180 Seconds

4.5 stars -- I received a free copy through NetGalley in exchange for an honest and unbiased review/opinion.WOW. Seriously, wow. I knew I was going to enjoy this book, but I'm not sure I entirely realized HOW MUCH I was going to enjoy this book. I was sucked in right from the start, and my love just grew in intensity as I continued to read it... It was one of those books where you resent your life for interfering with your reading...or at least it was for me.I am a sucker for a damaged heroine. I wasn't quite sure how damaged Allison would be, and while some of my suspicions were way off base, I really appreciated that we got to see some different effects of just being in the Foster system and bouncing around from home to home without an added other huge trauma. Not sure if that makes sense, but sometimes I think just that basic concept of feeling unwanted and unloved and too much rejection does not get enough attention. Allison honestly brought out all the feels for me, I HURT for past and present her. I felt how much she wanted to close off the world, and how afraid she was of letting people in. There's a teeny tiny part of me that wonders if her transition was too fast, but that's partly b/c there were time jumps in the story. But quite honestly? I was getting so much out of the story, I didn't even care. I LOVED seeing Allison slowly open up and accept love. It was beautiful.There were two shining stars for me in this story (besides our heroine of course). Obviously there is Esben. I wondered if he would be too good to be true, and I debated about whether that would annoy me, but you know what? It really didn't. Especially because despite being such a good and kind and generous soul, we did get to see into his own damage, and see what shaped him into the person he was. And he was not without his own flaws and bad decisions. But I ADORED him. EVERY STEP OF THE WAY. I really expected a much different hero after reading the blurb and seeing social media star, and the glimpse we get before the experiment. My preconceived notions were blown away. He made me feel so many emotions all on his own, and he is totally my kind of book boyfriend material. I want an Esben.And I loved the way they grew together. Their chemistry was palpable, and sweet, and slow burning, and gave me so many tummy tingles. I ADORED the way their relationship progressed, it was all so satisfying for me.The other star for me was Simon. I'm not sure if it's just because he's a Dad, and I'm missing my own, but I LOVED HIM SO MUCH. He made me cry in so many unexpected moments, just by being himself. He was vulnerable, and honest, and tried so hard, and I was just always so happy that Allison had him. And OMG, did he make me laugh!! Right from that first chapter!! I'm not sure I've ever loved a secondary character in quite this way before. He added so much to the story.Steffi was another intriguing character. I knew there was more to her story, but for some reason I was still caught off guard. I enjoyed what we learned about her, and what she brought to Allison's own growth.I did end up losing some of my steam nearer to the end, but I was also interrupted so many times, that I think that hurt it too. If you can read it all in one sitting, I highly recommend that.All in all this book made me laugh, smile big grins, get tummy tingles, silently cry some tears, and bawl like a baby. That's a pretty great spectrum. Definitely one of my favourite reads of the year, it just hit all the right places for me.

I anxiously await every new release Jessica Park puts out. After she wrote one of my all-time favorite reads, Left Drowning, she has become an auto-read author for me. When I read the blurb for 180 Seconds and saw the gorgeous cover, I knew I had to have it. I preordered that paperback the very second I saw it live on Amazon. I guess what I’m trying to say here is that I was hyped up for this release and had very high expectations. I was expecting a book that made me FEEL, one that made me FALL IN LOVE. I am happy to say I got both of those things from this book.Allison Dennis spent most of her life in the foster care system. She is starting her third year of college and is one of those people who keeps to herself. The only two people she has in her life is the man who adopted her at 16, Simon, and her best friend, Steffie. Steffie and Allison have a beautiful friendship. They are each others person and more like family than anything. Steffie is the only family Allison has ever known and the only person she’s ever truly let in.Things start to change one day when Allison is minding her own business and gets pulled into a social experiment of sorts. It’s here she meets Esben. Esben and Allison sit across from each other for 180 seconds. Those seconds, those moments, they are so powerful. Honestly, reading that was so moving. I thought it was such a brilliant way to introduce the main characters. You felt their spark, the strong connection they shared. You felt everything.When Allison gets to know Esben and slowly lets him in, she starts to change. Watching the change in her was such a beautiful thing. Allison was a real and flawed character. I felt for her. I loved how raw and real she was. Esben was pretty perfect. Almost too good to be true. As was Simon. I just adored him. I loved a lot of the characters in this one. I loved the romance between Esben and Allison, but I loved even more that it wasn’t the entire focus of the book. This story is so much more that a romance. It’s an epic journey for Allison. It’s her finding who she is and embracing it. It's her learning to let people in. 180 Seconds has all the things I love in a book. A broken character, emotion, heartbreak, and heartwarming moments. It was’t a sad book per se, but boy did it bring out the tears for me. But there weren't only tears, there was also a lot of laughter and love. Park’s writing is fantastic and her stories are always unique and beautifully written. Allison’s story was genuine and from the heart. I recommend for anyone looking for an emotional NA read.

