Review: On Dublin Street

Title: On Dublin Street
Author: Samantha Young
Publication Date: August 31, 2012
Source: Bought
Summary (from Goodreads)
Jocelyn Butler has been hiding from her past for years. But all her secrets are about to be laid bare…

Four years ago, Jocelyn left her tragic past behind in the States and started over in Scotland, burying her grief, ignoring her demons, and forging ahead without attachments. Her solitary life is working well—until she moves into a new apartment on Dublin Street where she meets a man who shakes her carefully guarded world to its core.

Braden Carmichael is used to getting what he wants, and he’s determined to get Jocelyn into his bed. Knowing how skittish she is about entering a relationship, Braden proposes an arrangement that will satisfy their intense attraction without any strings attached.

But after an intrigued Jocelyn accepts, she realizes that Braden won’t be satisfied with just mind-blowing passion. The stubborn Scotsman is intent on truly knowing her… down to the very soul

On Dublin Street was yet another book I picked up because of its popularity. I liked it, but I didn’t love it. It kept me wanting more, but not in a stay-up-all-night sort of way.

Joss had a rough start, losing her parents and sister in a car accident when she 14 and being thrown into foster care. Because of this she closed herself off emotionally to everyone around her, which at times got to be downright annoying. What I really didn’t understand was why Joss went into foster care in the first place. Surely, with how liked her parents where, there must have been someone her family would have set up as guardian. It just seems a little odd that they made sure everything was set up financially for her in case something happened to them, yet they didn’t bother to make arrangements for her care otherwise. It said Joss had an uncle but he didn’t want to be bothered raising her. Fine. What about those close friends/neighbours? They were like family, why wouldn’t they take her? It’s just something that didn’t sit well with me.

Braden is the hot Scot with a fairly messed up past and family situation himself. Is it odd that I loved how he had imperfect teeth? I get so tired of reading about these men who have no flaws whatsoever, so reading that this guy had somewhat crooked teeth and wasn’t totally image perfect made me like him even more.

I didn’t like how he controlled Joss, though. Like with her hair being down and wanting to be the only man who knew how beautiful she was. That bugged me. It made me wonder what else he would want to end up controlling in the future.

He also came off as kind of a child considering his age. When he found the ticket to Virginia and Joss told him she was going home, he didn’t ask any questions like a normal person would, like “for how long?” “when?” “why?” etc. He just stormed out of her bedroom and pouted like a five year old. And then he stole the freaking ticket! Seriously, he’s supposed to be 30, not 3.

Now I get it, Braden is hot. But Joss is apparently always so wet around him I was starting to get concerned she may develop a mildew problem. And her constant freaking out over him doing things that were intimate? If I had to read “it was more than sex” one more time, I was going to give up sex because it would forever remind me of that phrase—or at the very least, scream.

Her constant shutting people out was annoying after a while. Yes, I get it. Once you lose someone so close, or several people in her case, it’s hard to feel like the bottom won’t fall out from under you again and leave you drowning. But she didn’t even try.

“His words sank inside me so deeply I couldn’t breathe. Who was this guy? Was he real? He lifted my hand to his face, his fingers gliding softly along my jawline, and curving down my neck. I shivered. Yes, he was real. And for the next three months he was mine.”

I thought this was the start of something, the start of Joss letting him in, of letting someone in. But no, of course not. That would have made it too easy to not screw things up.  

Although, even with all her damaged shit, Joss never really pissed me off—until (SPOILER) she took Ellie’s tumor and made it all about her. She was the curse. She couldn’t believe this was happening again because of her. She couldn’t face dealing with it. She didn’t want Braden or Ellie to need her. She was going to lose Ellie. There was no thought of Ellie’s family or anything, it was all about her and how it was going to affect her. Self-absorbed much, Joss?  What a selfish cow! How about thinking about someone else for once?

In the end she did redeem herself, though. And even though I didn’t love the book, I have to admit I did kind of love the epi. 

.5