S. Walden: Guest Post + Giveaway

 Recently a guy friend of mine asked me why women read New Adult fiction—specifically older women my age. First I had to explain to him that I didn’t much care for the adjective “older.” Then I had to remind him that age was just a number. After we cleared that up, I told him what I thought based on the feedback I’ve gotten from close friends.

 New Adult seems to be the “it” genre right now. Everyone wants a piece of it: publishing houses, authors, agents, and most importantly, fans. So what gives? Why is this the hot trend of the moment? And what exactly is New Adult anyway? If you’ve read my post titled “The Genre Dilemma,” you know I really don’t have a clue what New Adult is. I know the hero/heroine is supposed to be between the ages of 18 and 25 or 26, and the storylines usually either take place in college or maybe high school (if the MCs are seniors). But that’s about it. There’s way more that goes into it than that, I suspect, because I have a lot of people telling me Going Under is misclassified. Some say Going Under should be labeled Adult fiction. Others think it should be Mature YA. And still others are happy with it being in the New Adult genre. So maybe content is also a factor. Too much controversy and sex moves a book up to the Adult genre? Even if the MCs are in high school? I don’t know, but I’m digressing.

One thing I know for sure: when you read New Adult you’re reading young people’s stories. And that’s exactly why my guy friend wanted to know why a 32-year-old woman would care to read the story (and usually perspective) of an 18-year-old girl. My response? I think there’s a bit of magic in New Adult literature that lures readers of all ages. I know I’ve heard from women ages 20 to 50 who’ve read (and loved) Going Under. So what’s that magic? Well, I think it’s the fantasy of “what if.” What if I were like that my senior year? What if I had a boyfriend who treated me that way? What if I could have experienced that in college before graduating?

It’s a bittersweet “what if.” I think everyone reads to escape their realities, but I think women take it a step further. We don’t just want to escape; we want to imagine. To dream. We want to fantasize about a life we never had. And this may be for several reasons. She could be that woman in a bad marriage who needs to read hopeful love stories. She could be restless and need inspiration for action. She may need one really good cry. She may need to revisit her old self and remember that she’s still that girl—that girl who’s been buried for too long and needs to reemerge. And this is every woman. Age is no factor. So that’s what I think is the appeal of New Adult and why women of all ages like to read it. I know that’s why I like to write it.

I *heart* Ryan GOING UNDER Blog Tour: Review + Giveaway

(Click the picture to follow the blog tour!)

 

Title: Going Under
Author: S. Walden
Published: March 14th 2013 by Penny Press
Format: ebook 
Website: S. Walden's Website
Source: Received a copy in exchange for an honest review/Won from a giveaway

Buy Links: Amazon | B & N |

 Smashwords | Createspace | Kobo

Synopsis:

Brooke Wright has only two goals her senior year at Charity Run High School: stay out of trouble and learn to forgive herself for the past. Forgiveness proves elusive, and trouble finds her anyway when she discovers a secret club at school connected to the death of her best friend. She learns that swim team members participate in a “Fantasy Slut League,” scoring points for their sexual acts with unsuspecting girls.

Brooke, wracked with guilt over her friend’s death, decides to infiltrate the league by becoming one of the “unsuspecting girls,” and exact revenge on the boys who stole away her best friend. An unexpected romance complicates her plans, and her dogged pursuit of justice turns her reckless as she underestimates just how far the boys will go to keep their sex club a secret. 

(This is a New Adult fiction book with mature themes. It contains graphic sex and language and an explicit description of sexual violence. Please take the content warning seriously.)

My Thoughts

I knew that I was going to love this story when I read the dedication: "To strong girls everywhere."

I am very lucky to have won this book through a giveaway and for being a part of this I *heart* Ryan blog tour. When I started reading Going Under, it kept me always wanting. Wanting for more. Walden perfectly built the suspense and anticipation which made the story very interesting. The pacing of Going Under was just right for my taste. When Brooke first opened her mouth and said “This dress is bullshit”, I knew that this was going to be something different.

