Official Review: Way Too Far by Marilyn Cruise

Post by **Annelore Trujillo** » 12 Jul 2016, 23:00

[Following is the official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Way Too Far" by Marilyn Cruise.]

3 out of 4 stars

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Way Too Far by Marilyn Cruise is the first book in the Way Too Far series. It is a romance novel written in the first person present tense from Anne’s point of view. Anne’s dream has always been to dance for the New York City Ballet, but her dream was put on hold when she was assaulted the day before her audition when she was seventeen. Years later, she has decided to relive her dream and enrolls in college where she majors in ballet. She’s sworn off men so that she can focus on her career. She lands her dream role of Juliet in her ensemble’s production of Romeo and Juliet. Unfortunately, the director thinks that she needs a lover to help her add passion to her dancing. A romance starts to brew with the accompanist as she tries to put her past aside, but she soon finds out that a relationship with him isn’t so simple.

I give the book 3 out of 4 stars. I can’t give it the full 4 stars for a couple of reasons. First, the grammar in the book needs more revision. There are several mistakes that disrupt the reader’s flow. There are several errors in comma use and the use of quotation marks. In a few places words are missing, and at one point the word are is used instead of our. Some of the writing is also repetitive. The author states the same thing multiple times in different ways. Sometimes it helps to add emphasis, but most of the time it is redundant. There are also a few points where the romance takes away from the story. There are a few chapters where there is no progression of the plot, just constant romance scenes.

While some of the writing and grammar needs work, the plot of this story is excellent. It is fast paced and exciting. I literally could not put the book down once I started reading. The plot is even good enough that it was able to distract me from a lot of the grammatical errors. This doesn’t happen to me very often when I read. Usually, the mistakes in the writing distract me from the story, but not in this case. I really appreciate that the author came up with such an absorbing storyline.

I also liked how relatable the characters are. I connected with each one as I read the story. This was especially true with Anne. The emotions from her point of view made me feel like I was living her story. While I liked Anne, I really didn’t like some of the other characters, such as Anne’s parents. This isn’t a negative of the book, however. The fact that they created such a strong response is a positive characteristic. Each character has a strong, well-developed personality that evokes emotions in the reader.

I would recommend Way Too Far for anyone who enjoys romance novels. If you are looking for a clean romance novel, this would not be it as some of the scenes are pretty graphic. If you are all right with those type of scenes, this book is great. Overall, the story and characters are very entertaining. For the most part, the pace of the plot hides the mistakes in the writing, but some of it is still noticeable. Even though some more editing in the book would be beneficial, I really enjoyed the book. I have to say that I am excited to read the rest of the series.

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Way Too Far
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Kourtney Bradley · Post by **Kourtney Bradley** » 21 Jul 2016, 07:08

Nice review! Doesn't really sound like a book for me, but with your insightful review, someone should give it a shot!

Post by **Annelore Trujillo** » 21 Jul 2016, 15:34

klbradley wrote:Nice review! Doesn't really sound like a book for me, but with your insightful review, someone should give it a shot!

It's definitely not the book for everyone, but I think there are quite a few readers who will really enjoy it.

courtlt · Post by **courtlt** » 24 Jul 2016, 20:16

Great review! It was very helpful!

Post by **Annelore Trujillo** » 25 Jul 2016, 10:12

courtlt wrote:Great review! It was very helpful!

Thank you! I'm glad it helped!

kimmyschemy06 · Post by **kimmyschemy06** » 27 Jul 2016, 22:20

I like the plot of this book. I like it when book characters go for their passion. It feels kind of encouraging and motivating. Too bad, though, about the grammatical errors. Great job on the review.

Post by **Annelore Trujillo** » 27 Jul 2016, 22:43

kimmyschemy06 wrote:I like the plot of this book. I like it when book characters go for their passion. It feels kind of encouraging and motivating. Too bad, though, about the grammatical errors. Great job on the review.

Thank you! I liked the plot as well.