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Discover the beloved New York Times bestseller about two lost souls who embark on an epic road trip and find love along the way. Twenty-year-old Camryn Bennett thought she knew exactly where her life was going. But after a wild night at the hottest club in downtown Raleigh, North Carolina, she shocks everyone-including herself-when she decides to leave the only life she's ever known and set out on her own. Grabbing her purse and her cell phone, Camryn boards a Greyhound bus ready to find show more herself. Instead, she finds Andrew Parrish. Sexy and exciting, Andrew lives life like there is no tomorrow. He persuades Camryn to do things she never thought she would and shows her how to give in to her deepest, most forbidden desires. Soon he becomes the center of her daring new life, pulling love and lust and emotion out of her in ways she never imagined possible. But there is more to Andrew than Camryn realizes. Will his secret push them inseparably together -- or destroy them forever? show lessTags
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I don’t think I’m exaggerating when I say this is the worst book. Of all time. Trite dialogue, misogynistic, offensive, potentially racist. Just terrible.
I really only read this book because it popped up in my recently acquired Amazon Kindle account (reading on my new smartphone). And it was only $1.99. So I thought, why not? How could any book not be worth $1.99?
It may be a bit harsh to say, but that might be a bit steep of a price for this book. This is coming from someone who can find something redeeming in almost every book. I felt a bit crazy for a moment, because I went on GoodReads and there were PAGES of reviews with 5 stars. Out of 5 stars! I thought, “Surely, all of these must be from those tween girls who also love show more Twilight.” I’ve mentioned my general abhorrence of Twilight several times before, and this book is on par with that series. Turns out, nope. Even grown up women are loving this book. What the hell? Do they have no appreciation for writing or finesse of language?
Then I kept reading and I figured it out. It’s because of the sexy times between Cam and Andrew. I mean, who doesn’t love a good sex scene? I know I do. But it’s definitely not worth reading the other 400 pages to get those 10 cumulative pages of sex. (The line that most people seem to love is preceded by Andrew offering to…help Camryn, but not actually sleep with her and she asks him why and he responds: “If you were to let me fuck you, you would have to let me own you.”) I would suggest that if you’re looking for romance or even just sexy time books, there are far better alternatives.
The premise of the book is essentially that this girl feels that her life has gotten off track and so she runs away. On her trek cross-country on a bus, she meets this boy. Of course there are sparks and they take off on a road trip together – after he saves her from an attempted rape, of course. Towards the end, after they actually start sleeping together – we learn that (SPOILER ALERT) Andrew has a brain tumor and is probably dying. His father, coincidentally enough, also died of a brain tumor. Ugh. Gag me.
To me, it seems that in the guise of attempting to create dialogue that is “realistic,” Redmerski has created stereotypical characters who say things in a completely inorganic way. It’s also eminently obvious that she is a woman attempting to write in the voice of a male character, during those portions of the book when she is writing for Andrew. She tries so much to make him seem hard, seem as she thinks a typical (read: stereotypical) man should be. It reads so false to me.
Not only that, some of the dialogue is downright offensive, most especially when we’re looking at things from Andrew’s point of view. Some other guy is flirting with Camryn (before she and Andrew actually start sleeping with each other) and he thinks to himself: “How insanely pathetic was that? She’s not even mine and I just got raped by a crazy-jealous reaction.” Um, I’m sorry, what?! You got “raped” by a reaction? I suppose I understand that the concept is the emotion came over you without your control. However, I do not think that the term “rape” should ever be used in this context, and it especially shouldn’t be used so flippantly by a male character.
In addition to all of this, she seems intent on setting women back about fifty years. The female lead, Camryn, is maybe sexually awakened, or at the very least loses her inhibitions with Andrew. Then after that night, because she became more aware and actually asked for what she wanted, she says that he turned her into “a foul-mouthed, perverted, nymphomaniac.” Why is a girl who is in touch with her sexuality a pervert and a nymphomaniac? She also asks Andrew if he would think she was a slut if she had a one night stand. He says it depends: girls who have one or two one-night-stands are probably fine, but any more than that, and you definitely run the risk of becoming a whore.
When Cam and Andrew get to New Orleans, they meet several natives; however, it’s interesting that only the black man has a “Cajun” accent. Now, I’ve never been to New Orleans, so it’s entirely possible that it’s actually a Cajun accent. But it’s very suspicious to me that all of the white New Orleans residents somehow managed to evade that particular accent. For example, the fun loving, jazz-playing black man, Eddie says to them, “Ga, dere come Parrish!...Galee! You look like dem lad’es in dem magazines, you do!” WHAT?!
