Trade Me (Cyclone Book 1)

I like Milan's books - especially her 19th C books - but this effort at something contemporary is simply awful. Nothing really happens, the people have no chemistry, and the story is totally confusing. The worst thing of her's that I've read (and I've read all of her books).

Courtney Milan is one of my favorite authors, and I knew she wouldn't disappoint me. Cyclone is her Contemporary romance and yes, it is as good as her Historical Romance.

Why I loved this book so much?

Both the hero and the heroine are complex and developed characters. Blake is wealthy and privileged but he tries to understand and admits his mistakes and misconceptions. He learns to ask for help and he wants to get better. He is my baby.
Tina moved with her parents with she was a kid, and feels very responsible for her family. She works her butt off for them, calls bullshit out and is always ready to fight. She is so loyal amazing. I want to hug her, she deserves the world.

I think I loved so much Tina because she talks about immigration, parents and their expectations, being responsible for your family, taking your parents role. How all these affect your relationship with your family, the feeling of I love them and I hated them. I feel personally touched by this. I have lived this, I have felt it. I loved to see these topics discussed in a book. It’s the first time I have felt so represented in these experiences. So, thank you, Courtney. Thank you for opening a conversation that I needed to see.

Blake has a complicated relationship with his father, too. They love each other, they are so funny and cute together, but his father’s expectations are too much. Their relationship develops through the book. They talk, they take decisions and actions. It’s a very positive message about family and relationships, things can get better sometimes.

I loved the couple, Blake and Tina are the cutest. They respect each other, they listen for their concerns and fears, they cheer each other. Their relationship grows, learning about their problems and mistakes. God, they are a beautiful couple.

Blake and Tina couldn’t be from more different life circumstances, and yet they find themselves in the same college course. They say that opposites attract, and in Trade Me that is absolutely true. The characters of Tina and Blake are perfect compliments to each other. More importantly they respect each other first as humans beings, then friends, and then something more. Also the romantic bits of the story help to fuel it along, but don’t make up the entirety, which is my kind of romance.
I do wish that the relationship with Blake and his father was a bit more transparent. As a reader, I felt confused and unsure about Blake’s father’s intentions. It detracted from my enjoyment of the story at times.
Lately I’ve been reading more romance novels. The main reason? … I’ve been doing my research and found books that are really high quality and speak to me within the romance genre. Trade Me has inspired me to keep reading within this genre.

Somehow Courtney Milan can take things like parent-child relationships (difficult, brilliant parents who love their children fiercely) and make that just as central to the romance as the relationship between the hero and the heroine itself. Here we have both hero and heroine with their own parental relationship issues that is a lovely vector for their understanding of each other to grow.

And I love romances with East Asian main characters who have to deal with East Asian parents. Kudos for the political references to torture and Falun gong practitioners as well as the imagining of tech gadgets. And, there's another big kudo that I wish to throw out to Milan regarding the hero and a problem he has...but I wish not to spoil things. Let me just say its the very, very first time EVER I came across this in a romance novel and Milan handles it believably and without falling victim to serious melodrama.

The POV of this novel switches from hero to heroine, and while sometimes they both felt a little angsty in the same way, I still loved hearing both their sides of the story.

Okay, first, I love Milan's writing! She rocks! Her stories rock! And generally, her writing is head and shoulders above what others are doing out there.

But...Ack, I feel terrible admitting that I have a but, but I do. I have many buts. So the first half of the books, is AMAZING! I kept thinking how she'd really outdone herself, how beautiful the book is, how I even liked reading about young adults, which I don't. I'm a grouchy old lady and can't relate as well to my younger peeps. Anyway, so I was loving this book, and the middle happens, still loving it. But almost immediately after the middle, it's like Milan got bored, knew how she wanted to tie up the book and just jumped to that. There's a lot of action and not the strong narrative she has at the beginning of the book.

Then I got annoyed. Without giving away any spoilers, Blake has a serious problem, and although all the characters say it won't be fixed overnight, it somehow is. I felt so cheated by this! Maybe because I also have something like what Blake has and it doesn't take a couple therapy sessions to get to the point where Blake is miraculously no longer concerned about his problem. But after Blake sees a therapist, the book no longer dives into how he feels about his problem.

AND THEN the story took a weird, over-the-top, a little too cliche approach with Blake's dad to tie things up with him. And a similar approach with Tina's mother. I just began to wonder why I was reading because the more I read, the less attached I grew to each character. Which made me so sad. God, I loved the beginning of this book! But the latter half ruined it for me, I'm sorry to say.

I hope others enjoy it because the first half is magical. But I felt cheated.

My thoughts on learning that Courtney Milan was writing a New Adult novel: "She's a terrific writer--I love her historicals! But . . . New Adult? Really?"

Because I have not had good luck with New Adult novels in the past. Maybe I've just chosen poorly, but I haven't been impressed with the ones I've chosen to sample. They just seem so full of angst and drama (maybe melodrama is a better word), with the lead characters in many of them in some sort of weirdly dire competition to claim the title of "Worst Life Ever," that I haven't been able to finish a single one. So, when I saw that one of my favorite authors was writing in a genre that I haven't been able in embrace, I felt very conflicted about even trying the book.

