Dear Ava

Overall, this is a pretty good read. It starts off with a lot of similarities to Tijan's books - and I don't love her work. I had to quit reading them when they became all the same: feral high school kids that are vicious and on their own, and all that. However, this book has more depth, and I enjoyed it, with a few exceptions.I hated that ava gives her deadbeat mom all her money when her mom shows up back in her life. "I'll give you everything I have." Why? She didn't know how much Ava had, so Ava could have given her $500 instead of $3000, and kept most of the money Ava had worked so hard for. It was stupid. And Ava isn't supposed to be stupid. It angered me so much that I hated Ava at that moment.I thought the scene with Ava and Knox in the bathroom was a little over the top. I thought it would have played out better had she just been a silent 'listener' to what he did, maybe be discovered after? Having her do what she did was OTT, as was her almost falling out of the tub and then the two of them falling on the floor. Sometimes less is more.The timeline: Early in the story, Ava says she 'turned 18 last January', and since it's September of her senior year when she says it, it means she will be turning 19 in a few months, and would be 19 1/2 when she graduates? That's way too old. And then when the main story is sort of over, and jumps ahead 1 year and 9 months, and she's working in a bar, serving alcohol? And, she's apparently worked there for a year, serving alcohol and mixing drinks at 19.Another weird thing is during the second epilogue ( which I found kind of cheesy TBH), is that Dane and the girl he brought back from Greece are only engaged. If my math is correct, from what the author wrote, Dane and his girl have been together 8-9 YEARS ... and are only engaged?I give this 3.5 stars (no way would a teacher or whatever at a school tell her students to cheer their 't*ts' off at that night's football game over the intercom), and while I liked the cover, the model looks way too old to be an 18 year old boy ... plus the lack of a facial scar ...And, my final thought is the title: I really thought, based on that and the blurb, that there were going to be many 'Dear Ava' letters from Ava's 'admirer'. There was only the one, and it was pretty generic, so the title seemed like a stretch. I actually thought the book should have been called 'The Phoenix', which would have been more fitting.

I bought this book because the reviews were great and "enemies to lovers" sounded like an intriguing genre, but wow this book was not good. I know that as a romance book the bar for story quality and writing is low, but this book somehow collided its forehead with this one-inch-off-the-ground bar and absolutely did not clear it.The set-up of the book was eye-roll worthy and the characters were so one-dimensional in terms of description. The book switches perspectives between the female and male protagonists, and the female's perception and descriptions of herself were weird and unnatural at times to the point where I had to double-check the author was not male. Also, her nickname is "Tulip", which is extremely cringey and not endearing? The male protagonist's actions and thoughts read as creepy which, again, I'm well aware I'm reading a romance book, but normally there's some kind of depth and complexity behind such behaviors, and there was none here. Even the side characters, like Ava's friends, were lacking of any purpose. You could omit them from the book entirely and it would not change the plot one bit. Most importantly, the main characters were also never really "enemies" because he's always loved her and they begin the book as more than acquaintances on friendly speaking terms so if "enemies to lovers" is what you're here for, best be looking somewhere else.I kept reading the book because surely a solid 5-star review on Amazon must mean something, right? Maybe there will be a plot twist, or any kind of plot climax, or something that would make me root for these characters? No. No plot twist whatsoever, you can guess in the first few pages who her ~~secret admirer~~ is.Maybe you're here for the smut. If the sex scenes were of quality or quantity in this book, it would have cleared the aforementioned bar. As you may recall, it did not. There are plenty of other romance books out there that clear this simple bar.Finally, the author says she reads every review. Ilsa, if you're reading this: even if this was a good book, even if I genuinely enjoyed the characters and plot, even if this was my favorite book with my favorite characters, a multi-chapter epilogue describing their happily-ever-after incrementally will never be enjoyable. You get one shot at an epilogue. Then leave it there. If you feel the need to continue, your story is not complete and is too flimsy to hold itself up.

