Insta-Hate by Casey L. Bond Release Day Launch + Review

Hello readers! Ethan here on this Tuesday to bring you another great post. Today I am so excited to be sharing the release day launch for one of my favorite authors, C. L. Bond! In addition to being release day, I'm also offering up my thoughts on the novel. Casey is a powerhouse of an author and I'm so excited to see this story hit the shelves. Before we get to my thoughts, here's a bit about the novel and our author:

Title: Insta-Hate
Author: C.L. Bond
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Cover Designer: Regina Wamba at Mae I Design and Photography
Models: Nathan Weller and Layla Hill
Photographer: Dark Feather Photog
Interior Design: Allyson Gottlieb, Athena Book Designs
Editor: Stacy Sanford, The Girl with the Red Pen
Expected Release Date: May 17 th , 2016
Hosted by: Lady Amber’s PR

When Alexandria Ray’s romance series becomes an overnight sensation, the world and its demands close in on her. After years of struggling to maintain the pace her publisher, agent and the world expects, she needs a break. Enrolling as a student at Columbia University is step one to finding herself again. Finding Arsen Daniel was not on her list.

Arsen Daniel, along with his best friend, built an empire in the form of an exclusive, psychology-based dating service. When an old friend invites him to teach a course at Columbia, he accepts. The course? The Psychology of Love. Sounds simple enough and the publicity alone will make it worth his time.

Arsen didn’t expect to meet his match in the form of a sarcastic blonde, hell bent on holding to her belief that true love doesn’t actually exist. After all, what woman, especially a world-renowned romance writer, doesn’t believe in happily ever after?

Something in Alexandria’s eyes tortures him. She reminds him of someone from his past and that is a very bad thing.

     

Casey L. Bond

Casey L. Bond resides in Milton, West Virginia with her husband and their two beautiful daughters.
When she’s not busy being a domestic goddess and chasing her baby girls, she loves to write young adult and new adult fiction.

In 2003, Bond graduated Magna Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Arts degree from Marshall University in the field of Criminal Justice. 

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*****

My Thoughts:

"It was because I was walking straight towards a future I didn't want and felt powerless to change But sometimes, life changes a person's circumstances. Sometimes, the circumstances of a person's life change them forever."

As a huge fan of C. L. Bond, I knew I was going to devour anything she put forth into the market. While I've been an avid fan and reader of her YA/NA material, I hadn't taken the plunge and devoured a piece of her contemporary romance literature as of yet. When granted the opportunity to check out Insta-Hate, how could I refuse? Could it live up to the Bond name and legacy as her other works did?

It's true Bond, that's for sure! 

I'll go ahead and get the negatives out of the way for this one. While I enjoyed the novel overall, my biggest faults came within the plot of this one. Bond has always captivated me with her twists and turns and unpredictable endings, but this one really fell short of that I was expecting in the end. Now that's not to say it wasn't a good read, it was just far to.... convenient. And honestly unbelievable at points. While I definitely appreciated the landscape of the characters and their plights, there were several times within the story that I found myself feeling less than excited by the sheer predictability of the plot. At times, it really read much like a soap opera, which is a phenomenal compliment in some aspects, but for a reader who is extremely picky with his romance reads, this one missed the bar for me. 

I truly hate to criticize the works of an author I respect as much as I do Bond, but in terms of plot, Insta-Hate really didn't do it for me. Now, that being said, Bond excelled in several other aspects of the novel. 

When it came to the characters, I was impressed from page one. Bond really did an incredible job weeding out the imperfections in each character and really allowed them to come into their own throughout the story. In the end, I was thoroughly impressed with the development we saw within the sub-characters, even if I wasn't particularly thrilled about the plot at times. I was particularly impressed by the development of the character of Lexie. Her development throughout the story really was a selling point for me. Again, at times it was a bit confusing, but by the end, I had developed a great appreciation for the message Bond conveyed through Lexie's development. Arsen was a great character, but I really didn't see the development I was hoping from him by the time the novel ended. In fact, a few of his actions had me really questioning his maturity at times. 

I'm a little conflicted when it comes to the theme of Insta-Hate. It's by no means a 'light' novel, but it isn't exactly 'heavy' either. There were several opportunities within the plot for Bond to push our emotions to the edge and create that lasting impression we often see with NA Romances, however, as gripping as the story was, I never really felt the extreme emotional pull I was hoping for. I do believe that Bond touched on some huge themes in Insta-Hate that will resonate well with its' readers. Themes such as adulthood, facing your past, life, death, family, and love will leave you pondering your own life long after finishing the novel. Hopefully in a more positive light than our characters in Insta-Hate at times! New adult romance readers will be thrilled by the way Bond wraps up the ending to this novel in a nice perfect, happy package. It's one of those stories that left me feeling warm, even if it wasn't a favorite of mine. It's a true testament to the talent of Bond to transcend the boundaries of writing by publishing in multiple genres and managing to excel at them all. 

While I didn't find Insta-Hate to be my new favorite Bond novel, the writing was solid and the characters were written extremely well. While the plot left a bit to be imagined for my tastes, I still found it to be a worthwhile read worth of praise for fans of the genre. That being said, I am granting Insta-Hate by C.L. Bond a 4-star review. Being the first in a new series, I am confident that my issues with book one will be addressed in future installments as Bond finds her footing in this new adventure in publishing. I recommend this novel to any fans of NA Romance or contemporary lit. Add this one to your TBR today!

*****

Alright readers, that's all I have for you today on the topic of Insta-Hate by C.L. Bond, while it wasn't my favorite in the genre, I still enjoyed the characters and the world that Bond built. I can't wait to see where she goes next with this series. Add it to your TBR today! Huge thanks to the author and Lady Amber's PR for allowing me to participate. Until next time, Happy Reading!

-Ethan