In addition to the ridiculous, offensive writing, there’s also just lazy writing. Instead of ending quotation marks in order to add something that is happening out of the dialogue. Example: “I’m giving you advance warning that I’m not going to be your next lay, or fall in love with you (he’s grinning from ear to ear right now and it’s very distracting) or anything like that…” (emphasis mine)
I cannot even adequately express my anger after reading this book. Please avoid it if at all possible, or if you’re in the mood to be infuriated, this is the book for you, definitely. show less
I really only read this book because it popped up in my recently acquired Amazon Kindle account (reading on my new smartphone). And it was only $1.99. So I thought, why not? How could any book not be worth $1.99?
It may be a bit harsh to say, but that might be a bit steep of a price for this book. This is coming from someone who can find something redeeming in almost every book. I felt a bit crazy for a moment, because I went on GoodReads and there were PAGES of reviews with 5 stars. Out of 5 stars! I thought, “Surely, all of these must be from those tween girls who also love show more Twilight.” I’ve mentioned my general abhorrence of Twilight several times before, and this book is on par with that series. Turns out, nope. Even grown up women are loving this book. What the hell? Do they have no appreciation for writing or finesse of language?
Then I kept reading and I figured it out. It’s because of the sexy times between Cam and Andrew. I mean, who doesn’t love a good sex scene? I know I do. But it’s definitely not worth reading the other 400 pages to get those 10 cumulative pages of sex. (The line that most people seem to love is preceded by Andrew offering to…help Camryn, but not actually sleep with her and she asks him why and he responds: “If you were to let me fuck you, you would have to let me own you.”) I would suggest that if you’re looking for romance or even just sexy time books, there are far better alternatives.
The premise of the book is essentially that this girl feels that her life has gotten off track and so she runs away. On her trek cross-country on a bus, she meets this boy. Of course there are sparks and they take off on a road trip together – after he saves her from an attempted rape, of course. Towards the end, after they actually start sleeping together – we learn that (SPOILER ALERT) Andrew has a brain tumor and is probably dying. His father, coincidentally enough, also died of a brain tumor. Ugh. Gag me.
To me, it seems that in the guise of attempting to create dialogue that is “realistic,” Redmerski has created stereotypical characters who say things in a completely inorganic way. It’s also eminently obvious that she is a woman attempting to write in the voice of a male character, during those portions of the book when she is writing for Andrew. She tries so much to make him seem hard, seem as she thinks a typical (read: stereotypical) man should be. It reads so false to me.
Not only that, some of the dialogue is downright offensive, most especially when we’re looking at things from Andrew’s point of view. Some other guy is flirting with Camryn (before she and Andrew actually start sleeping with each other) and he thinks to himself: “How insanely pathetic was that? She’s not even mine and I just got raped by a crazy-jealous reaction.” Um, I’m sorry, what?! You got “raped” by a reaction? I suppose I understand that the concept is the emotion came over you without your control. However, I do not think that the term “rape” should ever be used in this context, and it especially shouldn’t be used so flippantly by a male character.
In addition to all of this, she seems intent on setting women back about fifty years. The female lead, Camryn, is maybe sexually awakened, or at the very least loses her inhibitions with Andrew. Then after that night, because she became more aware and actually asked for what she wanted, she says that he turned her into “a foul-mouthed, perverted, nymphomaniac.” Why is a girl who is in touch with her sexuality a pervert and a nymphomaniac? She also asks Andrew if he would think she was a slut if she had a one night stand. He says it depends: girls who have one or two one-night-stands are probably fine, but any more than that, and you definitely run the risk of becoming a whore.
When Cam and Andrew get to New Orleans, they meet several natives; however, it’s interesting that only the black man has a “Cajun” accent. Now, I’ve never been to New Orleans, so it’s entirely possible that it’s actually a Cajun accent. But it’s very suspicious to me that all of the white New Orleans residents somehow managed to evade that particular accent. For example, the fun loving, jazz-playing black man, Eddie says to them, “Ga, dere come Parrish!...Galee! You look like dem lad’es in dem magazines, you do!” WHAT?!
In addition to the ridiculous, offensive writing, there’s also just lazy writing. Instead of ending quotation marks in order to add something that is happening out of the dialogue. Example: “I’m giving you advance warning that I’m not going to be your next lay, or fall in love with you (he’s grinning from ear to ear right now and it’s very distracting) or anything like that…” (emphasis mine)
I cannot even adequately express my anger after reading this book. Please avoid it if at all possible, or if you’re in the mood to be infuriated, this is the book for you, definitely. show less
I always thought depression was so overrated, the way people toss the word around (a lot like the L-word that I will never say to a guy again for as long as I live). I never like to see someone hurting, but I admit whenever I heard someone play the depression card, I'd roll my eyes and go about my business.
Little did I know that depression is a serious disease.
Sometimes you read a book that is so bad, it actually becomes entertaining. After a pretty awful day, I decided to read The Edge of Never thanks to all the god awful reviews.
