reason she was broken."
I loved Alex... She was sincere, wild, innocent, kind and very, very sweet...
She loved Lucas since she was remembering herself...
Yep, she was a tom boy most of the time, but deep inside she was just a girl!!!
I know that she was very young and at that young age is impossible to know what love is, but while i was reading the book, it gave me the impression that the past was narrative... So, i personally could accept it!!!
As a girl, Alex was even harder to move on from Lucas... She was there for him all the time, with the hope that something will change between them, but at some point, it became really hard to loving him... It was hurting her so much!!!
But she kept doing it, no matter what!!! And i love her for that reason...
"It overwhelmed me and consumed me. It hurt me and slayed me. Like a giant blade was driven directly in my heart."
I loved Lucas instantly... He was untamed, hotheaded and such a wonderful friend...
To Alex was always thoughtful, tender, possessive... He loved her fiercely and completely and that fact never changed even everything that happened between them...
Alex was the only person that could tame his wild soul...
And he was hurting so much when he was away from her, but everyone around him was pressuring him and he hurt her in an effort to let her free...
And that was his biggest regret!!!
"You're a good girl, Alexandra. That's what makes you my Half-Pint. You're the calm to my storm; it's always been that way. You're my refuge."
I liked all the rest of the boys, but to be honest, i got mad with them... Especially with Jacob and Dylan...
Why??? Why they had to interfere in Alex's and Lucas relationsip??? Why, guys???
I liked very much Austin and i'm dying for his turn to tell his story... He was such a troubled guy!!!
I also loved Aubrey, even though that i have so many questions about her and Dylan...
I adored little Lilly... She was a lovely girl!!! She was such a spitfire!!!
I hated Cole from the first moment... I didn't like the way that he was provoking Lucas and i hated that Alex wasted so much time with him!!!
Yeah, i know that he was charming, but still...
I also was very angry with their both parents because they knew how much they loved each other, but in a way, they stood between them with bullshits!!!
But damn me, if i wasn't sad at the end with Lucas's mom... I couldn't see straight from the tears!!!
“If you would just tell her you loved her and wanted to be with her then… voilà,” she exclaimed with her hands out in the air. “Problem fixed.”
“There’s way more to it than that, kid.”
“Nah uh. Love is easy. It’s you that’s making it hard.” {Lilly-Lucas}
Well, as you can understand i loved that book even though that it hurt me deeply...
That's one of the things about me...
Everything that is hurting me, it will stay with me forever, and this story will be not an exception...
I'm already on the fourth book and i know that this one will be always one of my favorites...
Bo and his Half-pint will be always close to my heart!!!
"When... when... when...
Our relationship was filled with what ifs, and maybe some days...
It was complicated.
It was messy. It was us.
I couldn't take her in small doses and I couldn't take her in large ones. Nothing was never enough."
September 8, 2015
5 Brown Eyed Girl Stars!
*ARC provided in exchange for honest review*
Beautifully Broken. Heartbreakingly Complex. Poignant and Passionate. Complicate Me is a coming of age romance that weaves a lifetime of firsts into a future of forever. First friends, first loves, innocent kisses, first heartbreaks all set the foundation for two destined souls to take a long angst filled journey through adolescence into adulthood.
Alexandra, aka Half-pint, is one of the guys. Surrounded by 3 of the best guy friends, she grows up loved and protected. Her biggest support comes from the arms of Lucas “Bo” Ryder. Two years her senior, he connects to her more than any other. Alex and Lucas has a special bond that grows with each passing year. “I Love You” is just the norm for the two…until those words seem to mean more. As each character grows up, the transition from girl to woman and boy to man is difficult for all. Jealousy, anger, insecurity, and new emotions of desire begin to filter into their lives. No one more affected than Alex and Lucas…
No one said surviving your first love would be easy. With the age difference and the core group of family and friends against anything Alex and Lucas related, each try to grow into their own only knowing in their hearts what they truly want. Stolen moments, forehead kisses, words of claiming all present but not enough to overcome the trials and tribulations of growing up...
This story, while long and frustrating, was amazing. I loved the realism that the author brought to the read. Following a cast from childhood into adulthood is often difficult, but all those emotions associated with growing up compounded with falling in love and having your heart broken was so point on. It was a long and difficult journey for Alex and Lucas filled with moments of tender passion, pure adoration, and total devastation. Friends to Lovers? Never an easy thing. Can one’s soul mate be found riding the handlebars of a bike? Does a lifetime of friendship determine a future forever? How many times can the heart shatter before it is permanently broke?
Perhaps it is Forgiveness at the heart of it all. Maturity is not just aging…it is accepting one’s self, owning the past, and grasping onto the future. This author did a stunning job of bringing two lives full circle. Thru ups and downs, love and loss, pleasure and pain, Complicate Me will leave you emotionally drained while giving your heart palpitations. I recommend this read to those lovers of angst, to those who have ever fell for the boy next door, for those who believe that first loves are forever loves!
*ARC provided in exchange for honest review*
Beautifully Broken. Heartbreakingly Complex. Poignant and Passionate. Complicate Me is a coming of age romance that weaves a lifetime of firsts into a future of forever. First friends, first loves, innocent kisses, first heartbreaks all set the foundation for two destined souls to take a long angst filled journey through adolescence into adulthood.
Alexandra, aka Half-pint, is one of the guys. Surrounded by 3 of the best guy friends, she grows up loved and protected. Her biggest support comes from the arms of Lucas “Bo” Ryder. Two years her senior, he connects to her more than any other. Alex and Lucas has a special bond that grows with each passing year. “I Love You” is just the norm for the two…until those words seem to mean more. As each character grows up, the transition from girl to woman and boy to man is difficult for all. Jealousy, anger, insecurity, and new emotions of desire begin to filter into their lives. No one more affected than Alex and Lucas…
No one said surviving your first love would be easy. With the age difference and the core group of family and friends against anything Alex and Lucas related, each try to grow into their own only knowing in their hearts what they truly want. Stolen moments, forehead kisses, words of claiming all present but not enough to overcome the trials and tribulations of growing up...
This story, while long and frustrating, was amazing. I loved the realism that the author brought to the read. Following a cast from childhood into adulthood is often difficult, but all those emotions associated with growing up compounded with falling in love and having your heart broken was so point on. It was a long and difficult journey for Alex and Lucas filled with moments of tender passion, pure adoration, and total devastation. Friends to Lovers? Never an easy thing. Can one’s soul mate be found riding the handlebars of a bike? Does a lifetime of friendship determine a future forever? How many times can the heart shatter before it is permanently broke?
Perhaps it is Forgiveness at the heart of it all. Maturity is not just aging…it is accepting one’s self, owning the past, and grasping onto the future. This author did a stunning job of bringing two lives full circle. Thru ups and downs, love and loss, pleasure and pain, Complicate Me will leave you emotionally drained while giving your heart palpitations. I recommend this read to those lovers of angst, to those who have ever fell for the boy next door, for those who believe that first loves are forever loves!
December 14, 2015
This guy was a cheat because he knew that he loved heroine but still kept on having sex with Stacy, the worst thing for me is having a baby with ow and this happened after a descriptive sex scene with Stacy with no condom that scene was disgusting and an insult to the heroine whom be "loved".
I hate children with other people especially when the main leads already have feelings for each other I don't know but I can't get over it and I wish author's would stop doing that trope to create more angst it just leaves me with a bad taste in my mouth!
I hate children with other people especially when the main leads already have feelings for each other I don't know but I can't get over it and I wish author's would stop doing that trope to create more angst it just leaves me with a bad taste in my mouth!
Shelved as 'cheating'
December 1, 2016I won't read because too much of OW activity while the heroine is growing up. Of course, he's a man and he can't wait, he has to f@ck everything that moves, because authors aren't original and they want that all heroes are manwhores. Not only that
I don't want to discourage anyone from reading this book. Not everyone hates this kind of story line. I just think it's overused.
More info in
Leiera review
Lately I've been adding more reviews of books I won't read than from actual reads. I've been too busy.
I don't want to discourage anyone from reading this book. Not everyone hates this kind of story line. I just think it's overused.
More info in
Leiera review
Lately I've been adding more reviews of books I won't read than from actual reads. I've been too busy.
September 14, 2015
Complicate Me is the first story in the “Good Ol’ Boys Series” and I can honestly say without a doubt I am hooked. The story mostly focuses on Lucas and Alex, a boy and girl who have been friends their entire lives. However, the supporting cast is just as fantastic, I loved these boys and I am so intrigued and dying to read their stories.
We would always be linked. We were destined to be soul mates. Star-crossed lovers.
The story begins with us meeting Alex and Lucas as adolescents and throughout the book we watch them grow up. From the beginning you can see that these characters are meant to be, but they are lack the maturity and their time is always off. While at times the story was very frustrating I was also able to understand and remind myself these are not adults and they don’t necessarily make the most mature decisions.
They say you have that one moment in life where things could have been different, that one moment that changes the course of your life or the direction you could have taken. That one moment that could forever change you and everything you wanted to be true, everything you wanted to believe.
Watching them grow up is seriously one of my favorite things of the story. It felt real to me. I loved seeing their trials, heart break and watching them grow as individuals. I think a lot of times we want the HEA and we want our heroes and heroines to be perfect, but my life and relationships have never been perfect, so I can relate more to these types of stories.
Alex is a tomboy and has always wanted to be “one of the guys” and for the most part is she, they protect her and make her feel like she belongs. But as they grow up things change and “her boys” change, they are no longer interested in building forts and hanging out, they are interested in girls. While they love her just the same their dynamic changes.
