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The Promise of Amazing

Robin Constantine (Goodreads Author)

3.50 · Rating details · 6,064 ratings · 880 reviews

Wren Caswell is average. Ranked in the middle of her class at Sacred Heart, she’s not popular, but not a social misfit. Wren is the quiet, “good” girl who's always done what she's supposed to—only now in her junior year, this passive strategy is backfiring. She wants to change, but doesn’t know how.

Grayson Barrett was the king of St. Gabe’s. Star of the lacrosse team, top ...more

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Hardcover, 371 pages

Published December 31st 2013 by Balzer + Bray

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2014 Debut Author Challenge (YA/MG/NA)

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The Promise of Amazing by Robin Constantine

New YA December 2013

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Jul 12, 2013 Giselle rated it it was ok

Shelves: ebook, arc

Is insta-love ever a good idea? One where with only a handful of pages two people have already felt that they are experiencing the beginning of something “real"? Something that would change their lives? Pffft! Well ok even if this stuff can - or so I’m told - happen in real life, I need a lot more substance to convince me in fiction. I have very rarely seen cases of insta-love - or instant somethings - where I could actually feel a genuine connection forming between two characters, The Promise o Is insta-love ever a good idea? One where with only a handful of pages two people have already felt that they are experiencing the beginning of something “real"? Something that would change their lives? Pffft! Well ok even if this stuff can - or so I’m told - happen in real life, I need a lot more substance to convince me in fiction. I have very rarely seen cases of insta-love - or instant somethings - where I could actually feel a genuine connection forming between two characters, The Promise of Amazing was not one of them. This insta-love was in its purest eyeroll-inducing form. This was the first sign that I should have listened to.

I’m sure my dislike for Grayson played into my complete disinterest in the romance from the start. I mean, this guy calls his own hair cool and reminisces on when he and his friends used to walk the school halls “like fucking rock stars”. Excuse me while I go barf! There is nothing about Grayson I liked. Since this book is told in dual POV this was more than a little unfortunate. His whole characterization was a flop, from the gross sexual organ references to plain immorality. I know this is a YA novel, but lawd I have not read one with such immaturity in a long while. Then we’re supposed to believe he now wants to be this whole new redeemable person because of a girl he met 2 seconds ago? Puh-lease! Even though this is a premise I have seen myself enjoy in the past, it felt nothing but artificial in this case. Plus, did he even feel remorse for anything?

I can’t say I connected to Wren any better, though she was at least tolerable. Still, she could have used some backbone and a lot more personality. She gets annoyed at being considered the quiet girl but proves to be nothing but. Her whole character left a lot to be desired, especially when she became all about Grayson. This is a shame, really, since her perspective - the family life and lack of ambition from such large shoes to fill - got swept under the rug of unexplored potential.

Even without the insta-love, I didn’t get the romance. Why were either of these people even interested in the other? Physical attractiveness will only go so far. But even that is inexplicable: They met when he was choking on his own idiocy…

The ending: *shoots self in the face*

The title: LIES!! ALL LIES!

--
An advance copy was provided by the publisher for review.

For more of my reviews, visit my blog at Xpresso Reads

...more

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Jul 13, 2013 Melanie rated it it was ok

Shelves: books-i-own, contemporary, blog-tour, e-arc, bleh, romance, young-adult, take-your-instant-love-and-get-lost, could-have-been-so-much-better

See more reviews at YA Midnight Reads

Thank you Balzer + Bray for sending me this copy. No compensation was given or taken to alter this review.

-So Melanie, I’ve heard a lot of mixed reactions towards Robin Constantine’s YA debut, The Promise of Amazing. What did you think of it?

*grumble* Lying piece of poop. Amazing my ass! What is it with the world? People break promises… and now book titles are breaking them?! *grumble grumble*[image error]
-I take it you were not pleased with what you got. It ...more

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Mar 08, 2014 Paula M rated it did not like it · review of another edition

This will be short and I'll let the characters tell you why I had some problems.

The girl, Wren has, some issues. I mean, like the blurb said: she's average.

"Maddie (her friend) had her hair down, pencil in hand. It looked like she was taking notes too, but I could tell she was sketching. I hoped I wasn't her subject this time, because the look on my face was anything but pretty"

7cde3c3ca62536a91dceda538fc96c93fc31551e7551aba2092555175f1939aa

And the guy is a delinquent who tosses hot dogs in the air for a show because HE IS MATURE LIKE THAT. ONCE they saw ...more

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Apr 24, 2013 ~Tina~ rated it it was ok

Shelves: netgalley-edelweiss, arc, contemporary, young-adult, read-2013

2.5 stars

The Promise of Amazing was one of my most anticipated books. That cover alone screams; Adorable, read me! But at last, I just couldn't love this one.