The good news is, I've finished my first New Adult novel, and I liked it! And that's in spite of the fact that Milan has pulled in another romance trend that doesn't appeal to me--the billionaire hero. (Seriously, millionaires are passé; you have to be a billionaire these days to be worth reading about. Type "billionaire romance" into an the store search to see what I mean.) I'm just personally not all the interested in reading about the romantic lives of rich folks. Money doesn't impress me much, and so the escapist appeal of those books is lost on me.

So, why did I make it through this book and not the other ones I've tried? The premise of the story-- poor college student Tina Chen and tech billionaire Blake Reynolds trade lives so each can see how the other half lives, with a complicated product launch muddying the waters--still allows for quite a bit of angst and drama. Tina stresses out over her money troubles and fears over getting involved with Blake, and Blake has some serious psychological issues related to the anxiety he feels at the thought of taking over his father's tech company. However, Milan is able to balance the story out with enough common sense and especially humor that the darker elements didn't feel so overwhelming to me. Tina's mother is kind of terrifically funny, for example.

As for the billionaire aspect of the novel, well, Tina does a pretty good job articulating how I feel about money and the relative worth of the people who have it compared to those who don't. (Trying not to be spoilerish, but the afterword with the essay written by Blake's father is kind of killer, too, in that regard.) That kept the book from being the kind of uncritical paean to wealth that turns me off.

There were a few things about the novel that didn't quite work for me, though. One was the relationship between Blake and his father, which just seemed a little too over the top, between the loving use of expletives to refer to each other and Blake's insistence that he never missed having a mother because his father was so terrific. It didn't quite seem realistic to me. I also thought the ending centering around the product launch was a little unrealistic. However, I'm not a billionaire or a tech genius, so what do I know? Maybe I'm wrong about that part.

If you're a fan of Courtney Milan or if you like the New Adult genre in general, you should definitely give this book a try. I'm pretty sure you'll like it. And with Tina's transgender best friend slated to be the main character in Milan's next novel in this series, if you do like it, there's more to come!

An ARC of Trade Me was provided by the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I've heard a lot of positive things about popular romance author Courtney Milan, so I'm happy that I finally got a chance to read one of her books. I'm not a fan of historical romances, so it's good news for me that she wrote a contemporary New Adult story. Trade Me was a refreshing and diverse romance. I also really enjoy that Milan touches on social classes here, which is a subject that sadly isn't touched on enough in NA. In general, I found the plot to be super unique and fascinating. I would definitely recommend it to romance fans!

Tina is an extremely poor college student who is doing her best to not only pay her college tuition, but also help provide for her family at the same time. Tina shares a class with billionaire Blake Reynolds, who makes a comment about being poor and using food stamps that immediately sets her off. She responds by saying he'd never be able to live her life. After this goes down, Blake surprisingly offers to trade lives with her for a whole month. This means trading jobs, houses, cars, the whole nine yards. Much to her dismay, Tina starts liking him more and more, but she doesn't want the distraction, and he's keeping secrets from everyone. Could this relationship actually work out in the end?

This was a wonderful book and I'm really glad that I tried it out. I'm not a huge fan of stories that involve technology in anyway because a lot of it just goes over my head, but I was able to follow this plot easily. The book had it all: twists, secrets, fake relationship, class differences, diversity, awesome parental figures, memorable supporting characters, and obviously an amazing romance. If you're not a big fan of tons of smut, you'll probably like this one because it really doesn't contain that many super steamy scenes. It has a few, but it doesn't go into explicit details really. You should definitely read this incredible book before Tina's friend Maria's story comes out in July!

So far I haven't read anything by Courtney Milan that I would rate at less than five stars. But while I might give most of her books 6 or 7 stars, this one would get "only" five stars. I found it awkward that both the hero and heroine were written in first person, so sometimes it took me a moment to figure out which character I was reading. The premise of the story - a billionaire wanting to trade lives with the financially strapped heroine - required a really huge suspension of disbelief ( but then, this is a romance novel! There's always a substantial suspension of disbelief…) Milan's usual humor was not as evident in this book as in others, and every now and then a character acted or reacted in a way that I just didn't get, as though some precipitating cause or comment had accidentally been edited out. But given Milan's incredible talent, these are just minor speed bumps on the road through a warm and inventive story. As usual in Milan's books, the characters are very bright people who actually communicate with each other. The dramatic tension is never based on any Big Misunderstanding, but on the characters' own internal struggles. Really, Courtney Milan is just a great storyteller. Even if this is not my favorite of her books, it is still darned good. I look forward to the next in this series.

Thank you to Victory Editing via Netgalley for the free review copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

Did I like this book?

You know, the things I liked about this book, I really LOVED, but I still can't help but feel I wanted more.

Individually, Tina and Blake are wonderful characters! Tina's back story is truly unique, especially in the world of New Adult romances. I loved her mother, and more specifically their relationship - it was great to see how things between them evolved throughout the book. Likewise with Blake and his father - awesome relationship, fantastic story development, loved everything about them. But, Tina and Blake together...I don't know. I think there was a bit too much tell and very little show. I just wasn't feeling the love, you know what I mean? Their chemistry jumped off the page when it was there, but it just wasn't there often enough for me to be buying into it, if that makes any sense.

