Cami is 17, finishing up her senior year of high school, when a wounded Marine (her step-mother's nephew) moves in with the family, wreaking havoc on Cami's life. Julian is 20 and has a major chip on his shoulder, which is understandable since he lost some friends in an IED explosion, along with one of his legs. Unfortunately, he seems to have a major problem with Cami, and they rub each other wrong from the get go. The interesting stuff happens when they start getting along, as you would expect.

I read that "fans of Katie McGarry will devour this book," and Katie even wrote a blurb for it. I have to agree with this statement, and since I love Katie's books, I enjoyed this one.. I had a bit of a problem getting past the fact that Cami was underage when they met, but she was close to 18, so I got past that pretty quickly. The story also dragged a bit in the second half of the book, but I liked the ending.

All in all, I enjoyed this book and look forward to reading more of Sabrina Elkins' work.

4/5 stars. ( )

I’m going to try to keep this short and sweet.

This is probably one of my favorite contemporary reads of the year. I love the romance, or building up to the romance. Cami is a senior that’s trying to decide what to do with her life. Julian is a veteran that’s trying to figure out what he supposed to do now. Both have a tendency to snap at each other. It’s one of those things we hear when we are children, “when a boy picks on you that means he likes you.” I felt this way about both Cami and Julian. I loved the relationship of Cami and her dad. Her dad may seem like a hard ass, but he’s just looking out for her.

As much as the book is about love, it’s also about finding yourself, and what you want to do. This age is a big deal, and Cami has to decide between school or going straight to working in a kitchen. I love the descriptions when she was making some of her dishes. You could tell the mood she was in while making them. There are a few tense moments when it comes to Julian, which is totally understandable. I think he’s a bit rough around the edges at the beginning.

Over all I love how much both Cami and Julian grow throughout the novel. The ending was great, and made me go all swoony. :D ( )

NOTE: I received this eARC via Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

Gosh, there was only one reason I requested this book in the first place. The cover. These two.. Pepe and Stella who have made an appearance on JLA's Lux covers... I don't know, I just had the feeling that if they're on the cover, the book's gonna rock.

And it did.

Stir Me Up rocked my world. I didn't expect it, though like I said I hoped and my gut told me I would. Still. I had my doubts until I actually sat down and started reading. I was consumed by the words. Seriously.

The drama, the emotions, the loss, they were like a tornado let loose. I found myself wanting more the further I got. I wanted more of the romance, more of the depth behind each character, more of the figure-out-what-you-want-out-of-life stuff that was going on.

Stir Me Up lets us into the life of Cami, a senior in high-school who wants to be a chef after she graduates. Her dad however, tries to push her to go to college. To have a back up plan, he says, but Cami wants to hear none of it. She's determined she knows what she wants and is prepared to defend her choices. I really liked that air of independence in her. The confidence, the certainty. You'd think that she was just a stubborn cocky brat who didn't care about wise advise, but she's not. When her dad explained his reasons why he wanted something else for her, she actually took her time to research what a full time chef actually does; how much time she'd actually have left for herself and her future family; what kind of work place relations she could expect from colleagues and so on. I think that was a super grown up thing to do, and for it I admire her.

I also think that Cami was one very brave girl, speaking her mind and feelings honestly. I liked how she didn't lead Luke on when she felt her feelings for him change. I liked how she took fate in her hands and moved in on Julian. I liked how she made everyone stir up and stop wining about things. It was her passion to live and enjoy life, I think, that made everyone really get into it.

Especially Julian. He was a war hero from Afghanistan. During his mission a bomb blew the vehicle he was in and he was left with one leg missing from the knee down. Sad, I know, but the thing is, even in his pain, he wouldn't leave his comrades, trying to help even when it was obvious he could do nothing to save them. Julian thought he was no hero, but I know otherwise. Cami knew it too and was determined to make him see it.

Too bad he was a stubborn brat. The guilt he felt for being the sole survivor gave him nightmares. It also made him feel undeserving of any attention. And to top it all, he expressively didn't want to be taken care of by Cami. Because in his condition, how could he ever be the person she'd want to love? So, to escape her, he gives her attitude. He's really nasty and mean, hoping it would drive her away.

It's all a war of stubbornness I guess. Who would give in first, then, you wonder? I'm not saying. But I can tell you this - you would want to find out for yourself. ( )

Another author mentioned this book and I thoroughly enjoyed it. The combination of a late teen working in her father's French bakery and an injured vet makes for an engaging plot. The author also sets up a believable family backdrop. The father is remarried and Cami's stepmother brings her half son to their home to recover. The vet is older, more experienced. And he's bitter, with good reason. Cami's innocence clashes with his reality. Life isn't simple and this book takes an interesting ride down that road of recovery... and discovery. ( )

Review courtesy of Dark Faerie Tales.