Our story begins with Wren Caswell who is an average shy girl that wants a bigger life, but doesn't think that she can actually have one. Her family owns a reception hall called the Camelot and it's there that she unexpectedly saved the life of a boy who was chocking. Grayson Barrett. Thus begins a very rushed and somewhat confusing relatio 2.5 stars

The Promise of Amazing was one of my most anticipated books. That cover alone screams; Adorable, read me! But at last, I just couldn't love this one.

Our story begins with Wren Caswell who is an average shy girl that wants a bigger life, but doesn't think that she can actually have one. Her family owns a reception hall called the Camelot and it's there that she unexpectedly saved the life of a boy who was chocking. Grayson Barrett. Thus begins a very rushed and somewhat confusing relationship between the two.

First off, I want to make it clear that I didn't hate this book, the story has a lot of promise, but it just didn't quite deliver the qualities I like in my contemporary escape. The writing however, is something I did really enjoy. Robin Constantine has a fun, fresh and natural style that sparks up the dialog in ways that gives these characters a clear tone in both personality and attitude.

Now plot wise, the beginning of the story was strong, but then it went into a different direction giving it that feeling of going everywhere and nowhere at once. Wren is worried about college life and overwhelmed about her future. She has a good family, good friends who are all understanding and supportive. Her heart has been broken once before and while she's over it, it still hurts. But then everything about Wren kinda stopped when she met Grayson and then everything just became all about him.

Personally, I don't see the attraction. Yes, Grayson can be charming, but he's also kinda an ass. He has a lot of issues that would normally make any girl think twice about getting involved. I'm all for renewing your life, learning from your mistakes and wanting a second chance, but I had a hard time believing that Grayson suddenly wanted to change his wicked ways cause a girl that he doesn't even know, saved him from chocking. I get that he's grateful, but it felt like he was using this life changing experience as a wake-up call and decided to fall in love with the person who did the waking. At this point I was all for giving him a chance to prove himself worthy, and yet, he ends up playing the same games. He could have walked away from that whole 'Operation Amsterdam', but instead he became this spineless cowardly guy who got pushed by his so called friend. Then he made a rather ugly move by giving Wren a gift that wasn't actually his to give away. Not cool peeps. Basically, besides his looks, he doesn't have very much going for him and his long string of mistakes made him very hard to like.

The relationship was rushed into an insta-love and while I normally don't mind stories like that, this one didn't have those ground breaking moments that made it believable or swoon-worthy. The ending also felt way to convenient. Wren just up and decides that Grayson's past doesn't matter and all is forgiven and for kicks comes up with a plan to help Grayson get even, which quite frankly doesn't really add up with Wren's personality and made her feel out of character.
The nail on the coffin was that we even have Grayson and Luke make amends and go their separate ways, which, I'm sorry, I thought was total bullshit for all the crap Luke put them through.

Bottom line, sadly I couldn't love this one the way I wanted to, but it may be just me. The writing is smart and terrific and I liked the other characters in this book, but unfortunately our main male lead is a little to flawed for my taste and I didn't understand the connection between him and Wren. Still, I really enjoyed Constantine's style and look forward to reading more of her books in the future. ...more

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Jul 20, 2013 Glass rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: romance, debut

Review from Ja čitam, a ti?

Honest and captivating young adult story. The Promise of Amazing is a book you should not miss - it reminded me of all the reasons why I love realistic, contemporary young adult novels so much. Where new adult goes more along a line of cliche romance, young adult combines story about growing up, making difficult choices, falling in love and realizing that nothing is set in the stars. Robin Constantine managed to include all of those in debut novel.

Expectations, insec Review from Ja čitam, a ti?

Honest and captivating young adult story. The Promise of Amazing is a book you should not miss - it reminded me of all the reasons why I love realistic, contemporary young adult novels so much. Where new adult goes more along a line of cliche romance, young adult combines story about growing up, making difficult choices, falling in love and realizing that nothing is set in the stars. Robin Constantine managed to include all of those in debut novel.

