White Fur by Jardine Libaire is a raw, courageous, bittersweet, and almost nothing is held back read. I received this novel for free by Net Galley for an honest review. The first few pages seemed to drag a bit, but then the pace picked up, as the relationship between Jamey and Elise did. The setting in the mid-eighties in thru new Haven, Manhattan then to New York city.. Elise grew up depending upon herself, growing up in a household where parents were not there for her, and left home seeking for something else. Jamey, a son of actress who breezes into his life once in while, and father, who does not seem to know how to connect with his own flesh and blood. Despite the fact that Elise and Jamey come from different worlds, they are bound and determined to make it work.. Not to mention both main characters even among their flaws, even when of how at times Jamey was not to sure of relationship with Elsie, of how he fought against his "upbringing". to see past the typical ideals set up by his family. I liked the rawness of the book.

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/32025142-white-fur

I could not get into this book and was unable to even read half. I cannot give a review based on that.

Gritty Modern 80's style Romeo and Juliet type story.

It is worth the read, but we have seen a lot of this before. It is the familiar story of two people, from different walks of life, that find each other and fall in love. We see the ups and downs, how others can impact and play a role in our relationships. There are some interesting twists in the plot. There are also some very bad writing or clunky, awkward sentences. It is a quick read and I like the feeling of the book. It would make a great book to add to your beach/summer reading list.

Overall, I didn't see much of a point to this book. It didn't really start picking up until the last portion, and even then, the ending just fell flat.

Set over the course of a year in 1986, 'White Fur' follows in monthly instalments the highs and lows of the relationship between Elise Perez and Jamey Hyde.
Written in third person dual POV narratives I found it easy to read with short paragraphed chapters, easy to pick up and put down at any point. Not a format, I appreciate will suit everyone but then again there's a a lot about White Fur that isn't going to be to everyone liking. More on that shortly.

Elise Perez comes from the poor housekeeping projects in New York City; doesn't know who her father is; doesn't attend school, and takes care of her half siblings while her mother shirks parental responsibilities to be with her abusive boyfriend. Elise makes a difficult decision to move out of the family home leaving her sisters in the care of her mother and boyfriend.

Jamie Hyde is a privileged rich kid attending Yale; shares a flat with his lifelong best friend and flatmate next to where Elise is now staying with a gay friend.
Jamey is rich and going places. He has class, breeding, is reserved and knows how to behave in polite company.
Elise has had a rough abusive life and lived the life of hard knocks. She is tough, a fighter, a force to be reckoned with, has no airs or graces. If someone's a dick she'll tell them they're a dick !

As a couple they're an odd mix, culturally and racially and have absolutely nothing in common, but there is a spark between them at their first meeting which continues to smoulder and flame. Their relationship is wild, explosive and sexually charged. She is wild, passionate and exhaustative sexually, a contrast to his previous inexperienced relationships. He's never met anyone quite like Elise. She makes him feel special and that she will do anything for him whenever he wants her to. Jamey is obsessed with her but equally frustrated by his inability to ignore this attraction and seems to resent her for it.

As their relationship matures and they learn more about themselves and each other the frantic sex gives way to a deeper intensity of emotions and understanding but as friends and family become increasingly involved and determined to drive a wedge between them will they be able to remain steadfast.

By way of a warning a good first half of the story describes graphically detailed sex scenes. Some readers may have difficulty here with such explicit powerful imagery projected, however it gives a sense and perspective of the transition from impulsive lust to meaningful love that these young lovers experience. With short, sharp paragraphing the details are quickly absorbed into your head leaving sometimes rather uncomfortable indelible imprinted images.

Gritty, and raw White Fur touches on some sensitive subject matter such as child physical abuse, under aged sex (rape), drug addiction and mental health issues. A fair amount of humour is in evidence throughout making this a less dark depressing read.

This is most definitely NOT what I would call a fluffy romantic read, it is a coming-of-age character driven love story following two young lovers over the course of a year as their relationship matures. Think of it as a contemporary 'Romeo and Juliet' with explicit sexual content. Overall, even though not a fan of the ending, I found it a compelling read and would definitely read more from this author.

White Fur is set in the late 80's taking place over one year. Elise is a girl from the wrong side of the tracks and Jamey is a student at Yale who comes from money and privilege. Told through alternating points of view, the reader gets a glimpse into the year that they found each other and began their unlikely affair when the rest of the world didn't think they should be together.

I am definitely going to be in the minority when I say I really didn't care for this book. I finished it because I was expecting it to get better. It never really did for me. First, I didn't care for the writing style. At times, it felt like a laundry list of things the characters were doing. That made it drag at times. It also, in a way, prevented me from really getting to know either of the main characters. Second, I never got the sense that they liked each other for much more than sex. Often, Jamey acts like he despises Elise. You all know I am not at all a prude when it comes to sex scenes. but the ones in this book really turned me off. They were all crude and just not the kind of "love" scene I enjoy reading.

