Sunday, March 4, 2018

BOOK REVIEW for "Tamsin (Hart University, #3)" by Abigail Strom

****(4) out of 5 Stars!

SUMMARY:

It’s junior year at Hart University, and theater major Tamsin Shay knows exactly what she’ll be doing: focusing on acting. She also knows what she won’t be doing:

Guys.
Daniel Bowman knows what he’ll be doing, too. Football, engineering classes, volunteer work with his church. One thing he won’t be doing:

Girls.

When they find themselves in a class together, the arguments begin. He’s conservative; she’s liberal. He’s traditional; she’s not. The only thing they share is their determination not to give into sexual attraction.

What could possibly go wrong?
 

REVIEW:

This is the third book in this series, and the second that I've read.  It was fun to see some of the other characters make brief appearances here and there throughout the story.  It really is the story of Tamsin and Daniel though, and they very much dominated the narrative.  

"I guess I wasn't expecting us to have anything in common."
"...Have you ever listened to Chance the Rapper?  Or the Mountain Goats?"
She's staring at me again, her eyes big.
"I love Chance the Rapper.  I love the Mountain Goats."
"...And name dropping the Mountain Goats is the seduction equivalent of handing me a brandy on a snowy night and saying, 'Baby, it's cold outside.'"

Despite the fact that they seemingly have very little in common, these two find themselves hopelessly attracted and actually enjoying each other's company.  Through a variety of circumstances, including some rather intense exercises for their shared Drama class, they find themselves sharing and learning a lot about each other.  Often, they even approach things from the other person's point of view, which leads to some new perspectives for both of them.  They both also have past wounds that they are dealing with; totally different in nature, but kind of in the same wheelhouse.  It takes the majority of the semester, and some relationship trauma, before they are ready to totally open up to one another and let the other person see them for who they are.  

Daniel is staring at me like I've grown a second head.
"What?" I ask after a moment.
"You said Schrödinger's Cat."
I nod. "It's a quantum mechanics thing."
"I know that, Tamsin. I read science books for fun...  Name dropping Schrödinger's Cat is like handing me a brandy on a snowing night and saying, 'Baby, it's cold outside.'"

The story switches pretty much equally between his and her perspectives in alternating chapters.  Although this tactic has sometimes confused me in similar stories, the author made their two voices different enough that they were easy to discern.  The reading is easy and the writing entertaining, so much so that I basically finished reading it in a day.  I assume there is at least one more volume in this series - covering the senior year for this eclectic group of friends - and I look forward to reading it to discover what more becomes of them all.   
~

I received a free eBook of this title from NetGalley 
and have willingly provided and honest review.

#Tamsin  #HartUniversity

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