Release Reviews: The Accidentals: Sarina Bowen

by - Tuesday, July 10, 2018

The Accidentals
Sarina Bowen
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Release date July 10, 2018


A YA novel from USA Today bestselling author Sarina Bowen.


Never ask a question unless you’re sure you want the truth. I’ve been listening to my father sing for my whole life. I carry him in my pocket on my mp3 player. It’s just that we’ve never met face to face. My mother would never tell me how I came to be, or why my rock star father and I have never met. I thought it was her only secret. I was wrong. When she dies, he finally appears. Suddenly I have a first class ticket into my father’s exclusive world. A world I don’t want any part of – not at this cost. Only three things keep me going: my a cappella singing group, a swoony blue-eyed boy named Jake, and the burning questions in my soul. There’s a secret shame that comes from being an unwanted child. It drags me down, and puts distance between me and the boy I love. My father is the only one alive who knows my history. I need the truth, even if it scares me.


Rachel grew up with her mother as her major influence. There wasn’t much her mom could have done for Rachel that she didn’t. Rachel didn’t have deep roots with many people, but the roots she had ran deep. When her mother dies, she comes face to face with her famous father for the first time in her life. But what if everything she thought she knew about her rockstar dad wasn’t quite what she had been led to believe?

Starting over at a boarding school for her senior year of high school seemed a good idea when she applied, but after losing her mom, Rachel wonders if moving across the country was the best idea, especially after she finds herself swept up into her father’s celebrity life in the months prior to the school year starting.

Rachel has never been good at letting people in. But between the roommate who won’t let herself be left on the outside, and the boy she meets by way of email exchanges, she finds herself surrounded by people who won’t let her hide.

The biggest dramas in this story surround Rachel’s past, but more pointedly, her parent’s relationship. This felt like an easy read with a twist. It wasn’t always easy to read Rachel’s story, but as I don’t read much YA anymore, it felt like an easier read than I was used to. Even in it’s emotional moments I wasn’t overwhelmed or brought down by the things she was learning about herself and her past.

The romance is a sweet aspect of the story, but what I loved was Rachel’s discovery of self. Learning to let people in makes her face everything she has ever questioned about what she knew growing up. And though her mom isn’t there to ask, Rachel has to balance what she learned from her mom with what she is now learning from her father.

There is a lot of growing up involved in this book, both by Rachel and her dad. I enjoyed every moment of this smooth read and fell in love quickly with the characters, the small boarding school town, and the depth of the history in their story. 

I received this book for free from the author in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
This is a young adult story about a teen girl whose life has just drastically changed with the loss of her mother and she is finally meeting her famous father whose music she has idolized. 

Rachel is awkward, lost, closed off, self-deprecating, and sarcastic. She is trying to deal with the anxiety and fear that comes with change and to prepare for her future. She is starting to spend time with the father she never knew who also his different famous lifestyle. 

This is a coming of age story. Rachel is growing up, being pushed outside her comfort zone, and facing issues from her past while dealing with changes in the present. She is trying to find herself and move forward, while also trying to build a relationship with a familiar stranger. And she is also making new friends and starting over in a new town and school. 

There was some romance, but it was just part of the story. Jake is a student at her new school who first acts as a greeter and mentor, then becomes a friend, and then more. He is charming, nerdy, sweet, smart, caring, and funny. He is a good influence for the girl just trying to find her place and fit in. And she also had an old best friend and new one that were part of the story line.

These are flawed characters just trying to find their way, and it is often awkward. Rachel was terrible at communicating and sharing her feelings, and her father was just as bad. I got frustrated with them often. They would hold everything in, not ask deep questions, had secrets, and were trying not to rock the boat.  A lot of it felt like they were just skimming over the surface of their lives with each other. I think that is what made it harder for me to connect with them at times.  I have also just come off some seriously layered and emotional reads so it could have affected my enjoyment of this less intense young adult book. 

It was a cute, sweet, low angst, YA novel with some emotional undertones and a bit of mystery about the past. This is Rachel's story of acceptance, growth, and figuring out what her new normal, and it is also her father's personal growth story as well.  He was dealing with his own guilt and trying to make up for the absence in her life and he was also making changes. But in order to develop a real relationship, they have to be able to open up and share themselves, and that might be their biggest challenge. 

I received this book for free from the author in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

