Blog Tour, Review and Giveaway: 3 Sides to a Circle by Jolene Perry and Janna Watts

Welcome to my stop on the 3 Sides of a Circle blog tour by Jolene Perry and Janna Watts hosted by YA Bound.  Click HERE to see the rest of the blog tour schedule!

Title: 3 Sides to a Circle by Jolene Perry and Janna Watts

Published: February 25^th, 2013 by Next Door Books

Source: Provided by the authors for review

Format: eBook

Group age: New Adult

Genre: Contemporary romance

Grade rate: B-

Love is the ultimate rush. Freshman year of college isn't easy. But with a friend like Libby Patterson, it is unforgettable. Libby is honest and fearless and adorable. She's the girl on campus that everyone knows. The life of every party. Infectious and addictive, Libby captivates all those around her. Particularly her roommate Honor and their boy bestie Toby. But three isn't always a magic number. And there's more to this trio than what everyone sees. When Honor finds herself falling for an artist, and Libby doesn’t approve, and Toby finds himself watching Libby more than he should...the sides of their circle become strained. The three are suddenly stretched between friendship, love and taking sides. They must fight to hold on to each other. But the tighter the hold, the harder it gets. Especially when Libby's unpredictability turns dangerous. Now it's up to Honor and Toby to save her from the downward spiral that could break their circle for good. 

My Review

3 Sides of a Circle is an amazing story of three college freshman that happen to find each other and become best friends.

The story is told from the first person point of view, alternating between Honor and Toby.  I always enjoy this format because it allows for a better insight of the characters.  Honor is very uptight, uncomfortable around people and with the way they react to her looks.  She has been a model for years and is conscious of how people treat her after that fact is known.  Toby is a shy, mildly nerdy and an awesome guy.  He falls by accident in the tornado that is Libby and he quickly learns to care for both girls deeply. It was very easy to guess what was wrong with Libby and I wasn’t surprised at all. 

Now, on to Sawyer.  Sawyer is an artist and Honor’s ‘painter’; he is handsome, talented and very… intense.  That’s the best word I can find to describe him.  He is a great guy, but a bit scary if I want to be honest.  Other characters are minor and not explored nearly as much as Sawyer and our circle of friends.

The plot is easy to follow and original.  The story deals with intense feelings and delicate topics, such as mental illness, homosexuality, and hate crimes, but it’s not preachy.  The writing was clean and eloquent and I’m curious to know who the writing partnership worked.  The book starts very funny and progresses to be ‘jumpy’ and erratic, to match Libby’s behavior and the feelings that it provokes in Toby and Honor.

There were two things that I didn’t find believable. The first one was that no one figured out that something was seriously wrong with Libby.  I mean, no teachers (and I doubt that she was getting good grades), if I were her mom I would be visiting at least twice a month.  The second one was that Libby, Toby and Honor became such good friends, to the point that they were almost dependent of each other very quickly; the main part of the story takes place in a span of about three months.  Please note that the story contains language and sexual references.

Overall, 3 Sides to a Circle was a great read and I will definitely look for more books about these authors.

Quotes for you:

“You didn’t even have to tell me the room number. Just follow the nose, it always knows!” she sings…

“…We’ve come to move Toby out, because you smell like… Body odor just doesn’t cover it.” Libby shakes her head and step inside.”

“I’d do almost anything for Toby or Libby – even though she makes me crazy.  But what does that make the three of us? Odd parts of a circle?” – Honor

“I’ll make myself worth keeping. I’ll be the anchor for you” – Toby

Find it here: Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

About the Authors:

Jolene wears juvenile T-shirts, worn-out Chucks, and eats too much chocolate. She makes up words, drinks Shirley Temples, and suffocates a little without her iPod. 

Website / Blog / Goodreads / Twitter / Facebook / Pinterest / Tumblr

Janna wears juvenile pajama pants, worn-out Chucks, and wakes up ridiculously early. Pen name abuser. Rule Breaker. Trouble maker. Corrupter of youth. In books.

Twitter / Goodreads

Giveaway

What's for grabs:

1 Nook Simple Touch w/ Glowlight - US Only

2 paperback copies - US Only

3 ebook copies - international

Enter the Rafflecopter below:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

*Disclosure of Material Connection: I am a member of YA Bound Blog Tours and a copy of this book was provided to me by the author. Although payment may have been received by YA Bound, no payment was received by me in exchange for this review. There was no obligation to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are entirely my own and may not necessarily agree with those of the author, publisher, publicist, or readers of this review. This disclosure is in accordance with the Federal Trade Commision’s 16 CFR, Part 255, Guides Concerning Use of Endorcements and Testimonials