While all the guys love Alex, to Lucas she has always been his girl. Alex feels the same way about Lucas, but as they get older and start seeing each other in a different light everyone is against the idea of them together. Their parents want them to experience life and the guys think Alex deserves better than Lucas. These outside influences lead to a lot of heartbreak for them both, but it also allows them to see life without each other.
It’s safe to say this story will at times breaking your heart. I felt Alex’s pain and as a girl who was a tomboy I could completely relate to her. I completely fell in love with all the characters including the supporting characters. Although this is a longer story, the scenes felt necessary. I feel like the childhood, the build up all of that made me fall in love with their story.
This is my first book by M. Robinson and I can't wait to read more, I definitely recommend it. It’s not hearts and flowers, but it’s real, raw and emotional. There are moments you will want to throw your kindle, there are moments that made me cry, but in the end it’s worth it. As soon as I finished I wanted more! I cannot wait for Jacob’s story and to see what happens with his love interest. Long story short, I can easily see this series becoming a favorite and a must read for me.
Sometimes it takes leaving to know where you come from. To know where you belong.
ARC kindly provided in exchange for an honest review.
September 9, 2015
༺**Complimentary Copy**༺ Provided by the author "M. Robinson" in exchange for an honest review..Thank you!!
TITLE: Complicate Me
SERIES: (The Good Ol' Boys, #1)
AUTHOR: M. Robinson
GENRE: Contemporary Romance
RELEASE DATE: September 14th 2015
MY RATING: 5 BROWN EYED GIRL STARS
I've read ALL of M. Robinson's books and have cray cray LOVED them so am really intrigued to see what journey she takes me on with this book..
I can not tell you how much I loved this book, god the feels, loved the story line, the characters just came to life, I lived, breathed this book, for me it was truly epic..I love books like this..ALot of backwards forwards shit goes on between Alex and Lucas but that's the diversity of their ages, this starts off in their younger teen years, alot of miscommunication, alot of missed opportunities, alot of tears and anguish but that's what made me love this book as much as I did, it conveyed the age set of these teens perfectly, the emotional turmoil as teenagers..It was repetitive but keep in mind it's coming from a teenagers perspective, the survival of a first love, the survival of all the hurts, the survival of just over coming a teenager..
FOUR FRIENDS (4 Boys) and ONE GIRL
Jacob - Is the oldest in the group and takes on the role "Big Brother" where Alex is concerned.
Dylan - Is the closest to Jacob than any of the other boys
Austin - He is the shortest in the group, girls fawned over him because of his red hair and green eyes
Lucas - Or Bo as Alex calls him, was born to lead and not to follow and a temper that no one can match
And then we have ALex aka Half Pint The little firecracker tomboy who loves her boys fiercely. But has an undeniable connection with her boy Bo aka Lucas
Our relationship was filled with what ifs, and maybe somedays… It was complicated. It was messy. It was us.
The story starts off in their young teens (Alex eleven, Lucas thirteen ) and progresses as they move through the ages, I freaking love books like this, child hood friends, from friends to lovers..
“I love you, Half-Pint, you’re my best friend,”
This is where it all officially starts, the story of Lucas and Alex
I can not imagine how hard this would've been to write, jumping in the mind of a thirteen year old boy, capturing the emotions that at that age are so misunderstood, I think M Robinson has truly captured the essence of these characters..
He turned fourteen, and I swear he grew overnight, he started to look like a man… maybe not a man, but definitely not like the boy he used to be.
Loving the dynamics of the boys and their need to protect Alex like a sister, but by doing that they are stunting her life experiences as they aren't allowing her to grow into her own person..
I would turn fourteen in a few weeks and I still didn’t have any life experiences outside of the boys. I hadn’t dated anyone, kissed anyone else, or even been on a date.
All the boys on the island were too scared to come near me because they knew I came with baggage. Four of them.
On Lucas' fourteenth birthday he got egged on by The good Ol boys to lose his virginity, which he did to the school skank, not knowing that Alex knew exactly what was going down that night..
I shattered her illusion that I was hers.
That night changed things between these two..
She’s just a girl, Half-Pint, just a fucking girl,” he breathed out, and I never wanted to punch him in the face as much as I did in that second.
A raw emotional story of coming of age, as they progress through the stages of life, a journey of discovery..such a beautifully written heartfelt story..
So as I've been reading this for some reason I've been Humming the lyrics (If I were a boy by Bounce) and it seems fitting Lucas just seems to take everything where Alex is concerned for granted, he wants his cake and wants to eat it too..
As your reading this your heart will get pulled in both directions. Such a COMPLICATED journey
He turned seventeen and I turned fifteen, and we were drifting away from each other in ways I wasn’t expecting… or prepared for.
Add Cole ( a summer time boy ) into the mix and the foundations between Lucas and Alex are forever shaken..
You'll always be my brown eyed girl ~ Lucas
TITLE: Complicate Me
SERIES: (The Good Ol' Boys, #1)
AUTHOR: M. Robinson
GENRE: Contemporary Romance
RELEASE DATE: September 14th 2015
MY RATING: 5 BROWN EYED GIRL STARS
I've read ALL of M. Robinson's books and have cray cray LOVED them so am really intrigued to see what journey she takes me on with this book..
I can not tell you how much I loved this book, god the feels, loved the story line, the characters just came to life, I lived, breathed this book, for me it was truly epic..I love books like this..ALot of backwards forwards shit goes on between Alex and Lucas but that's the diversity of their ages, this starts off in their younger teen years, alot of miscommunication, alot of missed opportunities, alot of tears and anguish but that's what made me love this book as much as I did, it conveyed the age set of these teens perfectly, the emotional turmoil as teenagers..It was repetitive but keep in mind it's coming from a teenagers perspective, the survival of a first love, the survival of all the hurts, the survival of just over coming a teenager..
FOUR FRIENDS (4 Boys) and ONE GIRL
Jacob - Is the oldest in the group and takes on the role "Big Brother" where Alex is concerned.
Dylan - Is the closest to Jacob than any of the other boys
Austin - He is the shortest in the group, girls fawned over him because of his red hair and green eyes
Lucas - Or Bo as Alex calls him, was born to lead and not to follow and a temper that no one can match
And then we have ALex aka Half Pint The little firecracker tomboy who loves her boys fiercely. But has an undeniable connection with her boy Bo aka Lucas
Our relationship was filled with what ifs, and maybe somedays… It was complicated. It was messy. It was us.
The story starts off in their young teens (Alex eleven, Lucas thirteen ) and progresses as they move through the ages, I freaking love books like this, child hood friends, from friends to lovers..
“I love you, Half-Pint, you’re my best friend,”
This is where it all officially starts, the story of Lucas and Alex
I can not imagine how hard this would've been to write, jumping in the mind of a thirteen year old boy, capturing the emotions that at that age are so misunderstood, I think M Robinson has truly captured the essence of these characters..
He turned fourteen, and I swear he grew overnight, he started to look like a man… maybe not a man, but definitely not like the boy he used to be.
Loving the dynamics of the boys and their need to protect Alex like a sister, but by doing that they are stunting her life experiences as they aren't allowing her to grow into her own person..
I would turn fourteen in a few weeks and I still didn’t have any life experiences outside of the boys. I hadn’t dated anyone, kissed anyone else, or even been on a date.
All the boys on the island were too scared to come near me because they knew I came with baggage. Four of them.
On Lucas' fourteenth birthday he got egged on by The good Ol boys to lose his virginity, which he did to the school skank, not knowing that Alex knew exactly what was going down that night..
I shattered her illusion that I was hers.
That night changed things between these two..
She’s just a girl, Half-Pint, just a fucking girl,” he breathed out, and I never wanted to punch him in the face as much as I did in that second.
A raw emotional story of coming of age, as they progress through the stages of life, a journey of discovery..such a beautifully written heartfelt story..
So as I've been reading this for some reason I've been Humming the lyrics (If I were a boy by Bounce) and it seems fitting Lucas just seems to take everything where Alex is concerned for granted, he wants his cake and wants to eat it too..
As your reading this your heart will get pulled in both directions. Such a COMPLICATED journey
He turned seventeen and I turned fifteen, and we were drifting away from each other in ways I wasn’t expecting… or prepared for.
Add Cole ( a summer time boy ) into the mix and the foundations between Lucas and Alex are forever shaken..
You'll always be my brown eyed girl ~ Lucas
September 20, 2015
~4 Love Can Be Complicated Stars~
"When you're that young, you don't realize how short life truly is. You think you will have all the time in the world to be and do whatever your heart desires. It will eventually get there; it's bound to happen. One day."-Lucas
Complicate Me is exactly what the title says~complicated! It is a story documenting the life and times of a group of friends stumbling through the awkward "coming of age" stage of life. It is the story of two of those friends who fell in love and didn't know what to do about it. When the pressure of doing what you are told is right or making the choice to be with the one you love is asked, what would you do?
"Our relationship was filled with what ifs, and maybe some days...it was complicated. It was messy. It was us. I couldn't take her in small doses and I couldn't take her in large ones."-Lucas
Alex and Lucas grew up together in small town with a tight group of friends. Alex was the only girl in the group and "the baby" of the bunch. They spent summers swimming, surfing, riding bikes, playing tag, and just growing up. Not only is the crew close but their parents are close as well. As the group begins to age, Lucas realizes that he feels a little more than brotherly love for Alex. Although he is supposed to only love her as a sister, he realizes that in fact, he loves her for so much more. Alex and Lucas are so young. The boys in the group are older and as they begin to mature the pressures of growing up begins to weigh the group down. Although Lucas knows he has feelings for Alex, he recognizes that she is too young for him to act on it. Additionally, he feels pressure from his friends to love her like a sister and protect her. As all boys do (at that age), he meets other girls and experiences the triumphs and fails of all of the "firsts". He maintains his friendship with Alex but begins to explore. While everyone is growing up, Alex is left as a spectator on the sidelines.
