Review: Cross My Heart

Title:  Cross My Heart
Author:  Katie Klein
Genre:  Young Adult; Love & Romance; Chick Lit
Publisher:  n/a
Release date:  March 14, 2011
File Size/Pages:  415 kb/225 pgs
Source:  Gift from Rosa (Lucy)
Challenge(s):  2012 eBook Challenge; Personal A-Z Challenge; Chick Lit Plus

My Rating:  5/5

Summary:  True love can blossom in unexpected places. This is Jaden pretending not to notice. ...Jaden McEntyre and Parker Whalen are a wrong fit from the start. Jaden is driven and focused, Harvard Med School within reach. Parker has a past—a reputation—and the rumors about his mysterious habits abound. So there’s no reason why, when they're assigned to work together on a project in English, they should discover they have anything in common, or even like each other, and they definitely shouldn't be falling in love.  As they bond over Edith Wharton’s tragic novella, Ethan Frome, the “bad boy” vibe Parker plays begins to dissipate. Soon, Jaden finds herself shedding her own “good girl” image: sneaking around to be with him, confiding in him, and ultimately falling hard for this leather-wearing, motorcycle-driving loner who plays into the rebel stereotype.  Still, Jaden can't shake the feeling that there's more to Parker than he's letting on. He's hiding something from her, and discovering the truth means reconciling the Parker she's grown to love with the person he really is. Because it's possible that his life inside the classroom—everything Jaden knows—is one, massive lie.

Review:  First and foremost, I want to thank Rosa (Lucy), my older sister, for this amazing Christmas present; I LOVED this book.  As a matter of fact, I think love is an understatement!!  Jaden McEntyre is a Senior in high school, who is known for being a goody-two-shoes, very smart, boring (according to Parker), and an advocate for saving the world one cause at a time.  In Cross My Heart, Jaden is months away from graduating from high school and also waiting to hear back from Harvard.  One day when entering class late, Jaden is paired with Parker Whalen for an English project, since everyone else is already paired off.  Now, Parker Whalen is just one big mystery…he doesn't talk to anyone at school, he's a loner, and is known for his "bad reputation".  Despite the fact that Jaden has a boyfriend, she and Parker grow extremely close as time goes by; he teaches her to live a little, not worry so much, and to just do her best, not what everyone else thinks is best.  Things are going great between Jaden and Parker and with their friendship until THE BIGGEST PLOT TWIST ever occurs; I honestly think that Katie Klein is a genius and I would've never saw THAT coming!!!!  There were so many things about this book that I loved/admired…I absolutely loved the fact that an Epilogue was included, but I also love that there was an interview with Katie Klein herself at the end of this book, because I learned so much more about the book.  For instance, when she first started working on this novel, it was supposed to be a screenplay, but when she got halfway through it, she decided to turn it into a novel.  She even featured a playlist of possible songs for the book at the end of the book.  It was utterly amazing.  I would read this book again, I definitely recommend that everyone reads this book; you will literally be on the edge of your seat and you WILL NOT be disappointed!!