Needless to say, the only reason I got this book is because it was free. Thank you, shop that was closing down and was giving copies away.
Camryn is a fucking idiot. There's no nicer way to say it. She thinks show more every girl who isn't her is a slut, every man who she doesn't fancy is a rapist and believed depression was something people made up for attention. By page five, I'd rolled my eyes hard enough to irritate a nerve, thanks to little gems like this:
Instead of sitting around dreaming up new sex positions, as Natalie often does about Damon, her boyfriend of five years, I dream about things that really matter. What the air in other countries feels like on my skin, how the ocean smells, why the sound of rain makes me gasp. 'You're so deep, Camryn' Damon always says.
I must be pretty deep, too. I wonder about things like why dogs smell like dogs and if they smell different in other countries.
When Camryn's best friend's boyfriend, Damon, forces himself upon her, and when Camryn does the right thing and tells Natalie, her best friend, she is accused of being a "lying bitch" and told never to contact her again...
So she decides to do the most mature thing ever and run away, destination unknown, on a bus without telling anyone. Because, apparently, running away from problems that aren't so problematic if she actually talked to people is the answer to everything.
The Edge of Never is a good example of interesting plot but executed awfully with terrible characters and terrible writing.
He looks gently offended
I'm quietly stunned
He points gently
He is softly amused
My mouth parted with an offended spat of air
We both laugh gently
My face sours delicately
It's very much like the author just randomly picked out words from a hat, jumbled them together, and hoped they made sense.
Well, they don't. Stop it.
Not only is the writing pretty bad, but the love interest? He's the creepiest fuck I've ever had the displeasure to read about. The kind of guy who has been talking to Camryn all of FIVE MINUTES, and thinks she is his "property" and "territory".
I resist the urge to watch her, noticing how soft and innocent she looks, which makes me that much more primal, more protective.
The pervert seems to have stopped watching her when he saw us sitting together inside the last terminal. In the eyes of men, he probably sees her as my territory now, my property.
The kind of guy who thinks this is hot:
"If you were to let me fuck you, you would have to let me own you."
The kind of guy who takes stalking to whole new level:
"When you were in the bathroom the next morning and I gave you two minutes to get ready..."
"Yeah, I remember. What did you do?"
He smiles nervously. "I sort of took a picture of your driver's license with my phone."[...]"I just wanted to make sure I knew how to find you again," he confesses.
And of course, instead of running for the hills, Camryn thinks that is the SWEETEST, MOST ADORABLE THING EVAAAA!1!!!!1!ONE!
Camryn is the sort of cute you want to high five in the face with a shovel. Andrew is the sort of hot you want to roast on a BBQ, not sleep with.
Speaking of sex, the scenes were incredibly cringey and awful.
"Lick my pussy! Goddamnit, Andrew, lick my fucking pussy!"
And, of course, there is a TERRIBLE tragedy, because it wouldn't be cheap, "heartbreaking" New Adult without a tragedy, amirite? I mean, what happened to HEAs? And OF COURSE the TERRIBLE TRAGEDY is easily resolved in like two pages and everything is fine and dandy, which really begs the question: what was the point in including it in the first place?
It was really sickening, actually, how Andrew didn't tell Camryn he had a tumour and might die. That was the most selfish thing I've ever heard. She only found out when he had a goddamn seizure. What the fuck? That's romantic, not telling someone you're dying, that you have cancer?
Well done on being a Class A Dickwad, Andrew. Really.
ZERO STARS. show less
Simply put, words have not yet been invented to adequately describe how I feel about this novel. As jumbled emotions course throughout my veins, my heart tries to put itself back together. Music plays in the background, singing of millions of dreams, and the sound of a song when it hits you just right. I zero in on the story as I try to coax the thoughts from my head and to do this book the justice it so rightly deserves. I won’t allow myself to move on until this is finished, I won’t move from this spot, as if I could even if I wanted to.
Depression is pain in its purest form and I would do anything to be able to feel an emotion again. Any emotion at all. Pain hurts, but pain that’s so powerful that you can’t feel anything show more anymore, that’s when you start to feel like you’re going crazy.
I loved the way this book allowed me to move slowly along with them, making discoveries of my own as they did, falling deeper into bliss. It wasn’t filled with needless drama, but trust me when I say you will be swept away from the very first page. I found myself looking down at the percentage, dreading that surely it must be over, only to find out there was so much more story to experience. I felt as if I had known Camryn and Andrew forever and I wasn’t ready to let them go.
“Pain is pain, babe.” Every time he calls me ‘babe’ I notice it more than anything else he says. “Just because one person’s problem is less traumatic than another’s doesn’t mean they’re required to hurt less.”
