With a tagline like "Seven Dares. Seven Days. And the road trip of a lifetime." how could I truly resist Seven Ways to Lose Your Heart? The answer: I couldn't. I love books involving road trips (Amy & Roger's Epic Detour, Two Way Street, Right of Way, etc.) and to throw in dares on top of that, I was in contemporary book heaven!
As it turns out, I flat out LOVED Tiffany Truitt's Seven Ways to Lose Your Heart. Basically, this book is a contemporary romance fan's ideal book. Containing steamy romance, stubborn and feisty main characters, and a road trip that seriously made me want to pack my bags and head to the nearest music festival, Seven Ways to Lose Your Heart had me hooked from the first word until the very last.
When Annabel and Kennedy were little, they were the dynamic duo - the two kids that everyone (students, parents, teachers) was slightly terrified off. Pulling off terrible, twisty dares, Annabel was the reckless one while Kennedy was the voice of reason, bringing Annabel back from the edge more than once. Everything changed, though, the moment tragedy shook Annabel's life. Suddenly Annabel became afraid to live, the uttermost rule follower, and Kennedy, the boy who always had her heart, ran the other way, never looking back. Now at twenty, Annabel is understandably shocked the day Kennedy beeps at her on the road...he hasn't so much as looked at her in years so why the big change now? Before she can fully comprehend it, Kennedy is full force back in her life, and when he offers her the chance to go a road trip of epic proportions, Annabel can't say no - finally she wants to take a risk, take the unknown road. What she - and Kennedy - don't realize is that this road trip is going to alter their lives forever all thanks to a new series of dares and a growing bond that even they can't deny...
I loved a lot about this book; however, the aspect I loved the most was the chemistry between Annabel and Kennedy. From the moment they first interact on page, you simply can't deny that there's a connection there - a strong one at that. Kennedy is the risk taker, the one who isn't afraid to risk being annoying to get what he utterly wants: Annabel's friendship. Annabel is serious and rather steadfast, devoting her energy to her family and her boyfriend. However, there still is a part of her under the surface that is feisty and stubborn.
I really enjoyed watching Annabel inspire Kennedy to put his future first, to realize that he can be talented and successful and Kennedy inspire Annabel to take a risk again, to not be afraid to live. Seeing how much they cared about the other's wellbeing made their relationship much more realistic and believable. Also, the little sparring matches that occasionally occurred because of rising tensions became one of my favorite parts of the book as well - the fights always tended to be much more comical than serious, thankfully!
The plot of this book followed the typical romance novel pattern, but I loved it nonetheless. The dares and music festival really managed to spice up the typical romance tale and make it unique. I felt that the dares were not only well timed but also worked in with the overall story quite well. As for the music festival, Tiffany's descriptions of the event as well as the road trip leading up to it always made me feel like I was right there with the characters. I especially enjoyed how she intertwined popular musical acts into it.
Seven Ways to Lose Your Heart is simply amazing - so great in fact that I'm having such a hard time writing this review in a way that every sentence doesn't start with "I loved..." So to sum it up...if you love contemporary romance...or a good road trip book filled with romance and dares...give this book a chance. I truly think you'll enjoy it, love it even! All I know is I can't wait to read more by Tiffany!
Grade: A+