Wonderland's Reader: Review: Stir Me Up

Title: Stir Me Up
Series: N/A
Author: Sabrina Elkins
Published: October 1st, 2013 by Harlequin Teen
Source: A copy was provided by the publisher via Netgalley. Thank you!

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….

My Review: I totally fell in love with this book. Not only were the characters amazing, the plot was also interesting and engaging and I found myself completely caught up in it. I began reading and looked up only to see that hours had gone by. Not to mention that this book gave me tons of different ideas for recipes.

The story starts off a little slow but picks up once Julian moves in with Cami and her family. I thought the interactions between Cami and Julian were absolutely hilarious. Their bickering was awesome and I loved how Cami didn't let him push her around. She didn't let the sympathy she felt for him affect how she acted toward him. She was a strong character and worked to prove that she could do what she set her mind to. I admired her for that and also for her caring attitude. While she stuck up for herself, you could tell that she really loved and cared for all of those in her life.

Julian was an interesting guy. What happened to him was heart breaking. However, despite all the odds being stacked against him, he became a strong and independent person. I loved how he purposefully made things more challenging for himself so he could get stronger. He perseverance and never-quit attitude was amazing and showed his strength as a person.

This book wasn't all about the romance between these two characters, though. A lot of the plot was focused on Cami and having to grow up and work toward a future. As a senior in high school myself, I could really relate to the stress she was feeling about deciding on her future and what exactly she wanted to be when she was older. I liked how no matter what she was told, she was persistent in what she wanted to do. I also loved the fact that Julian supported her so fully. They didn't let their relationship get in the way of building futures. It was a realistic and refreshing changed from other books I'd read.

My only complaint would be that the ending dragged a little. There was a good thirty pages that could have been chopped off or condensed at the end. I found myself flipping through and skimming because it was just going so slowly.

Stir Me Up was an amazing book with an awesome cast of characters, a fun and fast paced plot, and a refreshingly realistic and relateable story. Pick this one up as soon as you get a chance and get ready to devour a great book!