Monday 19 November 2012

Review and Giveaway: Dizzy by Nyrae Dawn and Jolene Perry


Dizzy

 Dizzy by Nyrae Dawn and Jolene Perry
 Publisher: Self-published
 Publication date: November 20th 2012
 My rating: 4 stars

 
Dylan doesn’t do relationships. He and his older brother watched their dad go through hell and back, so they made a pact years ago—no girl would come between the Gibson boys. But his brother sells out. He's getting married anyway. To the sister of a chick Dylan met at a party, who's probably the angriest girl he's ever met. Unfortunately, she happens to be hot, too.

Ziah’s life is upside down—her safe boyfriend turns out to be not-so-safe, and now her sister is getting married before college is over to the older brother of a spoiled, party boy who drives her crazy. And also makes her heart beat too fast.

There’s no denying the attraction, but there's also no denying how much they irritate each other. When they’re thrown together as forced wedding planners, they find an ally in each other--neither wants this wedding to happen.

But instead of putting a stop to the crazy nuptials they find themselves at fittings and cake testing. And maybe even…a few dates?
Dizzy is a novel about what happens when two people who are determined not to fall in love, maybe do anyway. Maybe.

Dizzy was such a fun read!  It starts out with lots of chemistry and snark, and ends with a lot of heart, and maybe a couple of tears.  I just adored this story!


Ziah is finishing her senior year concentrating on good grades and moving onto to med school with her steady beau, James.  The last thing she wants to do is go some drunken party, but her boyfriend and best friend, Alyssa want to go, so she’s there.  This is where she runs into Dylan, or rather where he runs into her, spilling beer all over her shirt.  She saw him before and was mesmerized by his stunning good looks, but then saw him draped all over a girl, and dismissed him on sight. She knows his type, pretty, rich-boy used to having girls throw themselves at him.  So the whole beer spilling incident is just another point against him. 

Dylan doesn’t do girlfriends.  He likes girls, he just never lets them close.  His father and brother, Derrick, are a team and stick together, because they’re all they’ve got.  Dylan’s mother left them and they haven’t heard from her in years.  When Dylan sees Ziah from across the room at his party, he’s immediately attracted.  She’s gorgeous in a natural way.  Unfortunately, she has nothing but a scowl on her face as she looks back at him.  He goes to help her find a soda, and accidentally dumps his beer on her.  Who cares, he’s never going to see her again, right?  That would be a WRONG!

These two are about to be closer than they ever thought because unbeknownst to them their siblings, his brother, Derrick and her sister, Lora just got engaged.  So Dylan and Ziah are thrown together to help plan the perfect wedding, to their horror.  Dylan feels betrayed that Derrick would get married, and he’s afraid he’ll end up like their father, alone and miserable.  Ziah thinks her sister, Lora is crazy, getting married before she’s finished with college.  They’ve always said school first, career second, and boys third. There’s no way she’s going to support Lora’s insanity. 

It’s always fun to read about antagonistic relationships that turn into romance.  They irritate, affect, and push each other’s buttons, because there’s a spark there.  I love seeing the slow transition from hate, to like, to more.  There was heaps of chemistry in this story.  Here’s a little teaser:

I give her a cocky grin and then see the stupid strand of hair fall into her face. I don’t know what makes me do it, but I push it behind her ear. She does another of those little gaspy-breaths, and it makes me start feeling all sorts of things I shouldn’t for a whole list of reasons.

Their time together forces them to see each other in a new light.  Ziah has a lot of hurt to deal with because of her relationships, and Dylan deals with his issues of abandonment from his mom. Unintentionally, they each witness the other struggling with these issues, and because of this they become close.  I was sad for both Dylan and Ziah at different times.  Poor Dylan, it was just so heartbreaking when you find out everything about his mother.  I was in tears again!  I don’t know if I would’ve been as forgiving as Ziah was in her situation.  That was pretty messed up.  I have to say, Paul, Dylan’s close friend came off as sort of a moron at first but he was smarter than he seemed.  Although, there was this quote that had me laughing:

“Why? Why couldn’t I see it before?”
Paul shrugs. “I don’t know, man. Maybe it’s like Postpartum depression or something.”
Looking at him, I shake my head. “That’s for pregnant chicks, you idiot. It’s post traumatic.”
“That, too. Maybe you had both.”

This story was co-written by Nyrae Dawn and Jolene Perry.  I think they did an excellent job bouncing off each other, crafting the story seamlessly.  The story flows perfectly, and at an addictive pace.  

Now for the good part.  The awesome Jolene Perry and Nyrae Dawn decided to generously sponsor a giveaway of two e-book copies of Dizzy!!  Thank you!  The giveaway is INTERNATIONAL.  The only requirement is that you follow the blog.  Just fill out the rafflecopter below.  Good luck! 
 



a Rafflecopter giveaway

18 comments:

Aneeqah said...