"You're a good girl, Alexandra. That's what makes you my Half-Pint. You're the calm to my storm; it's always been that way. You're my refuge."-Lucas
Alex and Lucas maintain a close friendship. There is no doubt that they both have feelings for each other and yet the constant pressure from their friends (and parents) keep them from being together. The story really begins to take off when Alex grows up. All of a sudden Lucas feels a pressure in his heart that he hasn't felt before. Can he honestly sit by and watch "his brown eyed girl" be with someone else?
"She was mine. I didn't want to share her. Not with Cole. Not with anyone. How do you explain something you don't even understand?"-Lucas
Lucas and Alex experience heartbreak every step of the journey. The way that they feel for each other can't compete with the realities of life and in their life time is a bitch! Sometimes time is not on your side. Sometimes by doing what we think is right, we make mistakes and we loose the people that we love. When the damage is done, can we really go back and make everything ok?
"It overwhelmed me and consumed me. It hurt me and slayed me. Like a giant blade was driven directly in my heart."-Alex
What happens when too much time is passed and too many mistakes have been made? Could it be too late to be with the one we love?
"I loved you then, I love you now, I'll love you always."-Lucas
Overall, I truly enjoyed Complicate Me. Days later I am still pondering the journey these two characters experienced. Every time Lucas walked away to be with another girl, I cried with Alex. Every time I thought Lucas was going to declare his love for her but didn't, I wanted to throw my kindle against the wall. This writing is raw and offers an accurate depiction of life. Told in dual POV we experience "both sides of the story!" The friendships are thoroughly felt through the complex character development and intense situations. The sexual tension in this read is intense and the tender moments between Alex and Lucas left me breathless. I would definitely recommend this read to anyone that is drawn to emotional reads with a heavy dosage of angst. I am not going to lie...my stomach and heart hurt the entire time I was reading this book. Once I started it, I couldn't stop until I reached the end. The anxiety I felt for both characters was magnified with every new challenge they were forced to face. However difficult the journey, the final result was well worth it! My only complaint is that we didn't get more time with Alex and Lucas at the end. I can only hope this means we will see more of them in the rest of the series! This is my first M. Robinson read but it will not be my last. (Only now I know I need to get my tissues and favorite bottle of wine ready!) My kindle will be ready and waiting for more.
~ARC graciously provided via author in exchange for an honest review!~
For more reviews/reveals/giveaways visit:
"When you're that young, you don't realize how short life truly is. You think you will have all the time in the world to be and do whatever your heart desires. It will eventually get there; it's bound to happen. One day."-Lucas
Complicate Me is exactly what the title says~complicated! It is a story documenting the life and times of a group of friends stumbling through the awkward "coming of age" stage of life. It is the story of two of those friends who fell in love and didn't know what to do about it. When the pressure of doing what you are told is right or making the choice to be with the one you love is asked, what would you do?
"Our relationship was filled with what ifs, and maybe some days...it was complicated. It was messy. It was us. I couldn't take her in small doses and I couldn't take her in large ones."-Lucas
Alex and Lucas grew up together in small town with a tight group of friends. Alex was the only girl in the group and "the baby" of the bunch. They spent summers swimming, surfing, riding bikes, playing tag, and just growing up. Not only is the crew close but their parents are close as well. As the group begins to age, Lucas realizes that he feels a little more than brotherly love for Alex. Although he is supposed to only love her as a sister, he realizes that in fact, he loves her for so much more. Alex and Lucas are so young. The boys in the group are older and as they begin to mature the pressures of growing up begins to weigh the group down. Although Lucas knows he has feelings for Alex, he recognizes that she is too young for him to act on it. Additionally, he feels pressure from his friends to love her like a sister and protect her. As all boys do (at that age), he meets other girls and experiences the triumphs and fails of all of the "firsts". He maintains his friendship with Alex but begins to explore. While everyone is growing up, Alex is left as a spectator on the sidelines.
"You're a good girl, Alexandra. That's what makes you my Half-Pint. You're the calm to my storm; it's always been that way. You're my refuge."-Lucas
Alex and Lucas maintain a close friendship. There is no doubt that they both have feelings for each other and yet the constant pressure from their friends (and parents) keep them from being together. The story really begins to take off when Alex grows up. All of a sudden Lucas feels a pressure in his heart that he hasn't felt before. Can he honestly sit by and watch "his brown eyed girl" be with someone else?
"She was mine. I didn't want to share her. Not with Cole. Not with anyone. How do you explain something you don't even understand?"-Lucas
Lucas and Alex experience heartbreak every step of the journey. The way that they feel for each other can't compete with the realities of life and in their life time is a bitch! Sometimes time is not on your side. Sometimes by doing what we think is right, we make mistakes and we loose the people that we love. When the damage is done, can we really go back and make everything ok?
"It overwhelmed me and consumed me. It hurt me and slayed me. Like a giant blade was driven directly in my heart."-Alex
What happens when too much time is passed and too many mistakes have been made? Could it be too late to be with the one we love?
"I loved you then, I love you now, I'll love you always."-Lucas
Overall, I truly enjoyed Complicate Me. Days later I am still pondering the journey these two characters experienced. Every time Lucas walked away to be with another girl, I cried with Alex. Every time I thought Lucas was going to declare his love for her but didn't, I wanted to throw my kindle against the wall. This writing is raw and offers an accurate depiction of life. Told in dual POV we experience "both sides of the story!" The friendships are thoroughly felt through the complex character development and intense situations. The sexual tension in this read is intense and the tender moments between Alex and Lucas left me breathless. I would definitely recommend this read to anyone that is drawn to emotional reads with a heavy dosage of angst. I am not going to lie...my stomach and heart hurt the entire time I was reading this book. Once I started it, I couldn't stop until I reached the end. The anxiety I felt for both characters was magnified with every new challenge they were forced to face. However difficult the journey, the final result was well worth it! My only complaint is that we didn't get more time with Alex and Lucas at the end. I can only hope this means we will see more of them in the rest of the series! This is my first M. Robinson read but it will not be my last. (Only now I know I need to get my tissues and favorite bottle of wine ready!) My kindle will be ready and waiting for more.
~ARC graciously provided via author in exchange for an honest review!~
For more reviews/reveals/giveaways visit:
November 21, 2015
ARC provided by author in exchange for an honest review
Complicate Me by M. Robinson is a raw, poignant, touching read that weaves the elements of first love, friendship, second chances, life, and love. In this engrossing tale, M. Robinson enchants her readers on all facets of love from first love, heartbreak, anger, lust, jealousy, and healing. She shows her readers that LOVE is a simple word but hard to define. Can an innocent love blossomed to a forever kind of love? A blurred love? A complicated love? So in this complicated tale of young love, can two soul mates finally realize that true love isn't meant to be easy? That love doesn't appear on command and it'll put you through hurdles but in the end, none of that will matter because it's about how you overcome these hurdles that will define your love. So can a complicated love be uncomplicated?
If you have read M. Robinson's previous books then you are aware that Complicate Me is very different from her other books. In her newest release, this book reads more of a Coming of Age and New Adult genre than her typical erotic romance novels. I was pleasantly surprised with this book because M. Robinson was able to showcase more of a deeper and richer meaning of love and friendship. First love has always been one of those trope that I instantly gravitate to since these stories are usually deep with emotions, meaning, depth and love. We read romance books because it can make us FEEL and in Complicate Me, it really puts readers on an roller-coaster of emotions.
Complicate Me focus on a group of friends who grew up together and had their lives intertwined with each other. Each moment of their life was ingrained and built on their strong love for each other. And it so happens that Lucas and Alex took their friendship to another level because they shared a bond that united their souls and hearts to each other. Alex was the only girl in the group that consisted of Lucas, Dylan, Jacob and Austin. They were her boys and her family but Lucas was so different and so much more to her and the same goes for him as well. If Lucas and Alex loved each other so much then how could their love be complicated?
Their love was complicated because like any young person, feelings were never properly expressed since they were both afraid to ruin the friendship and dynamics of the group. But what happens when Lucas and Alex finally had the chance to make it right, unexpected news and misunderstandings tears to destroy their chance at love. Can their love get any more complicated when their future and life choices seems to put a hindrance at their chance of love?
Lucas and Alex relationship can only be summed up as roller-coaster. These two really puts you on an emotional ride of where at times I wanted to slap each of them upside the head and tell them to get their acts together but a part of me understood how young they were and they had a lot of growing up to do. As much as this story was focused on love, I think their foundation of friendship is what really draws and captures the reader's attention because their friendship is what made their love palpable.
Complicate Me is a book that raises a lot of complicated questions. Does years of friendship automatically mean that you are meant to be with that person? When love gets blurred and misunderstood, can it be easily fixed? Do first love and soul mates even exist? Can a love that was already complicated be uncomplicated? Though this book may have you questioning the relationship and status of Lucas and Alex, it really showcases that love just can't be defined and answered with a simple yes or no. The matters of the heart can only be answered by the two people who are involved in the equation. And for Lucas and Alex, their love was a solid foundation of growth and learning. Learning to let go, learning to forgive, learning to understand, learning of maturity, and most importantly learning to really love. So if you are looking for a love story that is filled with angst, drama, friendship and love, then I recommend you to give Complicate Me a try.
