White Fur
Blurb: When Elise Perez meets Jamey Hyde on a desolate winter afternoon, fate implodes, and neither of their lives will ever be the same. Although they are next-door neighbors in New Haven, they come from different worlds. Elise grew up in a housing project without a father and didn’t graduate from high school. Jamey is a junior at Yale, heir to a private investment bank fortune and beholden to high family expectations. The attraction is instant, and what starts out as sexual obsession turns into something greater, stranger, and impossible to ignore.
The unlikely couple moves to Manhattan in hopes of forging an adult life together, but Jamey’s family intervenes in desperation, and the consequences of staying together are suddenly severe. And when a night out with old friends takes a shocking turn, Jamey and Elise find themselves fighting not just for their love but also for their lives.
My Thoughts:
I read some reviews for White Fur last year and after reading the blurb, it sounded like a book I would enjoy. Books like The Notebook and movies like “Pretty in Pink” are faves, and this story is about a rich boy who falls for a low class girl and they do fall in love, but it certainly isn’t that simple and not really what I expected.
*May contain mild spoilers*
Jamie is a Yale boy who comes from a wealthy family. They have high expectations of him and there’s no question about the direction of his future, until Jamey meets his neighbor Elise, and discovers he’s both fascinated by her and repulsed at the same time. He develops a hot and heavy sexual relationship with her but fears intimacy. Elise is like a polar opposite; she’s low class, comes from a multi-racial background, never graduated high school, doesn’t know her dad, and learned about sex, violence and drugs at a young age. She wonders about Jamey and why he’s distant from her outside of their sexual encounters. She wants a normal relationship with him and wants him to see her–the real her. The truth is, Jamey knows he shouldn’t want Elise; she smokes, curses, and he has issues with her behavior. Not only that, he’s reminded by his best friend and family repeatedly that this simply can’t happen, but he can’t seem to shake the feelings he has for her.
Time moves forward and Jamey invites Elise to live with him in New York where there are less distractions. The hope is that they can continue their relationship without drama, but unfortunately, Jamey’s gang of a family won’t leave it alone.
The story is gritty and definitely cringeworthy. I felt that the writing was beautiful and detailed, but for me, it was way too wordy for this type of story. I found the multiple breaks in the narrative confusing and didn’t like the characters. Jamey and Elise’s relationship is pretty much all sex with zero romance for the majority of the book and I can’t understand how this book is described as a modern ‘Romeo and Juliet.’ To me, in a Romeo and Juliet like story, couples don’t have sex with other people, nor do people in love for that matter, but that’s just my personal opinion. I didn’t have any emotion until the last 30-40 pages or so as things started to pick up, and it was more or less over the dog. There just wasn’t enough going on to keep my interest. It had an unexpected ending, but not one that I was really pleased with because I felt like the future was still so uncertain for them. I’m wondering if there might be another book?
This is obviously just not my favorite kind of book, but I know others will like it. Don’t skip the book because of my review if this sounds like one you’d enjoy!
3***
I’d like to thank Netgalley, the publisher, and author for an ARC of White Fur in exchange for a review.
Find this book on Goodreads and Amazon:
- Hardcover: 320 pages
- Publisher: Hogarth (May 30, 2017)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0451497929
- ISBN-13: 978-0451497925
Pingback: Reading Challenges 2018 – Netgalley & Edelweiss Reading Challenge #NGEW2018 and Ultimate Reading Challenge #UltimateReadingChallenge – ReadRantRock&Roll
I’ve seen this book everywhere, and the blurb sounds super intriguing. Obviously now I have to read it. Awesome review!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks, Alyssa! 💗 I do hope you enjoy it more than I did. 😉
LikeLiked by 1 person
Ugh. Sorry it didn’t work for you, but at least you got one book down out of your TBR!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks, Noriko! True ❤ Sorry I’m late responding but your comment was in spam! Thats the first time thats happened. Chat later. 😊
LikeLiked by 1 person
I have this one, but not sure I’m going to read it soon. I’m not sure it is for me, but eventually I’ll try it! Great review!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks, Holly! 😊 You’ll have to let me know how you like it. 💖 Hope you enjoy.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’ve wondered about this one, I think I’ll pass. Thanks for your great review!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you, Renee. You might like this one! It just wasn’t for me. If you read it, I’d love to hear your thoughts on it. 💖
LikeLiked by 1 person
I think I added this one but after reading your review. I’m not sure why. I dint think it’s for me. Thanks for the review! 🐦
LikeLiked by 1 person
Honestly, I don’t think you would like it, but I can’t say for sure. I’m just going by the stuff you like to read. Thanks! 😀
LikeLike
I had such mixed feelings about this one as I was reading. I totally agree with what you said about the comparison to Romeo and Juliet…The other people thing turned me off. I believe I rated it it the same. Excellent review!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Me too! I had mixed feelings as well. I was hoping the story was going to pick up and kept thinking something would happen, but no. Plus Jamey just seemed obsessed with sex only. I know its a coming of age story, but just not for me. Sorry it wasn’t a win for you either. 💖
LikeLiked by 1 person
I hate to say it, but on a selfish level I’m kind of glad to see that you didn’t love this… I just love seeing other critical reviews for it. I obviously disliked it a lot more than you did, but I respect the mixed feelings. I hope your next read is a good one!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks, Rachel. 💖 I do remember you not liking this one. Honestly, I thought it was written well in parts, but the breaks in the narrative and stuff I didn’t like. I just couldn’t connect and the way the characters acted ruined it for me. It was definitely not what I expected after reading some reviews and hearing people call it a modern Romeo and Juliet! Thanks for your thoughts and for reading my review! Happy reading 😊
LikeLiked by 1 person
Such a shame it ended up being cringey and not what you expected!! Great review!
LikeLiked by 1 person
No problem though.💖 We can’t love them all, right? 😉 Thank you!
LikeLiked by 1 person
hehe yes 😉 You’re welcome!
LikeLike