ARC Review: Making Headlines by Erin Brown

Making Headlines by Erin Brown first drew my attention with the blurb comparing the novel to Veronica Mars and Greek. I knew I had to read this book because those are two of my all time favorite shows!I was also intrigued by this one because it sounded similar to Deeper by Robin York. While I thought that this book had some really good moments, it unfortunately did not live up to my expectations. I had been expecting so much with what it was compared to, and I think that because of those high expectations this one just fell a bit flat for me. It had a lot of promise, but ultimately wasn't what I had been hoping for.

Sophie Tucker is a freshman journalism student and has her sights set on becoming a hard news reporter. She is excited to set out completing her goals of becoming an editor for the campus newspaper and setting herself up for success. But when a one night stand that she can barely remember lands her face and identity on a gossip site called The Score List, things quickly take a turn for the worst. As Sophie sets out to figure out who is behind The Score List with Luke her one night stand, more girls start to appear on the site and soon not only the campus is paying attention to the site. Sophie isn't sure that Luke can be trusted, but she finds herself growing closer to him and hoping that he isn't behind it.

I liked Luke and Sophie. I hadn't read the first book, Taking Flight, before this book so I went into this story with no preconceived notions when it came to Sophie's character. I realized quickly how some might have a problem with her character if they had read the first book though. I thought that Sophie was smart and witty, and I loved that she was a bit nerdy. She was so determined and hard working, and I really loved her attitude. She didn't let things get her down, but instead chose to keep moving forward. Luke was great as well. He was honest and open, and I liked that he was a really great guy. He was sweet and fit really well with Sophie. I think that these two made a great couple, and I thought that they had really great chemistry together.

While this book had its fun moments, I found it being pretty predictable. I had most of it figured out well before the big reveal, and it seemed to play out exactly how you would expect. I did enjoy the fact that this book was set at the university I attended, and it was fun to see how many details that the author put into this story. It was great to see familiar places and names throughout the book, and I really enjoyed seeing my Alma Mater featured. One large detail was incorrect though, and that was the sorority rushing process. This book had rushing going on after classes had already begun, but the rushing process actually takes place before school actually starts with prospective members arriving at school early to complete the rushing process in the weeks leading up to the start of the semester. While that might seem like a small detail, it really stood out to me when all of the other details had been so spot on. I felt like such a large part of this story centered on Greek life that the change was really noticeable. This book was still good despite that and my other criticisms, but it wasn't what I had been looking forward to or expecting. I think if you are looking for a cute NA story with some mystery and humor that you might give this one a chance. I might go back and read the first book at some point, but I would also be very interested for the author to write a book about Dan and Willa after Making Headlines to see what happens with them in the future.

**ARC Provided by Inkslinger PR**

Purchase: | Amazon | B&N |