Palm South University Series
I've almost read every single one of Kandi Steiner's books. I love her, and I love her writing. I discovered a series of hers that I hadn't read yet, and I have no idea what took me so long! This series is amazing! It's addictive, and I absolutely loved it.
"Written like your favorite drama television show, the Palm South University series has been called "a mix of Greek meets Gossip Girl with a dash of Friends." Follow seven college students as they maneuver unrequited love, teacher/student romance, the tangles of "no strings" relationships, love triangles and more. Each "season" has six "episodes," and just like when your favorite show hits Netflix, you can read just one episode a time, or binge the entire thing. With the perfect mix of angst, emotional romance, and romantic comedy, the Palm South University series is your next guilty addiction. Drama. Lies. Sex. Welcome to Palm South University. The weather isn't the only thing heating up in South Florida. At a school where fraternities and sororities don't exactly play by the rules, relationships are bound to be tested. Parties and sex are definitely key ingredients in the Palm South recipe, but what happens when family issues, secret lives, and unrequited love get tossed in the mix? Follow Cassie, Bear, Jess, Skyler, Erin, Ashlei, and Adam as they tackle college at a small, private beach town university. Written in television drama form, each episode of this serial will pull you deeper and deeper into the world of PSU. Where the sun is hot and the clothes are scarce, anything can happen."
Book One: Rush
This book was addictive. When the blurb tells you it's like a Netflix show that you can binge, it's not lying. Once I got started I couldn't stop and I was compltely wrapped up in the world of PSU. I wish this was a Netflix show, it was just that good. The characters all had their own interesting story, and they all intertwined with each other.
I liked how you got several point of views from all these different characters. Usually more than two is a little too much for me, but it didn't feel that way with this book. I wasn't confused, and it was easy to keep everyone's point of view seperate from the other. All the secrets swirling around in these fraternities and soroities made my head spin, literally everyone had a secret they were keeping. People were harboring feelings for others and pretending like they weren't, some had double lives, some had forbidden love going on, everything pulled me and kept me turning the page.
"There are way too many secrets floating around PSU right now, and I'm determined to start uncovering them. It's time to hone in on my friends and reveal their truths."
I don't want to go too in depth into characters in this review, because I really feel like you all should read these books yourselves. There were a couple characters that really stood out to me. I really like Cassie, I felt like she was innocent and naive and after this first book I hope she gets a backbone and really stands up for herself. I also really liked Adam. I think he has feelings for one person, but is sticking witht he person that he THINKS he has more in common with, I'm hoping as the series goes on he changes his mind and sees what is right in front of him.
"It's strange how some memories are fleeting, almost gone the moment they happen, and others are burned into our brains and locked on replay."
Overall, I'm giving book one 5 STARS. I freaking loved it. It was addicting, it had great drama and angst, but it also had some feel good parts. I can't wait to see how these characters grow and develop as the series goes on! Kandi really knocked it out of the park with this one!
Book Two: Anchor
I think I loved book 2 even more than book one. This one packed a more emotional punch. This time you follow the crew to Spring Break, and as you can imagine all sorts of scandalous things happen there.
"I thought I would feel the fall. I thought I would crash on the cold hard ground and look around wondering what the hell happened. But the truth is, I fell slowly, softly- like a feather floating down, down, down into an undiscovered world."
I felt like a lot of the characters had some growth in this book. This one was so packed full of drama and angst I could literally not put it down. One character in particular went through so much, I'm not sure how much more a person could take, but I'm excited to see how she returns in the next book. I actually wasn't that big of a fan of this character in book one, but now she is one of my favorites.
The whole spring break scene added a whole new level of drama to the book. They got into so many scandalous situations, and they partied hard. There were some things that happened on spring break that I feel like made some of these characters question who they really were, and if this is the type of person they wanted to be.
"The truth is, there are some challenges we face in our lives that completely change us. We step into a moment in time as one person and emerge in new skin, with a new, slightly-battered heart that doesn't beat the same."
The romance in this book was smoking. There were two people that I've been shipping together since I started the series, and they finally made a move, and then that was it, it was just a small move. I was devastated there wasn't more, but I know there is still a chance. I'm looking forward to starting book 3 to see what happens with this couple. There is also a new pairing I'm interested in finding out if it becomes anything or not.
"I'm not scared to fall in love. I think we should fall in love with as many things as we can."
I loved that the sisterhood between the girls took top spot over any boy drama they had going on. No matter what they dropped everything for each other, and that is something special. I'm excited to see how these friendships continue to grow, and how each of these characters handle the obstacles that they were facing at the end of book 2.
