
by Courtney Milan
Series: Cyclone #1
Published by the Author (Self-Published) on November 18, 2016
Sub-Genre/Theme: Contemporary, New Adult
Format: Audiobook
Source: Audible Romance Package
Buy: Amazon, B&N
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Tina Chen just wants a degree and a job, so her parents never have to worry about making rent again. She has no time for Blake Reynolds, the sexy billionaire who stands to inherit Cyclone Technology. But when he makes an off-hand comment about what it means to be poor, she loses her cool and tells him he couldnāt last a month living her life.
To her shock, Blake offers her a trade: Sheāll get his income, his house, his car. In exchange, heāll work her hours and send money home to her family. No expectations; no future obligations.
But before long, theyāre trading not just lives, but secrets, kisses, and heated nights together. No expectations might break Tinaās heart...but Blakeās secrets could ruin her life.
I wanted to love Trade Me so much but it just did not work for me. š The writing itself is fine, but I found the story boring and struggled to pay attention throughout the book.
Long story short: Blake is rich (son of a tech mogul), Tina is poor, they know each other from college, and agree to trade lives temporarily to see how the other half lives. Along the way, they learn some things and fall in love. Fin.
I didnāt care much about any of the characters, even when perilous things happen to some of them. Thereās a big reveal toward the end that felt totally out of left field to me and I sort of shrugged it off as if to say, sure, why not.
There are moments of angst, which seem in line with a new adult book. However, a huge plot point is very much glossed over, as if itās sort of an afterthought.Ā View Spoiler »
Additionally, I had trouble with the premise that a tech billionaireābasically the hypothetical son of Steve Jobsāwould ever be able to trade lives with a poor random, even temporarily. The idea that Tina is allowed access to Cycloneās prototypes and beta testing made no sense, non-disclosure agreements notwithstanding. I just could not imagine a scenario where Blakeās dad would actually agree to all of this.
Lastly, I even found myself checking out mentally during the sex scenes, which is really saying something because I can usually stay tuned in for those, even with books I donāt like š But not in this case.
Bottom line, I had super high expectations for this book due to all the raves I see for Milanās work and this particular book specifically. As I said, the writing is fine, but I wanted to be blown away by the story and was not. Instead, I was bored throughout and unfortunately donāt plan on reading the next book in the series.
Rating: 2 stars
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