“Surviving Adam Meade” was a funny, lovable, emotional, and strong book, I’d that makes any sense. The characters were endearing and the playful banter made the book hilarious and enjoyable. I would recommend this book to fans of Ali Novak’s “My Life With the Walter Boys” and the author Kasie West.

If you’re a reader who prefers to read clean contemporary romances or someone who craves something funny, you’ve come to the right place!

Rating: 4.5 Stars

Yep, I am writing this review with a few happy tears in my eyes, because Surviving Adam Meade did a great job of hitting me right in the feels.

Who?

Claire, the coaches daughter and resident new girl, who was still trying to recover from her broken heart. Her goal was to get into the college of her choice and avoid boys, especially football players, at all costs.
Adam, the quarterback and resident football hero, who shuns most attachments in order to focus on his goals - football, a championship, and college.
What?

Though they both wanted to keep it simple, neither Adam nor Claire were able to deny the crackling attraction, which existed between them. Will they be able to move beyond their past and forge a future? And will a future together be possible given their divergent paths?

Why?

This book grabbed me from the very beginning and never let go. I found myself totally captivated by Adam and Claire's story.

One of the very first things I noted, was how much I loved the banter. And I am not just talking about that, which occurred between Adam and Claire, but more like how all the characters interacted. There was a fun ease between them, which I really loved. When I reading the exchanges between Claire and her family, I could almost hear my own dad's and sister's voices.

Claire was the character we knew a lot more about in the beginning. We didn't know all the details, but we knew she suffered a romantic loss, as well as a loss of her friends and her status due to her family's move, but Adam was more of a mystery. He was quite complex, and the details and depth of his character were slowly revealed, layer by layer. I won't pretend his story didn't break my heart, because it did. There are these little details Klare gave us, which had me thinking one way or the other, but the real story broke me even more.

Then there was Claire and Adam, who sort of made me nuts at times, but I adored. There was tension between them immediately, and it was easy to see that this was moving from irritation to attraction. The push and pull kept me on edge, and I kept wondering when they would act on it. I loved every delicious second of it. I also loved the way they challenged each other, and there were so many times when they would insist the other tell them what they are thinking, so they could openly discuss things. That's how you make things work people.

The drama came in the form of their pasts and their futures. Both Adam and Claire had sound arguments for why they did not want to become involved in any sort of relationship. They had these abandonment issues they were dealing with, plus they were getting ready to head off to college in a few short months. These fears and complications were very real, and I thought Klare tackled them well. She didn't make it easy, nor did she cop out.

There was this one scene, where Claire just let's everything go, and I just kept flashing back to that final scene from When Harry Met Sally, and the tears fell.

Overall

A fabulous hate-to-love romance, which had me laughing, smiling, and rooting for these two to follow their hearts, because sometimes you just know when you've met your match.

Amazingly adorable! I loved how the characters actually acted and talked like high school kids! It has all the emotions and problems that will take a reader back to the fun parts of HS! Claire and Adam are so awful and hate each other at the start of the book! It’s fun to watch their relationship change! I highly recommend it for all YA lovers! Very clean and only minor swearing!

Thank you Netgalley for the advanced copy in exchange for an unbiased review!

From the cover to the blurb to the Friday Night Lights comparisons - this book appeared to be every single thing I could ask for in a YA romance. And it delivered in many ways. There was some smart banter. The relationships between the core group of friends seemed authentic and relatable. And there were moments between Adam and Claire that sucked me right into their story and kept me rooting for them the whole way.

The problem is that I didn't STAY sucked in. I felt like I would have liked some more...softness between the two of them. Ms. Klare nailed the enemies part of the enemies-to-lovers trope, but as their relationship evolved, I would have liked more tenderness. Instead, they both really started to annoy me after a while. There was an immaturity here which is probably appropriate for a YA book, but it tried my patience as the story progressed.

There were also some weird and abrupt time jumps. I'm hoping that was just a formatting error in the ARC copy I received and that final copies will somehow designate that a transition is coming - but it repeatedly pulled me out of the story and took me a bit to re-orient every time it happened.

In all, this is a debut with a lot of potential. It didn't quite work for me, but it also wasn't a complete loss and may work much better for a younger demographic.

An excellent contemporary young adult novel about relationships and decisions about the future. This books immediately caught my interest and I had a difficult time putting it down. Great characters and storyline.

This will be a great read for the start of football season! I personally enjoy contemporary romances featuring two characters that don't get along at the beginning of the story. And this book had that! I enjoyed the chemistry between the characters and the struggle they had to work things out. Overall a cute read!

