Series Review: Is this series worth your time? Does it get better as the novels progress? Or does it get worse? Find out below:

Synopsis for City Love (from Goodreads):
Sadie, Darcy, and Rosanna are living together in New York City the summer before their freshman year of college begins. With no parents, no rules, and an entire city to explore, these three girls are on the verge of the best summer of their lives.

Sadie is a native New Yorker. She is hopeful, romantic, and an eternal optimist who is ready to find her soul mate. Then she meets her dream boy: cute, funny, and quirky in all the right ways. The chemistry between them is unreal. Could he be the one?

Darcy is a free spirit from SoCal with rebellious tendencies and unlimited financial resources. Moving to New York City is just another adventure for her. Darcy wants this summer to be all about boy adventures—nothing serious. But how much fun is too much?

Rosanna leaves Chicago for NYC so she can put her past behind her and reinvent herself. The only thing standing in her way is the grand total of seventy-three cents she has saved. Then she meets a guy who wants to show her the glamorous side of New York—a side that she would never get to experience on her own. If Rosanna doesn’t resist, she may find herself in city love.

Told from alternating points of view, City Love captures the moments in each girl’s life when everything is thrilling, amazing, and terrifying all at once . . . in a way it will never be again.

Series: City Love Trilogy
Author: Susane Colasanti
# of Books: 3 (Full Reading Order Here)
Book Order: Chronological
Complete?: Yes
Genre: Young Adult/New Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Heat Rating: unsure
Point of View: First Person, Multiple
Publication Date: April 21, 2015 – July 11, 2017
Source & Format: Public Library–eBook

Why I Picked it Up / My Expectations:

I had read Susan Colansanti’s Something Like Fate years ago and while I didn’t like the love triangle, I did enjoy the cute story. City Love seemed like a New Adult version of the Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants–the book that inspired my love of YA fiction. I also love books with multiple POVs because even if I don’t connect with one character, there is usually someone’s story I become obsessed with.

Why I stopped:

To be fair to this book, I was in a major reading slump when I picked this book up (June 30). June wasn’t a stellar month for reading. Not only did I read less than I normally do, I just hadn’t been wowed by anything (ie no 5 star books). I was really looking for a book to lift up my spirits and I thought this one might do it…but it didn’t. And so I enacted my 50-Page Rule for one simple reason:

I didn’t like any of the main characters!

I find with contemporary YA romances I really have to mesh well with the characters personality-wise to enjoy the story. I think “would I be friends with this person in real life?” and if I say no, then I usually have a problem with their story. Sometimes I have the tolerance/patience to put up with a character I don’t really like but when I’m in a reading slump, that isn’t going to happen.

I just found that these girls were all extreme in their personalities. They all rubbed me the wrong way because they seemed so over the top to me and I think it is because I consider this to be a YA Contemporary and not a New Adult Contemporary.

It’s weird, I really enjoy New Adult novels–they’re my favourite genre–but YA Contemporaries drive me nuts (there are exceptions of course)! I just prefer the darker, more mature and realistic edges NA novels have. And that isn’t to say YA contemporary novels can’t have this–because there are quite a few that do–I just find the problems are what I consider to be “petty” and “high school-focused” whereas NA focuses more on being an adult. I also think I identify more with NA characters because I am in that age group.

So with these three, I just didn’t have that instant bond and I found myself rolling my eyes and thinking “this girl can’t be real”. But I get it! They are young, on their own for the first time in a tempting and energetic city and trying to find out who they are. The shame is that I just didn’t care.

Will I finish it?

Possibly. I feel like I tried to read this book at the wrong time. I needed a book to wow me and this book wasn’t the one to did it. I also was feeling the pressure to read some other books I had out from the library and had to make a decision. Thankfully, it was definitely the right one to pick up a different book instead. So because I enacted my 50 page rule (I got to page 43/230 on my Kobo), I feel like I didn’t give it a fair shot and wouldn’t mind restarting this book to see if it gets any better.

My Rating: DNF

I think if you enjoy YA Contemporaries with multiple character POVs, this is a great one. If you want the more mature/darker edge of contemporary romances,pick up a true New Adult Romance instead.

Read if You Like: multiple POV, contemporary romances
Avoid if You: want layered characters

• Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants by Ann Brashares (Sisterhood Series #1)
• The Flappers by Jillian Larkin (The Flapper Trilogy #1)