Will you like this book?

Yeah, it's good. Romance readers and fans of New Adult will probably enjoy this one, and similarly, if you've read and liked anything by Courtney Milan, you will definitely want to read "Trade Me", even just to see how the author crosses over genres.

Will I read more by this author?

This is my first book by Courtney Milan, and I am seriously intrigued! She is known for writing historical romance, and although I used to read a lot in that genre, I haven't in quite a while. Seeing that the writing and character development were real strengths of this book, I would love to give historical romance another go if only to try some of this author's earlier titles. And, although I wasn't "shipping" "Blina" (some new book blogger lingo I'm trying out, you like?) as much as I would have liked, I'm still curious enough about the Cyclone series to give the second book, "Hold Me", a try as soon as I can get my hands on it.

My rating: 3.5 stars

Well, that was delightful. I really enjoyed the characters here, and while there are some sex scenes, every time I would think, "yeah, that's enough," they would be over. So no complaints there. Also, while the basics of a romance plot are there, there were some nice and unexpected bits throughout. I also didn't figure out Blake's problem, though it made sense once revealed, so kudos for that as well. Also, it must be said that Tina's dad is the best. And while the fake dating wasn't as fraught as I like my fake dating to be (er, in very specific ways--Tina and Blake's fake dating was fraught for other reasons), it still worked for me.

*ARC received from publisher via Netgalley*

A while back, while I was randomly flicking thru channels looking for something to watch on TV, I came across a show where a CEO trades place with a front-life staff for one day. Like they say, walk a mile… This is the romance version of it, with extra layers of emotions, culture, and personal issues.

This is a first Courtney read for me. I have some of her HR (historical romance) books on my to-read list, and I understand that NA is typically not her genre. And I also understand from my GR friends that based on her HR books, her writing is quite smart. HR or not, now I can see why.

I found that Courtney injected a lot of layers to this story by: first, giving the h a different cultural background; second, by letting the H tackle an issue that tends to be associated more with the females; third, addressing the socio-economic status of the characters in a very realistic way; and fourth, adding secondary characters that are just as textured as the MCs.

Texture, yah, that’s what it is! I found that there is so much of that in this story. The romance between the H&h is of course the heart of the story but with so much more.

Tina and Blake together is your star-crossed couple in every sense of the word, 2 totally different backgrounds, racially and economically. Yet, they have a connection; they come from the same place, so to speak.

Being of ethnic background myself and knowing a lot of people of various backgrounds, Tina’s character feels familiar definitely. Granted, her parents’ unique background made it more complicated for her, which is not that familiar to me. But everything else does, just saying. Blake, I’m glad Courtney didn’t make him out to be just this alpha entitled H (albeit with a heart of gold). Granted I wasn’t able to fully relate to his issues in the beginning like Tina, but in the end, to use a movie line liberally, he’s just this boy, standing in front of a girl, asking her to love him. Sigh…

While Courtney handled the issues deftly, seeing that this is NA after all, the angst has to be there, of course. On the one hand I get it, and on the other, all I can think of is hashtag-first-world-problems. Then there were Tina’s conflicts which I felt were overplayed. And this is probably what took away some of the stars in my head. It’s almost as if Courtney’s smart writing was overshadowed at times by the angst. Or that her canny writing almost felt out of place given the angst… if that makes sense at all…

In the end though, I felt like I really got a good story. I really enjoyed Courtney’s writing. Now, I’m looking more forward to her other books.

I've enjoyed Courtney Milan's historical romances, even when I haven't loved the story I've thought they were smart and fun, so I figured if any adult romance author could cross over and write a respectable new adult novel she had a really good chance of not disappointing. And she didn't! Not only was this a fun, smart, realistic new adult novel, it also gets major points for diversity. The main female character is the daughter of Chinese immigrants and the book taught me a ton about Falun Gong, something I had never heard of before, but was completely fascinated by.

The story is about Tina, a very poor, but smart, spunky (I kind of hate that word but it sums her up) college student. Tina has a class with Blake, the son of a Steve Jobs-like guy who, because of his father, has pretty much everything. After Tina uncharacteristically argues with Blake in class Blake is intrigued and, feeling kind of disillusioned with his own life, convinces Tina to switch lives (residences, cars, jobs) with him for a couple of months.

Yes, the premise is kind of wacky, but the story really worked. Tina's personality made her one of my favorite new adult heroines and Blake, who could have been a whiney rich boy, was a down-to-earth and raw character. Making the sexy billionaire a college student on Tina's level was a smart and welcome switch from so many other billionaire romances and there was sex in this story, but nothing like erotica. The story did get kind of wacky towards the end, but I would still highly recommend it and I can't wait for the companion books.

I received an electronic review copy of Trade Me from the publisher via NetGalley (thank you!). All opinions are my own.

I received this book via Netgalley for an honest review.

Trade Me is the first book in the Cyclone series. It can be read as a standalone.

It’s funny sometimes how it’s taking a little while to get into a story. Here, at first I was intrigued and even hooked, but I quickly got bored. And then, getting closer and closer to the end I went back to being hooked. In the end, I do think it’s a really good story, a story worth reading.
Blake and Tina are interesting characters. They have hang ups, issues that come in the way. The author did a really great job in showing us how difficult it is for them both to overcome their issues and take risks and stand up for themselves.