This is seriously one of the most realistic stories that I have ever read. Brooke is one of those MCs that I really love because she is such a strong girl. What she went through in this story is something that I don't think I will be able to survive. 

Going Under deals with a lot of issues. The suicide of Beth. The broken friendship of Brooke and Beth because of a boy. The drugs. The booze. The sex. The rape. The parties. The divorce of Brooke's parents. It's an all-in-one story. Again, this is one of those books that left me speechless at the end. That's why I hope that I am doing this review right...

I think the suicide incident of Beth made Brooke a stronger and a wiser person. She once told Gretchen, her friend, this: "I wanted to tell her real life wasn’t a motivational seminar where you’re brainwashed into believing that writing down daily affirmations and chanting them over and over made them come true."

And speaking of Gretchen, I also loved her in this story. She never left Brooke's side and supported her all the way. She always tried to comfort Brooke whenever she got depressed and lonely again because she's blaming herself for what happened to Beth. I also can't forget this one line that Gretchen told Brooke: “We’re allowed one huge mess-up in our lives.”

Oh and of course, this story wouldn't be complete without the swoon worthy guy and he's called Funeral Guy. *winks* :) His name's actually Ryan and he never ceased to amaze me in this book. I always knew that he was hiding something but the mysteriousness of Ryan made this story even more unpredictably beautiful. 

And it was funny how Brooke already claimed him: "She pointed to Funeral Guy. My hottie. I already decided to claim him."

What just startled me a little was the rape scene because it was graphic and so freaking realistic and in that moment, I wish I was there to be the good guy and do the right thing. Although it was a little disturbing for me to read, I knew that Walden wrote this scene to remind us that yes, this is really happening out there and sometimes, we really can't do anything to stop it. It is a very sad reality, but we must be strong for other women out there and learn to fight for what is right. As what Beth said in this story..

"There’s always time to make it right."

Going Under has it all. It's the story of a painful loss, a broken friendship that was mended through time, a love that was lost and then found, a father who just wants the best for her daughter, a boy who wanted to make things right, and a girl who found redemption in a way she did not expect. 

Don't you guys dare miss this. :)

Click here to see my full review of Going Under on my Goodreads page

ALL THINGS RYAN

“Ryan, why are you so gorgeous and strange?”

My sister told me she laughed her butt off at that part in the book—the part where Brooke gets drunk. I wanted it to be silly and lighthearted to take away from some of the heaviness in the novel. I mean, good grief. If the entire novel were like Chapter 20, who on earth would read it??

But back to gorgeous and strange Ryan. It’s official. The ladies love him, and many of you were a little mad you didn’t get more of him in the book. In my defense, I will say that Going Under was not meant to be primarily a romance. In fact, I purposely wrote the romance as a side item. This did not make for completely happy fans. You were semi-happy, but not all-the-way happy. J So here’s me making it up to you. I’m giving you a little inside information on our leading man that hopefully will allow you to forgive me in some way for not featuring him on every page. xo

Full name: Ryan James Foster

Born: September 27 in Raleigh, North Carolina at WakeMed

Astrological Sign: Libra

Stats: 6’2”; 180 lbs; brown hair; blue eyes

Favorite food: Steak fajitas

Favorite music: The Smashing Pumpkins, specifically their Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness album. (His older cousin turned him on to ‘90s alternative rock.)

Favorite TV show: Game of Thrones

Activities: surfing, skateboarding, snowboarding (he’s really hot when he snowboards), swimming, making out with Brooke

Favorite book: The Call of the Wild by Jack London

Favorite movie: Snatch (Hey, what do you want me to say?)

College degree: B.S. Business Finance

Current job: Finance manager for a chain of local skateboard and skateboard supplies stores in Chapel Hill, NC

Idiotic move in college: Hosted a “hurricane party” at a friend’s place half a mile from the beach. These are popular parties during hurricane season in Wilmington, NC, and they really piss off the local authorities. No one was hurt, but a lot of college students got wasted and then naked. Ryan only got partially naked.