Review: A Different Blue

Stars: 4
Author: Amy Harmon
Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform
Genre: New Adult
Amazon


This might have been a five star read had I read it before The Law of Moses (also by Ms. Harmon), but I didn't, and so some of it felt recycled. Although, in retrospect, I guess Moses was a recycled from this book not the other way around since this was published first...

This is my third Amy Harmon book and I wasn't disappointed. She is writing some quality new adult literature in a landscape that can sometimes be bleak. Her books are pretty tame: closed door love scenes, very little swearing and always a bit of religion thrown in. I don't like inspirational fiction, but Harmon usually doesn't enter into that territory.

Blue is a quality character. Other reviews said they found her hard to like. I can understand that, but she worked for me. I get tired of characters with really crappy lives that are all timid wallflowers hiding behind horrible outfits. Blue deals with her issues using a sexy persona and false confidence. It was interesting watching her peel away her layers as she gets to know Wilson.

The other thing I liked about this book was that even though there is a teacher-student thing going on here, it isn't a taboo book about a clandestine romance. It is a romance, but that doesn't really begin until Blue is fully an adult, making her own choices and no longer a student.

I also liked that Blue is Native American and she's an artist-- but not a painter-- she carves wood, now there is a cool talent.

The reason this wasn't a five star read for me was that there is the...

SPOILER

 accidental, unwanted pregnancy which makes up a big part of the conflict.


END SPOILER

While I appreciated that that was absolutely a situation Blue could have gotten into, I was annoyed since the same thing had happened in The Law of Moses.

There was also an incredible amount of will-they-won't-they? between Wilson and Blue which could have been cleared up by either one of them actually using WORDS and expressing their FEELINGS, but of course neither of them could do that. It takes the WHOLE damn book for them to figure anything out, so don't go into this book thinking that you are getting a full-on romance because you are not.