REVIEW: Reckless by Danielle Weiler.

Title: Reckless.

Author: Danielle Weiler.

ISBN: 9780987546708.

Publisher: Ranga Books.

Genre: New Adult.

Year: 2013.

‘Are you going to ask me in?’ he replied, a cheeky smile forming on the edges of his lips. Then he leaned towards me conspiratorially. ‘We aren’t strangers, you know.’

Milly Benton wants it all to go away. Wants to flip the bird to the nightmares and her parent’s grief and the incessant questions about when she’s going to make something of herself.

But when her parents exile her to the country, Milly has to cope with her annoyingly helpful aunt and three cousins instead. Bitter at the hand she’s been dealt, Milly has stopped dreaming of a future.

In steps Jerome with his tormented blue eyes. Familiar from her childhood and as broken as she. They need each other. But how can they forget?

  

Review:

Reckless tells the story of Milly, living a life of chaos whilst she and her family are still suffering from the death of her twin brother. Milly makes bad choice after bad choice and did have me tearing my hair out with frustration for the first half of Reckless.

I disliked all the characters so much that I could have stopped reading before I’d reached halfway, but something told me this book was worth continuing and I’m so glad I did!

Reckless picked up as soon as Milly’s parents sent her to live with Aunt Charmaine and her cousins, in the hope that it would force Milly to right her wrongs and make something of herself.

Character wise, Danielle Weiler wrote so well. She did a great job of changing my opinion from hating Milly for being so moody and nasty, with little ambition; ‘How could this girl, ugly and boring, know what she wanted out of life and I didn’t?’ to liking her and rooting for her right to the end.

I thought Reckless developed really well. There were a few twists which I had kind of expected at some point but by the time they actually happened, I’d been so engrossed in the story that they came as a shock to me.

Danielle made it all quite believable too – nothing was too rushed or too ridiculous for me to imagine it happening in real life.

And then there was Jerome…

I know it’s random, but I liked the way he stood. The way he spoke to people. He was different from playing the part of “Christian’s friend” years ago. I don’t know why I ever thought he’d be the same. I liked his scruffy hair. I liked his dress sense. I liked that he knew what he wanted. I liked that he tried to understand me.

Maybe what you really like, is him, my mind told me, and I frowned.

Come on, don’t we all want a guy like Jerome?! I loved his character and his story. However, I did feel like Reckless could have either switched to his perspective more often, or not at all. I think twice the story went from Milly’s thoughts to his, and it all seemed a bit out of the blue.

Overall, despite the start of the book which I struggled to get into, I really enjoyed Reckless. This is the first novel I’ve read by Danielle Weiler, but I know I’ll be back for more.

Rating:

 *I was lucky enough to win an e-copy of this book in a giveaway at Collections. 

Furthermore…

Reckless is Danielle Weiler’s first New Adult novel. She has also released a Young Adult book called Friendship on Fire which has now been added to my TBR!