Review can also be found on Four Chicks Flipping Pages: http://fourchicksflippingpages.weebly...
October 5, 2015
Win ebook copy of Complicate Me!
Open Oct 5-9 only!
http://wp.me/p5bsdH-P7
Type: Standalone Book 1 of The Good Ol' Boys series
POV: First Person - Dual
Rating:
Lucas Ryder and Alexandra Collins had been best friends since they were born. Together with three other boys, they were as close as blood relatives, growing up together in the beach town of Oak Island, North Carolina.
But growing up wasn’t easy when attractions started to get in the way of innocent friendship. Sometimes, it took learning the hard way to appreciate what you have right in front of your eyes. The choices they made changed the course of the lives in ways they could never predicted.
I started this book totally blind only with the knowledge that it’s supposed to be angsty. I was pleasantly surprised it was a coming of age story. Such childhood innocence has always been something dear to my heart and I certainly enjoyed this one.
“I loved you then, I love you now, I’ll love you always.”
I love Lucas or Bo since the beginning. There’s just something that made me gravitate towards him even when he was being an ass. And believe me he was an ass pretty much the whole book lol!
“You push me aside when you want, but I’m here when you need me. I’m like your own personal play toy.”
The above quote perfectly summed up Alex or Hal-Pint (love that nickname). She was a loyal friend and it’s sad it took her so long to realize her role in the relationship and did something about it.
We tend to hurt the ones we love. I had to learn that the hard way.
If you love seeing your characters suffer emotionally, this book had plenty of that. They kept hurting each other purposely or accidentally – and people around them too.
What I love the most about this book is how we got to see the characters’ growing pains – not only the two main one, but also the rest of the gang. They started as a bunch of cute pre-teens and along the way the loss of innocence and the breakdown of their life/friendship were really sad. It made me wish they never grow up so they don’t have to suffer.
I had to let her grow up, but it didn’t mean I had to fucking like it.
The book started really well with the powerful prologue. But as the story progressed, I encountered some issues. The story plateaued for a while until the appearance of a new character. The push and pull needed some strong jolt to keep it interesting.
Also, I didn’t favor the constant reminder of something bad going to happen. As a reader, I like to experience it as I go along, instead of being told what to expect. And there were also the over usage of ellipses (I had to Google to know what it’s called haha!). It got tiring when it happened almost at the end (some in middle too) of each POV.
Complicate Me follows the life journey of two individuals and their best friends from childhood to adult stringing readers along with their love and heartbreaks. You’ll laugh with them, swoon for them and cry for them and wish you have them in your life.
Note:
I already have a soft spot for Austin. Tortured soul is my ultimate favorite. Looking forward to his story.
For more reviews/reveals/giveaways visit:
September 16, 2015
It's LIVE! * Amazon * Smashwords *
My feelings regarding COMPLICATE ME, for want of a better word, are quite complicated. On the one hand I loved the characters and premise, and towards the end I felt the intended emotion but in contrast there are times when the story did not hold my attention. It has all the ingredients that I love in my reading material, angst, slow build, great characters, romance and a love triangle but unfortunately these elements did not always gel cohesively for my personal reading tastes. By the end, however, this author captured me with the emotion of her characters; it turned full circle for me and the last 20% of this book I devoured.
It's about a group of friends who've known each other forever, a group of boys and one girl. The story begins at a place in time when the heroine is ten and the hero is a little older. It's a friends to lovers story with elements of unrequited love and a love triangle as the protagonists navigate their way haphazardly through their life, making mistakes and growing up. The premise really ticks my reading preferences but I feel it was fleshed out too extensively in the earlier years. There are elements that felt repetitive in word or emotion which affects the pace and flow of the story. Time transitions ere not always smooth and clear and I didn’t always fully buy into the motivation that drove the story. This led to feelings of frustration rather than angst.
Lucas our hero appears quite selfish and week in much of the story which is not an attractive quality. It could be a result of his youth and immaturity but, to me, it felt more than this. Interestingly I still warmed to him as a book hero, faults and all. It took me longer than it usually does, a good three quarters of the book, but in the end I admired him and I felt warm emotion towards him, his character undoubtedly develops considerably. Alex, the heroine, is strong and mature for her years. I like the way she conducts herself throughout the story and always had hopes for her happy-ever-after.
Despite my conflicted feelings and the fact that I even skimmed in places, I felt committed to discovering the final fate of Lucas and Alex, having become quite attached to them despite certain aspects not appealing to me. The angst overload clearly had a positive affect on me in the end, I would go even further than this and say the last 20% really captured my affection, made me well up with emotion and, despite my previous skimming; I was completely invested and read it avidly.
****Do they live happily ever after?
Advanced copy provided by the author, via Like a Boss Book Promotions and Blog, in exchange for my honest review thoughts
September 11, 2016
I don't even know where to begin with this book!! Holy smoly, what an emotional roller coaster ride this was, and when I say this I am not saying it lightly. The thing with this story is that it has a few of my pet peeves in it; but even with my peeves...I was hooked. In fact, I can honestly say that I haven't got a lot done since I started this book!!
Complicate me is the start of "The Good Ol' Boys" series, and it is about a group of friends who grow up together in a small town. Alexandra is the only girl in the group, and is the youngest...the boys nick-named her "Half-pint" and she did everything she could to keep up with "HER" boys! There is one boy in particular though, that has an extra special bond with Alex, his name is Lucas...aka..."Bo."
As they continue to grow up, they develop a bond that is more and more solid. The thing is that Bo is a few years older than HIS Half-pint, and he ends up trying to be noble and not touch her, as he should view her more like his sister. Over the whole book though, Bo spends his time having sex with a ton of girls that are not her, and ends up hurting her more and more, until their relationship is very damaged. This is where my pet peeve begins...actually; that is a lie...my peeve stepped in the first time Lucas slept with another girl who wasn't Alex. I was furious...but as I said in the beginning of my review, even being angry, I couldn't not read this story. I just had to find out how it was going to go.
I will be honest in this review and warn readers that for most of the book this couple isn't together. They spend a lot of time apart, and a lot of time fighting their attraction for one another, or hurting one another. Somehow though, the author brilliantly writes a story that does keep you glued to the pages, and even enjoying this solid bond that all of these friends share. It also has you sit back and think about life in general, and how one little mistake, or one turn in a road can take us on a whole new direction in life. This is a book that will make you stop and think, it will have you laughing, crying, and even wanting to throw your kindle across the room. It is a perfect book for readers who love a lot of angst in a story.
I'd love to say that I won't put myself through anymore misery and read more of this series...but I'd be lying. In fact, I have already started on book two! These childhood friends, all have a story of their own, and I'm sure they are all full of heartache too. I guess deep down I am a sucker for punishment!!! I am hooked and I have to pray that they will all find their HEA...Or as little sister Lily would say: "I have to find my lobster!!!"
Complicate me is the start of "The Good Ol' Boys" series, and it is about a group of friends who grow up together in a small town. Alexandra is the only girl in the group, and is the youngest...the boys nick-named her "Half-pint" and she did everything she could to keep up with "HER" boys! There is one boy in particular though, that has an extra special bond with Alex, his name is Lucas...aka..."Bo."
As they continue to grow up, they develop a bond that is more and more solid. The thing is that Bo is a few years older than HIS Half-pint, and he ends up trying to be noble and not touch her, as he should view her more like his sister. Over the whole book though, Bo spends his time having sex with a ton of girls that are not her, and ends up hurting her more and more, until their relationship is very damaged. This is where my pet peeve begins...actually; that is a lie...my peeve stepped in the first time Lucas slept with another girl who wasn't Alex. I was furious...but as I said in the beginning of my review, even being angry, I couldn't not read this story. I just had to find out how it was going to go.
I will be honest in this review and warn readers that for most of the book this couple isn't together. They spend a lot of time apart, and a lot of time fighting their attraction for one another, or hurting one another. Somehow though, the author brilliantly writes a story that does keep you glued to the pages, and even enjoying this solid bond that all of these friends share. It also has you sit back and think about life in general, and how one little mistake, or one turn in a road can take us on a whole new direction in life. This is a book that will make you stop and think, it will have you laughing, crying, and even wanting to throw your kindle across the room. It is a perfect book for readers who love a lot of angst in a story.
I'd love to say that I won't put myself through anymore misery and read more of this series...but I'd be lying. In fact, I have already started on book two! These childhood friends, all have a story of their own, and I'm sure they are all full of heartache too. I guess deep down I am a sucker for punishment!!! I am hooked and I have to pray that they will all find their HEA...Or as little sister Lily would say: "I have to find my lobster!!!"
March 7, 2016
3 Stars
This one started off really good. I love a best friends to lovers book. I also love it when we get the story of when they are kids and growing up and falling in love. But for some reason this one I didn't love.
Maybe it's because so many people came between these two. At 90% when they finally get together it was too late for me. I no longer cared.
I also didn't like reading about them both having sex with other people.
Will I be reading the next book? I doubt it. I think the good ole boys are not for me.
This one started off really good. I love a best friends to lovers book. I also love it when we get the story of when they are kids and growing up and falling in love. But for some reason this one I didn't love.
Maybe it's because so many people came between these two. At 90% when they finally get together it was too late for me. I no longer cared.
I also didn't like reading about them both having sex with other people.
Will I be reading the next book? I doubt it. I think the good ole boys are not for me.
