ARC Review: Straddling The Edge by Julie Prestsater

In STRADDLING THE EDGE, book #3 of the Against the Wall series, Julie Prestsater has the formidable task of turning much-reviled, man-stealing/homewrecking ‘ho Summer McGallian into someone likeable and that readers feel deserves a HEA. I must admit that, despite the effort Ms. Prestsater put into making Summer unlikeable in the previous two books—‘stealing’ (and then putting up with) Shelly’s ex-fiancé Chase, strutting around the halls of Carver High looking like she just stepped off the cover of Vogue, and being particularly snooty to Melissa (who’s generally crass as hell, but hilarious)—I actually liked her and was looking forward to her story. I knew there was a reason for the clothes and the attitude and the presumed man-stealing, and in STRADDLING THE EDGE, we get to learn about all of her insecurities and how she’s been repeatedly made to feel like she needs to change and be someone else in order to be accepted.

After the realisation that Chase is an absolute wanker (which everyone else has known for ages) and the arrival of the summer holidays, we get to witness Summer take off the glamour-girl holier-than-thou façade and become her romance-reading, baseball-loving, beer-drinking, dressed-down true self. She’s really just a regular gal with body image insecurities who’s had bad experiences with men and finds herself with no true friends and the victim of several (untrue) rumours. I liked her before, and while I felt that the transition from her school persona to her real self happened instantaneously (it was seriously like “school’s over; time to stop being the (presumed) byatch!”), I really admired the courage it took to go to Shelly and Melissa—who’d done nothing but disparage her—to apologise and explain the truth behind how she and Chase got together. Watching Summer become part of the Shelly & Melissa comedy show is great fun and will leave you feeling all warm and fuzzy because it personifies the “don’t judge a book by its cover” adage. With people.

I know I’ve said that Matt and Tyler are essentially perfect, but Dean Michaels would wipe the floor with both of them. The man is way too perfect for real life, but I’d absolutely make him my book boyfriend. From the moment he randomly meets Summer at her favourite bar (despite both of them teaching at Carver High), he’s protective of her without being overbearing, sees the real her, and knows just how to treat her to help her overcome her insecurities. He truly listens, plans all sorts of amazing surprises for her, apologises when he makes a snap error in judgement, AND is super hot and an amazing lover. Where do I sign up for a Dean of my own?? Their love story was a bit too sweet for my tastes—I was seriously tempted to check for cavities after reading—and decidedly devoid of drama, but it works beautifully if you like your romances of the adorably cute variety. The best part of Dean & Summer’s blossoming relationship: the meet-the-parents scenes. Both sets of parents are so hilariously inappropriate and adept at embarrassing their adult children that I seriously want to be like them when I grow up. Excellent comic relief to temper some of the sweetness.

As with the previous two books, the narrative is from the point of view of the heroine with chapters from Shelly’s and Melissa’s POVs sprinkled in, so we get to keep up with the happenings in the other couples’ lives and the burgeoning friendship between all of them. The writing has the same polish and mixture of heat and humour as BETWEEN THE SHEETS, with plenty of laugh-out-loud moments but without the immaturity of AGAINST THE WALL. With the short length, the transition from strangers to forever after happens very quickly, but it works well enough for these two characters and makes it easy to read in one sitting.

Overall, STRADDLING THE EDGE is great addition to the Against the Wall series; nothing mindblowing, but another humorous, adorable, drama-free journey to a HEA. Definitely worth a read if you’ve enjoyed the other books in the series (especially if you found yourself disliking Summer), and if you like your romances super sweet. Ms. Prestsater’s next challenge is turning Chase from complete knob to hero in her next novel, and I’m intrigued to see how she manages that.

**ARC provided by Author's Taproom**


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Review: Between The Sheets by Julie Prestsater

I only really started BETWEEN THE SHEETS, book #2 in Julie Prestsater’s Against the Wall series, because I’m a series completionist and I hate not knowing how things end. I’d been only lukewarm about AGAINST THE WALL but had been thoroughly entertained by Melissa, so I was intrigued to read her story. BETWEEN THE SHEETS picks up right where AGAINST THE WALL left off, so this is definitely a series where reading the books in order is highly recommended, especially since so much of the groundwork for the characters is laid in book #1.

I was expecting some more of the same irreverent, foul-mouthed, feels-kind-of-like-high-school-fanfiction lighthearted fun of book #1, but BETWEEN THE SHEETS reads like a completely different book written by an adult for adults. It’s less of a The Hangover-esque romp and more of a straight-up contemporary romance of the I’ve-secretly-been-in-love-with-you-half-my-life persuasion, and it’s astonishing just how much more polished Ms. Prestsater’s writing has become in the intervening time between books whilst retaining that characteristic realness and humour that made it appealing in the first place. Heroine Melissa and BFF Shelly actually behave like adults rather than immature teenagers (though they still have the occasional hilarious gangsta moment that will have you laughing out loud), and the sisterhood between them feels much more heartwarming and real when I’m not tempted to call for an adult to chaperone the two of them or put them in a time-out. This newfound maturity doesn’t detract from what made Melissa such a great character in AGAINST THE WALL that she stole the show: she’s still hilarious and kicks ass, but we get to see a softer, more vulnerable side that adds emotional depth. Like previous hero Matt, Tyler is almost too perfect, but he does put his foot in it enough times in his relationship with Melissa to make him relatable and make you root for the two of them and their inevitable HEA (and wish they would just TALK to each other instead of making incorrect assumptions). Though that bit at the end? Sweet, but way too public for my tastes.

