Blog Tour: Stripped by Brooklyn Skye

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Stripped
By:  Brooklyn Skye
Published:  May 14, 2013
Source:  YA Bound (Author)


GR's Summary:

“I like you.” His voice is low and soft, which I don’t deserve. I look away, down the rutted parking lot.

“Don’t... waste those words on me.”
He touches my cheek. “You just need someone to show you.”
“No.” I ease back again. “I don’t. So please, Torrin, stop trying to swoop in and save me. I don’t need saving.”

College freshman Quinn Montgomery will do anything to avoid the mistake her sister made—killing herself over a boy. But when she is forced into nude modeling at a local college to support her family after a bankruptcy, she begins to crack, just enough to let Torrin, the university’s top varsity oarsman, see that the real Quinn is not as feisty and unapproachable as she wants everyone to think. But letting someone in comes at a steep cost and, it turns out, Torrin is connected to Quinn’s family in more ways than she could ever imagine.

Welcome to my stop on the Stripped blog tour hosted by YA Bound.  Click HERE to see the full blog tour schedule!

When I first had the opportunity to see Stripped on goodreads, I was intrigued by the synopsis, and book cover.  Words and phrases that stuck out to me were in regards to Quinn making the same mistake her sister made-killing herself over a boy, being "forced into nude modeling," and about Torrin (the love interest) being connected to Quinn's family "in more ways than she could ever imagine."  Right away I was interested, and already trying to figure out what the story was about, before I even opened the first page!  I just knew right away that this book would be good!  The question, I asked myself was "Would Stripped be able to hold my attention for the duration of the whole story?"  The answer is "yes!"  Stripped held my attention, and the more I read of the story, the more that I wanted to know!  This story was fast-paced, full of suspense, mystery behind Quinn's sister's suicide, and some family secrets!  I enjoyed Stripped.  In no way was it a light read.  However, it was a great read, full of the harsh realities of life, having the strength and courage to live fully, and to admit when your wrong, and learn from past mistakes.

Stripped is the story of Quinn.  She recently lost her sister, to suicide over a break-up, and Quinn vows to never fall in love, or let a guy have the same kind of hold over her.  She decides to live a life that her sister would be proud of.  She attends college, because college was important to her sister, and is a business major because that's what her sister's major was.  Quinn was two years younger than her older sister, and looked up to her, all of her life.  Throughout the story, Quinn reflects on memories of her sister, and we are able to see how close the two girls were, and how much Quinn has been affected by her sister's death.  On top of all of this, her dad recently had to leave his job as the dean of a college when he was involved in a huge well-known, and publicized scandal.  The ripple effect of losing his job has been great financial troubles for the family, which has lead to Quinn's parents not being able to afford the full tuition for her education at Loyola.  Consequently, Quinn is under a lot of pressure to earn a lot of money in a short amount of time, or be forced to go back and live with her parents, and attend the community college that has a memorial of her sister, and is the last place that she wants to be.  Quinn ends up modeling nude, at the very same college that her father use to work for, in still-life art courses.  It's the only job that will pay her enough to be able to stay at her school.  No one recognizes Quinn there, and she goes out of her way to keep it that way.  Even though she has a boyfriend named Derek, who she uses to remind her not to fall in love (because he is a dirtbag,) she still ends up meeting Torrin, a great guy that she can't help but fall for.  However, Quinn and Torrin are both withholding information from one another, and as Quinn's walls begin to crumble, the question becomes, "Will she let someone in enough to love her, and will she be able to love him in return?"

I really connected with this story!  It was difficult for me to read about Quinn losing her sister.  I related to the close-knit, and special bond that Quinn shared with her sister, and my heart just broke for her.  I couldn't picture life without my sister, and I could understand Quinn's mixed emotions of confusion as to why her sister committed suicide, sadness, anger, and guilt, wondering if she could have done anything differently to prevent her sister from taking her life.  I also felt bad for the parents losing there daughter, and I could clearly see, and feel the negative affects that Quinn's sister's suicide had on the family dynamic.  I also felt bad for Quinn's situation, due to her father losing his job.  This poor girl had so many obstacles in her path, and considering all of the burdens she carried, it's no wonder she was struggling in her day to day life.  Torrin, really did help Quinn to heal.  He was such an amazing guy.  He was a good listener, and found ways to get Quinn to talk, and open-up to him.  I loved the fact that no matter how many times Quinn pushed Torrin away, he was always there for her.  These two characters not only had a lot of physical chemistry, but they also connected on a deep emotional level.

Stripped was a great debut novel, that I highly recommend!  It is one of those books that will tug at your emotions, make you sympathize or empathize with the main character, and you will connect or relate to the story in one way or another.  Stripped is a story that stood out to me, and I know I will remember it a year from now!  Whenever a story affects me emotionally, I know that it is a good story!  Stripped is a story that made me feel, and moved me deeply.  I believe it will move other readers as well.

I give Stripped, by Brooklyn Skye, 4 Secret, Mysterious, Scandalous, Fast-Paced, Tension-Filled, Stars!  I recommend this book to readers that enjoy New Adult Contemporary Romances that are realistic, about real life issues, that include overcoming tragedy, meaningful messages, and the importance of learning from one's mistakes, and how to rebuild one's life after tragedy strikes.  I really connected to this story, and was mesmerized the whole time that I read it!  This was an excellent debut, and I hope to see more from Ms. Skye in the future!

"I'm not sure if trust is a psychological thing or an instinctive thing or where exactly it comes from, but I've learned over the year to recognize those little signals my body exudes."  (EARC, 48)

"A fatso?  Very blatantly, he looks me up and down then pushes his shoulders back.  I think you mean gain some muscle.  And yes, you caught me...  He leans in and whispers, I was dying to touch your carotid artery."  (EARC, 59)

"It's not like those in his room, the urgency and insistence and firmness.  Or even sweet like the first.  This kiss is everything I don't have a word for.  In a way it feels protective.  A boy claiming a girl.  And it's tender and confusing and beautiful and for the first time in my life I think:  So this is why Zoe went off the deep end."  (EARC, 124)

"I'm not okay with what your sister did.  But sometimes God creates mountains in life.  Trials.  She lays her hand on her chest, taps one finger twice.  And you have to find the strength within to climb them."  (EARC, 165)

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Brooklyn Skye is just your average awkward girl who's obsessed with words. She grew up in a small California town where she quickly realized writing was an easy escape from small town life.

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