I'm glad that you enjoyed this one so much Rachel! I love a good antagonist romance as well, and seeing that romance build up. It's so much fun to read about!

I love how you were happy and sad while reading this one. I feel like there's a perfect balance of happiness and sadness mixed in throughout this book, and that's a great balance to be able to achieve in a book. I'm super curious to see what parts made you shed tears, Rachel! ;)

Fantastic review as always, and thank you for those teasers! I'm definitely going to have to get my hands on a copy of this one.

Henrietta @ Leisure Reads said...

This sounds so much fun!! It's always cute to see two people shifting from an antagonistic relationship into something steamier :)

And thanks for the giveaway!

Vegan YA Nerds said...

This sounds really good! I like those sparky-antagonistic relationships too and this one sounds like a really fun story :D Also, it's great when two authors can work together so well!

Book Passion for Life said...

Awesome review Rachel. I recently read another one of Jolene Perry's book and I really enjoyed it, so I'd love to read this one! =)

Tanja - Tanychy said...

Oh this sounds like a great read! :) I haven't read any of Jolene's books so I'm looking forward to that. Thanks for the giveaway! :)

Unknown said...

I love it when you review contemporary, Rachel! Your reviews are always so cute and at the end of your review, it leaves me with warm and fuzzy feeling. <3 The books that you read always seem so full of love hehe! ;) Anyway, I love Jolene Perry's writing and I heard good things about Nyrae Dawn's books. I think I should give it a go when I'm in the mood of something short and sweet! <3 Brilliant review as always, my dear! <3 Thank you for the giveaway too! :)

Eunice said...

Yes to antagonistic relationships that turn into romance! They are always the most entertaining one. I love the development and learning on both sides. Lovely review, Rachel. I have this on my tbr already and after reading your review I am more excited to meet Dylan and Zia. Hope I win the giveaway! :)

Jenny said...

Ahhhh! This sounds so good Rachel! I love antagonistic relationships, I feel like I've told you that before. So the fact that Dylan and Ziah pretty much despise one another initially makes me really want to read this book:) I got a huge grin on my face just reading your review, and now I can't wait to get my hands on this book. A huge thanks to you, Nyrae and Jolene for the chance to win!

Wendy Darling said...

Oh, how fun! I really liked ND's WHAT A BOY WANTS so it's nice to hear this one is worth reading. Thanks so much for the review, and for hosting the giveaway, too. :)

Wendy @ The Midnight Garden

Jennifer said...

I love books about people who don't want to fall in love, but find themselves doing it anyway. Always so interesting. Great review, Rachel. I'll have to add this to my TBR :)

Jennifer @ Dream Reads

Heidi@Rainy Day Ramblings said...


I love the romances that come in unepected places and I love that that this book has snark, spark, tears and more. I have been eyeing this since you featured it on a Suinday Post and now I must get a copy. I really do enjoy Jolene Perry's books and I am looking forward to one on the lighter side.

Suzanne (Parabooklover) said...

"antagonistic relationships that turn into romance", my absolute favourite kind. This sounds like a fun read that also has it's deeper issues. And as usual, you picked some fantastic quotes. Great review Rachel.

And thank you all for the giveaway :)

Keertana said...

Awww, this sounds so cute! It definitely has the overall look of a typical, cliched romance, but they ALWAYS work and succeed in bringing a smile to my face. I'll definitely be checking this one out, so thanks for throwing it onto my radar, Rachel! Wonderful review, dear! :)

Sam (Realm of Fiction) said...

I haven't tried anything by Nyrae Dawn, but Jolene Perry's books have worked for me in the past so I'm eager to give it a go! You had me convinced with the first line of your review actually. There's nothing I enjoy more than the perfect balance between fun and emotion. :)

Shooting Stars Mag said...

Sounds like a fun book! I do like snarky relationships that turn into more, but they have to be done well, because it can be an overused trope, if that makes sense. Glad you really enjoyed this, though! I'm curious about the mom now!

Montana @ The Book Belles said...

This sounds so cute! I'm glad you enjoyed it and this will definitely be going on my TBR :) Great review!

Unknown said...

I'm so happy you enjoyed Dizzy! I adore Nyrae's writing and am looking forward to reading this collaboration. I've heard great things about Perry's writing. Great review!

Jen (Books and Other Happy Ever Afters) said...

Eeep this book sounds absolutely adorable and wonderful! I love love love antagonistic relationships, they are super fun! I really want to meet these wonderful characters, and Nyrae & Jolene seem like they did quite a good job! Fantastic review, Rachel! And thanks for the giveaway. <3

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