There are so many layers to Camryn and Andrew, and I found myself falling in love all over again. I’ve read this story three times now, and I feel as if I not only get to know them better each time, but learn new things I didn’t notice before. I am going to try to do this review a little differently, and mainly just speak about how they made me feel. I don’t even want to give away small details, for this is truly a journey you must experience with them, and come to your own conclusions. This story left me contemplative, and it echoed in my soul. But isn’t that what we want out of a book? To make us think? I know the ones that stick with me surely do, floating around in my subconscious, waiting for the seeds to take root.
“I think I’ve been afraid most of my life to be myself.”
The despair I felt for a good portion of the book was incalculable. How do you measure what another is going through when they put on a happy face? I can honestly tell you that the ones that appear to have it all together are usually the ones who need a helping hand the most. We all need that human connection. We need to feel as if there is someone out there that cares whether we live or die. We need validation that we have some worth in this world. But most of all, we just need to love and be loved in return. Yes, I just went Moulin Rouge on you
I just stare breathless across the space, letting Andrew’s voice course through every loft and bone in my body. It’s like irresistible poison: I’m mesmerized by the way it’s making me feel though it has the potential to crush my soul and I drink it down anyway.
This is a story that will resonate to your core, to your very essence. Whom among us cannot relate to being at a point in your life where you aren’t really sure of which direction to go. Unsure of your thoughts, you know you have to do something, ANYTHING, and knowing that it will likely change the course of the remainder of your years. All too often, in fear of making the wrong choice, we choose to do nothing, choose to do what is expected of us. But the brave ones? They set sail, lifting their feet into the air, going wherever the wind may take them. This isn’t just a story about a road trip. Oh no, it is SO much more than that. It is a journey of self discovery, of coming to terms with the past, of embracing the future.
The heart always wins out over the mind. The heart, although reckless and suicidal and a masochist all on its own, always gets its own way. The mind may be what’s best, but I don’t give a shit what my mind is telling me anymore. Right now, I just want to live in the moment.
I’ve only given this rating to one other book before, but The Edge of Never, without a single doubt, belongs in this category. So nice I rated it twice = 10 soul-searching, heart-breaking, life-affirming stars! Though I don’t know where the road will take them, they will forever have a home in my heart. show less
Depression is pain in its purest form and I would do anything to be able to feel an emotion again. Any emotion at all. Pain hurts, but pain that’s so powerful that you can’t feel anything show more anymore, that’s when you start to feel like you’re going crazy.
I loved the way this book allowed me to move slowly along with them, making discoveries of my own as they did, falling deeper into bliss. It wasn’t filled with needless drama, but trust me when I say you will be swept away from the very first page. I found myself looking down at the percentage, dreading that surely it must be over, only to find out there was so much more story to experience. I felt as if I had known Camryn and Andrew forever and I wasn’t ready to let them go.
“Pain is pain, babe.” Every time he calls me ‘babe’ I notice it more than anything else he says. “Just because one person’s problem is less traumatic than another’s doesn’t mean they’re required to hurt less.”
There are so many layers to Camryn and Andrew, and I found myself falling in love all over again. I’ve read this story three times now, and I feel as if I not only get to know them better each time, but learn new things I didn’t notice before. I am going to try to do this review a little differently, and mainly just speak about how they made me feel. I don’t even want to give away small details, for this is truly a journey you must experience with them, and come to your own conclusions. This story left me contemplative, and it echoed in my soul. But isn’t that what we want out of a book? To make us think? I know the ones that stick with me surely do, floating around in my subconscious, waiting for the seeds to take root.
“I think I’ve been afraid most of my life to be myself.”
The despair I felt for a good portion of the book was incalculable. How do you measure what another is going through when they put on a happy face? I can honestly tell you that the ones that appear to have it all together are usually the ones who need a helping hand the most. We all need that human connection. We need to feel as if there is someone out there that cares whether we live or die. We need validation that we have some worth in this world. But most of all, we just need to love and be loved in return. Yes, I just went Moulin Rouge on you
I just stare breathless across the space, letting Andrew’s voice course through every loft and bone in my body. It’s like irresistible poison: I’m mesmerized by the way it’s making me feel though it has the potential to crush my soul and I drink it down anyway.
This is a story that will resonate to your core, to your very essence. Whom among us cannot relate to being at a point in your life where you aren’t really sure of which direction to go. Unsure of your thoughts, you know you have to do something, ANYTHING, and knowing that it will likely change the course of the remainder of your years. All too often, in fear of making the wrong choice, we choose to do nothing, choose to do what is expected of us. But the brave ones? They set sail, lifting their feet into the air, going wherever the wind may take them. This isn’t just a story about a road trip. Oh no, it is SO much more than that. It is a journey of self discovery, of coming to terms with the past, of embracing the future.