October 15, 2016
I was literally placed in a boxing ring while I read this book. I started out excited, born best friends, Lucas & Alexandra, turned into a love that only happens once in a lifetime, then Bam a punch to my gut. I got back up and continued. Got some smiles in, even a few "Awwww" moments, then Bam, a bigger punch to my gut. Dang it, it just seemed to be a continuous pattern. I quickly went along with the pattern and smiled, frowned, and even shed some tears the punches were so hard. I constantly continued because yes I am a sucker for this angsty shit. I took blow after blow but I fought my way. And it paid off, I won. The ending was absolutely beautifully perfect for me.
I think I may be battered and bruised after this read but I'm definitely carrying on and reading the next book...... I absolutely loved Lucas and Alex together!!!
I think I may be battered and bruised after this read but I'm definitely carrying on and reading the next book...... I absolutely loved Lucas and Alex together!!!
April 3, 2020
I hated this book. That is the plain and simple truth.
There's too much angst, too much stupidity, wayyyy too much emotional cheating. Cheating doesn't only occur when you are in a definitive named relationship of boyfriend-girlfriend or husband-wife. It can happen when you know you are in an emotional loving relationship without a label.
Lucas and Alexandra have been in a relationship from the start of their friendship. Fair enough she is two years younger than him, but if he really loved her? The wait should have been worth it.
Instead we get this:
•Lucas sleeping around.
•Having sex with every girl within vicinity
•Consoling Alexandra when she's upset saying "She's just a girl. I love you." (Overtime it became a watered down phrase)
•Holding double standards and not letting Alex flirt with a guy or have any friendships.
There's too much hypocritical slut shaming. Stacey/Britney is a name used all the time for those "bitch cheerleading man-stealing" girls. Lucas has sex with Stacey (spoiler—um not really) and eventually yes, this bitch will get pregnant if you keep using her and you don't put on fucking protection. Annoyed the hell out of me. Then he has the audacity to say she's a whore, and "trapped him" when she (again spoiler alert—I think not) gets pregnant.
Things which have really started to annoy me with angsty books is now that whilst you go in for the tumultuous ride and expect a happy ending, children are being thrown into the mix which messes up the whole thing.
One thing most readers NEED is for the child to be from the OTP. TOGETHER. Not from Stacy. Because then you get this:
***
“Jesus Christ, Alex,” Aubrey yelled, running into my bedroom. “What’s going on?”
“It hurts! It hurts, Aubrey, it hurts so bad!” I crumbled to the ground and she came with me.
“What? What hurts? Are you okay?” she panicked, trying to comfort me as I sat on my knees with my body hunched over.
“I’m trying to keep from dying… I’m just trying to keep from dying,” I bawled, big, huge ugly tears.
***
And you get this:
***
"I never said life was fair.”
“I hate it every time you say that.”
“It doesn’t make it any less true, because if it were, you’d be the mother of my son and that ring on your finger would have been placed there by me.”
^^^
DO I WANT HIM TO DIE? Yes I fucking want him to die.
If Lucas was a dog in heat all he should have done was made out with a few girls during high school. Waited it out until Alex turned at least 13. A 15 year old and 13 year old hooking up should be fine on both sides. And bang! They have a relationship. Instead we get "She's too young"... And "I can't wait"... "This is wrong."
GIVE ME A FREAKIN' BREAK.
He didn't deserve her. And you know what... I didn't even like her. In what life was she a tom-boy?
Why do authors think that we always want a virgin girl (very limited experience), and a guy who can't keep it in his pants as a protagonist. I literally started to spaz out. We were as an audience invested into their relationship from when they were kids. That crap only works if they have JUST met and the bad-boy reforms. All of it HAPPENED whilst he knew her and was IN LOVE with her and HURT her.
And he actually has the right to feel upset when she informs him that she's lost her virginity. She waited, and waited and offered and waited, he went off to college and she still waited. Well... What's a girl to do? Wait while you swerve your way through every p*ssy in town.
I felt as if there were some underlying sexist comment the whole way through too.
The way Dylan treated girls like trash and they still wanted him desperately, enjoying being treated like crap. When Austin's on ecstasy and only Alexandra( is it because she's a woman?) worries about him OD'ing and the rest are just like 'meh- it's a guy thing'. Or how Lucas had the whole "just-sex" thing and girls seduced him in anyway they could, throwing themselves at him with their slutty dresses and made up faces. It's not like that in real life. MOST girls are definitely not like that.
Jacob is another one who is wishy-washy. Alexandra says to Jacob:
***
"I don’t want some skanky girl like the ones you’re used to dating."
***
What is a "skank" Alexandra?
Or when a guy can swear but a girl can't?!
***
“Fuck the law,” she let out.
Jacob was over to her in two strides. “I will not tell you again. Watch your fucking mouth.”
***
GRRR.
Cole is a great guy. I hated both her and Lucas. At times it felt as if the author was trying to paint Cole in a bad light but if the story was from his POV everything he said and was feeling would be completely justified and heartbreaking because of his unrequited love.
The foreshadowing thing was annoying too in the narrative. It's dual POV and riddled with phrases like:
I should have known
That was the last time
I wish I told him
Except that's all they were now
I would never know how much
I would learn soon enough how right I was.
BORE. Etc etc etc
1/5 stars. Bullshitometer too high.
And I've read angsty books full of characters which I can love. These kids just didn't deserve their ever after.
There's too much angst, too much stupidity, wayyyy too much emotional cheating. Cheating doesn't only occur when you are in a definitive named relationship of boyfriend-girlfriend or husband-wife. It can happen when you know you are in an emotional loving relationship without a label.
Lucas and Alexandra have been in a relationship from the start of their friendship. Fair enough she is two years younger than him, but if he really loved her? The wait should have been worth it.
Instead we get this:
•Lucas sleeping around.
•Having sex with every girl within vicinity
•Consoling Alexandra when she's upset saying "She's just a girl. I love you." (Overtime it became a watered down phrase)
•Holding double standards and not letting Alex flirt with a guy or have any friendships.
There's too much hypocritical slut shaming. Stacey/Britney is a name used all the time for those "bitch cheerleading man-stealing" girls. Lucas has sex with Stacey (spoiler—um not really) and eventually yes, this bitch will get pregnant if you keep using her and you don't put on fucking protection. Annoyed the hell out of me. Then he has the audacity to say she's a whore, and "trapped him" when she (again spoiler alert—I think not) gets pregnant.
Things which have really started to annoy me with angsty books is now that whilst you go in for the tumultuous ride and expect a happy ending, children are being thrown into the mix which messes up the whole thing.
One thing most readers NEED is for the child to be from the OTP. TOGETHER. Not from Stacy. Because then you get this:
***
“Jesus Christ, Alex,” Aubrey yelled, running into my bedroom. “What’s going on?”
“It hurts! It hurts, Aubrey, it hurts so bad!” I crumbled to the ground and she came with me.
“What? What hurts? Are you okay?” she panicked, trying to comfort me as I sat on my knees with my body hunched over.
“I’m trying to keep from dying… I’m just trying to keep from dying,” I bawled, big, huge ugly tears.
***
And you get this:
***
"I never said life was fair.”
“I hate it every time you say that.”
“It doesn’t make it any less true, because if it were, you’d be the mother of my son and that ring on your finger would have been placed there by me.”
^^^
DO I WANT HIM TO DIE? Yes I fucking want him to die.
If Lucas was a dog in heat all he should have done was made out with a few girls during high school. Waited it out until Alex turned at least 13. A 15 year old and 13 year old hooking up should be fine on both sides. And bang! They have a relationship. Instead we get "She's too young"... And "I can't wait"... "This is wrong."
GIVE ME A FREAKIN' BREAK.
He didn't deserve her. And you know what... I didn't even like her. In what life was she a tom-boy?
Why do authors think that we always want a virgin girl (very limited experience), and a guy who can't keep it in his pants as a protagonist. I literally started to spaz out. We were as an audience invested into their relationship from when they were kids. That crap only works if they have JUST met and the bad-boy reforms. All of it HAPPENED whilst he knew her and was IN LOVE with her and HURT her.
And he actually has the right to feel upset when she informs him that she's lost her virginity. She waited, and waited and offered and waited, he went off to college and she still waited. Well... What's a girl to do? Wait while you swerve your way through every p*ssy in town.
I felt as if there were some underlying sexist comment the whole way through too.
The way Dylan treated girls like trash and they still wanted him desperately, enjoying being treated like crap. When Austin's on ecstasy and only Alexandra( is it because she's a woman?) worries about him OD'ing and the rest are just like 'meh- it's a guy thing'. Or how Lucas had the whole "just-sex" thing and girls seduced him in anyway they could, throwing themselves at him with their slutty dresses and made up faces. It's not like that in real life. MOST girls are definitely not like that.
Jacob is another one who is wishy-washy. Alexandra says to Jacob:
***
"I don’t want some skanky girl like the ones you’re used to dating."
***
What is a "skank" Alexandra?
Or when a guy can swear but a girl can't?!
***
“Fuck the law,” she let out.
Jacob was over to her in two strides. “I will not tell you again. Watch your fucking mouth.”
***
GRRR.
Cole is a great guy. I hated both her and Lucas. At times it felt as if the author was trying to paint Cole in a bad light but if the story was from his POV everything he said and was feeling would be completely justified and heartbreaking because of his unrequited love.
The foreshadowing thing was annoying too in the narrative. It's dual POV and riddled with phrases like:
I should have known
That was the last time
I wish I told him
Except that's all they were now
I would never know how much
I would learn soon enough how right I was.