Kandi really touched on some sensitive subjects in this one, but she handled them beautifully. I'm curious to see how the characters will grow from these situations and what kind of person they will come out as on the other side. I cried at least twice in this book, and and I just felt the pain they were going through. It was so well written, you could just feel the pain and loneliness this girl was feeling even though she was in a house surrounded by her best friends. You are a strong, brave, incredible young lady. You have way too much ahead of you to let four spoiled little punks take your life away.
Overall, I'm giving book 2 5 STARS. I loved book one, and I loved this book even more. I can't wait to see what happens between these characters and how their lives change and grow after what happened to them all in this book. As usual Kandi is a master at what she does.
"You were a normal girl. We all fall in love, sometimes too fast, sometimes not fast enough. We get reputations, we go for the wrong guys and we survive on heartbreak diets when all goes wrong. We lean on our sisters and we pick ourselves back up just to do it all over again because if don't, what's the point?"
Book Three: Pledge
Book three in the PSU series was not surprisingly, just as good as the first two. I think book two still holds my top spot in the series so far, but this one did not disappoint. The characters I love really went through some drama in this book, and the couple I've been shipping FINALLY got their crap together, I mean it was like the last few pages of the book when it happened, but it happened! The other couple I'm feeling was no where close to making something happen and I'm honestly not even sure if they will.
"The best part about my scars is that no one else can see them but me.
And that is power."
I'm still trying to review these without giving any names away, because I think you should go into these books as blind and clueless as you can. The character from the last book that went through so much pain and heartbreak is back this semester feeling better than ever, or so she says. She is trying everything to keep herself together and make everyone think she is fine, but I know she is bound to break. I feel so bad for her, for what she went through, but I wish she would open up to someone. I will not be defined by what has happened to me, only by what I do to overcome it.
One of my favorite characters had a boyfriend this whole book, and I hated him. There was just something about him rubbing me the wrong way, and I couldn't put my finger on it. When things were finally exposed, I could feel the pain she was going through, because I've been through that kind of heartbreak before, the kind where someone is not at all what you thought they were, and it feels like you will never get over it. I'm happy with where she was when the book ended, but I also know she is still feeling that pain of her hear break so I'm not sure how long the happiness will last. She wasn't the only sister to endure some heartbreak this book either, so I'm curious how they all will come together to overcome the pain they are in.
"It's the worst feeling, to love someone who has hurt you. But love isn't a pencil mark. It can't be erased so easily."
Overall, I'm giving book 3 5 STARS also. This series is everything. I'm really sad that I only have one more book to go. I have never read anything like this, and Kandi has written so well it's not hard to just keep flipping the pages, even when it's 1am and you have a baby at home and you should really be trying to get some sleep.
"Written like your favorite drama television show, the Palm South University series has been called "a mix of Greek meets Gossip Girl with a dash of Friends." Follow seven college students as they maneuver unrequited love, teacher/student romance, the tangles of "no strings" relationships, love triangles and more. Each "season" has six "episodes," and just like when your favorite show hits Netflix, you can read just one episode a time, or binge the entire thing. With the perfect mix of angst, emotional romance, and romantic comedy, the Palm South University series is your next guilty addiction. Drama. Lies. Sex. Welcome to Palm South University. The weather isn't the only thing heating up in South Florida. At a school where fraternities and sororities don't exactly play by the rules, relationships are bound to be tested. Parties and sex are definitely key ingredients in the Palm South recipe, but what happens when family issues, secret lives, and unrequited love get tossed in the mix? Follow Cassie, Bear, Jess, Skyler, Erin, Ashlei, and Adam as they tackle college at a small, private beach town university. Written in television drama form, each episode of this serial will pull you deeper and deeper into the world of PSU. Where the sun is hot and the clothes are scarce, anything can happen."
Book One: Rush
This book was addictive. When the blurb tells you it's like a Netflix show that you can binge, it's not lying. Once I got started I couldn't stop and I was compltely wrapped up in the world of PSU. I wish this was a Netflix show, it was just that good. The characters all had their own interesting story, and they all intertwined with each other.
I liked how you got several point of views from all these different characters. Usually more than two is a little too much for me, but it didn't feel that way with this book. I wasn't confused, and it was easy to keep everyone's point of view seperate from the other. All the secrets swirling around in these fraternities and soroities made my head spin, literally everyone had a secret they were keeping. People were harboring feelings for others and pretending like they weren't, some had double lives, some had forbidden love going on, everything pulled me and kept me turning the page.
"There are way too many secrets floating around PSU right now, and I'm determined to start uncovering them. It's time to hone in on my friends and reveal their truths."
I don't want to go too in depth into characters in this review, because I really feel like you all should read these books yourselves. There were a couple characters that really stood out to me. I really like Cassie, I felt like she was innocent and naive and after this first book I hope she gets a backbone and really stands up for herself. I also really liked Adam. I think he has feelings for one person, but is sticking witht he person that he THINKS he has more in common with, I'm hoping as the series goes on he changes his mind and sees what is right in front of him.
