So, wow. Probably closer to 4-1/2 stars. Wow. Definitely closer to 4-1/2 stars. I found myself thinking of the story and the characters when I wasn't reading the story, which is a hallmark of a good story for me. Y'all can read the blurb and know what the premise is. Noelle literally fell for her knight in shining armor. Granted, she'd been drugged after trusting someone in Sector 4 after being thrown out of Eden with nothing but the clothes on her back, but miraculously, she found Jasper. Who brings her to Lex. And then she starts a journey of self-discovery. She was never allowed to feel while she was in Eden, but she's almost forced to feel so much outside of Eden. And she revels in all of the emotions. And all the new experiences. And all the inaccuracies they were told in Eden about living outside Eden.
I liked watching Noelle blossom and come into her own. I loved it when she fixed Dallas' tablet, when she realized she really did have something to contribute.
While I understood Jasper trying to keep his distance from Noelle, I felt bad for Noelle for how many times Jasper pulled away. I understand his reasons, but I empathized with Noelle because she wanted him so badly and it just felt like rejection upon rejection. I was really happy to see his "grand gestures" near the end.
I'm very interested to see where this story goes, both with the other characters (there were a lot of great single characters) as well as this underlying "what's her dad or others in Eden going to do next" thing.
Even though the society is very open in their sexuality, this wasn't the steamiest story I read. Sure, there was a lot of sex, but I think because it was *just sex* for the most part (or that's what they were trying to make themselves believe), it just didn't seem very deep emotionally to me. BUT, it was still a very interesting story. I'll definitely continue.