Expectations, insecurities and the boy. One of the things that make this book so likable is the fact that almost everyone can relate to the main characters - not just Wren, but Grayson and Luke too. Even Wren's sister is kind of girl for who a lot of readers can think: "I know exactly how she felt"! It is hard when you have to live with all of the expectations your family or teacher have when you don't know what you actually want for yourself. It is easy to get stuck in the constant state of trying to please everyone and being afraid to speak up. That is exactly what our girl Wren goes trough. Grayson goes trough similar problems - he was sports star, party boy, smart kid and had his whole future mapped out. Now he has to deal with consequences of his actions and figure out who are his real friends and where he'll go from now on.
Robin Constantine makes you understand background and motivation of all her characters, even those who might look like bad influence.

But this is not fluffy read. Focus of the story is not just sweet teen love. Author is talking about things like drug abuse, problem with treatment of kids who are playing in school sport teams and how something that started as game and fun can turn out to be something sinister and bad. Grayson is not perfect guy, but also he is not idealized like anti-heroes/bad boys in new adult novels. He has so many flaws, but he tries to change - that is the thing that make him look like real person and not just book character.

Is The Promise of Amazing book for you? I think that it is perfect for all fans of good, realistic young adult novels. If you like books written by Huntley Fitzpatrick, Jandy Nelson, Sarah Dessen, Jennifer Brown or Cath Crowley, you should definitely read The Promise of Amazing.

***Copy of this book was provided by publisher in exchange for honest review.*** ...more

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Aug 17, 2013 Katy rated it liked it

BEFORE: I sure hope so.

AFTER: This was a nice, heart-warming, learned-your-lesson type of book. While the storyline doesn't differ too much from your typical shy-girl-meets-the-hot-player, Constantine delivered a pretty good story about Grayson's past and his attempts to change.

My qualms about this book is that Grayson and Wren didn't fully sound like "real" characters to me.

I get that having been caught and temporarily losing who he thought were his friends made Grayson try to change his ways. ...more

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Aug 08, 2013 Emily Anne rated it it was amazing

Reading The Promise of Amazing was a really fun experience for me! After reading a few darker fantasies, I was super glad for the breath of fresh air. This book had me smiling and rooting for the characters in the way I had hoped and needed!

I loved the alternating viewpoints of Wren and Grayson. Wren is the quiet student, looking for change, and Grayson is the social troublemaker in, you guessed it, a heap of trouble. I really am glad that they each had their own distinct voice, as I hate it whe ...more

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Jun 24, 2013 Jasprit rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: read-in-2013, ya, arc-galley, contemporary, out-2013, love-the-cover

The Promise of Amazing really gave me high hopes that it would deliver something amazing. It had a pretty cute cover, but also the premise to this sounded fantastic! I was hoping it would be the perfect autumn/winter book that I could snuggle with whilst drinking my praline mocha. But alas this wasn’t the case. Don’t get me wrong there were several adorable moments between our characters Grayson and Wren which I appreciated. But I was kind of left wanting more.

For me the attraction between Grays The Promise of Amazing really gave me high hopes that it would deliver something amazing. It had a pretty cute cover, but also the premise to this sounded fantastic! I was hoping it would be the perfect autumn/winter book that I could snuggle with whilst drinking my praline mocha. But alas this wasn’t the case. Don’t get me wrong there were several adorable moments between our characters Grayson and Wren which I appreciated. But I was kind of left wanting more.

For me the attraction between Grayson and Wren was insta love, normally I can overlook this aspect if I’m able to find some redeeming qualities in our characters. But with our characters truly acting like love sick puppies so very early on, it was hard to find their infatuation with each other truly believable. Wren was a decent character; I actually liked reading from her perspective, but you could say my feelings for her were luke-warm. She made it a hard time to root for her when she was always unsure about what she wanted; one minute she wanted Grayson, and the next she didn’t, then she was back to being in love with him, but then was having feelings for somebody else. These ‘other feelings’ that she was experiencing for someone else I actually found more believable than I did about her feelings towards Grayson. I actually wouldn’t have minded exploring this possible route (view spoiler)

Whereas with Grayson I was expecting so much, but he ended disappointing me in so many ways. I know he believed he had his back against the wall, but if he cared about Wren so much, wouldn’t it be best to be honest with her? His love for her was always apparent, but he was a bit clueless about how he went around showing it (view spoiler) to me he really didn’t deserve Wren. Another thing which let me down was this massive thing that Grayson couldn’t deal with and which made him into this character that I didn’t like. It was resolved way too quickly. (view spoiler)

The promise of Amazing unfortunately wasn’t for me, which I am extremely gutted about. I was hoping that the further I read there would eventually be something that would win me over. But I think I just eventually got more annoyed.