I will say that the 80s references sprinkled throughout the book were fun for me having been an 80s kid. But really, this story could have taken place in any recent decade. This book has received rave review from others. This is one I will have to chalk up to being not for me. Try it out for yourself, you may like it.

Raw, real, in your face, uncomfortable, unconventional; not your every day love story. Two worlds collide in a way we have yet to see in modern romance. Two completely different people from two completely different worlds in a spellbindingly new light.
The author writes in prose using vast figurative language which honestly takes some getting used to, but you appreciate the intelligence of the writing. Her descriptions are heavenly,all encompassing; omnipotent.
Nothing is glossed over, every thought every feeling is from the gut and from the heart.
This story is life and love unafraid. It makes you THINK- not just about love and romantic relationships but about life, social and class structure, the hopelessness and hopefulness of it all. Drugs, sex, mental illness; the raunchy and real side of life.
This is a love story, it's just one of the extraordinary sort.

A star crossed lover story. While the book was extremely well written, I found it a little slow at times. I was waiting for something to happen, and it finally did in a big way. The last part of the book definitely made the book come alive for me. I didn't find the two main character likeable at all and sometimes this can be an issue for me, but the writing in the book was good enough to keep me reading. I could appreciate how much effort must have gone into choosing exactly the right words, as they all were exactly the right ones.

Dark and gritty with a dash of humor, White Fur had me captivated from page one.

The story of star-crossed lovers is one that's been told before, but never quite like this. Jamey and Elise are from opposite sides of the track, and while everyone feels that it's wrong, they know that it's right.

The prose in this book is outstanding. While it may not be for everyone, I was sucked in and never looked back. Heaven knows my brain does not work the way this author's does, so I appreciated this even more - knowing that I could never write the way the author does was fascinating. Mad respect on the exceptional writing, Jardine Libaire.

While this story takes place in the 1980's (bonus points!) it is a story that is timeless and could take place at any time throughout history. But as a child of the 80's, it was highly enjoyable.

You will be rooting for these lovers by the story's end, mark my words.

Note: there are quite a few graphic sexual scenes. While some of it may feel gratuitous, I believe it truly illustrated how this couple's relationship evolved from lustful to love. If this is not your thing, you may want to consider skipping this one.

Thank you to Netgalley, the author and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Two weeks ago I wrote about The Heirs, a novel that surprised me by going well beyond its blurb to become a 5-star read. I had a similar surprise with White Fur by Jardine Libaire except it’s not the blurb that is surpassed, it’s the beginning of the novel itself—which is a much greater feat. Elise is twenty-years-old and has seen way more of the worst of the world than any young girl should so when the handsome Jamey moves next door she’s determined to use him as a way up and out of her life. This sounds like one of the oldest and most tired tropes: using her feminine wiles poor, pretty female ensnares guileless, lonely rich male. Or, maybe, helpless wayward damaged young woman who can only be saved by older richer white man—ala Pretty Woman.

Either way, by a third of the way through I felt like White Fur was unlikely to be more than quick reading with few surprises. Jamey is intoxicated by Elise’s sexuality and rough edges and she is reveling in a life of ease almost unfathomable to her. Except that Libaire begins to imbue Elise and Jamey with a self-awareness that provides nuance beyond any trope. For Jamey, it is the knowledge, early on, that his family is so wealthy he will never be denied anything, but also, he will never be loved for himself. In Elise, the awareness is the opposite: she’s never been given anything, including love.

This depth shifts the novel from stereotype to an interesting take on stereotypes. Libaire plays with the plot as well and, barring a twist I found unnecessary and over-the-top, White Fur becomes fresh and ingenious in its ability to flip the script on a trope. That she accomplishes this using prose that is beautifully evocative

…you just lie there is folds of white taffy sheets, your mind a sea of honey.

means that what felt one-note in the beginning opens up into a poignant, raw novel about the unexplainable ways of the human heart.

I received this book as an ARC from NetGalley. I didn't totally love this book or hate it, however it was unique. I had a really hard time getting into it, I thought it started out really slow esp in the first 100 pages or so. The two main characters, Jamey and Elise are SO different and come from such different backgrounds. He is from a very well-off family with his entire life laid out for him, currently attending Yale, and he never has wanted anything, however it seems that he has lived kind of an empty life thus far. She is from the housing projects, a high-school drop out, no father and she barely scrapes by. They fall into a crazy, extremely obsessive relationship which starts out to be based on sex. And lots of it. Elise wants more--like a TV-perfect relationship with Jamey and Jamey eventually realizes he cares for her more than he thought he would. They are both very strong characters in such different ways. They are total opposites. As they move forward (and to NYC) with their relationship, they encounter many obstacles, mostly from his family/friends. The end was a little bit unusual but all in all a good book. They obviously loved each other so much in spite of everything. I don't think I would have picked this up if I hadn't seen in on NetGalley though. Seems like everyone else really loved it but it wasn't my favorite by any means...

