Review: The Promise of Amazing by Robin Constantine

The Promise of Amazing by Robin Constantine
384 Pages
Release Date: December 31st, 2013
Publisher: Balzer+Bray
Genre: Contemporary
Level: YA
Source: Publisher via Edelweiss
Rating: 3.5-4 STARS

Goodreads Summary: 
Wren Caswell is average. Ranked in the middle of her class at Sacred Heart, she’s not popular, but not a social misfit. Wren is the quiet, “good” girl who's always done what she's supposed to—only now in her junior year, this passive strategy is backfiring. She wants to change, but doesn’t know how.

Grayson Barrett was the king of St. Gabe’s. Star of the lacrosse team, top of his class, on a fast track to a brilliant future—until he was expelled for being a “term paper pimp.” Now Gray is in a downward spiral and needs to change, but doesn’t know how. 

One fateful night their paths cross when Wren, working at her family’s Arthurian-themed catering hall, performs the Heimlich on Gray as he chokes on a cocktail weenie, saving his life literally and figuratively. What follows is the complicated, awkward, hilarious, and tender tale of two teens shedding their pasts, figuring out who they are—and falling in love.

MY THOUGHTS:

      Cute and full of amazing, Robin Constantine fulfilled her promise and I thoroughly enjoyed the novel. However it did lack the oomph needed to make it a brilliant book. A lot of events were much more dramatized than needed and much more complicated than it actually was. I loved the writing and the how much reality of a high school teenager's life was incorporated in this novel which made it easier for me to relate to some of the events and characters in the story.

       Wren was a character I liked at parts of the book but also a bit irritating at other parts. I liked seeing the way she tried to find who she is and what she wants to do/be. Her life at school and all the competition is something I could easily relate to. The counselors at my school also informs us the ivy league schools is way above us or at least doesn't expect us to get in even the person has a very high GPA, grades, amazing extracurricular and volunteering hours. It's hard and being with smart friends who got into this fantastic club thing is something that I would expect to be hard on Wren. However Wren is determined, a bit impulsive at times, but she will do her best at anything she needs to do.

      Grayson is the ideal private school, rich, blazer-wearing guy I would love to have in my life. A bit broken, he's dealing with issues that I deem a bit predictable but it worked well with the story. I absolutely love how Grayson and Wren meet! It's adorable and they're just too cute! They balance each other out and show a different side of them. There were times when Grayson was total jerk especially when he wouldn't tell her the truth which would have come out sometime and it honestly would have been easier for both of them if he just did. Project Amsterdam was something that was also over emphasized and not that big of a deal than it was made to seem. It kinda left me disappointed since all the suspenseful was unnecessary. The climax of the novel was also waaaaaay too serious and a could have been avoided or at least downplayed and just set as an event in the book not the climax of the whole thing.

     The Promise of Amazing is one for contemporary readers. While I did have some issues with it, some of you guys might not have the same problems and would enjoy it more so than you think. A cute story, Robin Constantine did manage to make me "awww" at points in the book and I will be on the look out for any other books of hers. Happy Readings!