This review can be found on The Readers Den ...more

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Dec 06, 2013 Sana rated it did not like it · review of another edition

Shelves: arcs, read-in-2014

At a glance, The Promise of Amazing seems to have everything: a girl who is at a crossroad about her future, a guy whose life sucks; then one day they meet and BAM. Yes, we've all read similar books. But what makes The Promise of Amazing so different and why did it fail to deliver on that particular difference it tried to make?

Cutesy romances being held back by conflicts are sweet and enjoyable only as long as they don't stray too far from the adorability factor. I was not comfortable reading Th At a glance, The Promise of Amazing seems to have everything: a girl who is at a crossroad about her future, a guy whose life sucks; then one day they meet and BAM. Yes, we've all read similar books. But what makes The Promise of Amazing so different and why did it fail to deliver on that particular difference it tried to make?

Cutesy romances being held back by conflicts are sweet and enjoyable only as long as they don't stray too far from the adorability factor. I was not comfortable reading The Promise of Amazing and had to cringe at several scenes. You see, Wren saves Grayson from choking at a wedding reception, where she's a waitress and is usually humiliated by being called the weenie girl (don't ask). If you were curious how it feels to save someone from choking, you don't have to be anymore.

According to The Promise of Amazing, the Heimlich maneuver is actually something to burn up thinking about because of just 'how intimately' you'd have already touched the person you saved. Moreover, it's actually okay to stare and subsequently puke at the person (or their shoes) who just saved your life a second ago and then be all, 'The distance between us closed, and it was just . . . her. And me. Calm in the chaos.'

All that under 50 pages into the book and it was enough to put me off of reading it. Alas, I couldn't, because I'd much rather cringe over the book than obsess over the fact that I DNF-ed said book. Suffice it to say that it all goes pretty much downhill from there on. The way of dealing with the main conflict is actually laughable and the characters manage to change for the worse as the story progresses.

The Promise of Amazing reinforces the fact that a cute cover and well err, a promise of an ever cuter romance can be misleading. The severely lacking, unrealistic romance, petty jealousies, weak conflict and weaker subplots upon subplots only made it harder for me to hold attention. Despite knowing that it's not possible to unread The Promise of Amazing, I really wish there was some way I could remove the memory of ever coming across the word 'brainathiminal' from my mind. Sorry book, you just turned out to be an epitome of disappointment for me. ...more

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Nov 25, 2014 Donna {Book Passion For Life} rated it it was ok

Shelves: ya-contemporary-romance

Wren Caswell always the good girl who does what she’s supposed to do decides that she finally wants to do something for herself for a change, rather than what everyone else wants her to do.

Grayson Barrett had a good life until he messed it all up by being expelled from college after being caught charging people for test answers. Grayson is now back home and pretty unhappy. But when Wren and Grayson met after Wren saves Grayson’s life, the two find that they are attracted to one another and soon Wren Caswell always the good girl who does what she’s supposed to do decides that she finally wants to do something for herself for a change, rather than what everyone else wants her to do.

Grayson Barrett had a good life until he messed it all up by being expelled from college after being caught charging people for test answers. Grayson is now back home and pretty unhappy. But when Wren and Grayson met after Wren saves Grayson’s life, the two find that they are attracted to one another and soon start spending time together. But will Grayson’s past pull them apart before they’ve even had a chance?

You would think with a title like The Promise of Amazing this book would be amazing but unfortunately it’s not which I’m so, so disappointed about because it was one of my most anticipated reads. I’m not the biggest fan of insta-love and in my opinion they aren’t realistic but, at times some authors do a really good job, however this wasn’t the case with The Promise of Amazing. Unfortunately the biggest downfall with it is the insta-love because it happens right at the start of the story – which was just way to soon. I struggled to connect to the characters because of this. The book is over 300 pages and they ‘fall’ for each other pretty quickly and so it made the rest of the story drag. There was no real suspense to their relationship, nothing really to root, no trying to unravel the characters feelings for one another because it was all out in the open so soon and I found myself rolling my eyes at the two characters. Eek, I didn’t like it. The insta-love just didn’t work in this book and I really wish the author had found a way draw out their relationship because if she had, I think this book could have been slightly better than it was.

As characters I liked Wren more than Grayson. She was a decent character. But Grayson, I just didn’t like him. I didn’t like his reasons for the things he did and I didn’t like the way he treated Wren – considering his was supposed to love her. The thing that Grayson was involved in wasn’t as great as I was expecting either. I guess you can say I just didn’t click with him as much as I would have liked.