BORE. Etc etc etc
1/5 stars. Bullshitometer too high.
And I've read angsty books full of characters which I can love. These kids just didn't deserve their ever after.
October 2, 2015
Okay so more often than not, I find myself reading a book, finishing it and then waiting till the weekend to gather my thoughts and reviewing. But with this book, that formula is just not going to work. So I'm just going to let my emotions create havoc here and hope that it some how makes sense.
Complicate Me is a gripping coming of age romance that pairs up Lucas and Alex. Our two main characters that have known each other since birth. Two best friends. Two souls that become lost in the storm that swirls around them as they grow, experience life and wait for all the destruction to settle.
The prologue of this story sets the tone flawlessly. We first meet Lucas and Alex on a beach sharing a stolen moment that held so much emotion, so much pain and yet you could just feel the love that burned so damn bright. And as we begin the journey. M. Robinson takes us to the very beginning with two kids. One girl that wants to be anything but a girl and her boys, the men that would protect her through her youth, learn to let go as she blossomed and one special best friend that would constantly break and fill her heart.
Although the majority of this story takes place as these kids grow up, the story still held such tension between the characters. Their story so much more mature than what two teenagers share. We journey from first kisses, first tears, first heartbreaks and the many that would follow.
I loved this book. The angst kept me on the edge of my seat and my heart broke over and over again for Alex and Lucas as they faced growing up and learning that their actions had consequences. Consequences that led to suffering. At times "Bo" and "Half-Pint" had me laughing and smiling but the emotional pull that I felt towards these two often left me a sobbing mess. I wanted to reach into this book and hug-shake them so hard.
It's been about an hour after I finished this and I still feel so overwhelmed by the feelings this story evoked. Everything about this story just flowed so naturally, nothing over done or undone, just absolute perfection. I fell in love with every character that was introduced in this first book. Each one of them claimed a piece of me. And this is one of those books that I know months, years from now will cross my mind and make me smile and get a little choked up all at the same time.
Complicate Me is the first in the Good Ol' Boys Series and is a standalone (each book will feature one of the boys) and is a complete must read.
Complicate Me is a gripping coming of age romance that pairs up Lucas and Alex. Our two main characters that have known each other since birth. Two best friends. Two souls that become lost in the storm that swirls around them as they grow, experience life and wait for all the destruction to settle.
The prologue of this story sets the tone flawlessly. We first meet Lucas and Alex on a beach sharing a stolen moment that held so much emotion, so much pain and yet you could just feel the love that burned so damn bright. And as we begin the journey. M. Robinson takes us to the very beginning with two kids. One girl that wants to be anything but a girl and her boys, the men that would protect her through her youth, learn to let go as she blossomed and one special best friend that would constantly break and fill her heart.
Although the majority of this story takes place as these kids grow up, the story still held such tension between the characters. Their story so much more mature than what two teenagers share. We journey from first kisses, first tears, first heartbreaks and the many that would follow.
I loved this book. The angst kept me on the edge of my seat and my heart broke over and over again for Alex and Lucas as they faced growing up and learning that their actions had consequences. Consequences that led to suffering. At times "Bo" and "Half-Pint" had me laughing and smiling but the emotional pull that I felt towards these two often left me a sobbing mess. I wanted to reach into this book and hug-shake them so hard.
It's been about an hour after I finished this and I still feel so overwhelmed by the feelings this story evoked. Everything about this story just flowed so naturally, nothing over done or undone, just absolute perfection. I fell in love with every character that was introduced in this first book. Each one of them claimed a piece of me. And this is one of those books that I know months, years from now will cross my mind and make me smile and get a little choked up all at the same time.
Complicate Me is the first in the Good Ol' Boys Series and is a standalone (each book will feature one of the boys) and is a complete must read.
July 3, 2016
This is the 1st book in the GOOD OL’ BOYS series. The series tell the stories of a bunch of childhood friends: Alexandra and her boys, Lucas, Jacob, Dylan and Austin...
The 1st book in the series is about two of them: Lucas and Alexandra. The 2nd book is about Jacob and Lucas’s sister, Lily, the 3rd book is about Dylan, and the 4th book is about Austin. Although they are each stand-alone books with no cliff-hanger, each one contains information about these people so it is better if you read them in order not to be confused by the bits of hints and spoilers.
I started this first book “Complicate Me”, knowing that a great portion of the book was about when they were 10, 12, 14 years old and I also thought I might be bored and may have to skip a little bit at the beginning because of that. Wow, I couldn’t be more wrong! The book captured my attention first in the prologue, which is when they are twenty something years old and then I really couldn’t put it down wondering how things went there.
All these childhood and teenage years are told in such a beautiful way that, let alone skipping, I read some pages twice or three times with bloody tears in my eyes. The whole book, the story in it is so emotional. The tone of the writing is so effective that from the first page on, I felt as if the writer has taken my heart in her hands and slowly squeezed the life out of it along with the non-stop heartache the story caused. The angst, the sorrows and the pain gradually rose and only after %95 of the book, the cheerful tone began and I was rewarded a happy end as a survival gift after all that suffering!
***
Alexandra/Alex or as the boys call, Half-Pint is a tom boy and when a little child, she didn’t like any girl-stuff. She always played with the boys, acted and dressed like them. She was their friend, their little sister and she was the glue in their friendship, as the following years showed.
She loved all these boys but one was always closer to her heart: Lucas, or as she called him, Bo…
For Lucas, it was no different. She was his “Brown-eyed girl”. Even before she was born, she was his. This is what his mother says:
"My boy has been smitten with you since the moment you were born. I remember when your mama was pregnant, he would go up to her belly and say that it was his baby in there.”
As years passed, they slowly grew up. The boys were two years older than Alexandra, except for Austin, who was one year older. When teenage years came, the boys became guys and their bodies changed and so did their needs. When they started to become interested in girls, Alex took it so hard – she had no other friends other than the boys. And that is when the problems started.
Lucas and Alex had a special bond, they loved each other more than the others but they were young, so very young and they had so many things to experience with and without each other. While doing so, while fighting with the odds of growing up, they hurt each other badly...
“I shattered her illusion that I was hers.”
***
“The boy who promised he would never hurt her.
The boy who swore he would always protect her.
The boy who vowed he would never let anything happen to her.
That same boy was me.
I was the reason she was bawling.
I was the reason she was hurt.
I was the reason she was broken.”
***
“I had to let her grow up, but it didn’t mean I had to fucking like it.”
***
“I would turn fourteen in a few weeks and I still didn’t have any life experiences outside of the boys. I hadn’t dated anyone, kissed anyone else, or even been on a date. All the boys on the island were too scared to come near me because they knew I came with baggage. Four of them.”
***
"It overwhelmed me and consumed me. It hurt me and slayed me. Like a giant blade was driven directly in my heart."
***
"She was mine. I didn't want to share her. Not with Cole. Not with anyone. How do you explain something you don't even understand?"
“Our first kiss was our beginning and in some ways our end. This is where our complicated love began.”
Well, if you ask me, “falling in love with your childhood friend while growing up” sucks because you have a long time to grow up and experience life, trying to understand what you want in life, what you want to be, where you want to live and how you can be happy etc. and committing to someone at the teenage years is not healthy because then, in the following years, you may have lots of doubts about your commitment if not resentment.
AND THAT IS WHY, Alex and Lucas suffered… and they suffered a lot…
They had to go through all this hurt, the angst and the come-and-go between them…
They also had to deal with all the people interfering, the boys, the families, other girls, other boys, all playing their part in separating the two of them. They all complicated the things between Alex and Lucas.
Oh boy, they had to endure a lot...
But they had this unbelievable connection –this strong bond... always...
“The feelings I had, what he provoked and stirred within me, what he always did to me. No one could ever explain or understand what it was. How it happened. No one else could do this. It was only Lucas. Always Lucas. Not one other soul had this pull. On me. On him. On us.”
***
“We would always be linked. We were destined to be soul mates. Star-crossed lovers.”
Some reasons and plot twists made sense, some were too annoying for me, lots of miscommunication and missed opportunities, bad timing etc. but all in all, they all happened for a reason as we saw in the end.
“We have so many barriers placed in between us and I don’t know how to remove them.”
***
"Love shouldn’t hurt this much. All you’ve ever done… is complicate me.”
Bookylicious and I did a buddy-read and we both cried our eyes out while reading it but anyways, we fell in love with this beautiful book.
It is told from alternate point of views, both Alex and Lucas’s and the Prologue sticks a sharp knife in your heart, followed by all those chapters in which the knife turns and twists all the time giving you more and more pain until the last few chapters and a very happy Epilogue.
If you ask me, don’t miss this book if you are a romance reader. It was worth 5 stars and many more... It was an epic read...
The 1st book in the series is about two of them: Lucas and Alexandra. The 2nd book is about Jacob and Lucas’s sister, Lily, the 3rd book is about Dylan, and the 4th book is about Austin. Although they are each stand-alone books with no cliff-hanger, each one contains information about these people so it is better if you read them in order not to be confused by the bits of hints and spoilers.
I started this first book “Complicate Me”, knowing that a great portion of the book was about when they were 10, 12, 14 years old and I also thought I might be bored and may have to skip a little bit at the beginning because of that. Wow, I couldn’t be more wrong! The book captured my attention first in the prologue, which is when they are twenty something years old and then I really couldn’t put it down wondering how things went there.