The headline on my blog is a quote from the great Ralph Waldo Emerson that states, "Some books leave us free and Some books make you free" I've never fully grasped the gravity of this statement until I read 180 Seconds. There have been books that I've connected with emotionally but none ever on this level and none that left me feeling so raw and exposed. It's no secret that I adore the writings of Author Jessica Park but this one truly is by far her best. Not only was she able to make me just feel everything, she was able to make me mourn a relationship I lost, she was able to make me cry until my body said no more, she truly helped me heal when I hadn't even realized I needed to. This book saved awoken a part of my life I left behind, the need for love and friendship . I tend to have a dramatic style of blogging when I love something or when I really think a book was ridiculous but I can promise this is nothing but honest reactions from yours truly. Never has a book caught me so off guard that I had to put it down and walk away, because I knew what was coming and somehow I knew in my heart that I couldn't handle the emotions it was going to invoke in me. Never the less I picked it back up and finished it. This is the journey Jessica Park took me on.Allison Dennis is entering her junior year of college and the only hope she has for the year is that she can manage to disappear and complete the year with as little human interaction as possible. Being in foster care until the age of 16 left Allison feeling unwanted, unloved and unseen. Despite being adopted by loving Simon Dennis, Allison can't shake the feelings she's grown up with. Life intervenes and throws Allison in to a social experiment she's not ready for, 180 seconds of staring into the eyes of Esben Baylor. 180 seconds is all it took to put into motion Allison discovering who she truly is and what she's capable of. Allison's story isnt just about a girl who got to fall in love and realize that she's worthy of love and family and how easy it was, Allison's story has to fight for love, she has to fight for friendship, she has to fight for family and when you're the person you're fighting with it never comes easy. Allison's character is one of the most raw and beautiful characters I've ever read and if she's based on someone real out there just let me say, thank you for being truly a brave and beautiful soul. If not, then thank you Jessica for writing this beautifully brave soul.Esben Baylor is a social media star popular for his social experiments. Esben is such a purely good soul who is driven to show the good in the world one good deed at a time. Esben is knocked off kilter when his 180 second social experiment affects him more than he ever thought possible. Although the experiment turns out to be life altering for Esben he runs into his own set of challenges when he truly realizes that not everybody who views his work is positive and leads him to doubt what he's doing and if its worth it. Esbens character brings a goodness that's rare, rare for books and sure as hell rare for the real world. It makes me wish that there were more giving spirits with less judgement walking around in this world, we surely need it. That being said I loved the twist that came with Esben, I loved that he wasn't the typical male hero that so many write about, it truly made him that much more special. Esben was the perfect blend of vulnerability and strength and the smile I needed after a particularly hard scene.This book had another character that made this book what it was and even though her name wasn't on the blurb it was her story that destroyed me. Steffi Troy is Allison's best friend/sister/ and the one she will never leave. Steffi was also a foster child until she transitioned out of the system at the age of 18. Steffi is opposite in disposition from Allison in that she embraces life and refuses to be a statistic. She always encourages Allison to be brave. But as much as Steffi refuses to become a statistic she refuses to let people love her until it's almost to late. Steffi wrecked my heart and sometimes it's those characters that hit you the hardest. I've had a life of friends coming in and out of a revolving door due to military life until one day I met my kindred spirit. She became my sister and then one day their orders came in sending her to the other side of the country from me. I started to lose her via distance but also I pushed her away. One day I went online and I had been unfriended and I had the most heartbreaking email waiting on me. It was my fault because truth is sometimes we push others away due to insecurities/bad judgement or even fear. Sometimes is takes a profound book to show you that things arent always what they seem and to take a leap and you just might fly.This book was about surviving and living and whatever Jessica's inspiration was for it I pray she never loses it because it was so very beautiful and so very BRAVE.This book gets every damn star I could give and still be taken seriously, but for you picky bitches it gets 5 Stars.

