Freshman Lianne Challice is known to millions of fans as Princess Vindi. But sometimes a silver screen sorceress just wants to hang up her wand, tell her manager to shove it, and become a normal college student. Too bad that’s harder than it looks.She’s never lived a normal life. She hasn’t been to school since kindergarten. And getting close to anyone is just too risky — the last boy she kissed sold the story to a British tabloid.
But she can’t resist trying to get close to Daniel "DJ" Trevi, the hot, broody guy who spins tunes for hockey games in the arena. There's something haunting his dark eyes and she needs to know more.
DJ's genius is for expressing the mood of the crowd with a ten second song snippet. With just a click and a fade, he can spread hope, pathos or elation among six thousand screaming fans.
Too bad his college career is about to experience the same quick fade-out as one of his songs. He can't get close to Lianne, and he can't tell her why. And the fact that she seems to like him at all? Incredible.
Sarina Bowen
Sarina Bowen writes steamy, angsty contemporary romance from Vermont's Green Mountains. (Her ancestors began logging and farming Vermont during the 18th century. These were rugged, outdoor types without benefit of a laptop or a good latte. It boggles the mind.)
Sarina enjoys skiing, skating and good food. She lives in Windsor County, Vermont, with her family, eight chickens and too much ski gear and hockey equipment.
Earlier this summer, I discovered the great Sarina Bowen through the suggestion of a friend. Little did I know that that innocent suggestion would lead to the discovery of my absolute favorite New Adult contemporary series of all time. Through four novels and a novella now, Sarina Bowen has completely blown away the doors of convention and proved to myself and the entire bookish community as a whole what she can do. With so many incredible stories under her belt, could The Fifteenth Minute life up to the hype?
Heck yes it did. And then some.
I have been pumped for this read since it was announced some time ago. After finishing The Shameless Hour, I was really excited to hear more about Bella's room mate Lianne. The teenage Hollywood heartthrob trying to live a normal existence in the halls of Harkness. How normal can life be when seemingly everyone knows your face and whole life story thanks to paparazzi swarming your life each day? When Lianne meets and falls for former hockey-player-turned-disc-jockey Daniel (aka DJ), her life takes a change for the better. While Daniel may be falling for Lianne, he's got some demons of his own to face. With a harsh punishment on his shoulders for a crime he didn't commit, can Daniel fight his demons and find a way to prove to Harkness he's not the guy they say he is?
I have to say that when it came to the specific plot of this one, I was thoroughly impressed. Each of these novels stands out and speaks to me in ways I cannot imagine. As of this novel, Sarina has really brought nearly each and every college type issue to light that you can think of. This installment really saw the introduction of one social group I really was hoping Sarina touched upon, I only wish it were more. I won't say which in an effort to avoid spoilers, but readers will certainly understand after devouring this read.
As with each novel, Bowen knocked it out of the park in terms of her characters and their development. I've yet to see another author even come close to interpreting the life and times of a new adult in the twenty-first century as Bowen has done. Both DJ and Lianne were extremely believable and extremely fun to read about. Their inner conflicts were realistic and their resolutions were written to perfection. Aside from them there really weren't too many new characters in this one as Bowen had introduced nearly all of them previously. The biggest new additions to the story came from the side of Lianne and her Hollywood life, which really opened my eyes to thought of what NA life is like for members of that class and society. With the pedestal that we place the Hollywood elite upon, it's hard to imagine they face the same issues are we do, but they are human as well.
Can I just say that I wish I had gone to Harkness College? What a fun place to be? The classical architecture, the house divisions, the amount of school spirit and campus pride? Yeah. I can definitely get behind that. I said this earlier, but I believe that Sarina Bowen has written the perfect college setting within Harkness. It's so awesome! I really got the feel that I, too, was attending classes next to these characters! Talk about reader immersion! In addition to Harkness, this novel sees the setting change up a bit when the reader travels to New York City a couple of times for Lianne's Hollywood life and events. These scenes were particularly awesome to read. Anyway, I won't spoil that for you, but you'll see a lot more than just Harkness in this installment!
As you guys can see, I clearly enjoyed this fifth installment in the Ivy Years series. I truly believe that Sarina gets better and better with each passing novel. I absolutely cannot wait to see what comes next for our favorite Harkness characters. All of this being said, I am so excited to be granting The Fifteenth Minute a well-deserved 5-star review. I couldn't set this one down. I highly recommend this novel to all readers of the New Adult genre. Haven't read the series? Don't fret, it can be read as a standalone, but I highly recommend checking out the other novels as well. Add this one to your TBR today!
*****
Check out my five star reviews of
The Year We Fell Down (The Ivy Years #1),
The Year We Hid Away (The Ivy Years #2),
Blonde Date (The Ivy Years 2.5),
The Understatement of the Year (The Ivy Years #3), and
The Shameless Hour (The Ivy Years #4)
The Understatement of the Year (The Ivy Years #3), and
The Shameless Hour (The Ivy Years #4)
by clicking the covers below!
*****
Alright readers, that is all I have for you on the topic of The Fifteenth Minute This entire series is fantastic and I cannot say enough great things! Sarina recently announced a big surprise to her readers that there is an Ivy Years spin-off series in the works. What will that mean for a potential book six? Who knows, but I'll be reading regardless! Have you read this series? Let me know in the comments below! Until next time, Happy Reading!
-Ethan
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