In all, The Promise of Amazing wasn’t a great read for me but I am going to give this author other chance with the next book, The Secrets of Attraction and hope for the best. ...more

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Dec 29, 2015 Dee☾ rated it liked it

This book was cute, but I hate a few problems with it. The climax was a bit anticlimactic and the story seemed a little one sided. I loved that we got to know Grayson and saw his internal struggle with what was going on with his family, school, and feeling undeserving of Wren. Wren, however, we only knew she had problems with being the "quiet girl" but once she crossed paths with Grayson he eclipsed everything. But nevertheless, it was a fast read. Just the right amount of light and fluff ...more

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Jun 21, 2013 Eugenia (Genie In A Book) rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: life-books, romance, 2013-release, ebooks, edelweiss

I was provided an ARC from the publisher via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review

Did I enjoy it?
Did I find it a genuinely good book?
Would I recommend it to my friends?

But...The book's called 'The Promise of Amazing' - and did I get that? Well, read on to find out.

Any time I checked off the reasons to avoid him, I'd picture him in front of school, leaning against his faded car. Hands in pockets, swoon-worthy grin, deep brown eyes full of the promise of amazing

Wren and Grays ...more

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Jul 12, 2013 Ashley rated it liked it

Shelves: arc, e-arc

Nose Graze — Young Adult book reviews

I am absolutely drowning in indecision. Did I like The Promise of Amazing ? Was it only okay? UGH! I don't know!!

I started out on excellent terms with The Promise of Amazing. I thought Wren was funny, had a great personality, and I could completely relate to her.

The NHS evaluation made [being quiet] sound like a character flaw. Something I could improve. That's just not how it worked.

YES YES YES! Agreed! Some people just aren't loud and chatty. Some people ...more

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Jun 26, 2013 caren rated it really liked it

Shelves: galley-arc, cannot-wait-squee, edelweiss, swooning-for-days

3.5 Stars

A little bit Cruel Intentions, and a little bit Pretty in Pink, Robin Constantine’s debut novel The Promise of Amazing introduces us to Wren Caswell and Grayson Barrett, two kids searching out the answer to one question: who am I?

As the summary says, Wren Caswell is average. She’s never thought of herself as anything special. She’s the youngest of three, and the middle of her class. But one chance meeting—involving cocktail weenies, of all things—changes all of that forever after she sa ...more

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Jul 26, 2013 Kate Bond rated it it was ok

Shelves: arc

2.5 stars.

Look at that cover!

Oh, how I want to join those two fresh-faced teenagers in their tiny little love bubble. I want to giggle and be generally adorable with them. I want him to call her “short stuff” and her to tease him about his awkward lankiness and the fact that he’s ugly in the same way as Paul Dano, and then I want to squee as they touch their frosty noses together.

And the premise–girl working in her family’s Medieval Times-style banquet hall falls in love with a boy after saving 2.5 stars.

Look at that cover!

Oh, how I want to join those two fresh-faced teenagers in their tiny little love bubble. I want to giggle and be generally adorable with them. I want him to call her “short stuff” and her to tease him about his awkward lankiness and the fact that he’s ugly in the same way as Paul Dano, and then I want to squee as they touch their frosty noses together.

And the premise–girl working in her family’s Medieval Times-style banquet hall falls in love with a boy after saving his life in a ridiculous way–is a lot of fun. I wanted so badly to love this book. It really does (I’m so sorry please forgive me) promise to be amazing.

That’s the problem with titles, isn’t it? A few years ago, my husband wrote for a show called The Forgotten, and the day he got the job he began to calmly prepare himself for the punny reviews that would inevitably come. And they did come, of course, because when a joke is right there, you absolutely have to take it. Why would an author do this to herself? Why would a publisher let her? I’m going to hunt down all the interviews I can find to get to the bottom of why Constantine left her flank so woefully undefended against…well…me.

Because I didn’t like this book. I didn’t like the main character, who self-identifies as a shy, average student, but who is actually just kind of stupid and dull (“Yeah, I’ll give that some thought…not” is one of the zingers she delivers to her terrible, terrible friends). I didn’t like the entitled dummy of a frat boy she instantly falls in love with when he chokes on a cocktail weenie after mocking her with his friends, calling her “Weenie Girl” while she’s serving at a wedding. I didn’t like the way professional, successful, intelligent adults suddenly behave illogically (I’m sorry, but everyone knows not to speak to the police before consulting an attorney. The police are legally required to give you that information when they arrest you.) when it’s necessary for the author’s plot twists to work.