The heart always wins out over the mind. The heart, although reckless and suicidal and a masochist all on its own, always gets its own way. The mind may be what’s best, but I don’t give a shit what my mind is telling me anymore. Right now, I just want to live in the moment.
I’ve only given this rating to one other book before, but The Edge of Never, without a single doubt, belongs in this category. So nice I rated it twice = 10 soul-searching, heart-breaking, life-affirming stars! Though I don’t know where the road will take them, they will forever have a home in my heart. show less
WHAT? WHAT?
I don't feel like my thoughts are coherent enough to even write this review but I have to talk about it somewhere!
This is, hands down, one of the best books I've read this year! Not just because of how original, emotional and brilliant the story is, and not because I'm a huge sucker for road-trip/traveling stories, but it's written in exactly the way I like it and I am just blown away by it.
Actually, I'm writing this on zero sleep because I got the "one more chapter" disease reading it - I really just wanted to read the first chapter while getting ready to go to bed to see if I'd like it...and see how that turned out!
Andrew is the perfect hero! I have never said this before, and probably never will again, but yeah, he really show more was perfect. He is a genuinely nice guy with just the right amount of cockiness, but there are just so many more layers than that to his character. You seriously can't help but fall in love with him and everything about him!
I loved Cam, too. She is strong but fragile at the same time, and honestly, I admired her bravery to just get away from everything and leave. I love it that she breaks all her rules and doesn't fight herself breaking them.
And I loved their banter and camaraderie, the way they were teasing each other (the pool playing scene? brilliant.) the chemistry between Cam and Andrew was just...perfect. Somehow their relationship progressed in very realistic way and I really really liked that.
So many feelings about this.
You don't see the twist coming at all, at least not one like that. I mean, I guessed there was something going on, but it kind of all comes crashing down when you least expect it with a BAM! and it's a lot to take in.
The last two chapters made me gasp and cry in turns.
At one point I started toying with the idea that there is some secret authors' agenda to stop giving their characters a HEA since I've read so many books with sad endings lately.
No, I actually have to say it: when I read the end of that letter I was sobbing so hard it was hard for me to breathe. Then the last chapter starts and it's so melancholic and then...then I started crying even harder because yeah, b l o w n a w a y...happy tears, though.
I mean, just wow. The pacing of this is perfect, the switching of POV was unexpected but welcomed - I was concerned about this in the beginning, but really, the author handles it perfectly, she gives these two characters two completely different voices! Oh and yeah, some of the best sex scenes I've read in a while.
I haven't read anything by J.A. Redmerski before but I will definitely try to, now that I've seen what she can do! show less
I don't feel like my thoughts are coherent enough to even write this review but I have to talk about it somewhere!
This is, hands down, one of the best books I've read this year! Not just because of how original, emotional and brilliant the story is, and not because I'm a huge sucker for road-trip/traveling stories, but it's written in exactly the way I like it and I am just blown away by it.
Actually, I'm writing this on zero sleep because I got the "one more chapter" disease reading it - I really just wanted to read the first chapter while getting ready to go to bed to see if I'd like it...and see how that turned out!
Andrew is the perfect hero! I have never said this before, and probably never will again, but yeah, he really show more was perfect. He is a genuinely nice guy with just the right amount of cockiness, but there are just so many more layers than that to his character. You seriously can't help but fall in love with him and everything about him!
I loved Cam, too. She is strong but fragile at the same time, and honestly, I admired her bravery to just get away from everything and leave. I love it that she breaks all her rules and doesn't fight herself breaking them.
And I loved their banter and camaraderie, the way they were teasing each other (the pool playing scene? brilliant.) the chemistry between Cam and Andrew was just...perfect. Somehow their relationship progressed in very realistic way and I really really liked that.
So many feelings about this.
You don't see the twist coming at all, at least not one like that. I mean, I guessed there was something going on, but it kind of all comes crashing down when you least expect it with a BAM! and it's a lot to take in.
The last two chapters made me gasp and cry in turns.
No, I actually have to say it: when I read the end of that letter I was sobbing so hard it was hard for me to breathe. Then the last chapter starts and it's so melancholic and then...then I started crying even harder because yeah, b l o w n a w a y...happy tears, though.
I mean, just wow. The pacing of this is perfect, the switching of POV was unexpected but welcomed - I was concerned about this in the beginning, but really, the author handles it perfectly, she gives these two characters two completely different voices! Oh and yeah, some of the best sex scenes I've read in a while.
I haven't read anything by J.A. Redmerski before but I will definitely try to, now that I've seen what she can do! show less
BookNook —; Young Adult book reviews
The biggest mistake I made with The Edge of Never was reading it on an airplane. I was okay for the first half of the book, but once I hit the 50% mark, things got embarrassing. When I reached the hot sex scene, I was giggling, blushing, tingling, squirming, and desperately trying to hide my Kindle from wandering eyes. When I got to the end of the book, I was fighting back tears and hiding behind my Kindle so that the people sitting next to me wouldn't see my watering eyes. When I burst out into giggles, everyone stared at me. And nobody gets it. Nobody gets how books like The Edge of Never are so awesome that they can make you crazy in public.
