Stir Me Up by Sabrina Elkins

Published by Harlequin Teen on April 1, 2014

304 pages

Synopsis

Cami Broussard has her future all figured out. She'll finish her senior year of high school, then go to work full-time as an apprentice chef in her father's French restaurant, alongside her boyfriend, Luke. But then twenty-year-old ex-Marine Julian Wyatt comes to live with Cami's family while recovering from serious injuries. And suddenly Cami finds herself questioning everything she thought she wanted.

Julian's all attitude, challenges and intense green-brown eyes. But beneath that abrasive exterior is a man who just might be as lost as Cami's starting to feel. And Cami can't stop thinking about him. Talking to him. Wanting to kiss him. He's got her seriously stirred up. Her senior year has just gotten a lot more complicated....

Contains mature content and some sexual situations. Suited for readers 16 and up.

"Fun, steamy, and leaves you hungry for more. Sabrina Elkins nails the vulnerability of becoming an adult and the choices that come with growing up."--Katie McGarry, author of Dare You To

"Cami's slow burn for a wounded hero will rivet readers. I seriously loved this book."--Jennifer Echols, author of Dirty Little Secret

Meet Cami- she’s a high school senior who is half-French and loves cooking. Another thing about her? She’s audacious. Now, meet Julian- he’s a hot ex-Marine recovering from some terrible wounds. Another thing about him? He’s got a major attitude. With Julian staying at Cami’s home and taking over Cami’s room, the two are forced to coexist despite their constant dispute with each other. But that’s not even the problem- it’s when the two start getting to know each other and things start to get even hotter than it was before.

He kisses me long into the night, until my lips are swollen and my heart is full and my hands feel electric.. Once the taste of him is locked inside me, once I’ve memorized the feel of him, I curl up against him and fall asleep.

Let me tell you first about my dissatisfactions before I tell you what I liked about the book. Firstly, I was not very comfortable with the writing. I do not know if it was just my mood at the time but as I was reading- the writing felt a bit strained to me. I felt rather off as I read the first half of the book. While this was not a crucial dilemma, I felt that it affected my reading experience and enjoyment of the book. Maybe it wasn’t the book- maybe it was just me. Apart from that, I couldn’t put myself in Cami’s shoes. While I understood and liked her character for most part, I couldn’t connect with her despite seeing her struggle with things that I could actually relate to.

Just the same, I liked most of the book’s aspects: Cami’s cuisines, her realization of her ambitions, and of course, the romance between her and Julian. I was fond of Cami every time she rambled on about cooking. I’m not much of a chef but I loooooove food. (I mean, who doesn’t?) I really enjoyed reading about Cami’s exploits in the kitchen and I love that she’s not this super cook, that she still makes some faults and has her own slip-ups. Cami also is stumbling her way through understanding what she wants to do in the future and I liked seeing her character development then. Even more, I really liked how Julian was so supportive and so eager not to hold her back from her dreams.

“Julian, I need you. Not in ways you can see. But in ways that I feel. If I’m your life raft, we’re in trouble—because you’re mine.”

The way the author establishes the relationship between Julian and Cami was great. At first bitter, then flirty, then utterly sweet. If you try to forget the weirdness of the fact that they’re actually stepcousins, you’ll definitely root for the two. There’s a lot of chemistry and steam going on here and I really enjoyed it for most part. The ending was good too! I can’t say I was addicted, but Julian and Cami’s love story is a memorable one. If you’re looking for good food and romance, you’ll definitely like Stir Me Up!

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