After the last course—chocolate mousse—the three of us go tripping back across the cold lawn in the dark, Aurora in the lead. I’m the tiniest bit tipsy and wearing heels. So naturally I stumble on a frozen clod of snow and nearly fall. But Jake catches my hand to steady me. “Thanks,” I breathe.
Curiously, his warm fingers remain curled around mine until we reached the door of Habernacker.
I try not to feel ridiculously excited about it.
He lets go when we all reach the third floor. When Aurora opens the door, he follows us inside until we all collapse on the S.L.O., with me in the center.
“Oh! I forgot to steal my plate,” I realize.
“Me too.” Aurora sighs.
Jake reaches into his jacket and pulls out a plate.
“Well done, Mr. Jake!” Aurora laughs. “The party in the annex starts in fifteen minutes.” She heaves herself off the squishy couch. “I have time to redo my makeup.”
I watch her walk over to the stereo, where my phone is already ensconced, and turn on our Christmas playlist. Then she grabs her makeup bag off her desk and leaves the room.
When the door clicks shut, neither Jake nor I speak for a moment. The low chords of a Straight No Chaser song play through our little speakers.
Suddenly, it’s awkward. We’ve been circling each other for a while now—since the night he was trying to be nice and I wrecked it.
“You’re probably sick of a cappella by now,” I say, just to find something to talk about.
But Jake turns slowly toward me and says something unexpected. “Rachel, I need to ask you a question.”
My stomach does a little flip flop, and I turn to face those blue eyes I love so much. “What?” I whisper.
“Well…” He clears his throat. There is a very long pause, during which I hold my breath. “Will you come skiing some time?”
I exhale. “I guess so?” Another beat of silence passes. “That was your big question?” I ask, feeling like I’ve missed something.
His color deepens. “Well, no. I just…” His brow furrows, as if he’s trying to explain some point of astronomy. I love his look of concentration. I’ve missed it.
Jake’s blue eyes lock on mine, and I see how our own orbits might finally collide. This time, I will not send the moment winging back into space. Instead, I lean an almost imperceptible degree in his direction.
And that’s all it takes.
Reaching up, Jake cups his hand to the side of my face. I’m still processing the sweet touch of his fingers when he leans in farther, his lips brushing the sensitive corner of my mouth. His eyes are tentative, seeking permission. My heart thuds with expectation.
And then—finally—Jake kisses me for real. We come together the way a well-timed drummer kicks into the chorus of a song—swiftly, and without hesitation.
We broke apart a moment later, eyeing each other while I try not to smile. “Can I do that again?” he asks, his voice rough. “That was my real question.”
“Well, since you asked so nicely…”
Jake makes a low noise of approval, then draws me closer. I reach up for the back of his neck, my fingers grazing that golden patch of skin I’ve always wanted to touch. He kisses me again, his arm finding the velvet waist of my dress and encircling me.
My heart flutters, but not from fear. Warm lips tease mine gently apart. And when his tongue tangles with mine, I lose myself.
He tastes like champagne. Everything is wild and sweet, until the moment Aurora’s voice rings out. “Ay, caramba!”
I feel an unwelcome rush of cool air between us as Jake retreats.
“I did say I was going into the bathroom, right? And not on a trip to Fiji?”
Neither of us says a word; we only look sheepishly at Aurora.
“Just to be clear, now I’m ducking into the bedroom for my coat, which only takes a second.” She steps into the bedroom, and I hear the rustling of fabric. Then she peers dramatically around the door frame. “Good listening! Now I’m going to the party. Will I see you both there? Don’t answer that. We’ll speak later.”
Jake laughs. “Sorry, Aurora.”
“I’ve seen worse.” She departs, the door closing behind her.
And now I’m self-conscious. Rising, I decide to fiddle with the music playlist. “Do you want to go to the party?”
“I’ll go. But I’m not great at parties. It’s all shouting over the music, drinking warm beer out of a plastic cup.”
“Then let’s not.” My fingers shake as I adjust the volume. I go back over to the sofa and sit down.
“So.” He clears his throat. “Where are you going for break?” As he asks, he takes one of my hands in his, massaging my palm with his thumb.
His light touch is so distracting that I almost forget to answer. “Kansas City,” I manage. “To meet my grandfather for the very first time.”
“Um, what?” He squeezes my hand.
So I tell Jake the embarrassing highlights of my weird story—that I hadn’t met Frederick until this past summer.
“Wow. I’m sorry,” he says.
“Don’t be.”
“I guess I’m not that offended now that you wouldn’t introduce me. If the normal waiting period is seventeen years.”
My laugh begins with an unladylike snort. Ah, well. “With me it’s just all soap opera, all the time. Believe it or not, a year ago I was really a boring person.”
“I don’t see how.” He regards me with darting eyes. “You look beautiful tonight.”
“It’s Aurora’s dress,” I whisper.
But Jake doesn’t seem to care. He slips his arms around my waist. Scooting closer, he slides his lips from my forehead, down my nose and onto my mouth. And we begin again.


Sarina Bowen

Sarina Bowen is the RITA® Award winning author of over two dozen contemporary and LGTB romance novels. She most recently hit the USA Today bestseller's list in February, with Brooklynaire. Formerly a derivatives trader on Wall Street, Sarina holds a BA in economics from Yale University.

Sarina Bowen is a New Englander whose Vermont ancestors cut timber and farmed the north country since the 1760s. Sarina is grateful for the invention of indoor plumbing and wi-fi during the intervening 250 years. On a few wooded acres, she lives with her husband, two boys, and an ungodly amount of ski and hockey gear.

Sarina's books are published in a dozen languages on four continents. In 2016, The Romance Writers of America honored HIM by Sarina Bowen & Elle Kennedy with a RITA award for Best Contemporary Romance, Mid-Length.

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