Chasing Forever Down by Nikki Godwin ~ Blog Tour

I am fangirling with excitement today as I have my review stop on tour for my favorite read of 2013

CHASING FOREVER DOWN

Title: Chasing Forever Down (Drenaline Surf #1)

Author: Nikki Godwin

Date of Publication: March 14, 2013

Genre: contemporary YA romance with sports

After seventeen-year-old Haley Sullivan meets a mysterious stranger who plays by his own rules, she's more than determined to learn every trick of the trade from the master himself. But her dream-chasing mentor disappears after that night, and according to the local newspapers, he's been dead for years. Knowing he's very much alive, Haley enlists best friend Linzi to join her on a scavenger-hunt-style road trip that ultimately lands them in the surf town of Crescent Cove, California. Mystery guy is no mystery here, though – he's Colby Taylor, the west coast's biggest professional surfer. 

If Haley wants to talk to the wave rider again, she'll have to get past his four intimidating bodyguards who are highly skilled in the business of sending starstruck fangirls back to where they belong. Haley is up for the challenge if it means chasing her dreams and escaping the perfectly corporate future that's been planned for her. But dealing with these bodyguards isn't exactly what Haley imagined it'd be. Sure, being thrown off a jet ski sucks, but falling in love with one of them might just be worse.

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MY REVIEW

I don't really know where to even start with this review.  To anyone that knows me it's no secret that I have been saying for months this is my favorite book of 2013.  I read more books last year than I have ever read in a year in my life and many of them were very good, but Chasing Forever Down touched me in a way that is almost hard to explain.  I love it so much and for so many different reasons.  I am going to try and capture for you the reasons it means so much to me and hopefully it will leave you wanting to read it and see for yourself.

First a little history.  When I find an author I love I want to read ALL the books they have written.  Back in September I was on the American Girl on Saturn tour and loved the book.  Couldn't quit talking about it and couldn't quit thinking about it.  So of course I had to go get more Nikki Godwin, immediately, and found Chasing Forever Down. I read the description and immediately downloaded it and started reading......and reading.......and reading.  Addicted.  Crack addict level addicted.  I had to keep reading to find out where it was going.  Needless to say I LOVED the book and almost started it over immediately.  I have never had a book make me want to do that.  At that point I felt like I needed to email Nikki and tell her how much I loved the book.  Because I never empty my sent email boxes on a regular basis (like ever) I actually still have the original email I sent to Nikki and I wanted to post just a bit of it (I had to take out some spoiler stuff that was in there) but this tells you a little bit of what I was feeling and loving about the book just after I read it for the first time.

"I really wanted to tell you how much I loved Chasing Forever Down.  Sincerely, I think it was one of the best YA books in this genre I have read in a while.  I need to read it again so that I can really absorb it better.  I just know that I loved how Haley was looking for one thing and found another that was better.  I love how everything unfolded a little at a time.  I loved the relationship between her and AJ.  Talk about unlikely friendships!  It was fantastic!  I loved the beach setting and I love the feel of a less populated more hometown feel of a small beach.  I really could see the setting in my mind while reading.  It was just awesome."

Nikki knows how to tell a story and make you feel like you are there with the characters.  I love how you expect the characters to be one way and then they end up being so different than what you initially thought.  There are so many fun and interesting elements and characters to the story like Emily and her Enchanters, paper stars, The West Coast Hooligans (who will be your favorite?) this book kept me hooked from page to page. This is probably one of my favorite elements to her writing.  My favorite character in the book is AJ.  I was surprised how much he grew on me throughout the story and he actually brought me to tears at the end.  He is a fantastic character and someone I would want for a best friend even though I know Haley as already taken that role on.  Here is an excerpt from the book that will give you a glimpse of Haley and AJ's first meeting:

“Whoa!” Alston yells out. 

I look back. His lips keep moving, but I can’t hear anything over the roaring of A.J.’s jet ski. 

“– the hell!?” is all I catch. I throw my arms into the air and shake my head as Alston moves toward me. 

“What the hell are you doing?” he asks once he’s within earshot. He motions at A.J., but I know he’s talking to me. 

“Jet skiing,” I say. “You know, most people wear lifejackets. I thought that was normal.”

He points at A.J. “You’re seriously getting on that with him? Are you crazy? No one has ever ridden with A.J. Well, except that one time Reed did. He still has the scar to show for it.”

My blood boils as hot as this raging summer sun. This whole jet skiing with A.J. deal was a ploy, just like I thought. He’s probably rocked his mechanical bull moves on that yellow jet ski for a thousand girls. I bet he blew cigarette smoke on them and wrapped his arm around their pretty tan shoulders and told them how wave jumping with him would be the most badass experience of their lives. And at that point, the girls decided to take turns riding with Alston or they found another chiseled beach bum to waste their time with. 

None of them ever dared to get on the back of Jailbird Gonzalez’s jet ski. 

But I do.

Chasing Forever Down is a whole lot of fun, but also you will find between the covers a beautiful book about chasing your dreams and going after what you want even if the end results take you somewhere that is totally different than you planned, and  fate making them better than you ever thought they could be.

Flamingo gives
Chasing Forever Down by Nikki Godwin

10 Big Beautiful Palm Trees

     A Yellow Jet Ski                                         A Pink Frisbee

Origami Stars

About Author

Nikki Godwin

Nikki Godwin is a Young Adult/New Adult author from the southern USA. She is a city girl who can't live without Mountain Dew, black eyeliner, Hawthorne Heights, and candles from Bath & Body Works. When not writing, she's not-so-secretly internet-stalking her favorite bands. She may or may not completely love One Direction.

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