Sunset Beach Series - McKayla Box

 Book: Fall (Sunset Beach High, #1)

Author: McKayla Box

Publisher:

Publish Date: July 30, 2019

Presley is the new girl, starting fresh in Sunset Beach, after her father moved them away for his new client. At her previous school, Presley was a mousy girl that took everyone's bullying. With her new start, she makes a promise to herself to start over fresh and never roll over when threatened. Presley does just that when she is confronted by three of the hottest guys at her new school on the beach the day before school starts. Presley's father all but throws her to the wolves by offering up one of his associates daughter, Bridget. 

Presley is more than happy when Bridget and her start a friendship and add in Maddie and Gina. During her first day, she is happy to think she will be okay at her new school, with her new friends until Trevor walks in the doors of their choice of off-campus lunch spots.

Trevor, "The Asshole," from the beach walks in like he owns the place. To him, and just about everyone else, he does run the place. He's untouchable. He's also used to getting what he wants. When he sets his sight on Presley, she's quick to tell him off but he's quick to tell her that he gets everything he wants and he is very territorial.

Like every high school story, there are enemies to be made and lines to be crossed.

This story was beautiful. It was empowering to watch Presley grow a pair and stick it to anyone that got in her way. Her relationship with Trevor was realistic, raw, and down-right hilarious at moments. Box did a wonderful job at taking this relationship between Presley and Trevor--as well as every other relationship Presley had with the other characters--and developing them with ease. 

Box touched on a lot of issues that people go through in high school; mean girls, cocky jocks that won't take no for an answer, and betrayal. All of the characters were well built and the story-line never lost it's fire. 

Verdict: This book was very interesting with great relationships and a lot of drama. There was a lot of heat between the two main characters. I would recommend this to high school students and young adults. There was a little bit of sexual material but hardly enough to be moved to an adult reading audience. I read this book in a single sitting. The author did a great job at developing the characters and their relationships.

Rate: 4/5

Book: Winter (Sunset Beach High, #2)

Author: McKayla Box

Publisher: 

Publish Date: August 13, 2019

Presley is no longer considered the new girl. She has her friends and she is with Trevor. Things are starting to shape up until Trevor's ex girlfriend, Athena, appears from the woodworks. With Trevor being distant and his friends covering for him, Presley isn't sure what to do. Of course, she gives him the benefit of the doubt...which is something Trevor can't give her when a life-altering video is published. 

Just when everything seems to be going good, Presley gains a new enemy. Relationships are put to a test and once again, lines are crossed. Presley knows the truth and no one wants to hear her out.

Box did it once again with writing something so powerful and enticing that the pages kept turning. In the second book in the Sunset Beach series, things are starting to heat up, causing the pot to simmer with Presley in it. Box depicted issues in this book realistically and showed the emotion that comes with those issues. 

Verdict: This book was good but it lost a little bit of the heat between our two main characters. There is a lot of drama throughout this book but there was enough detail and suspense to keep the story interesting. When things get tough, no one listens to the main character and they all walk away without a second glance. I did enjoy this book, but the lack of heat made it a little harder to anticipate the budding romance between the two main characters. 

Rate: 3/5

Book: Spring (Sunset Beach High, #3)

Author: McKayla Box

Publisher:

Publish Date: August 27, 2019

Presley has gone through a lot throughout the first semesters and now everything is in a state of limbo. She is torn between forgiving her friends and Trevor for the past but she can't get over what they did. 

In Spring Presley gains even more courage when she is faced with a decision; report the past or forget and move on. Things start to look up and once again, a problem arises. Enemies from the past resurface and put the pressure back on Presley in tenfold. As soon as she thinks she knows what she needs to do, there's a threat on Trevor regarding her choices. 

In this book, a lot of hard topics are brought up. Box continued to depict Presley in an appropriate manner. Instead of curling up on herself, she makes a decision and fights. This book continued on with building relationships and putting them to the test.

Verdict: This book had a little bit of a dry start but picked up pretty quickly. The make up between the characters was strained and slow building. There was some emotion to this book, but not as much heat as the first book. Presley is dealing with her friends' and Trevor's betrayal at a pretty slow pace. Eventually, things ramp up and get interesting again. Justice is served and new enemies are dealt with. A lot of questions were answered but ended with more questions.

Rate: 3.5/5

Book: Summer (Sunset Beach High, #4)

Author: McKayla Box

Publisher: 

Publish Date: September 10, 2019

Presley is faced with tough repercussions of her actions in Spring but she fights through with her friends and Trevor by her side. Trevor is paying for those actions as well, but he makes a permanent stand next to her, encouraging her the entire way.

In Summer there are so many feelings and Box made sure that her readers experienced them along with the characters. When a death strikes, it devastates so many and  I feel that it was correctly displayed. Box didn't uniform everyone's feelings--she made each character grieve differently. 

The conclusion to this series was beyond what I had expected. There was a lot of drama, but I don't think it was completely blown out of proportion. High school kids tend to think everything is the end of the world. 

Verdict: This book had a lot of emotions to it and it was good. There was a little more raw feeling when it came to the death in the book, but the two main characters lacked passionate heat. Friendships were completely mended and everyone got ready for college. This book definitely had more to it than books 2 and 3. This book left off on a really good note, questions were answered but I wish it would've went on for a little bit longer. Although there are a lot of questions about the future for Presley and Trevor, Box did a good job at a happy and solid ending. This was a good read, the ante was upped and more emotions were depicted. 

Rate: 4/5

OVERALL VERDICT

The series was a decently put together series. The first and last book were by far my favorites. The characters were well built and the relationships developed right between the pages and it was awesome to watch as it unfolded. The banter in the book was great and I loved Presley's attitude most of the time. There were some instances that I thought it went a little overboard, but it's a book based in high school. Same goes with the drama. I think there was a bit much, but it didn't completely take away from the story. I read all four books in one day and it was a good journey to follow. The middle got a little dry, but Box completely revived the story in the last book. 

OVERALL RATE

4/5