OHHHHHH the feels!!!!! This book is definitely swoon worthy. I adored this little book and its Friday Night Lights feel to it. The banter between Claire and Adam was super cute and funny. They are both sarcastic and hilarious to read. 

I really loved Shannon's writing and how genuine it felt to read her book. The writing is beautiful and I stayed thoroughly invested in this book. This was the perfect summer read! *swoons* The characters are very relatable and feel real. You get a healthy dose of high school, boys, relationships, girls on a relatable note that had me reminiscing on my days in high school. 

5/5 stars.

This is a sweet, fun read. Claire and Adam get off to a rough start when they meet. Adam doesn't do relationships and Claire doesn't date football players, so there's no way they'll ever end up together...right? I laughed, I cried, but overall I smiled through the whole story.

This was a cute contemporary romance with all the right “bad-boy-star-quarterback falls in love with nerdy-awkward girl” vibes. I really enjoyed the banter between Adam and Claire (they’re both insanely creative when it comes to insults and comebacks! Ha.) and I appreciated the added dramatic aspect to Adam’s life that made him more vulnerable.

Now, that being said, there were a couple things that I wasn’t such a big fan of. There were some spots that seemed to really jump in time with no explanation or warning and that confused me as stumbled a bit before I could catch up.

It really bothers me how much Claire’s parents support underage drinking. They’re totally fine that their 16 year old son came home drunk out of his mind, and they’re just laughing about it the next morning. Then after graduation, Claire’s mom tells her to call if she needs a DD...seriously? No. She’s 18. Not to mention, if the Coach’s daughter was caught underage drinking, it would be a MASSIVE scandal. Guaranteed.

Then there’s the ending...the big “resolution” and “make-up” between the two was quite anti-climatic. I was expecting more of a big scene (I was picturing A Cinderella Story, if i’m being completely honest) and it just didn't deliver. She found him after the championship, she kept apologizing and interrupting him, he kissed her, and it was all good.

Overall though, I enjoyed this book as a quick contemporary romance novel and it was definitely a fun read.

Loved this book! Made me laugh and cry, all at the same time. The characters felt realistic and weren’t forced. You could feel the heartbreak of each one and the depth of how Adam felt for his grandmother. Beautifully written with few errors, but those could be easily overlooked.

One book where I wish I knew how the characters play out in the future - in life, love, and college.

***Review posted on The Eater of Books! blog***

Surviving Adam Meade by Shannon Klare
Publisher: Swoon Reads
Publication Date: August 14, 2018
Rating: 4 stars
Source: ARC sent by the publisher

Summary (from Goodreads):

Seventeen-year-old Claire Collins has a plan: get into college and leave North Carolina behind. What she doesn’t have is an idea for how to get rid of the local football star and womanizer extraordinaire—Adam Meade, who she can’t even avoid (despite many efforts), because Claire’s dad is the high school football coach.

Seventeen-year-old Adam Meade never fails. He always gets what he wants… until he meets Claire, the new girl who leaves him unnerved, pissed off, and confused. But there’s something about her that he just can’t resist…

With the bite of lemon meringue pie and the sugar of sweet tea, Surviving Adam Meade is a sexy and compelling young adult novel about two strong-willed people who think they know what they want but have no idea what they need.

What I Liked:

This book is still four months out but I couldn't not jump at the chance to read it as soon as possible. I actually gave it a go in February, because I had been excited about it long before I got a review copy. This is rare for me - I'm not a huge fan of YA contemporary novels. But something about this one appealed to me. And I enjoyed the book!

Claire Collins has moved more times than she'd like, thanks to her dad being a football coach. Her new school is pretty great, she has made new friends, her younger brother fits in on the football team - coached by their dad. Claire wants nothing more than to graduate and go to Auburn, her dream school, and leave her past behind. She didn't plan on Adam Meade entering her life. Adam is the star QB of the high school's football team, and he gets under Claire's skin. Claire gets under his skin like no other. What happens when sparks fly between two stubborn, strong-willed teens?

There was sooo much banter and sarcastic exchanges in this book. Adam and Claire have chemistry from the start, and this leads to a lot of heated banter. There is tension between them, and it manifests as irritation first, and then something more passionate. I personally adore hate-to-love romances, so I was ALL for this.