Have you ever read a book that was 'Wow, that was great!' Well, to me, this one wasn't one of those, yet I keep reading. I couldn't stop. I kept thinking-'Why am I still reading this?' But there I'd go, turning another page. It pulled me in from the very first. This book was a love story and so much more. It is about life and all its complexities in the most simplistic manner. The plot was well done; the characters well developed. I'm glad I read this book. I received this arc free from NetGalley for an honest review.

White Fur by Jardine Libaire is about a star-crossed couple and their gritty, whirlwind romance in 1980s New Haven/New York City. Jamey Hyde is the son of a supremely wealthy investment banker and a famous actress. Elise Perez is the daughter of an unknown absentee father and a mother raising multiple children by multiple men in a housing project. Yet once they meet, they can't stay apart from each other, even if that means making the ultimate sacrifice.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I thought the writing was engaging and clear, but lyrical when it needed to be. I thought Jamey and Elise were both interesting in their own right. I totally bought the worlds Libaire created for Jamey and Elise to have grown up in and how their relationship would created stress for both their families.

While I really liked this book, I felt the ending was a little odd. I think I liked it, but I think I need more time to sit with it. On a personal note, this book helped break me out of an almost 3 month reading slump.

Recommended for readers looking for something deep but fun, with a touch of social commentary and sex.

Jamey Hude is the heir to an investment bank fortune with a famous actress as a mother. He is attending Yale and living with his best friend Matt. Next door lives Elise. Elise never graduated high school and had a troubled childhood. She is part black and rough around the edges. Jamey and Elise are drawn to each other despite this differences. While Jamey doesn't have much of an influence on Elise, she inspires him to rebel from his dad and the life that he is expected to lead.

I had a love hate relationship with this book. I loved the way the author brings you into their world and the grittiness of New York in the mid 80s. I hated the overwrought descriptions and the pages of descriptions with little dialogue. I loved the way you way Elise and Jamey's story drew you in and you wanted to know what happened next. I hated the boring day after day of their life without much happening. I loved the vivid characters. I hated how stereotypical they were; Elise was the gold digger whore and Jamey the golden child. This is repeated over and over in the book. In the end I think Elise was too dumb to be a gold digger and Jamey used Elise as a way for a spoiled child of privilege to rebel. The ending was such a disappointing nothing I can't even hate it.

That one thing you think is going to happen, doesn't. This story is like that, it keeps you on the edge and you never know what crazy turn Elise and Jamey's lives are going to take. They're hard to like, but I don't think they care. Romeo and Juliet they aren't.

WHITE FUR is a gritty, twisty-turny, and intense book about the romance between to people that by all reasoning shouldn’t be together. Elise and Jamey are polar opposites. Yet, they work so beautifully together in a completely dysfunctional manner.

The way that the author weaves together Jamey’s sometimes disdain for Elise with his love for her is so honest and true-to-life that you can’t help but wonder how these two can ever make it. Then you have Elise. She is a force of nature who is so real that at times I wanted to hate her, but just couldn’t. To put the cherry on top, Libaire set the book in NYC during the 1980s. The city is almost a reflection of the love that these two characters share. It is messy, raw, in your face, and at times simply perfection.

If you are looking for a book that is unabashedly honest and something unconditionally fresh, WHITE FUR is the read for you. This story of young love is not sweet. It has extreme highs and lows. The love story of Elise and Jamey is passionate, dark, and all consuming. I loved it!

White hot and electric. I raced through the story, adored Elise and Jamey, and couldn't put them down. A fabulous book.

White Fur is a novel like no other I've read of late. It is gritty, desperate and obsessive.

Elise Perez is what the American's might call 'trashy' and her neighbour Jamey Hyde 'the most eligible country club bachelor'. Their worlds could not be more different, but a chance encounter with her neighbour sees Elise becoming infatuated with him.

Eventually Jamey gets the hint and take Elise on a 'date'. Neither of them is prepared for the other. Not only are their backgrounds worlds apart, but so are their ideas about what is socially acceptable behaviour.

None of this matters however because although he hasn't yet realised it, Jamey has fallen as hard for Elise as she has for him. Society would tell us that their love is doomed from the start, and usually they would be right.

But Elise and Jamey are both used to getting what they want, albeit via different methods from the other.

As the pair move away from their friends in New Haven and move in together, their love for each other becomes stronger. Until one night a tragedy sees them in a much worse place than either of them ever dreamed they could be.

White Fur is a brilliant novel. A little crazy, and a lot different to my usual read, but I thoroughly enjoyed the time I spent on it.