I’ve been sitting here staring at my computer screen for a while now trying to put together this review. It’s been hard because I don’t think I can adequately write about how 180 Seconds made me feel. Just thinking about this book makes me so emotional.Jessica Park has been one of my auto-buy authors since I stumbled upon her novel Left Drowning. I’ve read every one of her books because they always manage to touch me in ways I’m not expecting. She has me wanting to know her characters and everything about them from the first sentence, chapter and page. I’m always surprised by what I find, but never by how much I enjoy the journey. And I loved the journey I took in 180 Seconds. There was so much raw emotion in it. I couldn’t help being swallowed up by all of the feelings. So many things touched me deeply. I tried to hold back tears so many times unsuccessfully. 180 Seconds made me feel more than a book has made me feel in a long time.Allison was such a vulnerable character. Everything about her life had been and was hard. She wasn’t your typical college student. She craved privacy and anonymity. Allison was afraid to let people in. That made being pulled into a social experiment with the famous Ebsen Baylor all the more nerve-wracking. Spending 180 seconds with him did something to her, something big. It was exciting and stressful to be in her mind.Ebsen’s point of view wasn’t included in this book, but I didn’t need it. His character was so open that his thoughts and feelings came across well. I loved his part in Allison’s awakening. Their connection was so raw. I could feel it. He was an exceptionally amazing guy, and learning what experiences made him who he was made me believe Ebsen could actually be as amazing as he was.All of the secondary characters in this book were incredibly important to the story. I adored them all, and I would love to read future books about their stories. I do have to rave about one particular character, though: Steffi. Steffi was Allison’s best friend. She was a tough cookie and the only person Allison could rely on for a long time. I loved how they got each other as only best friends can. The way Steffi pushed Allison out of her comfort zone was very special. Their friendship was truly touching.One of my favorite things about 180 Seconds was how it portrayed social media. It showed the good and bad of being so connected in this day and age. It also showed how easy it is to be happy about the positive recognition received and how hard it is to deal with the negative.This is where I’m going to stop my review. I know I haven’t told you much about the story itself, but I don’t want to give anything away. 180 Seconds was such a beautifully written journey. It’s one that should be experienced for yourself. What I will say is that I absolutely adored this book. I didn’t put it down once I started it. I couldn’t. It was just too special to take a break from. 180 Seconds is going on the list of books I recommend to friends, and will be one I give often as a gift.

#InstaloveI thought I was going to love this, and I was so excited to read it. I was so disappointed. This deals with Allison who was previously in foster care. That is the only thing really about her past. The story lets you know she was in foster care and had a hard time with being adopted when she was 16. You do get to see a little about her and her adoptive father, but it was just not the story I was thinking this was going to be out.I just did not really like this. The characters seemed much younger than Juniors in College. I honestly wanted to to DNF this so many times. I ended up putting on the audiobook just to get through it. If I did not own it, I would have put it down.I liked the social media aspects, as it was pretty true to today with the good and the bad it can do. However; I feel the author threw everything she could into this story and I just felt exactly that…that it was thrown in. I did not think parts made sense to why it would happen this story. Was it emotional? Yes! All were serious issues that I usually love reading about, but it was just not delivered in a way that I thought worked all together. I wish it would have stuck to the story around the romance, the relationship with Allison and her father, and the relationship between Allison and Steffi. I feel like this was several different stories in one and it would have been more powerful if it focused on one.