—Andrew, The Edge of Never by J.A. Rredmerski
It's safe to say that The Edge of Never was everything I hoped it would be and more! It's heartbreaking, it's romantic, it's wild, it's spontaneous, and Andrew is all kinds of sexy!! Oh, and this book is fucking hilarious. Period. I have 20 "pages" of highlights on my Kindle—almost all of which are funny lines or scenes that made me laugh out loud! The rest are sweet, meaningful quotes that had me pondering everything from true love, to fate, to the meaning of life.
I know I touched on this before, but I have to say it again: ANDREW IS HOT! He's so sweet, so swoony, so bad boy-esque, and the perfect book boyfriend! I love how he had a bit of bad boy in him—tattoos and a protective streak that got a little violent—but for the most part he was just a really sweet guy. A lot of books these days have a guy who's mostly that violent, scary, one night stand bad boy, with a tiny bit of sweetness, but Andrew was the other way around. He was mostly the sweet, philosophical (without being cheesy), live-in-the-moment kind of guy, but had a tiny bit of that bad boy in him. This made him the PERFECT book boyfriend! Not like those too controlling, annoying jerk faces. Sometimes I love those guys too, but Andrew was more than just a thrilling bad boy. He was actually boyfriend material! Or, hell—husband material.
The romance in this book is very, very slow building, hot, passionate, and will rock your world! I mean, they do fall in love kind of quickly, since they meet on a road trip and that's their romance, but it doesn't feel quick at all. It's 426 pages of indifference, interest, friendship, slow building trust, hesitant more-than-friendship, and finally, a full-powered knock-you-over head-over-heels ROMANCE! The progression from strangers, to acquaintances, to friends, to lovers is FABULOUS! You will love every second of it. I was mentally screaming, cheering for them, and egging them on. It was epic.
And those sex scenes... YEESHH!! Honestly, there weren't as many sex scenes as I thought there would be, but the ones that were there were positively delicious. I kept glancing around the airplane to see if people could tell I was reading some epic hotness dripping with lust. I was all self-conscious about it. WAS I SMILING TOO MUCH?? DID I LOOK HORNY?? COULD PEOPLE TELL??
Also, I had no idea that we would get to read from BOTH characters' points of view. That was awesome! I loved getting inside Andrew's head. Of course, Camryn was great too, but there's something really mysterious about a boy's mind.. since I'm not a boy, and all that. But both characters were brilliant narrators!
I really love the way the plot line tined into the characters. Camryn and Andrew are both on the run. They're trying to escape their lives and run away from the difficulties, and they're doing it in the form of a road trip! There was something so sweet about them helping each other along the way and experiencing new things together. Through the road trip experiences, they pushed each other to the edge, did things they never thought they'd get the chance to do, and came out better for it.
The Edge of Never is beyond powerful. It's so full of love, loss, hope, desperation, and an insanely sweet and hilarious romance. As much as it's about a heart-stopping romance, The Edge of Never is also about finding yourself, learning how to live, not being afraid to speak your mind, and overcoming traumas from your past. I just loved how Andrew and Camryn changed and empowered each other. There was never a dull moment in this story—especially in the second half—and the ending will make you cry, smile, and jump for joy!
» Read an Excerpt « show less
The biggest mistake I made with The Edge of Never was reading it on an airplane. I was okay for the first half of the book, but once I hit the 50% mark, things got embarrassing. When I reached the hot sex scene, I was giggling, blushing, tingling, squirming, and desperately trying to hide my Kindle from wandering eyes. When I got to the end of the book, I was fighting back tears and hiding behind my Kindle so that the people sitting next to me wouldn't see my watering eyes. When I burst out into giggles, everyone stared at me. And nobody gets it. Nobody gets how books like The Edge of Never are so awesome that they can make you crazy in public.
"I don't think you ever really fall out of love withshow more someone. I think when you fall in love, like true love, it's love for life. All the rest is just experience and delusions."
—Andrew, The Edge of Never by J.A. Rredmerski
It's safe to say that The Edge of Never was everything I hoped it would be and more! It's heartbreaking, it's romantic, it's wild, it's spontaneous, and Andrew is all kinds of sexy!! Oh, and this book is fucking hilarious. Period. I have 20 "pages" of highlights on my Kindle—almost all of which are funny lines or scenes that made me laugh out loud! The rest are sweet, meaningful quotes that had me pondering everything from true love, to fate, to the meaning of life.