But, I had a hard time at one point with Tina’s issues. It’s believable and really well-done, but unfortunately I got bored. It didn’t last, of course, but at one point I was afraid that it wouldn’t evolve. I think Tina’s evolution came late and slightly rushed. But, it’s very well-tied up.

Blake’s problem was a mystery for a little while. I picked up on some things, but I think we were kept too long in the dark considering that it’s not used all that much later on when it came to light. That being said, it’s very understandable, well-written and I was on board with him. It’s not an issue often used, if at all, for male character. It’s also great to read about a nice male lead character, a character that isn’t cold, that isn’t an alpha-male and who isn’t a womanizer either. It’s a good change.

Considering that this story is written in dual POV, I expected to see more of a difference between Tina and Blake’s voice, but it’s pretty similar when it’s all said and done. Of course, you pick up on whose POV it is, but I didn’t necessarily felt the difference.

The plot itself is pretty straightforward and based on a switch between Tina and Blake’s lives. It’s not unheard of, it’s not necessarily unique and it’s not the most interesting aspect of this novel. The interesting thing is witnessing Blake and Tina overcoming their fears and issues and getting closer.

The writing style is flawless, but maybe a little too descriptive at times for my taste and for the tone of the book. It’s a matter of personal taste here. But, I can say this without a doubt: this author is talented.

In the end, Tina and Blake are very alike, they’re good characters, have a nice chemistry and their romance is akin to those you can find in modern romantic movies. It’s a nice distraction, a refreshing contemporary romance from what I often read. I will read the next ones in the series.

I love Ms Milan historical romances and when I heard she was writing a contemporary, I was curious to read it asap. Now, when I saw the blurb that the hero is a billionaire CEO, I almost gave up and didn't in the end. I'm really glad I gave this story a chance.

This is a NA college romance with the typical college student inner turmoil, angst and all but at the same time it's so much more. The characters are refreshingly unique - Tina is Chinese and Blake is white.

I very much appreciated their complexity and how theu both were faced in difficult and not-your-everyday issues in their lives. There is no insta love but a slowly growing romance. I got annoyed a bit at some point of both them being so focused their arrangement having an expiration date. Tina was way too stubborn in denying her feelings, denying herself the chance for something good coming into her life. Blake was more honest with himself as regards how he felt about Tina but he was crippled by indecision and and guilt and shame. I wanted them to act, to take the risk and go with their hearts.

The story presents interesting family dynamics between Blake and his father on the one side and between Tina and her family on the other. Both parents loved their children deeply and sincerely but that didn't save them from amking terrible mistakes and causing pains to those that you loved the most. All the family interactions felt so real - funny and intimate, traditional and modern at the same time. My only complaint is that I found the big secret about Blake's dad a bit out of place and unrealistic, though it's not a major issue for me.

Blake was really a great hero - his problem was hinted from the start but the suspense was kept well into to story and I'm glad that Ms Milan chose this particular issue to highlight. It's not a very common weakness for male characters in fiction (I haven't read any other stories with this premise) but I guess it does happen in real life and it's great to see it reflected in fiction.

It's a very character focused story. The romance element is a bit weak and focus is rather on the characters growth and the way the deal with their issues. I wish things between Tina and Blake were explored with more depth but we will be seeing more of them in the next books in the series and I hope this deficiency will be made up for.

The dialogue was funny and quick-witted which is a trademark feature of Ms Milan's characters. It balanced quite nicely the seriousness of the characters' struggles and their deep introspecive musings.

The story touched in so many interesting issues - life and culture of Chinese immigrants in the US, high-tech innovative design - it made a trully entertaining and informative reading.

Another intriguing aspect was Tina's best friend and roommate, Maria. She will be the heroine in the next book in the series and her background makes me really excited for her story.

The final 20% of the story didn't work that well for me. Some of the things felt forced, the I-love-you confession felt out of character for both Tina and Blake. I've already mentioned the incident with Blake's dad and the way I felt it too didn't fit well with the story so far.

A well-written, well-researched, moving story of two young people discovering themselves and coming together in a passionated and soulful relationship. I'd recommend it to all fans of contemporary romance, even those like me who are weary of New Adult stories.

You can read more of my reviews on Ellie Reads Fiction

When you have such an accomplished author like Courtney Milan it is expected that there will be a very good story that is well written. This offering is no exception. Her characterization is so spot-on that you will think this is a real story about real people. The Chinese background of Tina and the corporate culture background of Blake is so well developed and presented that it is what makes these characters so real. (Courtney goes so far as to thoroughly explain that these are not real living people in an afterword.) There is a strong initial attraction between Tina and Blake but since they have a business agreement and both are full of their own insecurities, they try to set aside (unsuccessfully) the attraction. The romance is slow building and sensual. There are side characters that play important roles in the lives of both Tina and Blake. There is even a shocking surprise or two.

I can highly recommend this book to Contemporary Romance fans as well as fans of the Young Adult genre.

I received this book free for review from the author.