I didn’t like the Bling Ring elements, or the way Grayson lies to get girls to sleep with him until he meets Wren, “the only girl who mattered.” I hated Wren’s unbelievably sheltered confusion about interactions between children and their stepparents, and the way the dudes in her life use her as a pawn to get reactions out of each other. The switch between Grayson’s and Wren’s first-person narration doesn’t work at all. And in case you were wondering, yes, the title is absolutely referenced by one of the characters in the book.

I suppose that for a younger teenager who has experience with neither the instant spark that leads to a passionate, short-lived fling, nor the slow burn of real love, this story might fulfill a very specific fantasy, but I have a hard time imagining a world in which this book would be enjoyable for an older reader. The characters are just too illogical and boring. And un-sexy. And absolutely not in love.

The cover’s really sweet, though.

An advance copy was provided by the publisher for this review.

Review also posted at The Midnight Garden. ...more

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Jun 22, 2013 Anatea Oroz rated it it was ok

Shelves: romance, contemporary, young-adult, love-the-cover, insta-love

This review is also posted on my blog, Anatea's Bookshelf

The only thing amazing about this book is its beautiful cover, everything else is pretty much the opposite. The Promise of Amazing is not so amazing after all, so don't get your hopes up with this book and disregard the title.

The Promise of ~~Amazing~~ starts when Wren performs Heimlich on Grayson and that's how they meet. The rest of the book is pretty much about how they love each other. Insta-love, you ask? Unfortunately, yes. You could eve ...more

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Jul 10, 2013 Amber (Books of Amber) rated it did not like it

I'm not going to lie to you, I went into this book knowing that I probably wouldn't like it. I had heard tales of instalove and that is never good. My instincts were correct, this wasn't a good book. Which is a shame, because I had high hopes for it before all the reviews started coming out. And the cover is awesome.

My main issue with The Promise of Amazing is the characters, and how I didn't feel connected to either of them as a result of the stupid instalove. We barely got the chance to get t ...more

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Dec 19, 2015 ♥ Sarah rated it it was ok

Shelves: fiction

The Promise of Amazing. I read that title to myself about a dozen times, and felt compelled to read this, while on break. And there was something strangely hypnotizing about this story; I did like Wren up to a certain point.... But, I can't say the same for Grayson.

I loved how they met, and the kind of character Grayson was- but it was ultimately unbelievable. I guess people don't usually read these kinds of books b/c it's "realistic" per se, but it has to make sense. I just couldn't get past Gr ...more

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Jul 27, 2013 Jen Ryland marked it as setting-aside-for-now

Shelves: caught-in-a-bad-romance

I love contemporaries, love the cover and was so excited about the 80s movie references. I was really looking forward to reading a YA contemporary about an ordinary girl falling in love with a bad boy in need of redemption. But after reading to the 50% mark, I've decided that this one just isn't for me…

I wasn't able to connect with the two main characters, couldn't see what they saw in one other, and just didn't feel the plot heading anywhere I wanted to go. I would LOVE to read the story that t ...more

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Jun 20, 2013 Juhina rated it did not like it

Shelves: could-not-finish

I could not finish this book.
Three words: InstafreakingLove

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Jun 24, 2013 Debby rated it did not like it · review of another edition

Shelves: reviewed, cover-fraud, debut, le-sigh, characters-i-want-to-shake, stand-alone, for-review, could-have-been-better, disappointing, covergasm

1.5 stars

The Promise of Amazing promised amazing things. ZING. I had to get that out of the way. I just had to. Now that we've gotten the title pun in here, let's see... did it deliver on its promise? Tragically, no. But I won't say that this book was completely terrible either. I mean, it has a pretty cover. Look at that! Ain't it purty?

tumblr_mdqzac0dNO1r3r73mo1_500

If one enters this book in the right mood, it can be quite enjoyable. Let me clarify what I mean. When I started reading The Promise of Amazing, I was desperate ...more

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Feb 14, 2014 Sarika Patkotwar rated it liked it

I never do this. I always make sure I write my review well within twelve or a maximum of twenty four hours after having finished reading a book. And honestly, this might be the first time I'm finally getting to write a review after nearly two to three days after reading the book. Not because it has been difficult to incorporate a review in my schedule but because I don't really know what I feel about author Robin Constantine's The Promise of Amazing. When I don't know what to say in reviews, I t I never do this. I always make sure I write my review well within twelve or a maximum of twenty four hours after having finished reading a book. And honestly, this might be the first time I'm finally getting to write a review after nearly two to three days after reading the book. Not because it has been difficult to incorporate a review in my schedule but because I don't really know what I feel about author Robin Constantine's The Promise of Amazing. When I don't know what to say in reviews, I tend to blabber as can be seen and will be seen further- be warned. But really, I'm blank.

