Review Going Under by Georgia Cates

Hi everyone, this is officially my first ever blog post, and I am beyond excited to share my opinion with you guys. It has been long overdue, since I finished reading this novel almost TWO MONTHS AGO!!! Thank you so much Tess for allowing me to be a part of your incredible blog. Hopefully, this will be my first of many in the near future. God Bless. :)

Going Under by Georgia Cates

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Jessie Boone is a self proclaimed bad boy and doesn’t march to the beat of anyone’s drum, but his own. Growing up in less than desirable circumstances has made him no stranger to the hard knock life and his determination to leave it behind is fierce. When he finds himself transferred to East Franklin High School, he sees his opportunity to use his athletic ability to snag a college football scholarship, but Forbes Henderson, the player Jessie means to replace isn’t giving up his spot willingly. In fact, Forbes is willing to go to extreme measures to retain his place as first string quarterback. When Forbes’ malicious plan to injure his replacement fails, Jessie is furious and determined to show him he messed with the wrong person; not only is he going to take the position of first string quarterback, he’s going to take his girl, too.

Claire Deveraux is perfection at it’s best. She is beautiful, intelligent and unaware she just became Jessie Boone’s conquest as revenge against her boyfriend, Forbes Henderson. Like her flawless performance as the perfect daughter and student, Claire’s production of being the perfect girlfriend has everyone fooled, except Jessie Boone, and she fears this tattooed bad boy will see her secret desire to explore his crude threats and promises to rock her perfect world. If she decides to give in to one uninhibited moment with Jessie, will she learn too late that it was all an act of vengeance or will Jessie learn the taste of first love is sweeter than that of revenge?

Review:
Cates' Going Under is my first YA indie novel, and I was very impressed. Immediately grabbing your attention with the sentimental, yet all too familiar story of Jessie Boone, the novel tugs at your heart strings and you are already rooting for the bad boy who secretly has a heart of gold. Jesse Boone was dealt a horrible hand of cards in the game of Life. After witnessing the heinous murder of his mother, Jesse had no other choice but to live with his drug-addict grandmother who forced him to sell drugs. However, Jesse was a talented football quarterback and surprisingly incredibly smart, and he was destined to have a good life----a life that he deserved. When the novel introduces Miss Perfect a.k.a Claire Deveraux, I was torn between hating her or loving her, for she is "the girl everyone loves to hate"-----beautiful, smart, and rich. However, as the story rolled on, I adored her.

Since I can't reveal some of my favorite scenes without spoiling the whole book, I will say I was floating on cloud 9 as I witnessed their "romance" unfold. Yet, I was on pins and needles, wandering if it was real or fake because they both had hidden agendas. Jesse wanted revenge on Forbes Henderson---the popular first string quarterback and Claire's boyfriend, who failed to "take him out"; and Claire wanted her own little revenge against Jesse.

I definitely wanted Jesse and Claire to be together, and I was praying that by the end of the story they would be---for the right reasons, of course!

I was also a fan of the playful, extremely corny mannerisms that Claire's best friend, Payton, brought to the book. I was a little embarrassed, but they definitely made me smile. Also, I enjoyed the little "in your face" moments when Claire was trying to seduce Jesse. They showed her sassy side---something Jesse was NOT expecting! I caught myself on many occasions saying "You Go Girl!!" in my head. But Jesse's still my man.

Along with the love and romance in this book, there were little twists and surprises that kept the pages turning. And I cannot not mention Jesse's little brothers---the sweetest kids in the world. I wanted to reach in the book and grab them and put them in my pocket. That sounds a little creepy, but I just love them. Georgia Cates gets two thumbs up from moi, and I especially appreciate the Official Going Under Playlist---It's so perfect for this novel. I can't wait to get my hands on Shallow.  So, I definitely recommend this book for YA romance lovers. READ THE BOOK! You have no other choice but to fall in love with it.