This book is very different. It's characters will reach out and grab you and not let go. There are so many diverse relationships going on in this story. There is Blake and his dad, Tina and her mom, Tina with herself, Blake with himself, and then Blake and Tina. It is a lot to take in. Each one of these relationships matures during this story. There is a lot of humor in this book. There are very few romance scenes in this story but there are loads of histerical moments involving the parents.

The two main characters have a lot of soul searching to do. Blake has a problem. But, how can he convince his father that him taking over the business is not the right thing to do, if he can't convince himself to get the help he needs. His solution was to run from the problem till he got far enough ahead of it.

Tina has always been careful. Her mother is a very good activist, but sucks at trivial things like the light bill. That is where Tina comes in. She is always hording back her meager amount of money in case her family needs it. She has never splurged on anything.

Blake offers her a deal she can't pass up. They trade lives for the rest of the semester. She gets his house, money, and car. He gets her crappy garage apartment and her crappy minumum wage job. He feels like this will help him to get over his problem and be ready to take over the company. She is planning to save all the money to help her family in the future.

What they don't plan on, is learning enough about the other to end up being the help that they each need.

Trade Me is a complex contemporary romance that balances themes of poverty, parental pressure, and mental illness. It suffers from some pacing issues at the end, but I loved Tina and Blake enough that I hardly noticed. Milan speaks to the experience of being poor in a way I don't often read, something that really resonated with me personally. The story also touches on immigration law and the assumptions we make about other people. On a lighter note, Milan's love of gadgets is evident in her descriptions of Cyclone's tech.

CW: drug use, disordered eating.

I generally do not read contemp romances. I've taught college for decades so I certainly don't need to read about college students but Courtney Milan is an exceptional author and I've read all her historicals so I thought I'd give this new idea of hers a try even though I wasn't sure it was for me. It was excellent. At some point I realized that I couldn't put it down and then I felt myself getting choked up. Caring about the characters is my idea of what makes an excellent read.
If you have read her historicals and enjoyed them, I would encourage you to give this book a try. If you normally read contemporaries and have not tried her historicals, give those a try. An excellent author is excellent regardless of genre.
BTW...As a science professor at an inner-city community college I see what happens to students who come from lower income school districts and the extra difficulties they face. Her author comments are right on target regarding the inequality of education that often comes from income inequality.

This is the story of Tina Chen and Black Reynolds. They share a college class where she confronts him on his opinions and he offers her a trade as a solution.

Tina is shocked at first and not sure how to take the offer of the trade. Blake, who has been interested in Tina for a while, wants to know what makes her views so different from his and offers to live her life for the rest of the semester, while she lives his.

It turns out to be good for both of them. He learns what shopping is like, and she learns that his life is not easy. Even with way more money in the bank - there can be problems that are not so easy to solve.

Tina and Blake have to meet together to keep a project going for his new prototype about to be released. They learn they have more in common than was thought before. The chemistry between them just sizzles and it comes right off the page!

Tina never believes she is good enough. She has to help her family and never has even the smallest amount of money to give herself a fun night out. Blake has things he does not want to do int he future. He also has a secret he has been hiding from everyone. So does his dad...

I was surprised at how full of humor and how realistic the story was. And the surprise ending?! Well, let's just say I did not see that coming!

***This ARC copy was given FREE from Netgalley.com for review purposes. My opinion is in no way a reflection of Netgalley nor its affiliates.

This book is incredible. I've enjoyed every other Courtney Milan story I've read, and I think this might be my favorite. It's laugh-out-loud funny, with characters who have a lot of depth. I went in with low expectations because of the book's summary blurb. Normally the trading-places stories feel contrived and beat you over the head with some moral message. The setup is a little contrived, but I got the feeling that Blake was at his wit's end trying to fix himself. A couple of times he compares it to attempting an ultra-marathon; doing something grueling to bring clarity to how his life should be. As far as social commentary goes, Courtney Milan just uses the world as it is (IMO). There are no major awakenings (about the trade), just a few moments of "wow this is different and harder than I expected".

Instead, the story is more about the two families of Tina and Blake. Or at least how their families shape each of them. They don't necessarily find "common ground", so much as sympathy and empathy for each other's situations.

(SPOILER: I feel like they don't actually figure out how they'll manage their relationship. Instead, they just agree to try to figure it out, knowing they might both end up with broken hearts. The book would need to be another 100 pages to figure that out, and there are still more books in this series, so I'm sure it'll work out. Like all my favorite books, I just wish it didn't end).

This book is awesome. I loved the heroine, Tina. She's young, but she's smart and determined, and that maturity made this work for me. I thought she was written very believably, with great details about her family and her life that really made her make sense to me. I was rooting for her all the way.

Blake took me a little longer; it's hard for a billionaire tech genius to be a believable, relatable character. But once the book spent some time inside his head, I "got" him, too. From then on, I was just pulling for the two of them to work things out.

The book had a few surprise twists that I thought were great; it became a roller-coaster of unexpected developments, but by then I was completely along for the ride. As usual, Milan is brilliant at detail; I admire it in her historical romances, and it was great here, too. She's obviously done her research about everything from Falun Gong to technology product roll-outs, and that pulled me into the story almost as much as the terrific characterizations.

