Stir Me Up By: Sabrina Elkins Review

Pepe and Stzella are popping up on
so many covers! For those of you who
don't know, they're the cover models
for the Obsidian series :)

Stir Me Up

Author: Sabrina Elkins

Publisher: Harlequin TEEN

Pages: 268

Rating: 3.5/5
A copy was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Cami Broussard has her future all figured out. She'll finish her senior year of high school, then go to work full-time as an apprentice chef in her father's French restaurant, alongside her boyfriend, Luke. But then twenty-year-old ex-Marine Julian Wyatt comes to live with Cami's family while recovering from serious injuries. And suddenly Cami finds herself questioning everything she thought she wanted.                                                                                                
Julian's all attitude, challenges and intense green-brown eyes. But beneath that abrasive exterior is a man who just might be as lost as Cami's starting to feel. And Cami can't stop thinking about him. Talking to him. Wanting to kiss him. He's got her seriously stirred up. Her senior year has just gotten a lot more complicated….

     When I read the synopsis for Stir Me Up by Sabrina Elkins, to say was intrigued is an understatement. In particular, I was curious to see what boundaries this novel would push seeing as it is intended for those over the age of 16, but is still considered YA. I have to say, I really loved reading a more mature, intense, and steamy novel that wasn't so explicit as New Adult novels. It was a refreshing break and is perfect for those who want the same intensity of an NA couple with less emphasis on, ahem, physical interactions. ;)

     I always love "meeting" characters that have qualities about them that I'm unfamiliar with....it makes me want to discover even more about them. Both Julian and Cami have these qualities-- Julian with his amputated leg and Cami with her apprentice French chef cooking talent. The two of them start of having a more hate-filled than loving relationship that eventually evolves into interactions that are fuelled by hot chemistry and a mutual understanding that makes them so good for one another (even despite the fact that Cami already has a boyfriend). I LOVED the fact that Cami didn't take any of Julian's crappy attitude towards her just because of the accident he experienced in Afghanistan. It would be easy for her to give him some slack but instead, she doesn't let him walk all over her and I admired her for that. 

     One aspect of Julian and Cami's relationship and story that I really admired was the emphasis on doing things because YOU want to do them, not because that's what others expect of you. As a teenager who is quickly approaching that stage in my life where I have to decide what path I'll be taking for the rest of my life, there are some great lessons Cami learns that are great to keep in mind. Although I absolutely love Julian and Cami together, it was nice to see a particular focus payed attention to self discovery as an individual so you can really understand and learn who you are without the influence of anyone else. 

Overall...
     Overall, Stir Me Up is a YA Contemporary novel that mixes the sweetness of YA with the steaminess of NA into a novel that bridges that gap with a love story centred in a time of reflection, direction and decisions. I flew through it and enjoyed the drama and focus on discovering who you really are. The ending wraps things up nicely and leaves you feeling happy, heart warming thoughts and predictions as to where Julian and Cami's future will take them. Are you looking forward to Stir Me Up? Do you prefer YA or NA contemporary novels? Be sure to let me know in the comments below! Keep Reading!

Your Y.A. Bookworm,

Caitlin <3