Welcome Back!!! It’s time for another Swoony Boy Alert!!
CAN I TELL YOU HOW MUCH I LOVE THESE POSTS?? I love reading your comments and tweets, and it’s so fun to be goofy and swoon right along with you. You’re all lovely and awesome and smart and I just ADORE you. Meep, sorry. Got a little nuts carried away there. Not everyone’s a hugger. Let me just fix your hair…
OKAY. For the newcomers: What are Swoony Boy Alerts, you ask? SBA’s are reoccurring posts in which we, and you, YES YOU, amazing reader, gather around a cup of tea/coffee/something with a fancy umbrella and squeal over our favorite male characters in fiction. They can be old faves (Oh, Romeo), or new boys we’re meeting for the first time.
Up this week: NOAH SHAW from The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer, by Michelle Hodkin. (we had a ton of emails about this one so THANK YOU to everyone who suggested it!)
From the summary: Mara Dyer doesn’t think life can get any stranger than waking up in a hospital with no memory of how she got there.
It can.
She believes there must be more to the accident she can’t remember that killed her friends and left her mysteriously unharmed.
There is.
She doesn’t believe that after everything she’s been through, she can fall in love.
She’s wrong.
**SEMI SPOILERISH**
I just finished this book. Like yesterday. And although I closed it feeling a little confused (it’s the first volume of a series, and I swear there are more questions than answers), it was a great read and I couldn’t put it down.
If you follow me on Twitter, you saw me flailing. A LOT. And this boy encompasses pretty much every single characteristic (both good and bad) that I seem to be drawn to in books. Gorgeous: check. Smart: check. Funny: check. Cocky-full-of-himself-manwhore: check. WHERT? I know I know! But remember, I said in fiction. Because let’s face it, average real life rarely equals an awesome story, and what makes for an awesome thrilling compelling read isn’t usually something you’d want to live through. Nobody wants to read: We woke up and were really, really respectful to each other. Again. amIright? BUT AS USUAL I’M LETTING MY ENTHUSIASM GET AHEAD OF ME. Let’s meet our boy…
“Lolita,” he said, turning my book over in his hands. His eyes widened over the pink-lipped mouth on the cover, then handed it to me. Our fingers brushed, and a warm current coursed through them. My heart thundered so loud he could probably hear it.
“So,” he said, his eyes meeting mine. “You’re a smuthound with daddy issues?” The corner of his mouth turned up in a slow, condescending smile.
I wanted to smack it off his face. “Well, you’re quoting it. And incorrectly, by the way. So what does that make you?”
His half-smile morphed into a whole grin. “Oh, I’m definitely a smuthound with daddy issues.”
Now imagine all that in a British accent. And she’s down. brb… getting the smelling salts.
Mara meets Noah on her first day at Croyden Academy. *button down shirt tie blazer smirk* He’s charming and persistent, but she isn’t interested. And rightly so. Her entire life has been turned upside down (but why??), people are dead (but are they??), her sanity is hanging by a thread (but is it really? see??? SO MANY QUESTIONS) and the last thing she needs is to become attached to some boy who’s rumored to have been with half the girls at school. But like I said, Noah is too charming for his own good and he’s just. so. freaking. sweet. And did I mention a smidge naughty? Yeah.
“Is there any point asking what you’re going to make me do on Sunday?”
“Not really.”
Okay. “Is there any point asking what you’re going to do to me?”
He grinned wickedly. “Not really.”
Fabulous. “Does it involve the use of a safe word?”
“That will depend entirely on you.” Noah moved impossibly closer, just inches away. A few freckles disappeared into the scruff on his jaw. “I’ll be gentle,” Noah added. My breath caught in my throat as he looked at me from beneath those lashes, ruining me.
I narrowed my eyes at him. “You’re evil.”
In response, Noah smiled, and raised his finger to gently tap the tip of my nose.
“And you’re mine,” he said, then walked away.
And just when you think it couldn’t possibly get better:
Suddenly, he crouched down.
“What are you-“
In my rush, I hadn’t tied my shoelaces.
Noah was tying them for me. He looked up at me through his dark fringe of lashes and smiled.
The expression on his face melted me completely. I knew I had the goofiest grin plastered on my lips, and I didn’t care.
“There,” he said as he finished tying the laces on my left shoe. “Now you won’t fall.”
Too late.
*HEARTCLENCH* Seriously, guys, Michelle Hodkin knows how to make you fall for the boy. And if you’d like to experience Noah for yourself, you can OF COURSE order a copy. Which you should totally do. OR LEAVE US A COMMENT and through a complex process (ok, my daughter draws a name from a hat!) we’ll select a winner and it’ll be on its way!