I also really loved the secondary characters. I want more about Adam, Blake's father, who is a fascinating and complex character. And Maria, Tina's roommate, a trans woman whose romance I very much want to read!

Brilliant new phase in Courtney Milan's writing. It was a little shocking to shift from thinking that this wasn't a historical romance, but that was a shmiggen of a thought when I immersed myself into Blake and Tina's story. Although I found the romance between the H/h lukewarm most of the time, I was entertained by the storyline...most especially by Adam and Tina's mom. Now those secondary characters were the best, if not the best semi-lead characters of the whole story. Blake's struggle with losing himself, disappearing was heart wrenching and believable. Tina's battle with herself in keeping her path straight on her end goal of taking care of her family is so culturally true. I was amazed at CM's insight. I really enjoyed this book. I'm not gonna lie to tell you that I have mixed feelings about reading Maria's book, however, if anyone can make me love Maria (more than I already do) it will definitely be Ms. Milan.

I picked up this book because I liked Courtney Milan's historical romances and I was very pleasantly surprised with this contemporary story. Courtney takes risks with her story and characters that push her past the same old millionaire meets poor girl. She crosses into issues of race, class and gender identity with her characters while traipsing around in the fantasy world of meeting the gorgeous rich guy (who happens to be imperfect, thank goodness). I was entirely satisfied reading this novel and look forward to reading the next in the series. As always, the writing is well edited and flows beautifully, her pacing is spot on, and the depth of her characters exceeds the standard for this kind of novel. The cheesy cover belies the great story inside.

First reviewed at Red Hot Books http://redhotbooks.com/2015/01/review...

The premise of the book sounded good (even if a bit implausible) – college rich boy trades lives with poor girl. The book is penned by a solid and well-reviewed author of historical romance. So why did I not care for this book? Is it because it’s the author’s first go at contemporary? I’m thinking it is more likely a case of “it’s not you, it’s me”.

Tina Chen knows her life isn’t easy but sucks it up and does what she needs to keep her family afloat. That’s not easy when her parents, especially her mother, have no idea the amount she sacrifices so her family has basic utilities and medicine. She knows how to make $15 and a 10lb bag of rice stretch. Tina’s whole college goal is to be a doctor so she and her family will never have to worry about money again.

Tina is usually a heads down student but an Econ class discussion about food stamps sets her blood boiling when rich boy, Blake Reynolds, makes a flippant remark about people on food stamps. Tina rips Blake a new one for is blind ignorance and pandering attitude. He apologizes but it is lost on her.

Back home, Blake is dealing with his own problems. His father, Adam, is the founder and CEO of one of the largest tech companies in the world. Blake has been a part of that company since birth and developing since he was 14. Recently, the man who was personally closest to Blake and Adam, the company’s CFO, unexpectedly passed away and that has rocked both of their worlds. The death made Blake really see that his life was consumed by the company, much like his father’s. Blake, desperately seeking some control in his life, took a sabbatical and went to college as an attempt at normal. However, his other attempts at control are overtaking his life.

Blake decides that the best way to figure out his life is to run far far away from it. He’s always liked Tina from afar and after their class discussion, Blake thinks they can help both of them. It doesn’t take much more than dangling $15,000 in front of Tina to get her to agree to trade lives for a month. She doesn’t think he’ll hack it but she’s not about to give up that kind of cash. Of course, things never go as planned when no one is dealing with their problems.

The individual characters of Blake and Tina are well drawn and unique. Tina is an immigrant. Her family was persecuted for their religious beliefs and although she barely remembers China, she feels a sense of responsibility to those who helped her family escape. It is refreshing to read a different family dynamic (of which I am very familiar as my grandparents are immigrants) and the responsibilities/guilt that goes along with that. I would’ve liked to have seen more interaction with Tina’s whole family, not just her mother.

Blake’s family is just as unique. All Blake has had is his father and Cyclone (the mother is strictly verboten). Though their attitudes and dialogue might be mercurial, one can’t deny the great love and affection they have for one another. Their relationship felt the most genuine out of anyone else in the book. The certain things in both Blake and Adam’s life are the crushing expectations and responsibilities of Cyclone that affect nearly every corner of their lives.

Unfortunately, the romance did not work for me at all. Tina and Blake were so focused, and rightfully so, on dealing with serious things in their lives that the romance felt like a forced afterthought. I thought Tina’s reasons for avoiding a relationship with Blake were flimsy and shallow. Blake was a little more reachable because of his openness but it felt like they should be best friends, not lovers.

The story was well written. The New Adult angst was present in the main characters individual lives but not the romance. It did feel like the author was trying to be so inclusive of different characters and themes, it might have went a bit overboard. Again, I feel like a lot of people will like this book. I just couldn’t connect.

Rating: C-

*ARC provided by author via NetGalley

This story was fantastic. I loved every character. Tina's struggle to avoid what seem like hopeless, impossible wants and wishes and people, Blake's anxiety and issues with his past and his future, Adam's harsh in-your-face personality, Mrs. Chen's push to save anyone she can, everyone was so alive and real.

I can't wait to read more in this series and I really, really, really want Adam's story. I was able to read "The Year of the Crocodile" after this and the accompanying author's notes have piqued my interest.

