Something Blue, from Kristy Nicolle

Hello, lovelies! Welcome to my review for Something Blue, from Kristy Nicolle =D I found this author thanks to my lovely penguin friend Beth, from Betwixt the Pages, so go follow her awesomeness, please 😉 I received my review copy from Quill & Ink Book Tours in exchange for an honest review and the time has arrived! Thanks, guys!

In the city of Monopolis, where happily ever after is just a scientific formula away, Valentine Morland has been waiting nine years for her day to come. Now it’s here, and she will marry the man of her dreams, a stranger to her, before being swept off to life of carefree luxury and bliss, courtesy of the Jigsaw Project.

However, all is not as Valentine imagined as her new husband is quickly discovered as not the man of her dreams, but one who claims he isn’t capable of love at all. Harbouring an intense paranoia for the system, which upholds the very idealist fantasy that Valentine holds so dear, Clark threatens to throw her into a world, not of bliss, but of scary consequence where her every emotion is under scrutiny.

Can it be that the scientific formula with a 99% success rate got it all wrong, or is everything in the world of Bliss Inc. more sinister than it seems?

Me after finishing this book:

Just remembering that those were my impressions and opinion as a reader =)

I admit: I entered this world because of this cover and the plot – I LOVE FAKE WEDDINGS. Even when they are meant to be real, haha! It’s my first romance by Kristy Nicolle, but for sure it won’t be the last! With a gripping writing and a highly creative dystopian world where “happily ever after” is the only thing that matters, Something Blue is one of the best dystopian books I’ve ever read. This book only didn’t make for the big five stars because, unfortunately, Nicolle used the forbidden phrase:

“I let go of a breath I didn’t even know I was holding.”

Aside from this, I’m in love ❤

The narrative, as you may have guessed, it’s first person styled from Valentine’s point of view. Despite my excitement, I was a little scared of reading a 400+ pages book with the same narrator in my head speaking her soul directly to me, but I’m very glad I risked it! Valentine made me roll my eyes a lot and I may have screamed with at her a time or two, but she was so authentic. I’ll get back to this later, haha! As to the writing, it is simple, fluid and I feel like I could draw all places mentioned, as Nicolle describes well the surroundings without being tiresome or taking the focus out of the story =) More positive points!

The plot was surprisingly slow paced and slow twisting, if that makes sense, haha! Nicolle takes her sweet time introducing us to Valentine, Monopolis and Bliss Inc. world. It doesn’t make the story drags in any way and, when we think we have good theories and that the book is all figured out, Nicolles laughs at us and twists the plot. And twists one more time. And again. And then you end the book and you’re like ‘WHAT IS LIFE?’. #desperationlevels

Now, going back to Valentine’s flawed awesomeness, haha! As I said, Valentine is a very authentic character. She’s not your ‘causeless’ rebel, a stereotype very common in dystopian books that irritates me with no end. Valentine grew up believing she had no cause to question anything and, even after Clark tells her what’s truly going on with society, she doesn’t blindly accepts it. She wants to see it, she wants proof, and then she gets her hands dirty into action. Seriously, we need more realistic heroines like Valentine, haha! I also loved that she never once felt embarrassed for being scared or for not knowing what to do. She focused on rationalizing why she didn’t need to be scared or how important what she was doing for fear to stop her or even asked people to teach her what to do.

I won’t go in deep into the side characters, because while their part is vital for the story and they are well built, no one stood out in my opinion. Now, let’s talk about Clark. While he’s physically 100% my type, I wouldn’t be able to stand this guy, noble motives be damned. He’s unreasonable and bipolar since scene one and even after we understand his game, he insists on being one of the biggest jerks main protagonists ever. EVER.

Moving on through the fact we have a dashing tall male with black hair and sapphire blue eyes that I do not wish to ravish.

I mean, what do pandas even know about books anyway? Let’s move on to quotes, because… NOTHING SELLS THE BOOK BETTER THAN THE BOOK ITSELF!

Perhaps love is made to seem glamorous and desirable, just like the commercials make everything else about the Jigsaw Project seem. Could it be that love is in fact just as disappointing as everything else when compared to the ideal picture I’ve been painted? – Valentine’s thoughts

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I don’t have to be in love with you to tell you what’s true. – Clark

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Do you want to see what happens when a short, curvy woman gets hungry, Clark? Because I can guarantee you it’s scarier than any ride in this place. – Valentine, being awesome and speaking for this short and curvy panda as well

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Perhaps happiness and perfection aren’t the same. Perhaps, real happiness is achieved in spite of flaws, not because there aren’t any. – Valentine’s thoughts

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When you hear a good song, it’s a little like being in love. – Clark

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That’s the thing about secrets, Clark. People tend to imagine the worst. – Valentine

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And this killer dialogue:

Clark: You’ll have to play [the piano] for me sometime.

Valentine: Maybe I can teach you.

Clark: I don’t really think I have the soul for music.

Valentine: Why would you say that? You seem pretty tortured to me.

This cover isn’t just breath-taking – it’s damn right fitting! I’m a sucker for high heels, owning a collection with 25 of them among all my other shoes, so you can imagine my crisis when I saw this cover and didn’t find a similar pair of shoes in the nearby malls, right? Hahaha!

But I babble, sorry. The lone shoe inside the ring carries SO MUCH symbolism! The shoe represents the Bliss Inc. system, craving the marriages of their ‘clients’ and making sure it stays there, whether they like it or not. The blue is for Clark’s eyes, a trait very unusual among people in all facilities of Bliss Inc., as it’s a recessive gen. The discreet swirls in the type font of the title are perfectly in the middle of a wedding invitation inscription and someone’s handwriting. The contrast with the other light and downward cold type font is wonderful and I love then they use the color of the word on the title on their coloring too (like, Something Blue, they painted ‘blue’ in blue, haha!).

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Overall, if you like romance, sci-fi and dystopian books, you MUST READ Something Blue!

Thank you so much for reading this review! Also, thanks so much to Quill & Ink Book Tours for my review copy =D Bellow, you’ll find more info on the book and the author!

Something Blue

by Kristy Nicolle

475 pages

Genre: New Adult Romance | Dystopian | Sci-Fi

Release date: Ap. 01^st, 2017

Something Blue is available in both ebook and paperback formats at Amazon!

AMAZON

Writing has always been an escape for me. I can imagine bizarre new worlds, create entirely new living species and dream up all kinds of odd and absurd scenarios. I love it, and always will do. Its my life. Even now, while preparing for to begin my Masters degree in 21st century literature, I am always searching for fresh inspiration. I live in England, in the city of Lincoln but originally hail from Norwich. If I am not concocting up mad magical ideas, I am usually curled up in bed reading, Modelling or adding to my vintage book collection. The power of the written word is marvellous, and I am continually finding myself learning, and exploring all its shadowy corners. I spend hours and hours combing through texts, books and words and quite frankly, it is exhausting. I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Website | Facebook

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With love,