AND stay tuned because we have… wait for it… ANOTHER COPY OF SHATTER ME TO GIVE AWAY. Look for that in our special Spooky Recs post later this week. Thanks for playing guys!
Beth says
Oh, the tying of the shoelaces. That might make me pick this one up all by itself.
Lo says
Jeez why is this one sitting on my bedside table still? I mean, other than the giant to-be-read pile also on my bedside table. I CANNOT WAIT TO MEET NOAH.
Amber says
Uhhhh I can't wait to read this book! I am in the middle of Unearthly right now, so it's all about Tucker and Christian. I've heard that Tucker is the swoon worthy one, but so far Christian is prertty sweet too. I love the blog posts, you girls always make my heart go pitter patter with all these swoony boys!
Stacee says
I was so excited to see your review after we talked about it on Twitter. And I'm so glad you liked it. And Noah.
Fantastic review. You didn't spoil anything. 😀
Now. How do I bribe your daughter into making sue MY name gets pulled for the ARC of Shatter Me? 😉
Stacee
[Ivygirl_702]
Jazmin says
ohmygod, i can't even. I love this. I NEED TO READ THIS BOOK PRONTO.
also, do bribes count ? 😉
Christina says
Seriously. I had to call Lo and let her know how much I loved him. I wasn't sure my level of flailing would be properly illustrated via text.
Christina says
O-M-G. Tucker is… just no words. Don't get me wrong, Christian is a dreamboat, but a boy who shows up on your doorstep and says he's your birthday present? I DIE.
Vy says
Oh Noah. I've read this twice already and made all of my friends read Mara Dyer. I will never get old of Noah.
Christina says
read it read it read it!
Christina says
ok whew! And even though I was left with a lot of questions, I've been thinking about them all day! And isn't that the point?? Why is Noah [ fill in the blank]? Why did we see [ fill in the blank] at the end? What does it mean?????
Christina says
haha! Seriously, I can't wait for you guys to read and tell me what you think.
Christina says
Right? sigh, i love him.
Toni says
This one is already on my to-be-read-and-swoon-over-it pile. It's a big pile.
LOVED Shatter Me! LOVED!
Aneesa V says
I'm currently reading Half-Blood (which is amazing) but The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer is definitely next on my TBR list.
Thanks for the Swoony Boy Alert! I love them all! ;D
Margareth says
Excellent!!! Here I go to re-read the book…RUNING….Awesome post…by the way!!
Rheana says
I loved Noah (like the rest of this book) up until the last 3 chapters, then it all fell apart for me. I'm trying to forget how the book turn a bad turn, and just base my swoon and love for the story on everything up until the climax and denouement.
I will add that a big part of Noah's appeal is tied up in the subplot about the dog. (I'm trying to be vague so I don't spoil!) I also happen to know which celeb photo inspired Noah's creation, and that helps immensely with my swooning!
Christina says
thanks for the rec! Most definitely going on my TBR list. Thanks again, hon!
Christina says
Thanks for stopping by!! xo
Christina says
Rheana I totally understand what you're saying. I thought I had a pretty good picture of what was going on until those last few chapters. And I will say that even though I was left with more than a few unanswered questions, I'm already anxious to see where the next one will take us.
And yes!! I loved his reaction during the dog scenes. And omg please share the Noah inspiration!
Lo says
Rheana? Yeahhhhh, I'm gonna need that picture ASAP. *high fives* Lo
Amy says
OMG. Why the heck haven't I gotten this by now!?
It shall not be put off any longer! Not after those quotes X___X
B says
I'm so glad you guys liked this book. Michelle worked so hard on it. I adored being her beta not just because I love her, but Noah is a big help 😉
Love,
B
Vivien says
I'm in love with Noah….sigh…one of my new favorites! Great post 🙂
Toni says
So I finished this one…and OMG, Noah Shaw had me at hello. Wait, did he even say hello? Ehhh, He still had me.
lemonie1 says
Read it, Loved it …Noah Shaw …. swoon….. hate hate hate that I have to wait for the next book to find out what happens next – Thanks for your review Christina, I,m in the UK so ordered the book from B & N as not out here yet and it was so worth the shipping!
Cami says
OMG when I first got this book I was so drawn in by the characters personalities such as Jamie, lol who wouldnt want a friend like him, and Daniel; he’s a cool older brother that’ll have your back during any situation.
I fell in love with the book right away and by far my favorite character is no other than Noah Shaw. Now I want to by a copy for myself so I can just re-read it anytime I want >///<
Ashley says
I found this trilogy on goodreads and decided to give it a try. I literally read both books in two days because I fell in love, with not only the book, but with Noah. I even informed my boyfriend of my fangirling. I could not get the smile off my face when he was mentioned in the book and literally wanted to skip all the parts where he wasn’t mentioned. ah, love at first read. *sigh*