I know I touched on this before, but I have to say it again: ANDREW IS HOT! He's so sweet, so swoony, so bad boy-esque, and the perfect book boyfriend! I love how he had a bit of bad boy in him—tattoos and a protective streak that got a little violent—but for the most part he was just a really sweet guy. A lot of books these days have a guy who's mostly that violent, scary, one night stand bad boy, with a tiny bit of sweetness, but Andrew was the other way around. He was mostly the sweet, philosophical (without being cheesy), live-in-the-moment kind of guy, but had a tiny bit of that bad boy in him. This made him the PERFECT book boyfriend! Not like those too controlling, annoying jerk faces. Sometimes I love those guys too, but Andrew was more than just a thrilling bad boy. He was actually boyfriend material! Or, hell—husband material.
"If you were to let me fuck you, you would have to let me own you."
—Andrew, The Edge of Never by J.A. Redmerski
The romance in this book is very, very slow building, hot, passionate, and will rock your world! I mean, they do fall in love kind of quickly, since they meet on a road trip and that's their romance, but it doesn't feel quick at all. It's 426 pages of indifference, interest, friendship, slow building trust, hesitant more-than-friendship, and finally, a full-powered knock-you-over head-over-heels ROMANCE! The progression from strangers, to acquaintances, to friends, to lovers is FABULOUS! You will love every second of it. I was mentally screaming, cheering for them, and egging them on. It was epic.
And those sex scenes... YEESHH!! Honestly, there weren't as many sex scenes as I thought there would be, but the ones that were there were positively delicious. I kept glancing around the airplane to see if people could tell I was reading some epic hotness dripping with lust. I was all self-conscious about it. WAS I SMILING TOO MUCH?? DID I LOOK HORNY?? COULD PEOPLE TELL??
Also, I had no idea that we would get to read from BOTH characters' points of view. That was awesome! I loved getting inside Andrew's head. Of course, Camryn was great too, but there's something really mysterious about a boy's mind.. since I'm not a boy, and all that. But both characters were brilliant narrators!
I really love the way the plot line tined into the characters. Camryn and Andrew are both on the run. They're trying to escape their lives and run away from the difficulties, and they're doing it in the form of a road trip! There was something so sweet about them helping each other along the way and experiencing new things together. Through the road trip experiences, they pushed each other to the edge, did things they never thought they'd get the chance to do, and came out better for it.
"There's no such thing as a bad bus ride when you're in the company of something beautiful."
—Camryn, The Edge of Never, J.A. Redmerski
The Edge of Never is beyond powerful. It's so full of love, loss, hope, desperation, and an insanely sweet and hilarious romance. As much as it's about a heart-stopping romance, The Edge of Never is also about finding yourself, learning how to live, not being afraid to speak your mind, and overcoming traumas from your past. I just loved how Andrew and Camryn changed and empowered each other. There was never a dull moment in this story—especially in the second half—and the ending will make you cry, smile, and jump for joy!
» Read an Excerpt « show less
(This review was originally posted at My Library in the Making.)
I usually end up loving the books that I read, but only a few leave me speechless after I turn the last page. I can definitely say The Edge of Never is one of those few.
At first, Camryn was kind of a stuck-up, emotionless neat-freak, but surprisingly, I never disliked her, and that was because I knew something triggered all that control she had. I couldn't help but pity her because nobody deserves to go through life the way she had—completely guarded and hopeless—but I couldn't help but admire her, either, because at least she still went on with life instead of doing something worse, and especially when she finally dropped everything and went off to do something she show more felt like doing.
But most of all, I envied her because of Andrew motherfrakking Parrish. Tall, brown-haired, green-eyed, complete with tattoos and a somewhat elitist taste in music (classic rock, thanks to his dad), this dude had me squirming the moment he hopped into that bus. Sadly, just like Camryn, he had his own emotional baggage, but also just like her, he knew how to handle it, though quite passively, but his spontaneity made up for that.
Their romance did develop quite fast, I believe, but I also believe that two people can't share Camryn's and Andrew's levels of inner turmoil to one another and not develop that kind of bond. Anyway, I loved that even with all the drama they each had, their relationship was fun—god, they doubled me over with laughter a lot of times—and honest, the kind of honesty that comes, not with someone you've known your whole life, but with a stranger.
What I really loved about this book is the idea of two people finding in each other something they didn't even know they were looking for. That, plus the heartful writing in both of the characters' POVs and the humor, already makes me look forward to reading this book again!
MY FAVORITE PART was the jukebox incident at Waffle House XD show less
I usually end up loving the books that I read, but only a few leave me speechless after I turn the last page. I can definitely say The Edge of Never is one of those few.