My Review:
Whoa, this story absolutely blew me away with how good it was. I'm not a historical girl, so I've never read Courtney Milan before. I have a ton of friends who rave about her writing, though, so when I saw that she'd come out with a contemporary romance, I jumped at it. It so greatly surpassed my expectations though...WOW. I truly loved and adored this book, these characters, this story.

This is a New Adult story...and that's right. Both the hero and heroine are in college, but for me, it didn't have the over-the-top NA angst that so many of these books have. Don't get me wrong...there is a ton of emotion to the story, but never does it feel immature or so overblown. The story is smart and sexy. The dialogue is some of the best I've ever read. Put Tina together with Blake's father and the back and forth between them was incredible.

But it's not just Tina and Adam (Blake's father). At the heart of this story is Tina and Blake. To look at them, they have nothing in common. Her parents' fled from China after her father was imprisoned and tortured for three months. She pays a lot of their bills and her college. She constantly on the edge of living on the street because she's counting her money down to the penny. Blake is the son of the CEO who owns the largest Tech company in the world (think Apple) and he's been hand's on with the company since childhood and has the money in his checkbook to match. He's a billionaire in his own right. But they have a HUGE thing in common...they are both drowning under the weight of their responsibilities. So in a fit of desperation mixed with incredible chemistry, they decide to trade lives. And really what it is, is a way to actually escape their own lives.

And then there's Blake and his father. Never, ever, have I ever read a father and son relationship in a book that was more heartwarming and gorgeous than these two. (Think if the Gilmore girls were guys...) It's always just been Blake and Adam since there's NO information about Blake's mother that he knows of. She's just not there. But the two guys have an incredible relationship and from the outside, it just looks so wrong. But they have so much between them and they relate like guys...it's pretty brash, but it works...so freaking well.

And surrounding all this fabulousness is some seriously great tech gadgets and the fun of planning the launch for the newest of the gadgets...one that is actually Blake's baby and design. The end of this book could not have been any better. I smiled all through those last scenes...so sweet and fun and smart.

And now I'm bouncing in my seat ready for books #2 and #3...

I received a complimentary copy of this book in return for an honest review. But on release day, I stalked it on the store until the print copy came up for sale, because this is one that I HAVE TO HAVE on my keeper shelf. I LOVED IT!

I will admit to my shallowness: the gorgeous cover caught my eye. If you like the cover, you will like the book! Then I looked at the name: Courtney Milan! TRADE ME is not a historical romance, a first for the author, and it is a resounding success! Great characters, superb writing, a clever story; it has everything! I finished the book – at around 400 pages – within a few hours: it is that captivating! Do not miss this fabulous read! Ms. Milan has penned an excellent New Adult novel and I can’t wait for the others!

Great characters with great chemistry, believably high stakes, and a romance that's sexy without being sleazy. I blew through TRADE ME in less than two days, and I'm already eager to get my hands on the rest of the series. It was that good.

I received copy of this book for an honest review. I enjoy reading Courtney Milan books. My Kindle and Nook collections are filled with a number of her historical romances. Never have I read any of her contemporary romances though. Therefore I was thrilled to read this one. Ms. Milan did not disappoint me. She brought the hot and sexy love story that I was expecting.

Thank you Courtney for giving up the law and producing this awesome book (series) that have thoughtful characters with high level of intelligence, diverse cultural background, and who can make connection with your readers (at least one here).

Copy courtesy of Netgalley
2.5 stars.. This was just ok for me. The book description made me think this was going to be a fun light story but it wasn't. These people had major issues, drug addictions, eating disorders, major family obligations. On paper Tina and Blake are complete opposites. But underneath it all they are pretty equal. They both loved and are loved by their families. They struggle with day to day living. While the story had serious overtones, there were some laugh out loud moments. Tina's mom and Blake's dad were pretty outrageous. You really didn't know what they would say next. The writing was good. While this is not exactly a cliffhanger,there will be more to the Tina and Blake romance.

I really enjoyed the characters in this book because they were totally three dimensional. You could see the love that Tina and Blake have for their flawed families and how those relationships have made them into the people they are. I liked the corporate plot line as well. I highly recommend this book.

Almost perfect. Fantastic writing, this is an author I can get behind reading more and more (especially since this is Book 1 in the Cyclone series) but I felt like the plot wasn't as strong as it could be. I can't wait for book 2.

This is one of my favorite books, not just romance books, ever. The barriers in the protagonists' way are meaningful and complex, the characters are well developed, and like all of Milan's later work it sets the bar for consensual romance.

As usual, Courtney Milan has written a wonderful book with heart, humor, genuine affection between all of the characters, not just the leads, and unflinching honesty about social justice. And of course it's romantic and sexy. That goes without saying, doesn't it? There a twist I should've seen coming, but I was so immersed in the story it took me completely by surprise. I adore her books, but this may be my new favorite. (And believe me, that's saying something.)

