Fresh Fridays: On Friday, I review a brand new series (ie. only has one book released so far) to see if the series is worth keeping up with. Here is this week’s offering:

Landslide Series

Other books in the series:

Synopsis for Days Like This (from Goodreads):
Sometimes the only thing standing between fear and hope is you.

Almost a year ago, nineteen-year-old Cassie Harlen had a lot to deal with. A stack of college acceptance letters waiting for answers, a proposal from the boy next door, and a mother whose most recent bipolar episode left Cassie hurt and confused. Tired of cleaning up the messes caused by her mother’s disorder, of resenting her mother for not being there, and scared of being trapped by an inevitable future—which included marrying Graham Tucker—Cassie did the only thing she could think of to keep from ending up like her mother: she left.

Graham never knew why Cassie walked away. He woke up one morning and she was gone—along with the life that he’d created around her. After eleven months, Graham has a new plan for his future. One that doesn’t involve Cassie Harlen.

When Cassie’s mom nearly burns down her house, Cassie’s forced to return home. Back to a mother she’s tried to ignore and the guy she’s been unable to forget. Graham doesn’t know how he’s going to spend the whole summer living next door to the person who broke his heart without letting those old feelings push through to the surface.

Neither does Cassie.

Series: Landslide Series
Author: Danielle Ellison
# of Books: 1+ (Days Like This, book 2)
Book Order: Unsure
Complete?: No, this is a part of a new series
Genre: New Adult, Romance, Contemporary, Second Chance, Mental Health, Coming of Age
Heat Rating: warm
Point of View: First Person, Alternating
Publication Date: June 2, 2015 – ongoing
Source & Format: Netgalley–eBook  Thank you Bookish World Press for the opportunity!

Why I Picked it Up / My Expectations:

Normally, I don’t read second chance romances. They’re predictable and often full of cliches and I miss watching the couple fall in love. But lately, I’ve found them to be fairly interesting–especially in the New Adult genre. While the reasons why the one lead leaves is often the same between books, I love the drama, sexual tension and secrets of the past (even if I can figure them out pretty quickly). I guess you could say they are my guilty pleasure NA reads.

But what captured my attention with this book was the fact that Cassie’s mom is bipolar. As a health care student, I really love anything that promotes mental health awareness because it is a serious health concern. When it isn’t plagued with stigma, it’s completely neglected or ignored and that just isn’t cool with me. SO, I was really interested to see how this would add to the story and how the characters deal with a situation that is becoming more prevalent in society.

The Plot:

The plot isn’t a fast-paced, drama riddled one. Instead, it’s a slow burn with Cassie and Graham trying to navigate the messy world of best friends-turned lovers-turned scorned exes. This isn’t as bad (ie as flip-floppy) as it sounds. I actually really appreciated the way they handled things; even if I found them to be naive about their feelings. Nothing is more frustrating than watching people not talk to each other when it would solve everything. But hey, you wouldn’t have a story otherwise so I took it with a grain of salt. As I said, it really wasn’t overly annoying because I understood why they both were afraid to open up to each other given all that has happened to them.

You also have Cassie’s coming of age story, trying to find out who she is independently of Graham, her mom and her friends. Sure, it wasn’t the happiest story ever but it was great watching her learn from her faults and truly work on becoming a stronger person. This story was just as much about character development as it was about the second chance romance and that was just fabulous.

As for its dealings with mental health, I thought it was really well done. I feel like they captured all sides of it: the direct impact it has on the person, the impact it has on their immediate family and the indirect impact it has on friends of those directly involved.

The Characters:

As I said before, this story held a great balance between character development and romance.

Sure, it was frustrating to watch Graham and Cassie dance around their relationship issues but I felt like you learned enough about their past relationship to understand why they were acting like they were. Plus, you kinda sign-up for it when you decide to read a second chance romance.

Graham was a total sweetheart and you could tell he was genuinely a nice guy who cared about the impact of his actions. So that made it hard to like Cassie because she really screwed him over when she left without telling him why. (WHY do people think this it is always a good idea to leave without a word! Humans need closure by nature–why are we so afraid of honesty!*endsrant*). However, I really appreciated the journey of self-growth she took in this book. It takes a lot to admit what your own faults are and even more strength to try and fix them so I really grew to respect her character.

The Romance:

This was definitely more of a slow burn romance. You can tell the attraction and feelings are there so I never struggled with understanding why they cared for each other. Like with all second chance romances, I missed reading about them falling in love for the first time but I enjoyed watching them reconnect and work on building up the trust in their relationship.

It’s your typical childhood sweetheart story but the hurdles they have had to overcome really adds a genuine depth to their characters. I could definitely see this happening in real-life and I liked that realistic element it had to it.

My Expectations for the Rest of the Series:

I’m not sure who the next book is about. I have some ideas but I’m curious! I will definitely be checking it out regardless!

My Rating: 4/5

I really enjoyed this book! Once I was into it, I had a hard time putting it down because I really loved watching the journey these two characters took. It was refreshing to read a New Adult novel that focused more on self-growth than it did on sex. I also loved the mental health aspect–it was really well done and eye opening.

Read if You Like: second chance romances, stories dealing with mental health, childhood sweetheart romances
Avoid if You: want more passion (ie sex scenes), don’t like coming of age stories/vibes

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