I’d give this a good 3.5 * as I did enjoy the story. I had a couple of issues though. Without a spoiler. I couldn’t understand how Ava didn’t recognise her attacker’s voice. She realised the person who hit her head and pushed her over was the attacker but never recognised him from daily conversations! I also feel that the physical descriptions, see the book cover, are not those of 17 year old boys but of young men in their 20s and it bothered me every time the school uniform was mentioned. It would feel better if it was set in a University not a school. Sorry if this seems picky but it did impact on my enjoyment of a story I found interesting and well written.

Wow! Wow! Wow! This was such an addictive read. Thrilling, intense and emotional. All the words. All the feels. I loved it so much. My first Top Read of 2020!"He won't take his eyes off me. I watch with fascination as Knox bites his lower lip, digging in deep, so hard I expect to see blood bloom there."Ava has been away from her elite private school for ten months, dealing with a trauma that has left her ostracised from her peers. Not only does she have to deal with the fallout of the scandal, but she has to deal with the Sharks - the ruling rich kids of the school. However, she has her reasons for coming back and she'll be damned if anyone tries to scare her away. What she doesn't expect is a tentative friendship with the King Shark, even though there's always been a weird tension between them."Part of me never wants to see her face again, but the other side of me...well, that's the one I have to worry about."Knox Grayson, King Shark, famous for being the school's star QB, infamous for his under-the-bleacher girls, known for never kissing on the lips. Scarred, broody and surly. He wants Ava but she's forbidden to him for so many reasons. However, the intense yearning he feels towards her consumes him. She's back and single, and no matter how hard he tries, he can't stay away."Kissing him is like I've spent a day in the sunshine, and when night comes, the stars will only shine for me."Gaaaahhh!! I was completely hooked on Ava and Knox's story. Ava is a such a strong heroine with so many reasons to play the broken, helpless card but her spirit endures. SHE endures. Her indomitability is fierce, breathtaking and awe-inspiring. She lost something of herself through her traumatic experience, but she's looking to take it back by strutting back into her own personal hell.Knox is a seemingly nasty guy but underneath his scarred facade lurks a beautiful, vulnerable soul, looking to protect those he loves. I appreciated that even though he was old enough for sexual intimacies, when it came to the really hard adult issues that life is made of, he acknowledged the fact that he was just a kid and ill-equipped to deal with them."You have to take a good long look at me, a [f...] long look and see what I'm made of, what makes me tick, and it's about you."There's a real dichotomy in this book between the hard-to-deal-with issues and the sheer romance of Ava and Knox. Their connection is incredible, their chemistry exquisite, their passion for one another overwhelming, and their strength took my breath away. I loved the progression in their relationship and I absolutely swooned at their gorgeous, emotional ending.I have yet to read a less than stellar book by this author. She is totally my jam!

Loved it!!Heartbreaking yet heartwarming. Ava’s story will have you totally captivated. This book reminds you that you just never know what pain or difficulties someone is dealing with and sometimes all we need is to just breathe....The topics covered in this book were so real and painful....the author has written about them with great care and compassion whilst still keeping their severity.With touches of humour, great friendships, real dialogue and beautifully written chemistry this story will have your tummy fizzing and your heart swelling☺️

I don’t tend to read young adult books, nor had I read any of Ilsa’s before but an amazing review from a blogger I follow made me buy and wow, I need to thank her! The story is intense, all-consuming. I could not put it down, totally captivated as Ilsa skilfully crafted Knox and Ava’s story.It starts on a dark note, the fallout from which drives the whole book . So we are gifted with a whodunnit thread alongside a ringside view of Knox and Ava’s will they-won’t they fiery relationship. Ava, what can I say, I loved her strength and determination; I loved the enigma that was Knox, so many layers there; I loved watching their romance unfold. This book had so many feels, I often had to pause and take a moment - some very poignant scenes. Chapter 25. - made me smile and hold my breath at the same time!My first Ilsa book but certainly not my last.Buy it, read it, love it and tell your friends

I am in two minds on this story. It started well, the beginning with Ava's terrible experience really dragged me in to find out more. But then the story kind of went stale.Written under the enemies to lovers trope, I do not feel that vibe from it at all. They were never enemies. They were just kids with a secret crush,they got separated for a bit after that tragedy.The premise of the storyline was good. Ava's personal story, and history was great, and Knox's personal story was great too, but the two just didn't match up well I think. There was no flow between the two.