I've read everything Courtney Milan has published on Kindle. So even though I am not much of a modern romance reader anymore, I figured her general wit and multi-cultural spin would keep me reading. It worked...I liked the banter and I felt like the characters were well drawn, but I was a little bit frustrated by the story. First, the tech business subplot felt very 90s Jane Ann Krentz, and I remember giving up her books for a reason. Second, the whole Adam and Blake show stuff plays more like the soapy, faux-real storylines they seem to have involving WWE organization during the wrestling shows than anything I've heard regarding tech company launches. Third, even though these kids' lives were, as Tina would say, "age-inappropriate," 20 and 23 still seems much younger than Courtney Milan's usual characters. Most of the one's who are introduced young, still don't have their romances until later. Not to mention, a 19th century twentysomething is pretty much a 21st century thirtysomething, which makes me feel like I'm reading about a bunch of teenagers. Not that there is anything wrong with that, but young adult novels are not my thing. Lastly, I am very torn about the alternating points of view between Tina and Blake. Dialogue-wise, it really helped me hear the characters' voices, even the other characters' who they perceive differently. However, story-wise, it gave so much away that 90% of the twists could be seen miles away, while the remaining 10% had more like 1000 feet visibility. And the one revelation that I expected, but was never made, I am fairly sure is not a red herring and will be revealed in book 3, with possible lead into book 4...but only Courtney knows for certain. All said and done, I will still probably read the rest of the series, because her books do make me laugh and feel good for a few hours.

If Hermione Granger were a romance author, she'd probably be Courtney Milan. A bright, bold voice who's one of the best in romance today, Milan is always pushing boundaries and telling new and fresh stories. TRADE ME, her first foray into contemporary romance and first-person POV, is one such tale.

Tina Chen is the kind of heroine we don't see much of in new adult romance: the no-nonsense working-class child of immigrants who has bigger problems than her social life. And Blake Reynolds may be a billionaire, but we quickly learn that money and charm don't open every door -- especially the ones inside your own house. Together, this duo navigates the complex worlds of business and love, and Milan's beautiful writing and heartfelt handling of family dynamics make the journey incredibly compelling. I have no doubt that the next Cyclone book, Maria's story, will be just as riveting.

I believe this is Ms. Milan's first contemporary book. And it rocks - not just because of the Chinese-American heroine, her kickass mother, and the most excellent hero. There's also the computer-genius element of the hero and his father with an unexpected plot twist at the end. I loved the interactions between the hero/heroine and their parents - the dialogue was often crisp and witty with several levels of significance to the characters and plot - it was a delight to read. There's also a very interesting best friend of the heroine - I really hope Ms. Milan will give us a story starring her since this is clearly the beginning of a series.

(Note: I received a digital ARC from NetGalley)

My emotions can only be summed up as nvjfsnvjfdkndfmn jdfk ~!!igrenbfd which is not v coherent, I know.

BUT THIS BOOK. It's so amazing and I simply bow down to Courtney Milan's brilliant writing.

I could start this recommendation in many ways, but I want to start like this: Courtney Milan is a genius, an artist, and a hero.

I picked up TRADE ME for a single reason, and it had nothing to do with my love for Romance or how NA tickles my fancy—it was the author. Courtney Milan has, sneakily, become one of those romance auto-buys for me. Whether she’s writing traditional Historical Romances, Romances set around the era of suffrage, or now New Adult Romance, I will buy it. And here’s why:

She does not disappoint.

Let’s talk about TRADE ME. It has a pretty common set up pulling from different genres: the college-age characters from NA, the billionaire fantasy from—oh—everywhere, the growth of character that so strongly exemplifies YA.

And, you know, seeing all that together might make you think that TRADE ME ends up being nothing but cliche on top of cliche. You would be wrong.

This book was an unexpected delight, full of a diverse cast (a PoC main character in NA? Who wasn’t fetishized or misrepresented? Someone hold me), funny moments, sexytimes, and real life. TRADE ME follows two main characters: Tina, a Chinese-American pre-med student struggling to get by, and Blake, a mostly-considerate-if-sometimes-misguided billionaire genius.

Blake, I liked. I mean, he was hot, open-minded, sweet as can be—what’s not to like? He was easy going and slightly dorky and, honestly, exactly the type of guy I would go for, even without the one billion.

But Tina—Tina, I loved. She was the highlight of this story for me, her strength, her resilience, her burdens. Tina was the type of character I couldn’t help but find myself in, and she had me crying one page and laughing the next and overall wishing fiction didn’t reflect real life so well.

The secondary characters were all fantastic as well: Tina’s best friend Maria had me laughing and squealing just by her existence; Adam Reynolds (Blake’s Dad) was an unexpected pleasure, sort of like a slap in the face; Tina’s entire family was fantastic, especially her mom. (Let me just weep over complex-but-important familial relationships.)

What I’m saying is, characters shine in this book. And then you add the issues (which I won’t talk about for spoiler-y reasons) and you have a winner.

If you’re looking for a fun NA read? This book.

If you’re looking for a deep NA read? This book.

If you like complex characters and relationships and no easily solved problems? This book.

Even if you’re tired of NA or romance or lost your soul—THIS BOOK.

I honestly don’t know how I could make it any clearer.

TRADE ME grabbed me with the promise of difficult love and stolen kisses and left me raw. I loved it.

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Thank you to NetGalley and Courtney Milan for proving this ARC in exchange for an honest review.