Review: Dirty by Kylie Scott

4/5

I'm a big fan of Kylie Scott's Stage Dive series. I haven't finished Ben's book though. Something happened somewhere in the middle of it that just didn't motivate me to keep going. Eventually, I'll finish it but even if that fourth book didn't quite do it for me, I'm still a fan of the series, the characters and the writing. Scott is one of the best voices of New Adult out there—upbeat, blunt and funny. 

There are no famous rock stars in this new book (well, there might be but this books' not about them) and I would almost say that the whole scene's been a bit scaled down. We're not out in the spotlight like we were in the first series but music is still definitely a huge part of it. This is a bit more about average people falling in love which can be refreshing in a sea of books about rock stars and CEOs. But just because they're more regular Joes doesn't mean the male lead isn't as hot as hell. And like most of Scott's heroines, Lydia isn't physically perfect but has the attitude and smarts to make her irresistible. This is one of the things that I adore about her works.

I'm not going to spoil too much of the story but Lydia and Vaughn's fast friendship quickly turns into more and not before long, they find themselves questioning the decisions they'd made before they met and the dreams they'd dreamed without each other. They're two people in very shitty times in their lives, both struggling for something, both insisting they don't need more than what they're settling with. 

I enjoyed this story a lot. I read it during the flights to and from New York last month. The fact that I didn't finish this in one sitting signifies that I wasn't as obsessed with it as I was with the first three Stage Dive books but it was still a good, sexy, funny read and I'll definitely be picking up the rest of the series.

Never Forgetting New York City

I've always told myself that the first place I'd ever visit outside of the Philippines would be New York City.

Of course, that didn't happen because I first moved to Canada but nonetheless, it's always been on my bucket list.

It's hard not to be fascinated with the iconic city when you see so much of it in your beloved books, movies and TV shows. It's not just a place—it's a culture, a sense of identity, a catch in time where the old and new mix merrily, a world with its own beat.

I was lucky enough to have gotten the opportunity to visit with my hubby tagging along.

I'd already made him promise we'd go to New York when I hit the big 3-0 but since the opportunity came up, we thought we'd speed up the timeline just a little bit.

We only had a handful days there but we did our best to see and experience as much as we physically could. From pounding the pavement as we walked block after block to taking the subway everywhere and keeping pace with the hardworking locals, we tried to get a real feel of what it's like living in a place many people only dream about.

I would go back in a heartbeat because there's still so much to experience but even if the next opportunity isn't coming around anytime soon, I'm still happy we got to go.

Just as promised, New York City is unforgettable.

Its memories live in my heart forever.