Because Janhvi and I buddy read The Promise of Amazing, I instantly and obviously got another perspective on it. While we did differ on some points, we agreed on most of it, like we always do. I could have easily just rated the book three stars because I did kind of, sort of, like it and skipped the review but something tells me that I need to at least try to gather my thoughts, however absurd and vague that gathering may be. The Promise of Amazing is not as amazing a read as it promises to be. I love the book cover so much. It's cute. It's so damn cute. I totally judged the book by it's cover and even though the story was cute, it was, at the same time, pretty dumb and slightly nonsensical. I haven't got the point of it yet.

It's one thing when you like the main guy in a book and love the company of the side kick but it's another thing altogether when you don't really like the main guy and end up liking the side guy who's a bad guy. That's what happened with me. I didn't like Grayson, who seemed very confused and irritable to me. I mean, if you're bad, just be bad. There's nothing wrong in being bad. But there definitely is something wrong in trying to be something you're not, you can't be and you don't wish to be. That is the reason why I liked Gray's friend, Luke, who was simply cool and himself.

The female protagonist, Wren, was just as silly. I could relate to her quiet and shy nature. I have had all my teachers tell me I'm a quiet girl. But really, who runs back to and kisses a guy when you see him make out- albeit just a bit- with another girl? I liked Wren's brother who was right when he said quiet people have secrets and her sister who seemed like a nice person. But Wren and Gray? No, just no. Together, the two of them make for a good couple since they're both dumb.

While The Promise of Amazing wasn't amazing at all and didn't live up to my expectations, it was still a cute read about finding yourself in times of confusion and coming of age when everything seems to be falling apart. I wish I had got the point of it and understood it better, but I didn't. And at this point, I'm not even interested. Still, like I said, it was cute and for a one time read, it was just likable enough and very thought consuming and inducing, which, for me, is good. ...more

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Aug 04, 2013 Meredith rated it really liked it

The Promise of Amazing was a fun, cute read that will leave you wanting more! For those of you who know me, I’m not big on YA contemporary. It’s just too.. rainbows and kittens for my taste. But The Promise of Amazing surprised me in such a good way!

Wren was a great character. I found her to be real, down-to-earth and relatable. There’s a big thing in the beginning where Wren talks about being quiet – how being quiet is not a conscious protest, nor a character flaw that can be fixed. As someone The Promise of Amazing was a fun, cute read that will leave you wanting more! For those of you who know me, I’m not big on YA contemporary. It’s just too.. rainbows and kittens for my taste. But The Promise of Amazing surprised me in such a good way!

Wren was a great character. I found her to be real, down-to-earth and relatable. There’s a big thing in the beginning where Wren talks about being quiet – how being quiet is not a conscious protest, nor a character flaw that can be fixed. As someone who was really shy and quiet in high school, I know exactly what Wren was dealing with. People thought I was a snob because I didn’t speak to them – one friend told me I was being called something much worse, even. But I was just painfully shy. I didn’t like to speak up in class. I didn’t like to raise my hand and draw attention to myself. So, right off the bat, Wren felt like someone I wanted to be friends with because I could relate to her situation. Wren grows a lot throughout the story, though. She starts out very quiet and timid and becomes very outspoken, refusing to be remembered as the one who didn’t speak up.

The story also hit close to home because of things Wren’s family was dealing with financially. My family and I had a similar situation and it was really tough. I even had the same thoughts Wren had regarding her future and what she wanted to do with her life after high school/college. It was kind of hard to read those parts, but it made me connect more with the book.

Grayson was great, though a little bit cliche in the beginning – the golden boy who could do no wrong until he was de-throned for doing bad things. But he was so hot, cocky (in a playful way) and hysterical, I was able to overlook that. He also grows a lot as a person throughout the book and I love how much he matures by the end. Also? The creative swear words he and his friends came up with had me cracking up! At one point, Grayson even calls himself a male slut! Bahahahaha!

I’m not a huge fan of insta-love, but it works for Wren and Grayson and it feels so realistic. Their relationship has its ups and downs – I mean, Grayson nearly died, so that was a bit of a downer. I love the little bit of a role reversal in the beginning, too. Without being spoilery, something that usually happens to the female character ended up happening to the male character and it was really refreshing!

