Review: Taking Chances by Molly McAdams

Title: Taking Chances (GoodReads)

Publisher: William Morrow

Source: Publisher

Publication Date: 16 October 2012
Series or Standalone: Standalone

ISBN: 0062267671

Format: EBook (ARC)
Pages: 432

The Author on the Web:

Molly McAdams - Official Site

Molly McAdams - Blog

Molly McAdams - Twitter

Place(s) Traveled to: San Diego, California

Rating: 1 out of 5 stars

First Line(s): My face stretched in a wide grin as I looked around my bedroom one last time.

Buy the Book:  

 


When I first picked up Taking Chances by Molly McAdams I didn't have a lot of expectations on it. All I really knew was that it fell into that murky, as not fully defined classification known as New Adult. Within the first few pages I wasn't really liking the main character, Harper, and I probably should have listened to instinct and just put the book down right there and then. But I did not and then it because a train wreck that I couldn't put down. Taking Chances is a crazy book of crazy with a capital C and my head hurts a little just from trying to process all the WTF-ery that it contained. 

One thing about Taking Chances that I wish I'd known prior to reading was that there is A LOT of suspension of belief that you have to do in order for this story to make any sense at all. For a contemporary novel there isn't a ton about it that is based in reality. First off the main character Harper seems to have never interacted with another women, ever. Apparently there are no female Marines, or Marine wives, or daughters because Harper only talks about being around her dad (who she mainly communicates with via email) and the Marine men in his unit. She's never been to a mall, never been kissed or hit on, never been given a gift, never been off base, and somehow never knew that her growing up wasn't normal. Despite actually having watched tv and movies. She has also never been around kids her own age, with the exception of a few Marines in her dad's unit, until she just packs up everything and moves from North Carolina to go to college in San Diego. 

There were so many times while reading this book that I almost gave myself whiplash from doing double takes at the text and the revelations. At the crazy, implausible twists and turns that this story took. Just when I thought it couldn't get any crazier or that anything else could happen this book managed to surprise me. If I was reading a print version of this book you can bet it would have been tossed across the room several times during the course of my read. But since I couldn't do that I'd often yell at the book...often exclaiming "SERIOUSLY?!?!" and flipping back and fourth between pages trying to figure out what I missed as the scene transitions were horrible. 

McAdams would let a random comment slip about a big event that supposedly had already happened she'd then go on for a few paragraphs or chapters and then would give you a flashback to the big event that you had missed. McAdams would also drop in some scenes meant to shock that added no value to the book. Just as there was a lot of wish fulfillment and events that happened just added to the whole WTF just happened moments. The writing wasn't the greatest but that was really the least of this books problems where every cliche you can imagine was used. 

Its really hard to talk about all the things that really bothered me about this book without spoiling it entirely so I might do a vlog at some point listing out each and every point and feeling I have about this story. Until then (if it happens), you can check out my GoodReads reactions here. Overall, this book was not for me and as the cover of McAdam's other book, From Ashes, is almost a duplicate of this one I think I might take that as a sign to avoid reading it. Not sure my brain can handle another train wreck novel. But we shall see, sometimes the crazy is just too hard to ignore.

People who liked this book better than I did:

Maryse's Book Blog -"Some parts were so titillatingly tense, and angsty. My heart was about to explode. Sure enough I CRIED my eyes out at a certain point (big fat non-stop tears that I couldn’t keep up with)"

Confessions of a Book Addict - "Taking Chances by Molly McAdams is an extremely addicting debut that had me running through a gamut of emotions. Even though love triangles are starting to bore me and feel overdone, Taking Chances did not. McAdams really does a good job with making this love triangle dramatic, steamy, and oh-so-addicting. I couldn't wait to read more and figure out what Harper was going to do with these two ridiculously good looking guys."

Tina's Book Reviews - "This story shook me up and twisted my emotions, I had a wonderful and terrible time getting to know and love the world McAdams created."