"It's strange how some memories are fleeting, almost gone the moment they happen, and others are burned into our brains and locked on replay."
Overall, I'm giving book one 5 STARS. I freaking loved it. It was addicting, it had great drama and angst, but it also had some feel good parts. I can't wait to see how these characters grow and develop as the series goes on! Kandi really knocked it out of the park with this one!
Book Two: Anchor
I think I loved book 2 even more than book one. This one packed a more emotional punch. This time you follow the crew to Spring Break, and as you can imagine all sorts of scandalous things happen there.
"I thought I would feel the fall. I thought I would crash on the cold hard ground and look around wondering what the hell happened. But the truth is, I fell slowly, softly- like a feather floating down, down, down into an undiscovered world."
I felt like a lot of the characters had some growth in this book. This one was so packed full of drama and angst I could literally not put it down. One character in particular went through so much, I'm not sure how much more a person could take, but I'm excited to see how she returns in the next book. I actually wasn't that big of a fan of this character in book one, but now she is one of my favorites.
The whole spring break scene added a whole new level of drama to the book. They got into so many scandalous situations, and they partied hard. There were some things that happened on spring break that I feel like made some of these characters question who they really were, and if this is the type of person they wanted to be.
"The truth is, there are some challenges we face in our lives that completely change us. We step into a moment in time as one person and emerge in new skin, with a new, slightly-battered heart that doesn't beat the same."
The romance in this book was smoking. There were two people that I've been shipping together since I started the series, and they finally made a move, and then that was it, it was just a small move. I was devastated there wasn't more, but I know there is still a chance. I'm looking forward to starting book 3 to see what happens with this couple. There is also a new pairing I'm interested in finding out if it becomes anything or not.
"I'm not scared to fall in love. I think we should fall in love with as many things as we can."
I loved that the sisterhood between the girls took top spot over any boy drama they had going on. No matter what they dropped everything for each other, and that is something special. I'm excited to see how these friendships continue to grow, and how each of these characters handle the obstacles that they were facing at the end of book 2.
Kandi really touched on some sensitive subjects in this one, but she handled them beautifully. I'm curious to see how the characters will grow from these situations and what kind of person they will come out as on the other side. I cried at least twice in this book, and and I just felt the pain they were going through. It was so well written, you could just feel the pain and loneliness this girl was feeling even though she was in a house surrounded by her best friends. You are a strong, brave, incredible young lady. You have way too much ahead of you to let four spoiled little punks take your life away.
Overall, I'm giving book 2 5 STARS. I loved book one, and I loved this book even more. I can't wait to see what happens between these characters and how their lives change and grow after what happened to them all in this book. As usual Kandi is a master at what she does.
"You were a normal girl. We all fall in love, sometimes too fast, sometimes not fast enough. We get reputations, we go for the wrong guys and we survive on heartbreak diets when all goes wrong. We lean on our sisters and we pick ourselves back up just to do it all over again because if don't, what's the point?"
Book Three: Pledge
Book three in the PSU series was not surprisingly, just as good as the first two. I think book two still holds my top spot in the series so far, but this one did not disappoint. The characters I love really went through some drama in this book, and the couple I've been shipping FINALLY got their crap together, I mean it was like the last few pages of the book when it happened, but it happened! The other couple I'm feeling was no where close to making something happen and I'm honestly not even sure if they will.
"The best part about my scars is that no one else can see them but me.
And that is power."
I'm still trying to review these without giving any names away, because I think you should go into these books as blind and clueless as you can. The character from the last book that went through so much pain and heartbreak is back this semester feeling better than ever, or so she says. She is trying everything to keep herself together and make everyone think she is fine, but I know she is bound to break. I feel so bad for her, for what she went through, but I wish she would open up to someone. I will not be defined by what has happened to me, only by what I do to overcome it.
One of my favorite characters had a boyfriend this whole book, and I hated him. There was just something about him rubbing me the wrong way, and I couldn't put my finger on it. When things were finally exposed, I could feel the pain she was going through, because I've been through that kind of heartbreak before, the kind where someone is not at all what you thought they were, and it feels like you will never get over it. I'm happy with where she was when the book ended, but I also know she is still feeling that pain of her hear break so I'm not sure how long the happiness will last. She wasn't the only sister to endure some heartbreak this book either, so I'm curious how they all will come together to overcome the pain they are in.
"It's the worst feeling, to love someone who has hurt you. But love isn't a pencil mark. It can't be erased so easily."
Overall, I'm giving book 3 5 STARS also. This series is everything. I'm really sad that I only have one more book to go. I have never read anything like this, and Kandi has written so well it's not hard to just keep flipping the pages, even when it's 1am and you have a baby at home and you should really be trying to get some sleep.
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