Title: The Color of Grace
Author: Linda Kage
Genre: Young Adult Contemporary Romance
Format: Paperback, 333 pages; eBook
Published: September 1st 2012 by Whiskey Creek Press (first published August 1st 2012)
When my mother remarried after thirteen years of being a widow, I had to move to a new town and enroll in a new school. Suddenly thrust into an entirely different kind of life, I just wanted to go home. I didn’t want to meet new people, didn’t want to leave my old friends, didn’t want to become a third wheel to my mom and her husband….and I really didn’t want to see Ryder Yates again. Ugh, I still don’t know why I turned down that too-good-to-be-true boy who flirted with me when we were attending separate schools.
But honestly, it wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be. It was worse.
Who knew becoming lost in a new life could help a girl find her true colors?
But honestly, it wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be. It was worse.
Who knew becoming lost in a new life could help a girl find her true colors?
To be honest I really didn't expect to enjoy this book that much. The synopsis didn't do much for me and I didn't like the cover either (sorry). I was only interested because I'm always looking for the next best YA contemporary romance. But just 4% into the book (says my Kindle app)... MAN WAS I HOOKED. You know how they say never to judge a book by it's cover? Totally true!
Five reasons why you should add The Color of Grace to your TBR pile:
Grace. Linda Kage created such a relatable and lovable main character in the form of Grace Indigo. She's a total nerd (her group of friends are is called the nerd herd) but she's not socially awkward in any way... except maybe when she first met Ryder. What I loved about Grace was how she dealt with all the craziness around her. She used to be a nerd until she moved to a new school. She didn't necessarily become cool but she did get labeled cool by association. She started hanging out with the cool kids, and two totally hot guys were fighting over her (although it's not because both like her, the other one's just trying to piss Ryder off) but she didn't lose sight of who she truly was. I just hate it when female protagonists go down the Cady Heron route (you know, Mean Girls). It makes for a good story, but often times I just get frustrated. Anyway, I think Grace was an overall great character. I loved her from start to finish.
Ryder. Honestly I almost wrote about Ryder first but I had to change it because duh the book's named The Color of GRACE. Ryder Yates. Remember I said the story already had me hooked at 4%? Well, it's because of Ryder. This boy is smooth. Now just to give you an idea...
Ryder. Honestly I almost wrote about Ryder first but I had to change it because duh the book's named The Color of GRACE. Ryder Yates. Remember I said the story already had me hooked at 4%? Well, it's because of Ryder. This boy is smooth. Now just to give you an idea...
“Really?” Forty-two answered, sounding surprised, and not moving on at all. “Not interested, huh? Well, that’s…interesting.” Unable to help myself, I looked up. He grinned, unaffected by my brush off. “What is ‘Not Interested’ anyway? A family name? Irish or something? Hmm. It sounds…German?”
With no other witty lines left in my arsenal of comebacks, I panicked. Tucking my camera close, I spun from Mr. Perfect and scampered off.
“Hey, where’re you going?” His voice, confused yet curious, called after me. “Hey. Why didn’t your mother name you Maybe, or We’ll See, or What’s-Your-Number? That way, we could call our first born Absolutely.”
COME ON!!! Can we all just take a moment to appreciate Ryder Yates.
(moment)
And we're back! Aside from the utter smoothness (that didn't come out right) and obviously gorgeous exterior, what made me swoon and go crazy with the Kindle app's highlighter was how honest Ryder was with Grace. He was very vocal with his feelings for Grace - there were no mind games! Ryder wasn't like most hot/cool guys usually present in YA books nowadays and I liked that.
Grace and Ryder. Like I said, there weren't mind games involved. I mean, sure they were reluctant at first and it took some time for them to become official, but they definitely knew they had something. You can just feel their chemistry and I really enjoyed how cute they were together... even when they were fighting!!! *smiles dreamily*
Conflict. Totally didn't see that coming. Well... along the way you'll somehow know but I didn't expect the climax of the book to be that! I was actually glad the conflict was something off tangent. It was a surprising turn of events but in a good way.
Colors. Every chapter in the book starts with Grace figuring out which color best describes her and I think it was nice reading her insights. I think it made the character building better and it definitely added more depth to the story. But that's just me. It's just that I've never really given much thought to colors and it was nice seeing how Grace characterized colors, all the possible meanings behind them and who she associates them with.
I think the only reason why I couldn't give this a 5-star rating was the last part of the epilogue. It was a happily ever after, no doubt about that. Sometimes I like seeing a story follow through in the epilogue but sometimes I like leaving some things to my fantasies... and that's why I wasn't so happy with the ending. I felt like I was being teased! :-(
No, I can't explain myself further because I'll only end up spoiling it for you.
Yes, I still think it's a great read.
No, I do not ship Ryder and Grace.
Yes, I wish the YA book gods would bring Ryder Yates to life because I ship Ryder and me. HA
(moment)
And we're back! Aside from the utter smoothness (that didn't come out right) and obviously gorgeous exterior, what made me swoon and go crazy with the Kindle app's highlighter was how honest Ryder was with Grace. He was very vocal with his feelings for Grace - there were no mind games! Ryder wasn't like most hot/cool guys usually present in YA books nowadays and I liked that.
Grace and Ryder. Like I said, there weren't mind games involved. I mean, sure they were reluctant at first and it took some time for them to become official, but they definitely knew they had something. You can just feel their chemistry and I really enjoyed how cute they were together... even when they were fighting!!! *smiles dreamily*
Conflict. Totally didn't see that coming. Well... along the way you'll somehow know but I didn't expect the climax of the book to be that! I was actually glad the conflict was something off tangent. It was a surprising turn of events but in a good way.
Colors. Every chapter in the book starts with Grace figuring out which color best describes her and I think it was nice reading her insights. I think it made the character building better and it definitely added more depth to the story. But that's just me. It's just that I've never really given much thought to colors and it was nice seeing how Grace characterized colors, all the possible meanings behind them and who she associates them with.
I think the only reason why I couldn't give this a 5-star rating was the last part of the epilogue. It was a happily ever after, no doubt about that. Sometimes I like seeing a story follow through in the epilogue but sometimes I like leaving some things to my fantasies... and that's why I wasn't so happy with the ending. I felt like I was being teased! :-(
No, I can't explain myself further because I'll only end up spoiling it for you.
Yes, I still think it's a great read.
No, I do not ship Ryder and Grace.
Yes, I wish the YA book gods would bring Ryder Yates to life because I ship Ryder and me. HA
My Rating:
(Refer to rating system)
About the author
Linda Kage
I grew up on a dairy farm in the Midwest as the youngest of eight children. Now I live in Kansas with my husband, daughter, and our nine cuckoo clocks. My life's been blessed with lots of people to learn from and love. Writing's always been a major part my world, and I'm so happy to finally share some of my stories with other romance lovers.
CONTACT INFORMATION
***I received an e-copy of this book for review.***
This review is based solely on my opinion.
Great book review! I especially like your insightful comments about Ryder's emotional honesty & vulnerability when you say, "What made me swoon and go crazy with the Kindle app's highlighter was how honest Ryder was with Grace. He was very vocal with his feelings for Grace - there were no mind games! Ryder wasn't like most hot/cool guys usually present in YA books nowadays and I liked that."
ReplyDeleteWow, a real living, breathing guy with feelings he's not afraid to share? Sounds like an amazing book : )
I really enjoy books that have characters that I can connect to and this is definitely one of them. I appreciate you taking the time to read my review. Thanks, Diane! :-)
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