All these childhood and teenage years are told in such a beautiful way that, let alone skipping, I read some pages twice or three times with bloody tears in my eyes. The whole book, the story in it is so emotional. The tone of the writing is so effective that from the first page on, I felt as if the writer has taken my heart in her hands and slowly squeezed the life out of it along with the non-stop heartache the story caused. The angst, the sorrows and the pain gradually rose and only after %95 of the book, the cheerful tone began and I was rewarded a happy end as a survival gift after all that suffering!
***
Alexandra/Alex or as the boys call, Half-Pint is a tom boy and when a little child, she didn’t like any girl-stuff. She always played with the boys, acted and dressed like them. She was their friend, their little sister and she was the glue in their friendship, as the following years showed.
She loved all these boys but one was always closer to her heart: Lucas, or as she called him, Bo…
For Lucas, it was no different. She was his “Brown-eyed girl”. Even before she was born, she was his. This is what his mother says:
"My boy has been smitten with you since the moment you were born. I remember when your mama was pregnant, he would go up to her belly and say that it was his baby in there.”
As years passed, they slowly grew up. The boys were two years older than Alexandra, except for Austin, who was one year older. When teenage years came, the boys became guys and their bodies changed and so did their needs. When they started to become interested in girls, Alex took it so hard – she had no other friends other than the boys. And that is when the problems started.
Lucas and Alex had a special bond, they loved each other more than the others but they were young, so very young and they had so many things to experience with and without each other. While doing so, while fighting with the odds of growing up, they hurt each other badly...
“I shattered her illusion that I was hers.”
***
“The boy who promised he would never hurt her.
The boy who swore he would always protect her.
The boy who vowed he would never let anything happen to her.
That same boy was me.
I was the reason she was bawling.
I was the reason she was hurt.
I was the reason she was broken.”
***
“I had to let her grow up, but it didn’t mean I had to fucking like it.”
***
“I would turn fourteen in a few weeks and I still didn’t have any life experiences outside of the boys. I hadn’t dated anyone, kissed anyone else, or even been on a date. All the boys on the island were too scared to come near me because they knew I came with baggage. Four of them.”
***
"It overwhelmed me and consumed me. It hurt me and slayed me. Like a giant blade was driven directly in my heart."
***
"She was mine. I didn't want to share her. Not with Cole. Not with anyone. How do you explain something you don't even understand?"
“Our first kiss was our beginning and in some ways our end. This is where our complicated love began.”
Well, if you ask me, “falling in love with your childhood friend while growing up” sucks because you have a long time to grow up and experience life, trying to understand what you want in life, what you want to be, where you want to live and how you can be happy etc. and committing to someone at the teenage years is not healthy because then, in the following years, you may have lots of doubts about your commitment if not resentment.
AND THAT IS WHY, Alex and Lucas suffered… and they suffered a lot…
They had to go through all this hurt, the angst and the come-and-go between them…
They also had to deal with all the people interfering, the boys, the families, other girls, other boys, all playing their part in separating the two of them. They all complicated the things between Alex and Lucas.
Oh boy, they had to endure a lot...
But they had this unbelievable connection –this strong bond... always...
“The feelings I had, what he provoked and stirred within me, what he always did to me. No one could ever explain or understand what it was. How it happened. No one else could do this. It was only Lucas. Always Lucas. Not one other soul had this pull. On me. On him. On us.”
***
“We would always be linked. We were destined to be soul mates. Star-crossed lovers.”
Some reasons and plot twists made sense, some were too annoying for me, lots of miscommunication and missed opportunities, bad timing etc. but all in all, they all happened for a reason as we saw in the end.
“We have so many barriers placed in between us and I don’t know how to remove them.”
***
"Love shouldn’t hurt this much. All you’ve ever done… is complicate me.”
Bookylicious and I did a buddy-read and we both cried our eyes out while reading it but anyways, we fell in love with this beautiful book.
It is told from alternate point of views, both Alex and Lucas’s and the Prologue sticks a sharp knife in your heart, followed by all those chapters in which the knife turns and twists all the time giving you more and more pain until the last few chapters and a very happy Epilogue.
If you ask me, don’t miss this book if you are a romance reader. It was worth 5 stars and many more... It was an epic read...
April 19, 2018
Alexandra (or Alex like she wants to be called), Lucas and three other boys are best friends since they were little. Alex has always been one of the guys, but she didn’t mind that at all. Alex and Lucas’ friendship is closer than her friendship with the other boys. When Alex is a little older, she starts to have romantic feelings for Lucas. Lucas also wants more than friendship, but he thinks she’s too young. Over the next couple of years, Lucas dates a few women and Alex remains single. Lucas and Alex always keep being best friends, until one day they aren’t.
I didn’t connect with the characters and I got frustrated with them a lot. If I have to choose between Alex and Lucas, I’ll pick Alex. She’s sweet and loving, but she can be naïve and she waited too long for Lucas. Lucas slept around for too long and that’s not something you do when you want someone. He knew he hurt her, but he kept doing it. Lucas did change when he went to college, but it was too late for me. I do like the secondary characters enough to try the next books in this series, but I’ll quit reading if I don’t like them.
I knew from the prologue that there was hurt and a past between Lucas and Alex and I couldn’t wait to know more about those characters. After a while I couldn’t root for Alex and Lucas anymore. There was too much hurt and stupid decisions. It took way too long for them to be together. I just wished that Lucas or Alex said ‘Let’s no longer care what everybody says and let’s proof to them that we can be together forever’ sooner. I did like those last couple of chapters when they finally were a couple. A part of both of them always loved the other, and they will always love each other.
I didn’t like Complicate Me. I finished this book because I needed to know when and how Alex and Lucas would end up being a couple. I start to like the book more when Lucas went to college, but it was too late. There were some good moments, but there were more bad moments.
I did a buddy read with Chan. I’m glad we agreed on so much! I was super excited about our buddy read, but let’s pick a better book next time lol.
I didn’t connect with the characters and I got frustrated with them a lot. If I have to choose between Alex and Lucas, I’ll pick Alex. She’s sweet and loving, but she can be naïve and she waited too long for Lucas. Lucas slept around for too long and that’s not something you do when you want someone. He knew he hurt her, but he kept doing it. Lucas did change when he went to college, but it was too late for me. I do like the secondary characters enough to try the next books in this series, but I’ll quit reading if I don’t like them.
I knew from the prologue that there was hurt and a past between Lucas and Alex and I couldn’t wait to know more about those characters. After a while I couldn’t root for Alex and Lucas anymore. There was too much hurt and stupid decisions. It took way too long for them to be together. I just wished that Lucas or Alex said ‘Let’s no longer care what everybody says and let’s proof to them that we can be together forever’ sooner. I did like those last couple of chapters when they finally were a couple. A part of both of them always loved the other, and they will always love each other.
I didn’t like Complicate Me. I finished this book because I needed to know when and how Alex and Lucas would end up being a couple. I start to like the book more when Lucas went to college, but it was too late. There were some good moments, but there were more bad moments.
I did a buddy read with Chan. I’m glad we agreed on so much! I was super excited about our buddy read, but let’s pick a better book next time lol.
September 27, 2015
Five “be still my heart” stars!
Complicate Me is my first book from M. Robinson. Known for penning sensual erotica novels, this coming-of-age story is Robinson’s first in the Young adult/ New Adult genre. I have no doubt the readership will welcome her with open arms.
As both a reader and author of coming-of-age books, they are tricky to pull off, and more often than not fall flat if not carefully constructed. Most adults are not going to want to read about small children coloring on the walls, but if the reader is anything like me, they do want to read about love at first sight, even if it’s from filthy-faced kids. That is what we get with Alexandra “Half-Pint” and Lucas “Bo.”
This “complicated” love story starts when they are younger, but takes us through their heart wrenching journey into adulthood. This tale is in no shortage of angst, but what I was most impressed with was the believable self-discovery and progression I experienced with all of the characters. They don’t make the right choices every time, but it’s believable and it’s relatable. M. Robinson includes great detail without boring the reader, and writes in such a way that even when we want to hate someone, we easily forgive and forget. And trust me, there’s a lot of forgiving.
I don’t think unputdownable is a word, but it describes Complicate Me perfectly.
Alex and Lucas are unputdownable!
Complicate Me is my first book from M. Robinson. Known for penning sensual erotica novels, this coming-of-age story is Robinson’s first in the Young adult/ New Adult genre. I have no doubt the readership will welcome her with open arms.
As both a reader and author of coming-of-age books, they are tricky to pull off, and more often than not fall flat if not carefully constructed. Most adults are not going to want to read about small children coloring on the walls, but if the reader is anything like me, they do want to read about love at first sight, even if it’s from filthy-faced kids. That is what we get with Alexandra “Half-Pint” and Lucas “Bo.”
This “complicated” love story starts when they are younger, but takes us through their heart wrenching journey into adulthood. This tale is in no shortage of angst, but what I was most impressed with was the believable self-discovery and progression I experienced with all of the characters. They don’t make the right choices every time, but it’s believable and it’s relatable. M. Robinson includes great detail without boring the reader, and writes in such a way that even when we want to hate someone, we easily forgive and forget. And trust me, there’s a lot of forgiving.
I don’t think unputdownable is a word, but it describes Complicate Me perfectly.
Alex and Lucas are unputdownable!
August 14, 2017
I thought about the ratings for this book a lot... Like seriously after 40% I just knew how things will eventually be, but I just hanged on and hope that maybe something will improve... Well, it didn't.. it got WORSE!!
