Sweat,

by K.B. Andrews

Publication: November 27, 2018

About the book:

You can belittle us, judge us, and hate us, but you’ll never understand us.

I’m forced to live a life that doesn’t belong to me.
I’m expected to be the best at everything, get into a good college, and make smart choices.
But what I really want to do is throw caution to the wind.
I want to be free, make mistakes, and live by my standards.
I want Ian Webster.
Ian is the guy I should avoid.
He’s a thin line between living my fake life and taking what I want.
You could say we’re star-crossed lovers, a modern day Romeo and Juliet, but I say, we’re meant to be together despite everyone trying to keep us apart.

My Review

Happy release day to the fantastic K.B. Andrews and her newest novel, Sweat. I have always loved K.B.’s novels, but this one truly hit home with me and I loved every single word of it. Addison is the beautiful, smart, good-girl that lives with her father, whereas, Ian lives next-door with his drinking and drugging mother, drives a cool car, and just does his own thing. Then one day she starts watching him and he notices. What does this all mean? This is the perfect love story.

Ian and Addison’s story just blew me away. It’s odd to admit, but I was once Addison. It’s hard to believe now at 43, sitting here with a glass of wine, and 40 lbs later – but I was her. And of course, what did I do? I fell for the bad boy that went to a neighboring high school. My Dad was furious, tried to keep us apart, and yet we still ended up married and having two children.

Whether you have lived this story or not, it’s an outstanding book. Addison does the thing that I think all of the “cool girls” want to do when they’re in high school. She does what she wants without worrying about what others will say. Now, there is plenty of drama and conflict for her and Ian so she doesn’t get the privilege of truly being herself for long – but at least we get to see what’s really on the inside. This amazing young-adult romance that K.B. Andrews has written embodies all of the angst from our teen years whether it’s a snobby girl, an overbearing and protective parent, or a bunch of boys that, unfortunately, think that they really are funny.

Besides the overall plot and theme of the novel, I love how this one was developed. Boy and girl know each other but finally, speak to one another. Then they decide to be together and deal with all of the external conflicts. Then they concede and try to stay away from one another. The plot builds and builds with rising and falling action and I wondered several times what would come of Ian and Addison. K.B. put so much emotion and passion into their story that it’s impossible for any reader to not be immediately sucked into the novel and invested in the characters.

Will Ian and Addison find a happy ending or will they be the teenage love that got away? You’ll have to read to find out! Bravo to one of my absolute favorite authors, K.B. Andrews for such an amazing novel. I have loved everything of hers that I have read, but this one really touched me.