Third Degree by Julie Cross

Third Degree by Julie Cross
Release Date: March 25, 2014
Publisher: Flirt (Random House)
Pages: 240
Series: n/a
Review Source: Netgalley

Synopsis: (from Goodreads)

Fans of Monica Murphy and Tammara Webber will savor this New Adult novel—a story about coming of age in the heat of the moment—from Julie Cross, the internationally bestselling author of the Tempest trilogy.

I used to be “Isabel Jenkins, child prodigy.” As lame as that sounds, at least it was an identity. But now I’m not sure what I am. I just failed the most important exam of my life—the emotional readiness test required to get into a medical residency program—and it turns out my parents can’t stand each other. Now I’m trying to figure out how to pick up the pieces of my life, and that means re-enrolling as a college freshman, but this time I’m shutting the books and majoring in being eighteen.

But so far, my roommate hates me and I’m not into the party scene. The only good thing about school has been getting to know my insanely hot RA. Marshall Collins makes me wonder about everything I missed while I was growing up too fast. Pretty soon we’re hanging out constantly, but for the first time, I find myself wanting more than a no-strings-attached physical relationship. And the lesson I really need is one Marsh definitely can’t teach me: love. Because I’m going to be alone forever if I don’t learn fast.

My Thoughts:
Third Degree tells the very interesting story of a child prodigy. Isabel was definitely a difficult protagonist to read about. I loved the back story Isabel had, and I liked reading about her journey, but both of those things meant reading about a main character who was hard to identify and empathize with.

Some of my favourite scenes of this book were of Isabel at college, interacting with Marshall and her roommate. There are some seriously insane things that happen, mostly because Isabel’s socialization skills are near zero. I wish there had been a longer period over which Isabel was changing and learning, however I can see why things happened the way they did. What all occurred ended up feeling true to character, and I appreciated that.

Overall, I really appreciated what a different type of New Adult story this was, and even though Isabel was difficult, I really loved experiencing her journey.

The Cover:
Meh.

Rating:
[3/5]

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