"Complicate Me" by M. Robinson is the first book from "The Good Ol' Boys Series" and it was not for me. Maybe the series will evolve and get better with the others boys, but unfortunately, I won't be there to find out because I won't be reading the installments. I just can't... I feel like I wasted my energy on it and I just can't... :(
The plot follows Alex and Lucas story, a very complicated and dramatic one. They know each other since they were kids and always had a special connection. Alexandra was the girl in an all boys group, formed my Lucas, Dylan, Jacob and Austin. Together they were unstoppable and love each other to pieces. They used to do everything together and Alex was besides them every step of the way. Once growing up, she became more girly and the boys saw that she is growing into a beautiful young lady, becoming extremely protective over her. All of the boys were protective, especially Lucas, that had a crush on her since forever. The feeling was mutual, Lucas being the center of Alex world. The bond that they shared was always special, deeper than the one she had with the other boys.
Why only 2 and a half stars? Because all the drama from the book didn't make sense to me. Alex and Lucas were always in a non coordinated circle, something always happening and letting the reader hope for another chance with them. Since kids they loved each other, but at 11 and 13, you just don't understand this type of feelings very well. Yes, I was ok with it, but as time passed and they were sure on their love, everybody just stood in their way for no reason!!!!!! Their families were not ok with them being together from an early stage in life, the boys believed Lucas was not good for Alex and you know what they did? Their ruin everything and made a lot of mistakes for no reason at all, that lead to drama and more drama. Why listed to everybody else besides your heart? Why? Nobody explained me why Lucas and Alex couldn't happen from the beginning and by the end of the story, I couldn't understand their arguments and why there were opposed.
Lucas was very annoying to me, I didn't blame him in his teen years, but after 18 years old all the cannons were aimed at him, because he screwed up BIG TIME! Alex was not helping as well, but Lucas was being influenced and I hated it. I wanted everybody to just get a life and let them decide, not waste years and years.. A lot happened and just didn't make sense to me, and the reader could have been spared a lot of suffering by just seeing the characters fight for their relationship. No, in my opinion they didn't fight, just made a lot of mistakes, in a stupid way I might add.
Well, now that I said everything, this book was not for me... The dialogues were kind of boring and soooooo many details were included that didn't have a point or added value to the story. In a few words, unnecessary drama was always present, when you could only prevented them by being TEAM FREE WILL and do what you want with your life:)
Thank you:)
For more reviews please check https://readwithloveblog.wordpress.com
"Complicate Me" by M. Robinson is the first book from "The Good Ol' Boys Series" and it was not for me. Maybe the series will evolve and get better with the others boys, but unfortunately, I won't be there to find out because I won't be reading the installments. I just can't... I feel like I wasted my energy on it and I just can't... :(
The plot follows Alex and Lucas story, a very complicated and dramatic one. They know each other since they were kids and always had a special connection. Alexandra was the girl in an all boys group, formed my Lucas, Dylan, Jacob and Austin. Together they were unstoppable and love each other to pieces. They used to do everything together and Alex was besides them every step of the way. Once growing up, she became more girly and the boys saw that she is growing into a beautiful young lady, becoming extremely protective over her. All of the boys were protective, especially Lucas, that had a crush on her since forever. The feeling was mutual, Lucas being the center of Alex world. The bond that they shared was always special, deeper than the one she had with the other boys.
Why only 2 and a half stars? Because all the drama from the book didn't make sense to me. Alex and Lucas were always in a non coordinated circle, something always happening and letting the reader hope for another chance with them. Since kids they loved each other, but at 11 and 13, you just don't understand this type of feelings very well. Yes, I was ok with it, but as time passed and they were sure on their love, everybody just stood in their way for no reason!!!!!! Their families were not ok with them being together from an early stage in life, the boys believed Lucas was not good for Alex and you know what they did? Their ruin everything and made a lot of mistakes for no reason at all, that lead to drama and more drama. Why listed to everybody else besides your heart? Why? Nobody explained me why Lucas and Alex couldn't happen from the beginning and by the end of the story, I couldn't understand their arguments and why there were opposed.
Lucas was very annoying to me, I didn't blame him in his teen years, but after 18 years old all the cannons were aimed at him, because he screwed up BIG TIME! Alex was not helping as well, but Lucas was being influenced and I hated it. I wanted everybody to just get a life and let them decide, not waste years and years.. A lot happened and just didn't make sense to me, and the reader could have been spared a lot of suffering by just seeing the characters fight for their relationship. No, in my opinion they didn't fight, just made a lot of mistakes, in a stupid way I might add.
Well, now that I said everything, this book was not for me... The dialogues were kind of boring and soooooo many details were included that didn't have a point or added value to the story. In a few words, unnecessary drama was always present, when you could only prevented them by being TEAM FREE WILL and do what you want with your life:)
Thank you:)
For more reviews please check https://readwithloveblog.wordpress.com
April 16, 2018
Beware that I’m in a Book Rut (it has surpassed slump). My review will be pessimistic as it will reflect my mood.
I wasn’t alive in 1981, but you get what I’m saying.
Okay. Where to start...ahh yes. Let’s begin with the title of this little gem. Complicate Me. M. Robinson misspelled the 1st word. It should read DEPRESS ME!
I called it from the prologue, I told Hanne (this was a buddy read) that this story reeked of doom. And boy was I wrong. It reeked of calamity, destruction, catastrophe and all the other cataclysmic words I can’t think of at the moment.
The story began when the 5 characters were around 5 years old and so did the doom and gloom.
It was one horrible event after another. Every section ended with something along the lines of
This was the beginning of our end
We would never be the same
It was the end
We could never go back to Half-Pint and Bo
Our lives were forever changed
How many times can your life end and never be same?!?!?!?
How many depressive events can you jam into one novel? Obviously not enough. Any depressive event you can think of, I bet you this book had it.
And remember, these are kids. The story ended with them around 24 years old.
Another issue is I didn't know the characters. M. Robinson would start throwing things into the story like I’m supposed to know this stuff. Half-Pint mentioned Bo’s love for engineering and how he played with Legos. Half-Pint also talked about how she was such a great student and could get into any college. Although, I’ve read over 250 pages
My biggest issue was the constant rebuke of Half-Pint and Bo’s ‘relationship.’ I still have no clue why nobody wanted them together.
What did M. Robinson want from her readers? Am I supposed to root for a relationship that made no sense to me? THEY WERE NEVER TOGETHER! The entire book was of the pain they caused each other. And M. Robinson narrated sex with the MC’s, not with each other, but with other people. At that point, I was seriously done!
I was no longer invested in the story or the characters. I wanted the kids and their parents to become reclusive. There is no need to share that crap storm of doom that hovers above them with anybody else. Keep it in the family. Incestuous even.
The last 20 pages were better, but it went by in a blur. M. Robinson tried to pack it all in there. BUT I needed some of what happened at the end in the beginning and sprinkled throughout so that I would have a reason to hope for something. I spent most of the book thinking
By the way, M. Robinson please preface the time jumps. How am I supposed to know you are jumping two years if you don’t tell me?
I know this review is all over the place. I actually struggled writing it because I didn’t really care for it and I’m upset about my book rut.
BUT I’m giving it three stars because I actually completed it. It’s taken over two weeks for me to find a book and read it all the way through.
HOWEVER, I will not read any more of this series.
I wasn’t alive in 1981, but you get what I’m saying.
Okay. Where to start...ahh yes. Let’s begin with the title of this little gem. Complicate Me. M. Robinson misspelled the 1st word. It should read DEPRESS ME!
I called it from the prologue, I told Hanne (this was a buddy read) that this story reeked of doom. And boy was I wrong. It reeked of calamity, destruction, catastrophe and all the other cataclysmic words I can’t think of at the moment.
The story began when the 5 characters were around 5 years old and so did the doom and gloom.
It was one horrible event after another. Every section ended with something along the lines of
This was the beginning of our end
We would never be the same
It was the end
We could never go back to Half-Pint and Bo
Our lives were forever changed
How many times can your life end and never be same?!?!?!?
How many depressive events can you jam into one novel? Obviously not enough. Any depressive event you can think of, I bet you this book had it.
And remember, these are kids. The story ended with them around 24 years old.
Another issue is I didn't know the characters. M. Robinson would start throwing things into the story like I’m supposed to know this stuff. Half-Pint mentioned Bo’s love for engineering and how he played with Legos. Half-Pint also talked about how she was such a great student and could get into any college. Although, I’ve read over 250 pages
My biggest issue was the constant rebuke of Half-Pint and Bo’s ‘relationship.’ I still have no clue why nobody wanted them together.
What did M. Robinson want from her readers? Am I supposed to root for a relationship that made no sense to me? THEY WERE NEVER TOGETHER! The entire book was of the pain they caused each other. And M. Robinson narrated sex with the MC’s, not with each other, but with other people. At that point, I was seriously done!
I was no longer invested in the story or the characters. I wanted the kids and their parents to become reclusive. There is no need to share that crap storm of doom that hovers above them with anybody else. Keep it in the family. Incestuous even.
The last 20 pages were better, but it went by in a blur. M. Robinson tried to pack it all in there. BUT I needed some of what happened at the end in the beginning and sprinkled throughout so that I would have a reason to hope for something. I spent most of the book thinking
By the way, M. Robinson please preface the time jumps. How am I supposed to know you are jumping two years if you don’t tell me?
I know this review is all over the place. I actually struggled writing it because I didn’t really care for it and I’m upset about my book rut.
BUT I’m giving it three stars because I actually completed it. It’s taken over two weeks for me to find a book and read it all the way through.
HOWEVER, I will not read any more of this series.
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