Guest Review | Stupid Girl | Cindy Miles

Guest Review | Stupid Girl | Cindy Miles

• Thursday, 14 August 2014

"Only fools fall in love...
After her senior year of high school leaves behind nothing but heartache, Olivia Beaumont is sure of this: She’s no stupid girl. She sets out for Winston College, promising herself that she will remain focused on her first and only love – astronomy. But all it takes is cocky sophomore Brax Jenkins and an accidental collision with a football, to throw her entire year off course.
A quick-tempered Southie who escaped the inner city streets of Boston to pitch for Winston, Brax is known to play way more fields than just the baseball diamond. So, when his name is drawn to take part in his fraternity’s hazing dare, Brax eagerly accepts the mission to take Olivia’s virginity. But he doesn’t plan on falling hard for the sweet and sassy Texas girl who sees right through his bad-boy persona.
As Olivia and Brax battle their feelings for each other, echoes of the past year begin to surface. A boy who once turned Olivia’s whole world upside down reappears, and “harmless” pranks wreak havoc. Pretty soon the aspiring astronomer is on the verge of revealing her most difficult, heartbreaking secret. All the while, Brax must wrestle with the irrevocable dare, and Olivia struggles against all logic as she does the one thing only a stupid girl would do: fall in love."

My edition: eBook
First published: 2014
Pages: 332
Source: TKA Distribution via Netgalley (thank you!)
First line: "Wake up! Wake up NOW!"

Rating: ★★★

"These people don't know me, they don't know what happened to me" concludes vigilant narrator, Olivia Beaumont. Guarded and scarred, Olivia is adamant that enrolling in Winston College will help her move forward and erase her dark history. However, within minutes of stepping foot on campus, Olivia intimately - and accidently - collides with Brax. Braxton Jenkins, dangerous sophomore with the charming qualities of a typical 'bad boy' and a reputation to match.


Beginning page one, Cindy Miles' fast-paced and concise prose is effective yet essential to the tragedy being told. I loved the first chapter. Not only does its significance help develop and form Olivia's character but ultimately, my heart ached for Olivia. I adore tragic twists in contemporary fiction and combined with Olivia's new experience of starting college, I was hooked on the developing storyline. But my admiration for this novel was only temporary.


As Olivia introduces herself to the reader and also the characters of the novel, inconsistencies begin to develop. Because of the tragedy that was inflicted onto Olivia, she prides herself on wearing a pledge ring (“Jesus Christ, you’re a fuckin’ nun?” Brax asks bluntly the first time he sees it) as well as not judging others. Olivia states they are: 'something I believe in personally'.


Olivia's honesty was humble, refreshing and rare. But her vow to not judge others was false. Within a couple of pages, Olivia judges Brax (the bad boy who had thrown himself onto her) continuously:


•    “Brax was borderline pushy. An irrational, irritating, irresistible kind of pushy.”
•    “You’re a kappa phi sophomore man slut, for starters.”
•    “He was pushy and flirty and definitely not my type."


In comparison to Olivia's shy nature, her contrasting roommate Tessa is outgoing, unreserved and confident. Most importantly, it is Tessa who warns Olivia's of Brax's tendency to use women for his advantage. I majorly disliked Brax. I disliked the way his stalker tendencies were excused as being 'keen'. I disliked his toxic attitude, and obsessive nature.  I disliked how he couldn't take Olivia's obvious hints when she rejected him due to his enormous narcissistic ego. But most of all, I disliked how because Brax was a popular good-looking guy with his ’startling blue eyes’, he felt he was obliged to kiss Olivia without her permission. ‘Dislike' is an understatement. I hated Brax's character and everything about him, from his black eye to apparently 'sexy' southern accent, which made 'forget' sound like 'faghet'. Hm...


Overall, I am ambivalent about Stupid Girl. Miles' fast-paced prose teamed with Olivia's backstory were highly intriguing but ultimately, I was left feeling disappointed with this novel and in most cases, aggravated. Stupid Girl has all aspects of a beautiful love story; the damaged girl, the obnoxious boy, placed in a new environment with new experiences, but this book wasn't for me. Preferring a normal or geeky guy to the typical ‘bad boy', Brax's character, attitude and presence slightly ruined the book for me. Nonetheless I would still recommend this book, I enjoyed reading Olivia's passion for astrology and although I don't feel this way myself, I do understand the fascination with the typical 'bad boy' persona.

Favourite quote: "Dozens and dozens of fireflies blinked over the creek bed, like a million stars littering the heavens."

Thank you to the girls at Bloggers Bookshelf for giving me the opportunity to do this guest post! 

This post was written by guest blogger Amelia - find more of her reviews at Wonder Reads
Image c/o Amelia