The narrative is again in the first person from Melissa’s point of view, though with the added twist that some chapters are told from Shelly’s perspective. While perhaps a bit odd initially, it really works because we not only get a glimpse of what life is like after the HEA for Shelly and Matt, but we get insight into Tyler’s view of his relationship with Melissa and the issues surrounding it, and what it’s like for Shelly to be caught in the middle having to play best friend and little sister when both parties are keeping secrets. Not to mention the fact that there are definitely things about your siblings’ sex lives that you don’t want to know! The sex is much more frequent and steamier than in AGAINST THE WALL, though not particularly explicit, and is essentially the only time(s) Tyler & Melissa communicate openly. The action takes place mostly away from school, so there’s more of a focus on the dynamics of Tyler & Melissa’s relationship and the issue of distance than on the Carver High community, though Ms. Prestsater does include enough of home-wrecker Summer to set up the next book in the series.

Overall, I enjoyed BETWEEN THE SHEETS more than AGAINST THE WALL. It’s equally laugh-out-loud funny and cute with just the right amount of drama to make it interesting, though much more polished. The shorter length also works in its favour: short enough to be read in one sitting but long enough to provide a complete story without dragging. A fun, sweet addition to the series, and definitely recommended if you enjoyed book #1.

**Copy provided by Author's Taproom**


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Review: Against the Wall by Julie Prestsater

I have to admit that I wasn’t really sure what to expect when I started reading this book. I’d heard some really good things and some less-than-stellar things about Julie Prestsater’s indie Against the Wall series, and having read book #1—AGAINST THE WALL—I can understand why it’s polarizing. I’m still not really sure how I feel about the book/series myself.

The narrative is in the first person, which—with a few exceptions—is generally a sure-fire way to turn me off a book. But the style works for the story, since we are meant to experience everything through the eyes of heroine Shelly Gelson, and getting her take on everything is hilarious. Shelly is a thirtysomething English teacher at Carver High, recently dumped by her fiancé/lover of 10+ years and fellow teacher for another colleague, and still pining for him despite the fact that he is an absolute wanker. Matt Fuller (aka ‘Matty’ to Shelly, which drove me nuts—it makes him sound like a four-year-old!) is the way-too-perfect man and friend who’s been in love with Shelly for years and is so convinced that it’s now their turn for a HEA that he sends Shelly out on dates with other men during their ‘non-relationship’ to cement her feelings for him. The man is so ridiculously laid back about everything that I was sorely tempted to check him for a pulse several times. Then there’s fellow English teacher and BFF Melissa Cruz with the cheating soon-to-be-ex-husband, the hots for Shelly’s brother (the tale of book #2), and the conviction that Shelly needs a man—specifically, the uber-hotness that is Matt—to get over her ex.

The three of them together are hilarious, and the banter and teasing between all of them and the countless pop culture references and nods to the profession of teaching are fun and show the author knows what it’s like to teach high school and how high schoolers behave. But for three thirtysomething adults and professionals, the way they behave inside and outside of school is incredibly immature—I seriously felt like they should have been in high school rather than teaching it. The Against the Wall series is an adult crossover/spinoff with the YA Double Threat series Ms. Prestsater writes (which I have not read), and AGAINST THE WALL definitely read like it was written for (sometimes even by) high schoolers, but with sex and a lot of cussing. Reading about the happenings at Carver High felt kind of like watching reality television: nothing of import really happens, but it’s a fun ride and you find yourself wanting to know what’s next. Therein lies the appeal: it’s essentially a sort-of-R-rated romantic comedy in print—irreverent, immature, lighthearted, and relatable. The characters feel like real people, if sometimes too one-dimensional, and I’d kill for a Matt of my own and Mel as my trash-talking BFF. There’s the friends-to-lovers trope, the in-love-with-my-younger-sibling’s-friend trope, and the other-woman-who’s-(probably)-not-really-a-home-wrecker trope. And who doesn’t want to revisit high school without having to actually relive it and see the other (teacher) side? Instant guilty pleasure!

AGAINST THE WALL is a quick, laugh-out-loud funny, and cute read—not stellar in my opinion, but not bad (though I did find the attitude turnabout from hatred to friendship with the ex and his new squeeze Summer to be completely unbelievable). Being a notorious series reader with an overwhelming need to see how things end, I will be checking out the other books in the series for Mel’s and Summer’s stories—but they probably won’t be at the top of my TBR queue.

**Copy provided by Author's Taproom**


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