Blog Tour: Luxe by Ashley Antoinette (Review & Rating)
From the New York Times bestseller Ashley Antoinette, author of the Prada Plan series comes a boldly fierce and strikingly dramatic novel, Luxe.
Luxe
Part One
352 Pages
Release Date: 09/08/2015
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press | Imprint: Griffin
Genre: Woman’s Fiction | Literary Fiction | Romance
Bleu Montclair knew as a young girl that she would one day escape the hard, unrelenting streets of Flint, Michigan, and when her desperate prayers are answered in the form of a scholarship to UCLA, Bleu knows she’s struck gold. But soon after arriving, all her beautiful, bright dreams begin to fall apart. Endless temptations abound in the form of cars, clothes, booze, drugs, and Bleu cannot keep up. When her roommate gives her the opportunity to make a lot of money fast, Bleu goes all in-and heads straight down a path of violence and addiction that only her newest protector, Iman, can save her from.
*Keep reading for a review & rating of Luxe, plus information about new-to-me author, Ashley Antoinette *
* Arc provided by Publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review *
First Impression: Excellent writing with a realistic character that drew me in and made me notice her…and her struggles with addiction.
In my day job, I see the struggles people go through with their addictions. Some are able to win the fight while others are still battling, still doing whatever they can to get that high. To erase and forget the demons that haunt them, if only for a little while.
Luxe is a very dark book, but it’s also a very realistic look into the life and mindset of an addict and the people they surround themselves with. What drives them, what scares them, what propels them to start and continue with the life they live…and how hard they must fight to overcome their internal demons and find a way out. The author does a phenomenal job showcasing that struggle, and how quickly a person can go from living and working toward a dream to losing it all in the blink of an eye.
I’ve not had the chance to read this author before, but after reading this book, it is clear Ashley Antoinette is an incredible storyteller with a firm grasp on in-depth characterization and the psychological stresses that came from living with addiction. She hits readers with powerful, engaging emotions that pull them in and affect them in ways they would not expect before opening this book, and they will remember her long after finishing this read because of the depth of her skill.
Luxe is an eye-opening, fast-paced book that will tug at your emotions through each and every chapter. It will make you think and see the character of Bleu, and the realities that come with her fall into addiction and her daily struggle to find her way back out again. This book is special because it pulls no punches and gives you a raw, gritty look into a life you might not otherwise see, let alone ever come to understand.
Highly, highly recommend.
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Ashley Antoinette is one of the most successful female writers of her time. The feminine half of the popular married duo, Ashley and JaQuavis, she has co-written over 40 novels. Several of her titles have hit The New York Times bestsellers list, but she is most widely regarded for her racy four-book saga, The Prada Plan. Born in Flint, MI she was bred with an innate street sense that she uses as motivation in her crime filled writings.
