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I like that, baby. I want this pussy and I want you to remember that it’s mine, that right here, right now, it’s mine.” He thrust again and Althea felt his possessive words driving her crazy. “You feel incredible my gorgeous good girl,” he whispered and kissed her tenderly, even as he slammed into her again.
Not only were the two main characters interesting, I found the witty banter very entertaining. Beyond that, Jenna and Brey who are Althea’s best friends are wonderful supporting characters who apparently will be getting stories of their own which I’ll look forward to reading. The threesome’s bond is admirable. Everyone should have a Jenna and Brey in their life. He constantly calls her gorgeous... so much so that it became annoying. Just wanted him to stop... she has a name! There's a time to call me gorgeous and a time to call me by my name... this is just a personal pet peeve. :) This may not bother anyone else...
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Althea refuses to allow herself to love again. Imprisoned in grief at twenty-four after her husband’s sudden death, she’s convinced her heart died along with him. She spends her days honoring his memory by clinging to the legal career he helped her to build and to the remaining pieces linking her to their life together. Althea’s…aka Tea… world was shattered when her husband’s car was found in the river after he was working long hours. She always felt so much guilt that she didn’t push him enough to get him to tell her what was wrong. She was after all supposed to be his best friend, too.
THREE RIVERS, Sarah Stusek’s debut YA novel, brings a fresh approach to timeless childhood themes of inclusion, forgiveness, and change. Three Rivers captivates from the very beginning. Born and bred a Pittsburgh girl, I was so excited to sit down and enjoy this. A love story set in Pittsburg left me intrigued as soon as I learned of it and read the blurb. Without much expectation, Three Rivers took me on a harrowing journey about love; about learning to let go of holding on; about acceptance and rejuvenation. This tale of strength and undying love, both past and new, represents perfectly the trials we experience when dealing with grief and immense hurt. Now add in two other male suitors who are interested in the fair Althea as well as some secrets, angst, and a heartbreaking revelation that could turn deadly and you’ve got yourself a story! She is the sole author of her books and finds her inspiration on reality television, which she considers crazier than fiction. Although her stories are fictitious, she tailors her characters in a way that makes them relatable to most people, since most people have some pain and mistakes from the past they find hard to heal. The personal struggles that people go through to find healing and figure out God’s purpose for their lives are the core factors in these stories. She finds the perfect balance between Christianity and romance by infusing patience, forgiveness, faith, love and acceptance in her books. She is working on another book, the sixth book of the series featuring some characters from the first book. It promises to be as thrilling and entertaining as the previous ones. From there her life is turned upside down and no longer belongs to her. Her parents signed her up for Three Rivers which they call a transformational experience. They kidnap Stella, drag her out of her house, and fly her to Montana. She has no idea who these people are or what they are doing with her. Stella is dropped off in the middle of the wilderness and learns how to live and survive in the elements. You see her blossom and grow into a completely different person as each of the twelve weeks passes. Growing stronger and developing friendships to last a lifetime.Loved the fact that Griffen was the best friend to Althea's husband and that is what brings Althea and Griffen closer together. Althea spends way too much time letting other people tell her what to do... and she just complies no matter how ridiculous the circumstances. Especially with the mother-in-law... that entire relationship was confusing and unhealthy. Althea couldn't seem to make any decisions for herself. I just found that quality about her very unappealing and frustrating.
Though he’d only helped to distract her from her nervousness. Other than that she was hyper-focused—on him: his impossibly aqua blue eyes (seriously, is that even a real eye color?); his broad shoulders; that delicious mouth; the way his slightly shaggy hair grazed his dark brows. Everything about him was hardwired to excite her on every level. For her debut book, I think Chloe hit it out of the park. It gave me more then I wanted. It kept me up reading until I fell asleep with my ipad in my hand and then I couldn’t put it down at all the next day. I can’t wait until her next book. This is an enticing coming of age story. That begins dark, yet grows into something I was not expecting. Stella has wanted to be an actress for as long as she can remember, and she has done it. She is part of a show and is succeeding in that part of her life. In every other part she is spiraling down a drain. Looking for acceptance and friendship in everyone she comes across. Being used for drugs and in exchange for a "friendship". This destructive behavior leads to a horrifying night, when one of the other castmates overdoses at Stella's home. There is sex in this book. Great, super-hot, makes you swoon sex. It’s not gratuitous, and it only adds to the story, building on the relationship between Griffen and Althea. And Griffen…oh my…what a beautiful, vulnerable, sexy character he is; I love Griffen! The strong, possessive and steadfast emotions he feels for Althea make him all that I look for and love in a character.I love that I read a book about my transplant hometown. Chloe did a great job making Pittsburgh, Pittburgh. You can tell she lives here and she was able to add in all the things about the city people love and hate, including the crazy bridge traffic and construction. I mean really, in a city with more bridges than anything else, why is there always traffic on them? Everyone fends for themselves at Three Rivers. They pitch their own tents. They manage their own food, a week’s worth at a time, which they have to ration. They earn knives to carve their own eating utensils. Profanity is punished with “time taken off dinner.” Rich-girl-in-the-wild is a well-worn format, but Stusek brightens it up by making Stella likable. Yes, she is rude. Yes, she is entitled. Yes, she is overfond of the F-word. She is also funny and insightful. “I’ve made a career out of being uncomfortable,” she muses. “I have been followed by adult men with enormous cameras when I was just trying to get a meal . . . I’ve been criticized for accidentally agreeing to represent the wrong brand of sparkling water. I’ve been too thin and too fat in the same day.” That last line sums up a celebrity’s world. It also sums up a woman’s world. Tea’s best friends, Jenna and Aubrey are such great secondary characters in this book. They are wonderful, supportive, loving friends and so funny. They are truly what a best friend should be. I loved them. (and Jenna will have her own story!) They are on a mission to get Tea into the dating world. They take Tea to a bar where she crosses paths with Griffin…… It starts with a body being found on Crowpoint, which is an eerie bit of beach that points into the torrid Torrent estuary and of course the team have to work out who the murderer is.’ Ann: ‘The new series features Inspector Detective Matthew Venn but I hope it will be more of an ensemble piece so we find out a little bit more about his colleagues, Jen Rafferty, who’s a scouser who has escaped an abusive marriage and moved down to North Devon, and very much local boy Ross May.
Aubrey, Althea and Jenna are three friends who are determined to get through this crazy world with the support from one another. Their bond and relationship is real and relatable. You will want to know these girls and laugh along with their shenanigans. Soul sisters from start to finish, these ladies are exactly the kind of support system Althea and her son need. We just have to trust Stella’s word? Why didn’t we get to experience her learning skills and supposed growth? Very little of the wilderness training was described; Stella would just suddenly be advancing for no discernible reason. Where is her hard work and learning? It didn’t feel like she earned graduation at all. Althea experiences an unimaginable tragedy. Griffen wholly guards himself against personal relationships because of an unimaginable upbringing. Since "in Pittsburgh there (are) only two, maybe three, degrees of separation between people" Griffen and Althea soon find themselves wrapped in a whirlwind of a major commonality. Three Rivers journeys the self-discoveries for both of these characters in by such satisfying means for the reader by understanding both together and apart. Chemistry and passion knows no bounds between the two as the reader embarks on an incredibly emotional ride. They’re funny, playful, deep, and soulful and since their story is so brilliantly written we feel each of those emotions.
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Three Rivers blew me away. I can’t get over the fact that this is the debut novel for author Chloe T. Barlow. She is clearly exceptionally talented and was meant to write this story! Three Rivers was the perfect blend of romance, suspense, action and thrill. I didn’t find the story to be predictable or overdone.
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