Book Review: On Dublin Street by Samantha Young

This isn't rock science, it won't change the world, and it's not going to be enlightening, but it was fun.

As I have mentioned countless times, I read a lot of books without having any idea of what I'm getting myself into. I almost didn't give this book a chance as the first few pages took place in the past, where our protagonist, a 14 year old girl, finds out her parents and her baby sister are dead. With the writing style, I thought I may have stumbled on young adult fiction and while I love Harry Potter and some other reads targeted for that age group, I didn't think this would be one of them.

However, I'm glad I stuck with this as I skimmed a couple of pages to find out that the story advances quickly to Joss (Jocelyn) as a 22 year old in Edinburgh Scotland. She brings a lot of baggage with her as she settles into an apartment on Dublin Street.

This book is definitely a romance novel and part of me is a little embarrassed about how much I really enjoyed it. There is a lot of sex and a lot of those cliches that you find in these kind of books. However, it's a really interesting story and I liked how the author chose to have Joss voice this book, showing all her defense mechanisms and irrational thoughts while she tries to navigate those around her and her obstinate behavior when it comes to trying to prevent anyone from getting close. This alternates with her speaking to a therapists in sessions working out her (*&^.

As I said it's a romance and this is where the cliches come in. Her new roommate's brother is an attractive older (at 30 something) man who is very successful and domineering. He's attracted to Joss and won't take "no" for an answer. They negotiate a "friends with benefits" relationship as even Joss can't deny that there is a tension between them. . . Need I say more? There are many of those typical romance elements here, including a lot of detailed sex, but it's a fun book and I have to admit (cringing now) I just discovered there are more in this series, including a follow up novella about Joss and Branden. I'm going to read it, I'm not going to lie.

Incidentally in reading up on this author, I learned that Samantha Young started out as a young adult author and she's definitely got that down with the opening prologue. I would add that her "voice" is straightforward and no holds barred. Honest and easy to read. Good book!