Blog Tour: Stripped by Brooklyn Skye ~ Review & Giveaway

Welcome to my stop on the Stripped blog tour, hosted by the amazing YA Bound!  You can see the entire tour scheduled HERE.  Today on my stop I have my review of this wonderful story, along with a tour-wide giveaway!

Title: Stripped
Author: Brooklyn Skye
Published: May 14, 2013
Source: received via blog tour
Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble

“I like you.” His voice is low and soft, which I don’t deserve. I look away, down the rutted parking lot.

“Don’t…waste those words on me.”

He touches my cheek. “You just need someone to show you.”
“No.” I ease back again. “I don’t. So please, Torrin, stop trying to swoop in and save me. I don’t need saving.”

College freshman Quinn Montgomery will do anything to avoid the mistake her sister made—killing herself over a boy. But when she is forced into nude modeling at a local college to support her family after a bankruptcy, she begins to crack, just enough to let Torrin, the university’s top varsity oarsman, see that the real Quinn is not as feisty and unapproachable as she wants everyone to think. But letting someone in comes at a steep cost and, it turns out, Torrin is connected to Quinn’s family in more ways than she could ever imagine.

Quinn is on an emotional roller. Having to deal with the loss of her sister to suicide, whom she looked up to immensely, you would think is enough to drive someone into pure emotional torture. But on top of that, Quinn is also dealing with her family's inability to pay for her schooling since the "incident" that forced her father, the Dean of the school, to resign. Now jobless and running out of money quickly, her parents are less than helpful with her college career. They can barely afford food, cutting costs whenever possible.  She is forced to take on a position as a nude model, worst of all at the school her father resigned from, in hopes of raising enough money to pay for her next semester at school.

Stripped has emotional twists and turns throughout. Though I thought this would be an overall very emotional and sappy read, it surely was not. It did tug at the heartstrings now and then, yet was silly at times, and extremely realistic. The struggles Quinn was facing were real. I instantly connected with Quinn on a deeper level. Though she's tough, totally snarky, and says and does the most bizarre things, I quickly became a fan of her, rooting for her to make it through her struggles. Torrin, the guy she meets at the school she works at, was an extremely lovable character to me. He was swift and witty with his comments, and didn't let Quinn's harsh personality and tough, hard-ass exterior push him away.

Stripped reminded me a bit of The Truth About Letting Go by Leigh T. Moore.  Dealing with difficult issues is never easy, especially when you're a teenager.  This story resolves around love, heartache, acceptance and forgiveness.  It sends a strong message, one that will stick with you for a while after finishing.  I think anybody that enjoys that type of story (mushy at times, harsh at others, that seriously packs a punch!) will really enjoy this book.

(P.S. Yes, we all know about my love for all things owls.  And I must admit, I might be slightly obsessed with this owl necklace on the cover... okay, maybe a little bit more than slightly.  I NEED that necklace!!! :P)

Brooklyn Skye is just your average awkward girl who's obsessed with words. She grew up in a small California town where she quickly realized writing was an easy escape from small town life.

Website | Twitter | Goodreads 

One signed paperback copy of Stripped (US only) or
one e-book copy with authorgraph (INT)

a Rafflecopter giveaway