Friday, August 16, 2013

COLLATERAL DAMAGE by Katie Klein

SYNOPSIS:

True love can blossom in unexpected places. This is Parker pretending not to care. . . .

Parker Whalen and Jaden McEntyre are a wrong fit from the start. Jaden is driven and focused, Harvard Med School within reach. Parker has a past—a reputation—and the rumors about his mysterious habits abound. So there’s no reason why, when they're assigned to work together on a project in English, they should discover they have anything in common, or even like each other, and they definitely shouldn't be falling in love.

What they have? It isn't real. Because the truth is, Parker Whalen is a liar. This has never mattered…until now. Because lying to someone you care about—someone who matters, someone who believes in you—that's when people get hurt. And Parker is about to hurt Jaden in the biggest way imaginable.


My thoughts after reading...

Lemme start by saying that I loved Cross My Heart. Its a feel good story...it has just the right amount of drama & fun, and even though it has a high-school setting, it wasn't juvenile or corny like the others...

Collateral Damage is Christopher Parker Whalen's pov. And even though I just said I loved Cross My Heart, I loved this story better. It reminds me of Travis Maddox in Walking Disaster. I don't know whats it about a male protagonist/s pov, but I feel like its more toe-curling and sweet... And its kinda interesting to have an insight to the male psyche.

Anyway, I'm surprised to read about Parker having a long-time steady girlfriend named Callie... And I guess it adds more excitement to the story. Although to tell you the truth, it was a douche move to fall for another girl when you're attached to someone but of course, we can't really help it sometimes. It wasn't like he'd deliberately went and seek to find another girl...he just fell in love unexpectedly---to his English project partner, Jaden McEntyre. I'm not making any excuses for the guy... Of course if I was Callie I'd be hurt and angry but we can't really force someone to feel something if its not there anymore...and I guess on Parker's side, he wouldn't fall for another girl if his feelings for Callie are very strong...

So okay... I feel like Parker is pressured...he is pressured by the whole marriage thing, pressured about his job, his fathers approval...etc. And I think his coping mechanism in all this, albeit unconsciously, is spending time with Jaden. I'm guessing that deep down, he'd been attracted to Jaden for a long time now---way before they became English project partners, having mentioned about her prom dress and other detailed observations. I mean a guy doesn't usually notice details unless he is interested... It wasn't love at first sight but his long-time admiration grew into something more deeper now that they are interacting with each other...

I can guess of a few reasons why this story was entitled Collateral Damage...so it means hurt inflicted other than the target... basically in simpler terms it means hurting someone unintentionally... The obvious would be Callie, as collateral damage, but in a way it can also be both Jaden and Parker. Jaden because she was hurt both physically and emotionally by Parker and his undercover job operation... being lied to and not knowing... but its understandable.... And Parker, because what hurts Jaden, also hurts him... And if that isnt love, then I don't know what is.

I love the pacing of the story and how it was written. I didn't wonder about the characters, when their roles begin and end. Some books make me wonder and I hate it... To be honest, I would've wanted more romantic encounters between Parker and Jaden or maybe even a longer epilogue but I loved it nonetheless!

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