<Across the board, my life has been an accumulation of dysfunctional puzzle pieces that will never fit together. I will him to feel my repeated traumas.>Jessica Park gets me. Every freaking time. She's an enchantress of the written word and I am under her spell. She continually leaves me wanting more. I still want more of her other works (Flat Out Love, Flat Out Celeste, Left Drowning, Restless Waters). I want a "Where are they now?" Jessica Park special. I want it now <said in my best Veruca Salt imitation>. Her characters speak volumes, they fly off the page and into your soul.I will be totally honest, I pre-ordered this book without so much as a glance of the synopsis. When Jessica offered me a copy to review I jumped right in, still without reading the synopsis. She's just one of those authors that I don't care what the novel is about I know I am going to be it's biggest fan.Allison is not just broken, she is damaged. She's lost in her own demise and I can't even begin to describe how lonely that was. My heart broke for her every step of the way. Every time she was uncomfortable or unsure of herself was a little fissure in my heart.I'm trying to think of a good analogy for Esben, but I can't seem to come up with one other than a food analogy. I think I will stay away from that one and we can agree that he would appreciate it. There were times where I couldn't get enough of his patience and understanding, but that underlying question haunted me... what's going to go wrong? He was too perfect. Too sweet. Too brave. Maybe those are not bad qualities but they always make me uneasy.<I wanted to be a father, but being a father is about a lifetime of parenting, not just little-kid stuff.>Supporting Characters. You know I love them and really I'm surprised I've been able to contain myself this long.Freaking Simon.I love him. I want a follow up novel of him.He slayed me. Laughter, tears, the whole deal. I felt him. I felt for him. Every thing he said or didn't say. Every drop of affection he poured out or held in. He was my total undoing this novel.His randomness and wittiness are Jessica Park in a nutshell. This is how I feel she is in her own life and I love her even more for it. Why are we not besties Jessica?!

Sooooooo...It took me a long time to write a review for this book. I had to read it twice and even after the second round, I was still at a loss to what to say about it.I feel like it was four separate stories combined into one big story with emotion so powerful, at times, I felt overwhelmed with the enormity of it all.First there was the story of Simon and Allison. It had its own presence from the first page to the very last. Their relationship was beautiful. Full of love, forgiveness, healing, and growth.Then there was the story of Allison and Steffi. This relationship seemed necessary and unnecessary at the same time. Necessary as a metaphorical letting go of the past and everything Allison had been through. Unnecessary because I think it could have been left out. In the end, I think it was something that was sort of just added as an emotional twist in the storyline but it neither hindered nor helped the storyline along. Did I love their friendship? Yes. But she was like a forgotten character until the big reveal and then towards the end... But it did pack an emotional punch, so much so, it left a lasting imprint.Then there was the story of Allison and Esben. I started this story with so much anticipation. Can you imagine staring at someone for 180 seconds, right into their eyes, no looking away, no surrendering? I don't think people realize how much can be given away with just the eyes. People who have a hard time expressing their emotions can always give themselves away with their eyes and body language, never having to say a single thing. This intense stare down was everything I was hoping it would be and then more. Afterwards, their relationship hit a lot of ups and downs. Esben was patient, kind, and got Allison out of her shell to experience more of life. Their romance was sweet and I was in like with them before fully diving into love by the end.Now, the last story is unconventional but also so very much apart of the whole dynamic of the book. The influence and power social media has on the most vulnerable but also how that influence and power can be used for good. This storyline had to do with the people and their stories. Their vulnerabilities in telling the world about themselves but also the strength and hope behind them as well. I really, really, really loved this aspect of the book and I really loved the uniqueness of how it was used in the plot. I am vague on purpose, you need to experience this yourself.Overall, this story with valuable parts made the whole phenomenon a powerful read. It hits you in the feels and you finish with the warm fuzzies.I give this 180 Second a 4 "My FEELS!!!" StarsYou will NEED this book, especially if you LOVE Jessica Park as much as meeee