At first, Camryn was kind of a stuck-up, emotionless neat-freak, but surprisingly, I never disliked her, and that was because I knew something triggered all that control she had. I couldn't help but pity her because nobody deserves to go through life the way she had—completely guarded and hopeless—but I couldn't help but admire her, either, because at least she still went on with life instead of doing something worse, and especially when she finally dropped everything and went off to do something she show more felt like doing.
But most of all, I envied her because of Andrew motherfrakking Parrish. Tall, brown-haired, green-eyed, complete with tattoos and a somewhat elitist taste in music (classic rock, thanks to his dad), this dude had me squirming the moment he hopped into that bus. Sadly, just like Camryn, he had his own emotional baggage, but also just like her, he knew how to handle it, though quite passively, but his spontaneity made up for that.
Their romance did develop quite fast, I believe, but I also believe that two people can't share Camryn's and Andrew's levels of inner turmoil to one another and not develop that kind of bond. Anyway, I loved that even with all the drama they each had, their relationship was fun—god, they doubled me over with laughter a lot of times—and honest, the kind of honesty that comes, not with someone you've known your whole life, but with a stranger.
What I really loved about this book is the idea of two people finding in each other something they didn't even know they were looking for. That, plus the heartful writing in both of the characters' POVs and the humor, already makes me look forward to reading this book again!
MY FAVORITE PART was the jukebox incident at Waffle House XD show less
Wow.... where do I start describing how I feel about this fantastic book. I haven't felt compelled to sit and write a review so soon after finishing a book, for a while.
This book will be with me for a long time. I feel lost and my thoughts have been overtaken with this story.
It just reached in an grabbed my heart from the beginning, taking me on a journey of self discovery, of finding love, of living life in the moment, living life the way you want. This story just kept building the whole way through until I was emotionally strung out and I felt like I was put through the wringer in the last third of the book.
Both Camryn and Andrew have their fair share of trauma in their lives. Each tries to deal with their circumstances in their own show more way until their chance meeting. Camryn is guarded, Andrew is full of life and living on the edge. Camryn is tired of trying to live the life that everyone expects her to. She has become numb to life and Andrew is just the person to bring her out of her self-imposed shell and start living again. What develops is a friendship of circumstance and curiosity. Camryn takes a leap and never looks back. Andrew shows her just how much fun life can be and how much fun they can have together. The attraction is there from the start but both fight it. However, part of living in the moment is letting go and following where your heart wants to go.
"The heart always wins out over the mind. The heart, although reckless and suicidal and masochist all on its own, always gets its way. The mind may be what's best, but I don't give a shit what my mind is telling me anymore. Right now, I just want to live in the moment."
Andrew has a secret though, one that threatens everything. One that shook me to the core.
This book had it all for me - characters with a solid heartwarming background, characters that each had their own strengths and weaknesses that were totally relateable, characters that made you laugh and cry right along with them, swoon-worthy love scenes (yes Andrew is hot!) and a story so well written that it just kept digging deeper and deeper into my heart and soul. I wanted more.
So have you bought it yet??? If not, why not? Start reading now! show less
This book will be with me for a long time. I feel lost and my thoughts have been overtaken with this story.
It just reached in an grabbed my heart from the beginning, taking me on a journey of self discovery, of finding love, of living life in the moment, living life the way you want. This story just kept building the whole way through until I was emotionally strung out and I felt like I was put through the wringer in the last third of the book.
Both Camryn and Andrew have their fair share of trauma in their lives. Each tries to deal with their circumstances in their own show more way until their chance meeting. Camryn is guarded, Andrew is full of life and living on the edge. Camryn is tired of trying to live the life that everyone expects her to. She has become numb to life and Andrew is just the person to bring her out of her self-imposed shell and start living again. What develops is a friendship of circumstance and curiosity. Camryn takes a leap and never looks back. Andrew shows her just how much fun life can be and how much fun they can have together. The attraction is there from the start but both fight it. However, part of living in the moment is letting go and following where your heart wants to go.
"The heart always wins out over the mind. The heart, although reckless and suicidal and masochist all on its own, always gets its way. The mind may be what's best, but I don't give a shit what my mind is telling me anymore. Right now, I just want to live in the moment."
Andrew has a secret though, one that threatens everything. One that shook me to the core.
This book had it all for me - characters with a solid heartwarming background, characters that each had their own strengths and weaknesses that were totally relateable, characters that made you laugh and cry right along with them, swoon-worthy love scenes (yes Andrew is hot!) and a story so well written that it just kept digging deeper and deeper into my heart and soul. I wanted more.
So have you bought it yet??? If not, why not? Start reading now! show less
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J.A. Redmerski is a LibraryThing Author, an author who lists their personal library on LibraryThing.
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- Canonical title
- The Edge of Never
- Original publication date
- 2012-11-13
- People/Characters
- Camryn Bennett; Andrew Parrish
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