Ruined by You by Kelly Harper (Maggie & Haden #1)

• Title: Ruined by You
• Author: Kelly Harper
• My Rating: 4/5 Stars
• Format: Ebook

 

I heard about Ruined by You on GoodReads when I was looking at a list of New Adult books. When I read the synopsis, I thought that it would be a fun, easy summer read. It had an average of almost 5 stars, so I knew I would probably end up liking it a lot.

 

Ruined by You is about a girl, named Maggie, who's from a small town in Texas called Green Falls. Maggie and her parents moved to New Jersey about 8 years ago because her dad found a new job that they couldn't pass up. Maggie's dad ends up leaving them one day, so now it's just her and her mom. When the summer before Maggie heads off to college rolls around, her mom thinks it would be a good idea to go back to Green Falls for the summer to spend some time with their family.

 

Maggie and her mom have to stop at a gas station on their way to Green Falls, and that's where she meets the mysterious Haden. Maggie and Haden don't really talk much at the gas station because Maggie's mom ends up interrupting and forcing Maggie to get in the car so they can leave.

 

Maggie ends up running into Haden again, literally, at a bar called the Saloon. Maggie gets offered a job by the Saloon's owner, and Haden offers to help her out. That's when the whole roller coaster begins.

 

Ruined by You was a wonderful book and I loved every minute of it. I would've probably read it in one sitting if I didn't need to go to sleep. I would say that it's pretty fast paced and always keeps you wanting more.

 

I loved the characters in this book. Maggie was great and I loved that she always wanted to get things done the right way. I also loved Haden. He's a mysterious guy, but that just makes him even more appealing. Haden does have his secrets, but you don't find out about them until the end. To be honest though, I already knew what the secret was before it was even revealed. Then there's Maggie's younger cousin, who I loved. She wasn't a brat like I kind of expected her to be, so that was relieving.

 

Some of the other characters, such as Seth and Kyle, I didn't like so much. They were both idiots who didn't seem to care too much about other people's feelings. I wanted to punch both of them in the face most of the time.

 

Basically, the whole story was great. I gave Ruined by You 4/5 stars because I really loved it, but there were some parts that I felt were either drawn out too long, or didn't last long enough. Oh, and also the way Maggie kept saying how people had such 'soft eyes' really started to get on my nerves. But, other than that, I was a great book and I can't wait for the sequel!

 

Favorite quote: "'I found a beautiful, fire-haired angel," he said. His lips pursed, tight, for a second. "I found you. At a gas station.'"

 

Do I recommend this book? Yes. It's a quick, fun summer read and it keeps you interested the entire time! Oh, and this book ends on a cliffhanger, so be prepared!