BOOK REVIEW: Dropout by Jamie Schlosser

Series: The Good Guys #3

~Blurb~

JIMMY
Over the past year, I’ve been called a lot of things. Slacker. Troublemaker. Party animal.
I thought I was on top of the world. Turns out, I was pretty close to rock bottom.
Now I have a new title: college dropout.
Talk about a reality check.
But I’ve got a chance to redeem myself. One summer to turn things around. Two months to prove I’m not a complete f*ck-up.
It’s time to change.
I want to get back to being one of the good guys.

MACKENNA
I have everything I need to live out my dream of being a reclusive songwriter—my guitar, my notebook, and blissful silence.
At least, I did until Jimmy moved in next door.
With tattoos, piercings, and mischievous green eyes, he’s got bad news written all over him. And last time I got with a bad boy, it ended horribly.
Jimmy makes me feel things I shouldn’t feel. Want things I shouldn’t want. He’s a hazard to my carefully laid plans.
But he’s only here for two months.
I can resist him...right? 

GOODREADS

~Book Review~

4.75 Stars

James Peabody Johnson, 19, is fast on his way to becoming a college dropout. Partying, fighting, and bad grades have made his freshman year a bust. But he’s got the summer to redeem himself and Grandma Beverly to keep him on track.

“Let’s go easy on the full-name stuff, huh?”

Mackenna Connelly, 21, was dealt some rough teenage years, leaving her seeking solitude in the small Midwestern town of Tolston. She’s not looking for a relationship and Jimmy has sworn off women, but that doesn’t stop the sparks that fly when they meet...in a rather awkward but absolutely comical moment.  

“That’s some romantic shit, Grandma.”

This story has it all, most importantly substance and good character development. I was not expecting it to open the way it does, but it sure pulled me in and fleshed out the characters right off the bat. Mackenna was certainly a survivor and Jimmy, poor Jimmy, was such a screw up. But he knew it and owned up to it. Their introductions took me from the edge of my seat to laughing at Jimmy’s expense as the story captured mistakes teens make and tackled some heavier life issues without putting off antsy vibes.

While there’s a few near tear jerker moments, there are also so many funny scenes. That’s not an easy balance to pull off but the author handles this juxtaposition of emotions with ease and a finesse of storytelling. I thoroughly enjoyed the antics in this one, and I don’t want to spoil the fun but that bird and Grandma all but stole the show in wonderfully humorous ways.

None the less, it’s Jimmy and Mack who make the romance. I really adore when love is developed like a journey and the reader gets to see the main couple get to know each other and fall in love. This story stays focused on that, interweaving how they negotiate their limited time relationship alongside plenty of hot, well developed love scenes. And notice I said love scenes and not simply sex scenes because there’s so much more captured here while still being deliciously erotic.

“You’re bigger than her prize-winning mutant pickle.”

[If you want to know how big that is, click here!]

I’ll admit, I wasn’t crazy about at least one of Mackenna’s way of handling things, but I understood she was a bit emotionally damaged from past experience. At the same time, Jimmy couldn’t have been more swoonworthy! He wowed me at every turn. I could definitely gush about what a fabulous new adult romantic hero he is because Jimmy rocks as a book boyfriend. There’s no denying he earns his place in the “Good Guys” series.

 “And when she fell asleep, her ear was right over my heart—the heart that was becoming a little less mine and a little more hers every day.”

*Squeee* I’m totally jonesing for Jimmy, which is so robbing the cradle so I’d better stop while I’m ahead.  Just know he’s an adorable hottie and an absolute delight. His story is one to move to the top of your TBR pile!

Dropout is the third book in The Good Guys series, told via Jimmy and Mackenna’s alternating first person POV. It can easily be read as a standalone.  Characters from the previous books have cameos. 

Amazon US     Amazon UK     Amazon CA    Amazon AU    Audible

~Character Feature~

Click HERE

~Also in the Series~

#1 Trucker

#2 Dancer

#4 Outcast

~About the Author~

Jamie Schlosser grew up on a farm in Illinois surrounded by cornfields. Although she no longer lives in the country, her dream is to return to rural living someday. As a stay-at-home mom, she spends most of her days running back and forth between her two wonderful kids and her laptop. She loves her family, iced coffee, and happily-everafters. 

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