Monday 18 June 2012

Review: Double Clutch by Liz Reinhardt (Brenna Blixen #1)

Title: Double Clutch
Author: Liz Reinhardt
Publication date: September 6th 2011
Age group: Upper Young Adult
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Cover rating: 5/5
Content rating: 4.5/5
Buy: Amazon and Barnes and Noble


Description via Goodreads:
Brenna Blixen spent her freshman year homeschooling in Denmark; now that she’s back in the States, she’s determined to make her sophomore year unforgettable. And by unforgettable, she imagined awesome classes, fun friendships, and maybe a little romance. 
What she got was a whole lot of romance, and all at once. 
The same day that dark, brooding Saxon Maclean charmed her with his killer good looks and whip-smart wit, Jake Kelly stole her breath away with his heart-wrenching smile and intelligent, thoughtful focus. 
But Saxon is a proud player who makes it clear that he doesn’t know why he can’t get Brenna off of his mind and out of his system, and Jake’s sweet and humble attitude hides a secret past life that might be more darker and more complex than Brenna’s willing to handle.
Complicating the matter is the fact that Saxon and Jake were once best friends and are now arch-enemies... and the more Brenna finds out about their connection to each other, the more intrigued and worried she becomes.
My thoughts:
I went back and forth for a while about whether or not I wanted to read Double Clutch. I had heard a lot of good things about it, but love triangles are not a favourite of mine and the entire plot of this book is a love triangle. However... wow! I am so glad I read it. It's an instant favourite and Liz Reinhardt certainly has a new fan. Double Clutch was an awesome, fun and exciting novel that I can't get out of my head. It would have been a massive mistake to pass this one up.

Our protagonist is teenager Brenna Blixen, who has just moved back to the US after spending a year with her parents in Denmark. I liked Brenna almost instantly. Her voice is really different and definitely stands out. She's a very sweet girl who has a lovely relationship with both her mother and her stepfather. She's intelligent and level headed albeit a little lost now that she's back in her old town and a very different person to the one she was when she left. This book is about Brenna growing up and trying to figure out what she wants and who she wants.

Then there's the two boys, who are so very different yet very similar at the same time. Saxon is your typical bad boy. He's got a large ego and always seems to speak his mind. I definitely liked him best. While he can be a bit of a jerk sometimes, I found him to be the most interesting and amusing. There's also more to him than meets the eye. I think he's a big softie inside. Jake is a lot sweeter at first and seems like a regular nice guy. However, Jake has plenty of his own secrets and his own demons to battle. I liked Jake but I didn't find him as fun or entertaining as Saxon.

Double Clutch was just brilliant! There are so many intriguing characters and a lot going on. We get to see how Brenna's relationships with her parents, friends, Saxon and Jake grow and change. Brenna is so direct and tough it's hard not to love her. Her life is certainly hectic and it was thrilling to read about. I would certainly recommend this novel and I'm so excited to read the next two books. Also, this book is definitely 'upper' YA as it has some very mature scenes in it.

17 comments:

  1. The dreaded triangle..and of course one is a bad boy..we will all want to save..lol. I am glad it worked..it sounds like a fun read with awesome characters.

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  2. I've had this book for a while too but have been quite unsure about picking it up, love triangles usually put me off a book instantly, but seeing as you had so much fun, it makes me want to pick it up sooner! Lovely review Nicola! :)

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  3. I haven't heard of this, so thanks for reviewing it! I'm so glad that reading it paid off! I like the sound of Brenna and the 2 guys she has to choose between, I think I'd like Jake but maybe not! I want to get a copy of this now :)

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  4. Oh, wonderful! I remember that Lisa, my co-blogger, really liked this one. It doesn't really sound like my kind of book, but I've read quite a few lovely reviews so far and well, never say never, right?
    Btw, thanks for the tip on The Vincent Boys, I downloaded already, and Lisa did, too. :)

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  5. Oh great review, Nicola! I wouldn't have considered this as love triangles tend to annoy me in general, but you make it sound wonderful! Plus I think I really want to meet Saxon. Sometimes the boy who acts like a jerk is usually more entertaining to read about than the sweeter one. ;) So glad you enjoyed this!

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  6. Hm. This is not my normal type of book (die, love triangles, die) but you definitely make it sound interesting. Plus the fact that it is more mature YA is awesome.

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  7. Sometimes a love triangle can be enjoyable. Especially when the guy your rooting for wins the girl ha. Great review, this one sounds interesting.

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  8. You just remind me to pick this book sometime later, Nicola! I read Forgiving Trinity and really liked it. It's a mature YA too, so I think I'm going to love this series! Anyway, love the new cover: SO much cuter! <3

    Lovely review hun! So glad you enjoyed this book! <3

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  9. I love more mature YA stories and great characters so i definitely want to try out this book! Wonderful review!

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  10. I don't really like love triangles either, but I am so glad this one stood out for you. I think this sounds interesting & with it's intriguing characters it sounds like a winner. Amazing review, Nicola, so glad you gave this one a go. :)

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  11. This is the first time I'm hearing about this book Nicola. I absolutely hate love triangles, but I'm very intrigued by this one. It's pretty awesome that the main character's voice is one that stands out. So many characters look similar in YA these days. I have a feeling I'll really like Saxon.
    Thanks for sharing and lovely review, Nicola. :)

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  12. Isn't that always the coolest thing when you go out on a limb with a book and you end up loving it? :) I'm glad that happened to you with this one! The combination of a great protagonist and a bad boy love interest pretty much have me convinced haha. Great review!

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  13. I purchased this book months ago after reading several glowing reviews. I am with you on the whole love triangle thing, Nicola so I am glad this book excels beyond the love triangle and overall it turned out to be an amazing read, I am looking forward to reading this one!

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  14. I'm a character gal so sounds like it might be a match for me when I get some time in my tbr
    Thanks for review.
    Brandi from Blkosiner’s Book Blog

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  15. Hadn't heard of this one before, but it sounds like the way a love triangle ought to be written. Love finding a read that surprises me in a good way, thanks for sharing.

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  16. This sounds like a good book. I just noticed that you categorized is as "Upper YA". I like that - good idea!

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  17. I think this sounds cute. I'm not anti love-triangle as long as it's done well. I'll have to write this one down.

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