Thursday 22 May 2014

Review: Out of Control by Sarah Alderson

Out of Control by Sarah Alderson 
Publisher: Simon & Schuster UK
Publication date: May 22nd 2014
My rating: 3.5 stars 


When 17 year old Liva witnesses a brutal murder she’s taken into police custody for her own protection. But when the police station is attacked and bullets start flying it becomes clear that Liva is not just a witness, she’s a target. Together with a car thief called Jay, Liva manages to escape the massacre but now the two of them are alone in New York, trying to outrun and outwit two killers who will stop at nothing to find them. When you live on the edge, there’s a long way to fall.


It seems like ages that I last devoured a full length novel by Sarah Alderson. Her novellas from her Lila series have since being keeping me occupied, but I couldn’t wait to get my hands on her latest thrilling release. 

Out of Control was definitely a lot different than what I was expecting it to be; it had a great mystery, lots of suspense and of course swoony characters. Liva finds herself in the wrong place at the wrong time, the Goldman’s who were meant to be looking after her ended up dead, Liva barely made it out and to the police station. What is meant to be a secure place, ends up being attacked to with police officers dead all over the place, a suspect who was bought in whilst Liva was sharing her story with a cop, ends up being the one who helps her to get out on the run from who knows what. Liva had a lot to deal with in a small amount of time, she’s only been in New York for a week, her dad is in Ghana and her mum in Oman, and she’s all alone and has a mad gunman for who knows what reason chasing her. And she has to trust some guy who she doesn’t know and who can be a criminal of all sorts. 

I liked how we were thrown into the mix of things right from the beginning, Liva had to rely on a guy she only just met and we were left guessing what was going on right until the very end. Despite things being very tense early on, Alderson was able to infuse some great light hearted scenes through Jay’s character (the supposed criminal Liva meets). Liva was quick to make judgements about his character, but he was forever thoughtful risking his and his family’s life to help protect Liva, but he also had a cheeky sense of humour too. He could easily lighten a dire situation with his cheeky comments and have your brain getting ahead of itself and thinking things that you wouldn’t have considered (I really found myself blushing on so many occasions). Liva and Jay also did end up making an incredible team together, with your life in danger and being thrown together with some random hot guy, could throw anyone off, but Liva and Jay slowly began to trust one another and form a brilliant relationship. 

Alderson had a lot going on in this book, but she was able to work it all well together. If you’re looking for a fast paced story, with a guy who will create all the swoons with his dimpled grin and a mystery that will keep you continually guessing, I recommend giving Out of Control a go!



19 comments:

Jeanz xx said...

I also loved this book. I mean Jay is soooo swoonworthy and a total gentleman the type of guy we all need! Really enjoyed it. the first on of Sarah Alderson's books I have read and I will certainly be checking her other titles out soon.

Leanna Elle said...

This one definitely sounds action packed. I often find that Alderson's novels are so fast paced that they read like movies! The guy definitely sounds cute!

Carina Olsen said...

Aw, great review sweetie :D I'm glad you enjoyed this book despite not fully loving it. And yay for swoony boy, hih :) Sounds like a great book. Thank you for sharing. <3

Anonymous said...

I'm glad to hear you enjoyed this book, Jasprit. I've heard so many good things about this book. I can't wait to try it out myself. I'm looking forward to meeting Jay especially. He sounds very swoon-worthy.
Lovely review!

The Readdicts said...

I have read Hunting Lila by Sarah Alderson and I had really enjoyed it at that time. Out of Control looks really good and I'm glad you enjoyed it. Thanks for your review Jasprit! :)

Janhvi @ The Readdicts

Melissa (i swim for oceans) said...

You had me at a ton of mystery, Jasprit! I love when that aspect of the novel soars. Plus, Jay sounds like a delightful character for whom I'd easy get onboard! Lovely review :)

Jenny said...

I am a sucker for dimples Jasprit! And the relationship between Liva and Jay sounds fantastic (though I wouldn't expect anything less from Sarah - she knows how to make a girl swoon!). Looking forward to this one!

Mary @ BookSwarm said...

So hard to trust someone right out of the box but it definitely adds to the tension! I like how they learned to work together and became a brilliant team.

Anonymous said...

I need to read Hunting Lila or one of her books sometime soon. This one sounds like an intense, fast-paced read, and I'm glad you enjoyed it. Great review! :D

Joy said...

I like the sound of this, Jas. Kind of like Bonnie and Clyde only they're on the right side of the law. :)

Great review, hun!

Maja (The Nocturnal Library) said...

I don't doubt Alderson's skill for a second. At first this didn't seem like something I'd enjoy, but mystery that keeps you guessing combined with light-hearted moments made me change my mind.
Thank you for the lovely review, Jasprit.

Michelle Chew said...

This is so going to be a fun read! Great review! Now I can't wait to read my copy!

Michelle

Heidi@Rainy Day Ramblings said...

I can easily pick up a mystery that keeps me guessing, and a swoonworthy boy, I am not a fan of the cover, though.

brandileigh2003 said...

You know how I feel about all the swoons guys, sign me up

Keertana said...

Alderson's novels tend to be more on the miss side of hit-or-miss for me, so I'm not sure I'd come to truly enjoy this novel the way you have, Jasprit. Still, I cannot deny that her books are such lovely pick-me-ups when I need them to be, so of course I'll be turning to this when I'm in the mood for a novel to launch me out of my slump. ;)

Unknown said...

I've been meaning to pick up an Alderson book for a couple years now, and I'm not sure why I haven't. I really think I would like Out of Control, Jasprit. Thanks for the review!

Michelle (A Thousand Lives Lived) said...

This actually sounds really good- despite my bad thoughts about Sarah's Lila series. I'm going to find this as soon as I can!

Lauren @ Love is not a triangle said...

Alderson is so great at these swoony guys and slow burn romances. I do love fast paced mysteries, so I'd like to give this a go soon. Yay that this kept you guessing throughout. Have you read The Sound? I have a copy of that but haven't read it yet.

Faye M. said...

Oooh, you found yourself blushing sometimes, huh? ;) Very curious, Jasprit, very curious... but it sounds like the love interest is an interesting character! He reminds me of Thorne somewhat, just without the sexual suggestions haha. Awesome review!

Faye at The Social Potato Reviews

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