The Fifteenth Minute

What a nice continuation for this series. I'm not usually an NA reader but this series has hooked me from top to bottom. Sweet.This installment picks up the semester after [b:The Shameless Hour 23346876 The Shameless Hour (The Ivy Years, #4) Sarina Bowen https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1427891469s/23346876.jpg 42905438] and the undeniable attraction between Bella's movie star neighbor Lianne Challice and Daniel Trevi, brother of Leo Trevi captain of the hockey team. He's a.k.a as DJ because he plays the music during games. The attraction and rightness of this couple is never in question and that was perfect. Because when you know you know. In this series [a:Sarina Bowen 7737308 Sarina Bowen https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1402702789p2/7737308.jpg] manages to broach serious and current matters within the confines of a NA romance without being pedantic or preachy and without sacrificing the romance or the fun or the story. In this case the very real problem of sexual assault in colleges and in the background the plight of someone trying to redefine her life without any kind of familial support. The issue of sexual assault is very thoughtfully handled and from an unexpected P.O.V. Like the other protagonists in this series these are young people but not dumb or insensitive or immature. And that is perhaps one of my favorite things about this series. These young people are full of heart and though they may make mistakes they're not malicious. They are smart, hard working and willing to give their all. It's nice to be in their company. I also like how Sarina Bowen just drops in that DJ is adopted and of Latin heritage but doesn't dwell on it because that's not what this story is about. The story is about decisions and consequences, about following your heart, about losing some dreams and dreaming up new ones. About life with its small joys that add up to everything. I won't get more into the story but a special mention for the chapter titles. They are brilliant. The book is not perfect you may have to suspend disbelief at the thought of a 19 year old being cast as Lady Macbeth in serious movie production of The Scottish Play but being in the company of the Harkness students is a joy, especially seeing Graham and Rikker from [b:The Understatement of the Year 22701480 The Understatement of the Year (The Ivy Years, #3) Sarina Bowen https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1408448387s/22701480.jpg 42221194] still going strong and the always kick ass and irreverent Bella.p.s. I also did the audio. It's split between [a:Saskia Maarleveld 5127861 Saskia Maarleveld https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1370715771p2/5127861.jpg] and [a:Nick Podehl 2803557 Nick Podehl https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1294338060p2/2803557.jpg]. They've done all of the m/f books in the series and though I'm okay with Ms. Maarleveld, she is at times a bit too “breathy” for me with the female voices, but her male voice is great. Go figure. On the other hand I love, love, love Nick Podehl.