I've had a love-hate relationship with this author from the minute I picked up Flat Out Love. Ms. Park has a way of entwining humor and heartbreak in a way that is both delicious and addictive. It was simultaneous luck and misfortune that I started with what perhaps is her best book-- I fell in love with her writing, but a couple of her others had a twinge of cliche and something overwrought about them. I couldn't get past the first few chapters. I had expected this one to be the same, after the first chapter. Another plucky female protagonist with some painful past she can't get over. Another jaw-droppingly handsome young man that you expect to be almost boring in his perfection. But with a lot of downtime at my job, I had time to spare, so I pressed on. I'm so glad I did.The characters at first appear to be a little flimsy, the story a little unoriginal. But there's little details that keep your attention, little jokes and quirks that keep you going, and then all at once you realize that you are completely invested. You get to share in Allison's wariness, suspicious that maybe Esben is too good to be true. You get to bond with Steffi like she's your own best friend, and little by little come to adore Simon too. By the time the plot twist hits you, you're so in love with every single character that putting this story down seems impossible. I can't tell if it's by accident or genius, but the beginning of the book is almost so easy to write off, that you're not prepared for the heart-wrenching emotion of the last half. And it is heart-wrenching. I teared up from sorrow and happiness, sometimes in the same chapter. My heart was racing through the endearingly chaotic climax. It somehow reminds you of the goodness of people without being too schmaltzy, and it makes you wanna hug the ones you love. Not to mention the parts that make you laugh out loud.So glad that I had a chance to experience this book, not just because of how good the book itself was. But now I'm going back to Ms. Park's other books that I didn't finish to see if she can pull the rug out from under my feet again! I'll be re-reading this one!

I loved this entire story. It was wholly sweet and heart wrenching at times, but I genuinely have regained more faith in humanity simply because of this. In fact, it inspired me to connect with new people in the meantime, and I do not regret overcoming shyness and wanting to keep doing so for the rest of my life. I would fully recommend this sweet (vanilla) story to virtually anyone in the need for a sweet love story, and it will feel especially relatable and inspiring if you’re currently at university/ college/ education.

Jessica Park has weaved magic with one hundred and eighty seconds. All it took was that much time for Allison and Esben and all those who love them and whom they love for their lives to make a complete one eighty.This book is for young adults and everyone above, who have experienced highs and lows, in love, friendship, family and self. And who has not had ups and downs? But this isn't just a love story that has a HEA. It is a journey about really finding yourself and owning up to the good, bad and ugly side of everything that comes your way, even yourself.My favourite. And I know it will now be included in the best books I've had the opportunity to read.

What an emotional read. I was not expecting that. I got this book after a number of recommendations but I honestly forgot what people raved about. Now I can tell you- they felt soo much emotion and heartbreak with this book and I’m glad I went in cold because I might not have read it for a while longer if I knew this.The book starts out almost emotionless and detached and I nearly gave up, but then I realised that this was Allison. She spent 16.5 yrs in and out of foster homes before being adopted. She’d learnt how to close herself off in the hopes of not being hurt. This year, though, she makes herself a promise to try to attempt life and make friends. Her guide through all this is her best friend Steffi. Allison talks to her regularly and she helps push her through her comfort zones, until all her comfort is smashed to pieces when she is dragged into a social experiment- to look someone in the eyes for 180 seconds. In those mere seconds she finds someone who wants to help her, who can get past her walls and someone who she feels an instant connection with. Esben slowly helps gain her trust, the friendship, then a relationship, while helping her open up to the world. It’s his love for her that she needs to get her through the hardest thing she has ever had to deal with.If you’ve read Bright Side by Kim Holden this book is on par with that. If you haven’t read that one yet either, then I highly recommend both of these books.

This was an amazing read! I fell in love with all the characters.I laughed, I cried, I transported back in time.I don’t think it’s possible to not connect with this book somewhere along the way.It made me wish for someone with the patience of Simon, the dedication of Esben and lastly it snagged onto my dark and twisty soul with Steffi.Give yourself 180 seconds to start this book. You won’t be able to put it down until your face is salty and your smile is true. Xx

This book is so full of positivity and hope that reach straight to my heart! Read it, you'll fall in love with Esben instantaneously!!