Book Review: Chasing Nikki by Lacey Weatherford

Book Stats:
Chasing Nikki by Lacey Weatherford

(Book #1 of the Chasing Nikki)
Source: Purchased
Format: Kindle, 336 pages
Publisher: Moonstruck Media
Publication Date: 6/18/2012
Reading Level: Young Adult
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance

Goodreads Summary: A broken heart.A troubled past.An unexpected romance that changes everything.Will love and trust be enough to overcome the ultimate test?

Chase Walker used to be a good kid--charming, athletic, and with a bright future ahead, but that was before travesty struck his life, sinking him into deep despair. Caught up in a world of drugs and alcohol, he doesn't notice time slipping away until he's arrested for underage drinking one night.Fed up with watching her son destroy his life, Chase's mom relocates him to live in a small ranching community with his ex-military grandfather. Chase is far from happy about the situation until he meets, Nikki, the cute cheerleader who won't give football players like him the time of day. Chase enjoys a good challenge though and sets out to claim Nikki for his own. He soon discovers she's more than a pretty face--she's a balm to his troubled spirit also. But when tragedy strikes Nikki's life too, suddenly Chase finds himself put to the ultimate test. Can he trust Nikki, and all that she's taught him? Will it be enough?

Chase Walker does pretty much all the teenage "rebellious" or better yet, coping, stuff. Smoking weed, getting shit-faced drunk and on top of that? Getting arrested. Since things turned for the worst, next thing he knows, his mom packed them up to move to his grandparent's old ranch. He never liked spending time there so he figured this was his personal hell, bent to just deal with it the same way he dealt with things back to where he came from. Then you throw in lovable Nikki Wagner into the story. A warm soul tainted with old heartbreak. Of course, he was attracted to her but she sworn off of "guys like him". Macho football players and when I mean players, yes, playing THAT other side of the field. Chase saw Nikki as a challenge and Chase Walker never backs down from a challenge so there goes operation Chasing Nikki....

Although, the "chase" was pretty cute, I'm glad it didn't last too long and that Nikki wasn't playing the hard-to-get role, she just got to know Chase for who he is without going too far when she didn't want to. So with that being said, the pacing was perfect!

If I didn't know better I might have mistaken this novel from Nicholas Sparks and that's saying a lot! Sigh... seeing the beauty of first love and all that jazz you know? Lacey Weatherford really did a number with this! It's a fluffy read but none to be taken lightly at all!

The book has a shocking factor. I honestly don't know how I feel about the epilogue though, maybe it was too sudden for me to see so kind of felt betrayed! But I'm glad things worked out for our Chase Walker. I really wasn't expecting those though! So props.

I loved Nikki's character. She's certainly a reminder of people that surrounds us and the simple little things in life that we take for granted. Especially when you've envisioned them as forever. My heart was hurting for Chase the whole way through his experience. Especially his visit to her Grandmother after her funeral and the letter... oh the letter... I sobbed with him on that one. It brought me back to my own experiences and he was definitely relatable.

This novel is simple enough but it does stand on it's own. I can't wait to read how he got to where he is on the epilogue on the sequel, Finding Chase!

★★★★

If you haven't read this book, I suggest that you do! Buy it from Amazon: