A Kiss in the Dark
Gina Ciocca
4.5 ★ – ADORABLE AND WONDERFULLY SWOONY
PUBLISHED BY SIMON PULSE MARCH 6, 2018
GENRE(S): YOUNG ADULT, CONTEMPORARY, ROMANCE
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When the lights go out at a Georgia high school football game, Macy Atwood finds herself in the arms of a boy who kisses her senseless – but is gone by the time the lights come back on. All she knows is that there was something special – and oddly familiar – about her mystery kisser.
Noah Granger, Ridgedale’s resident bad boy and newest transfer student, has no problem taking credit for the kiss, but Macy can’t shake the feeling that he’s lying. Especially since a photograph of Macy and former star football player Joel Hargrove resurfaced online moments before the blackout, a not-so random reminder of how hard she fell for Joel last year. And how doing so ultimately sent her lifelong friendships with Meredith Kopala and Ben Collins up in literal smoke.
Soon junior year’s wounds begin to reopen as Macy realizes the events that unfolded are somehow tied to her mystery kisser. Discovering how means finally facing what really went wrong with Meredith, Ben, and Joel – and finding out what Noah is covering up.
But the closer Macy gets to figuring it all out, the more she starts to worry that the boy who kissed her in the dark and the boy who is stealing her heart might be two very different people
A Kiss in the Dark is a fun and wonderfully swoony YA contemporary story. With a mixture of drama, mystery, romance and humor, this book had me positively entertained throughout the entire time.
When I saw this book on Instagram, the gorgeous cover immediately made me swoon and I was dying to get my hands on it. Then I saw that Ciocca was also coming out with Busted and I just couldn’t pass up requesting for both books. I finished reading Busted a few months ago and thoroughly enjoyed it! REVIEW When I finally got approved for A Kiss in the Dark, I was beyond excited and couldn’t wait to finally read it. Well, I’ll have you know that I absolutely loved it!
During a high school football game, the lights suddenly go out leaving the field in complete darkness. Unexpectedly, Macy Atwoods bumps into the arms of a boy who kisses her passionately. By the time the lights come back on, her mystery guy has vanished. Macy, stunned and confused, knows that her mystery kisser is someone familiar – someone special – she’s just not quite sure who. Determined to find out the boy who kissed her in the dark, Macy starts to piece the clues together and soon realizes that to get to the truth, she must deal with old wounds about what really happened during her junior year. How far will Macy go to figure out the mystery kisser who took her breath away? And what if he’s not who she expected?
This book was such a delightful read with the perfect balance of mystery, teen angst, and slow burn romance. I thought the story development was great and paced quite well. I also enjoyed the way the storytelling was set up. The alternating chapters told from Macy’s POV both in her junior and senior year kept me intrigued until the end. I really loved the mystery aspect of the story. Ciocca definitely kept me guessing the entire time and the twist in the end – totally took me by surprise! I do have to admit that while I was trying to figure out Macy’s mystery kisser, I had a very strong gut feeling who he was and I really wanted it to be him. Well, I definitely squealed when I realized I was correct. But even though I solved that part, I thought the revelations were done well and I had fun seeing everything unfold.
Macy was a strong lead character. I found it very easy to like and relate with her. She’s caring, loyal, smart, and artistic. I also loved that she had a passion for photography. Adored the other characters too. Jadie was amazing, a great friend, and so likable. Her friendship with Macy was #goals. I even liked Meredith. She was bossy and kind of a mean girl, but she did care about her friends. I thought the parents were fantastic. Macy’s mom was just the best and I loved her to pieces. Her relationship with Macy was so endearing.
Macy’s potential love interests were fun to read about. Noah was mysterious, flirty and charming. Joel didn’t appeal to me at first. There was something off about him, but in the end he surely won me over. But Ben… Ben, Ben, Ben… that boy totally had my heart from the very beginning. He was easy going, friendly, caring, and super sweet. Swooned so hard over his friendship with Macy and the way he always tried to just be there for her. All in all, I really enjoyed getting to know these guys and seeing how they interact with Macy. They certainly created more conflict and drama than the girls. There were things that could have been avoided if they were just honest… but, what’s the fun in that?!
I’m so smitten with Gina Ciocca’s stories and this book is by far my favorite! A Kiss in the Dark is fun, heartwarming, and adorable. There are so many things I loved about this book – great friendships, lovable characters, sweet romances, and important life lessons. I truly enjoyed this novel and my heart was so full of happy with how Ciocca beautifully ended the story. So excited to read whatever she writes next and you should totally add this and her other books on your TBR.
I received an advanced reader copy of this book from the publisher, Simon and Schuster Children’s Publishing, via NetGalley in exchange for a fair review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Other Books by Gina Ciocca
Add Last Year’s Mistake on Goodreads
Add Busted on Goodreads
Gina Ciocca graduated from the University of Connecticut with a degree in English, but in her mind, she never left high school. She relocated from Connecticut to Georgia, where she lives with her husband and son. When she’s not reading or writing, you can find her taking long walks around the lake in her neighborhood. Gina can also be found online at writersblog-gina.blogspot.com, on Instagram as gmciocca, and Twitter as gmc511.
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I hope you enjoyed reading this review. Have you read this book? What did you think? Leave your comments down below.
Sincerely Karen Jo 