October 2015 by St. Martin's Press
336 pages
Three stars
"Sophia Marcus, 21, has already mapped out every aspect of her glamorous life as a Hollywood actor on her vision board. But her life right now in Toronto is anything but exciting. Attending fruitless auditions during the day and working at a douche-y club at night, Sophia is starting to feel like she's going nowhere...slowly.
Demi Michaels, Sophia's best friend, didn't go to college after high school. Short of ideas for her own future, she puts her energy into building the perfect relationship with an older man. And when that relationship crashes and burns, Demi is left to pick up the pieces.
Sophia's friend (and Demi's frenemy) Leandra Hunting doesn't give a crap about hard work or a loving relationship. She has other plans for her future. After college graduation, Leandra sets out to travel the world in the yachts, planes and limos of ridiculously wealthy men. Will any of them be able to show her what love really means--if she can take off her Chanel sunglasses long enough to see it?
Set in the exotic, intoxicating worlds of Hollywood, Thailand, and London, Bliss paints a relatable portrait of life in your early twenties with equal parts optimism and fear, hope and disappointment, expectation and reality. It's the Age of Uncertainty when you can count on nothing, but, if you're lucky enough to have one truly great friend, you can survive just about anything." - Goodreads
I didn't know much about this going into it. I received it from St. Martin's Press from a Goodreads giveaway, which was pretty exciting. I love Shay Mitchell in Pretty Little Liars and I'm always interested in reading new books by people who are not known for writing books. Beware for some mild spoilers in this review.
Demi, Sophia and Leandra have been best friends since they were children. When they were 17 they made a pact to stay best friends forever, follow their bliss and make their dreams come true. Sophia dreams of Hollywood, Leandra for a rich husband to live the life of luxury and Demi to be successful. Bliss is the story of three girls trying to figure out who they are and what they want in life. Each chapter is from one of the girls point of view. There amazing chapter titles, recipies and quotes throughout the book.
The content of the story was very mature and realistic. I thought it would be geared towards a younger audience but I was wrong. It focuses on very real problems that young girls can face after graduating high school. It shows how you can turn a bad situation into something positive. I thought they way they handled the problems they faced was realistic and believable. They may have made mistakes but they just moved forward and towards their dreams.
I really liked reading Demi's story and I think she was the strongest character. In typical YA fashion each girl was faced with a hurdle or struggle they had to find a way to move past. I found Sophia's to be heartbreaking but I connected with Demi. I really admire her attitude towards life and how she started fresh and made something really great out of her life. She finds out of a bit of information that could destroy her, but she holds her head up high and I think that is a great thing. We are in control of our own happiness.
I really liked reading Demi's story and I think she was the strongest character. In typical YA fashion each girl was faced with a hurdle or struggle they had to find a way to move past. I found Sophia's to be heartbreaking but I connected with Demi. I really admire her attitude towards life and how she started fresh and made something really great out of her life. She finds out of a bit of information that could destroy her, but she holds her head up high and I think that is a great thing. We are in control of our own happiness.
Unfortunately, I really disliked Leandra. She goes to Thailand and I thought the change of scenery and adventure would make me enjoy her story more than the other girls. But, that proved to be false. Her story was interesting, but it was so frustrating. I have some serious issues with her as a character. Towards the end I thought she may have changed her ways but was proven wrong. She has little character growth and is not a very good person. She is too consumed by material things, not appreciating the amazing friends she has by her side.
Overall, I really did enjoy this book. I just didn't feel I could give four stars to a book in which I hated one of the main characters. I haven't heard any plans for this to be turned into a series, but if it did I would pick up the next book.
Overall, I really did enjoy this book. I just didn't feel I could give four stars to a book in which I hated one of the main characters. I haven't heard any plans for this to be turned into a series, but if it did I would pick up the next book.
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