I enjoyed seeing all the family dynamics, with both Wren’s family and Grayson’s family. I loved Wren’s friends, Jazz and Maddie, but disliked Grayson’s friends, who were constantly trying to bring Grayson back into a life he was trying to leave behind. I especially despised Luke.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. I couldn’t put it down! From start to finish, it was a fun, realistic read that had me rooting for a happy ending. Robin Constantine is definitely a debut author worth watching out for! I can’t wait to read more of her amazing (see what I did there?) stories!

You can also find more from me on my blog: Pandora's Books ...more

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Apr 03, 2018 Somya Sahni rated it really liked it

Shelves: fav-ya-lit-books

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3.75 Stars

Its an underrated YA which deserves all the attention for every YA Contemporary fan out there.
____________
Blurb : It's a story which starts with the girl saving the guy from dying (literally and figuratively). It's about two people their own problems and how they end up helping each other. The girl is tired of everyone considering her quiet. And the guy , well lets just say his last school suspendef him because he had opened up a flourishing business of tradi ...more

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Feb 22, 2015 Nidah (SleepDreamWrite) rated it liked it

Having heard nothing about this, the cover is honestly, adorable. And that title.

So, I went in, ignoring reviews for this.

A friendship that leads to something more. All because Wren saves Grayson's life.

I liked the moments where Wren was working at Camelot, hanging with her best friends, confiding in them, Grayson wanting to get to know Wren and change his ways, character development for the two as the story goes along, etc.

Oh and later on in the book, they communicate at least. Thanks for that ...more

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Jun 28, 2013 Debbie Narh rated it it was ok

Shelves: boring-as-hell, contemporary, debut-authors, ebook, 2013, i-saw-that-coming, female-pov, harpercollins, disappointments, netgalley-edelweiss

It's really cute and light, I'll give it that. But everything else sucked.

Full review to come ...more

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Apr 19, 2015 Allison rated it it was ok

Grayson is a mega-douche. No thanks.

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Mar 23, 2016 Alessia Pietrantonio rated it really liked it

LOVED IT SOOOOOOO MUCH!!!

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Dec 29, 2013 Leah rated it did not like it

Shelves: genre-contemporary, didnt-live-up-to-hype, meh, genre-young-adult, setting-america, for-review-arc, time-period-2000s, 2013, pub-harpercollins, pub-balzer-bray

With a title like The Promise of Amazing, the jokes come all too easy - particularly when the book isn't quite what was, well, promised. To cut right to the point, the book fails to deliver on its intriguing premise. If you're a long-time reader of the blog you might recognize the phrase Matthew Pearl Effect, a term I've applied to novels that sound fantastic, but just don't live up to expectations (after numerous attempts at Matthew Pearl's novels I've finally come to terms that it's definitely ...more

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Jan 28, 2018 Lisa rated it really liked it

Shelves: 2018

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topics	posts	views	last activity
What's the Name o...: SOLVED. YA Romance: 2013-2014. Girl studies at an all girl high school and doesn't know what to do with her life. She meets a boy at her mother's restaurant and he eventually works there as well. [s]	4	598	Sep 22, 2019 11:16PM
What's the Name o...: SOLVED. Searching for a YA book with the main protagonists facing each other? [s]	2	29	Aug 14, 2016 11:05PM
Crazy for Young A...: The Promise of Amazing by Robin Constantine → Start Date: December 20, 015	11	14	Dec 30, 2015 08:40PM
What's the Name o...: SOLVED. she works at her family's medieval-styled banquet hall where they host parties and stuff (it's how she and the main guy meet when she saves his life there) [s]	6	99	Feb 04, 2015 10:22AM
Young Adult Conte...: #26 The Promise of Amazing by Robin Constantine	3	21	Nov 30, 2014 05:58PM

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About Robin Constantine

Robin Constantine

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Robin Constantine is the author of The Promise of Amazing, The Secrets of Attraction and The Season of You & Me. A born-and-raised Jersey girl, Robin likes to spend her days dreaming up stories where love conquers all, eventually, but not without a lot of peril, angst, and the occasional kissing scene. She loves swoony books, flip-flops, dark chocolate and the full moon.

You can find her online a ...more

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The idea for The Gilded Ones came to author Namina Forna in a dream. The recurring image was one of a young girl in armor walking up a...

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“I kept thinking of her eyes, the depths of them, the way she looked right into me, and I wasn't afraid of what she'd find.” — 18 likes

“That grin was pulling me into the deep end of the pool. The scary part, the part that made me search desperately for some other task I could lose myself in, was that there was a small, insistent voice urging me to dive right in.” — 13 likes

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