Quick & Dirty: Beautiful heartfelt book full of relatable characters, sexy romance, and real life issues. It’s a fast read with lots of layers that made it unique and interesting.

Opening Sentence: I’m proud to say that after five years of virtual slavery, I am now allowed to make the soup on Wednesday nights for étoile, my father’s restaurant.

The Review:

Cami is 17 years old and getting ready to start her last year of high school. Life couldn’t be better. She is very passionate about cooking and she gets to work part-time in her father’s French restaurant this year alongside her boyfriend, Luke. Then there is a tragic accident and her stepmother’s nephew has to move in with them. Suddenly Cami’s carefully planned future is about to get very confusing.

While stationed in Afghanistan there was an explosion that left Julian seriously injured and all the rest of his unit dead. Not only does he take up room in her home, he also makes his way into her heart. While she watches him struggle, she can’t help but respect and admire him. He wakes up emotions and feelings that Cami has never felt before. Julian is frustrating, angry, and broken, but underneath all that Cami finds a kindred spirit that might feel just as lost as she is.

Cami is an amazing character. She has an extreme love for cooking, which I really enjoyed and found relatable since I also enjoy cooking. She is an amazing and sweet girl, but she also has a feisty side to her. She’s not at all afraid to speak her mind, which was refreshing. The love and affection she shows others is very endearing and made her a very likable character. But not everything in Cami’s life is perfect at times, she feels completely lost. High school ends in just a year and she has no idea what she wants to do with her future. She has a few options but none of them feel right. You get to watch her struggle to make some hard life decisions that all teenagers have to go through. She is a great heroine and I loved being inside her head.

Julian is a hot and grumpy ex-marine. When you meet him he has just lost his leg and the other leg is left in tatters. He is so broken and ridden with guilt, he honestly doesn’t know what to do with himself. Once he meets Cami you start to see glimpses of the old Julian. She doesn’t treat him like he is any different, and she doesn’t put up with any of his crap. As he slowly put his life back together you get to see how love and forgiveness can really heal so many wounds. The thing I loved most about Julian was that he could be a real person. His experience has happened to many men and women from our military. It reminds me how much I should appreciate them and what they sacrifice for our country. The loss and guilt he felt is all too real in many lives today. He is a wonderful, very believable character that I truly loved reading about.

This was a very quick read that was immensely enjoyable. I was pleasantly surprised by the depth the story has. Yes, it is total chick lit, but on top of the romance there are real issues presented that made the story so much more believable and heartfelt. It wasn’t all fluff and drama, which was a nice change for a contemporary read. The characters were so unique and developed, and really well thought out. Elkins took time to develop everything slowly, which made it all feel so much more real. The romance was beautifully done with just the right mix of drama and heat. There was a moment in the book where I did start to lose a tad bit of interest, but it didn’t take too long for me to get swept back up in the story. Overall, this was a very good read and I would highly recommend it to anyone that is looking to progress into New Adult books. This fills the gap between YA and NA perfectly, which makes it a really good start for the New Adult genre.

Notable Scene:

I can’t hear his response.

She leans over his face, probably to kiss him. Then she turns away from him, obviously hiding the fact that she’s crying. I feel so bad for her, I go in and hand her the crumpled tissue in my pocket. She takes it and holds my arm. She holds it like she needs it to stay upright. I don’t even notice the patient in the bed, I’m so focused on Estella, and she’s blocking my view anyway. “I’ll get you a chair,” I say. She’s nodding. Trying to keep it together.

“No, don’t sit down,” a garbled voice from behind her says. “Just leave.”

“But Julian,” Estella begins, turning to face him.

“LEAVE!” he cries.

Some nerve. “You know, Estella has been worried half out of her mind,” I say.

“She flew down here with her heart in her…”

Holy Mother of God. Estella moves away and I’m looking at her nephew. And I’m praying. Holy Mother of God, I pray. Well, a sort-of prayer. His eyes are so blackened and swollen he must hardly be able to see. His nose is broken and bandaged. His bottom lip is a busted mess. He’s wearing a neck brace. His right leg, covered by a hand-knitted quilt, is cut off just below the knee. His left leg is bare and outfitted with an extremely scary-looking apparatus made of metal rods and pins. The pins have been surgically inserted into his skin, presumably to hold the bones in place. I close my eyes. Holy Mother, ease his pain, I think to myself. Heal him.

“Julian, this is your new step-cousin, Camille,” Estella says.

“GET OUT!” Something is knocked across the room—a book I think.

FTC Advisory: Harlequin Teen provided me with a copy of Stir Me Up. No goody bags, sponsorships, “material connections,” or bribes were exchanged for my review. ( )