There is a slight forbidden trope too, as Claire previously dated a football quarterback at her former high school, and Adam is the quarterback at her new high school. Even though her dad is a football coach, her brother plays football, and she has been around football her entire life, she doesn't want to date a football player (again). She wants to graduate and go to college and start fresh. So Adam is a bit forbidden, and even though she is very attracted to him, she doesn't want to want him. At first.

I love how the romance progressed. Like I said, it's hate-to-love, and it's hilarious and swoony to watch. The beginning is a little rocky - these two seriously did not get along - but they start to be nicer (while still sarcastic and banter-y) to each other. There is instant tension and chemistry, but not insta-love (in my opinion).

I liked Claire, her drive to get to college, her steadfastness about Auburn, and how she wanted a healthy relationship with Adam after her disaster of a formerly healthy relationship with a guy at her previous school. I connected with Claire because she is so motivated and determined.

I liked Adam, even though he is a player and a little annoying at first. He has a lot of confidence (which I love), and he's actually a sweet and decent guy. There are a lot of layers to him - it's not just the star football player that you see.

This isn't just a romance novel, or a high school drama, or teen angst novel. There is very little drama, and I liked the high school setting and the high school conflicts. This novel really worked for me and brought back memories of high school - which was five years ago for me, yikes. Anyway, it's not just about the romance; Adam has his own personal problems, Claire has her past to reconcile, and of course there is the future, with college.

Believe it or not, the ending is a HEA! I was pretty pleased with it. I honestly didn't think it would end super well (these types of novels always have a bittersweet ending). But it was good!

What I Did Not Like:

I wanted more swoonssss. There were actually a few, and they were scattered throughout the story. Maybe this novel might have functioned well as a New Adult novel? It was great as YA though, but I feel like with all of the tension and chemistry that Adam and Claire had, the author could have taken this relationship places. I'm just saying!

Would I Recommend It:

If you love YA contemporary, definitely give this book a shot! I tend to only gravitate towards and enjoy the romance-y YA contemporary novels, and this was a very romance-y one. I liked it a lot, everyone might not though, but it's worth a shot! It's a quick, engaging read and I think people will either love it or hate it. Hopefully love it!

Rating:

4 stars. I see it might be book one of two? If there is a second novel, I hope it's more ~New Adult~ than Young Adult. If you know what I mean. I wouldn't mind seeing the college side of things!

I have been waiting for a real good young adult football book and this one was really great. Claire and Adam were great book characters that you'll fall in love with. I sure hope Shannon Klare writes a follow up so we know what happens to these two in college.

This book was absolutely adorable. I loved it from start to finish. The characters are so quirky and cute. You definitely should read this fantastic book.

Enemies to lovers/hate to love is my all time guilty pleasure and this one definitely fit the bill. Even though the story started out really strong, I ultimately didn't get anything new here, but it was an enjoyable, fun, quick read nonetheless.

*Thank you to NetGalley and Swoon Reads for allowing me the opportunity to read and review.*

Received an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
Overall....a fun, quick read. Very reminiscent of my high school days. A little choppy on the transitions in places, but overall I enjoyed this book.

What I loved: I loved the chemistry and the witty banter. I loved the love/hate relationship between Claire and Adam. It was very and reminded of my own high school days.
What I liked: Claire's parents. They were more like my current parenting style with my own high schooler.
What I hated: The grandma portion (I liked her as a character, but things seemed a little off with her storyline--vague as I'm trying to avoid spoilers). Plus how quickly this wrapped up. I think there could have been more between December and graduation....again, trying to avoid spoilers.

This is an easy book to recommend. It's a clean romance with some references to teen drinking.

Really enjoyed this book! Would recommend to readers in my library. The main character was going through an emotional breakup, and I like how the characters had all overcome difficulties. (Especially Adam during his childhood) At first, I didn't like Adam's character, but the more I learned about him, the more I understood why he was the way he was.
Great character development!

I am not usually a romance reader, but had the chance to get a galley of this book and thought I'd give it a try. I ended up really enjoying the story. Claire and Adam love to hate each other at the beginning and continue their antics after they realize they are more than friends. I found this relationship more interesting and liked that it wasn't all mushy romance.

Adam and Claire have a love/hate relationship from the start but they find themselves drawn together through friends and circumstance. This is a good YA romance focused on the characters and how they balance the issues within their lives, friendships, athletics, family and future plans. Witty conversations and emotional pull keep the reader engaged in the story from the start. I enjoyed the development of the relationships and found this to be a quick read. I look forward to anther story by this author! Thank you netgalley for this arc.