Review: I See London by Chanel Cleeton

I See London
by Chanel Cleeton
Released Date: Published February 3rd 2014 by Harlequin HQN
Series: I See London #1
Pages: 319
View/Purchase: Goodreads, Amazon, B&N,iBooks, Books-A-Million, Author's Website

Maggie Carpenter is ready for a change— and to leave her ordinary life in South Carolina behind. But when she accepts a scholarship to the International School in London, a university attended by the privileged offspring of diplomats and world leaders, Maggie might get more than she bargained for. 

When Maggie meets Hugh, a twentysomething British guy, she finds herself living the life she always wanted. Suddenly she’s riding around the city in a Ferrari, wearing borrowed designer clothes and going to the hottest clubs. The only problem? Another guy, the one she can’t seem to keep her hands off of. 

Half French, half Lebanese, and ridiculously wealthy, Samir Khouri has made it clear he doesn’t do relationships. He’s the opposite of everything Maggie thought she wanted…and he’s everything she can’t resist. Torn between her dream guy and the boy haunting her dreams, Maggie has to fight for her own happy ending. In a city like London, you never know where you stand, and everything can change in the blink of an eye.

This is a New Adult romance recommended for readers 17 and up.
(Synopsis taken from Goodreads)

My Review:

I loved reading I See London! I not only connected with the characters, but the setting itself was just amazing! Chanel Cleenton did a good job describing London, Paris, and Venice. I've always wanted to go there and I felt that the descriptions in the book were vivid enough that it makes me want to travel that much more.

The story itself was intriguing, every single character is complex and all of them seem to have backup stories that we only get to a glimpse of them in the book. I See London follows the story of Maggie Carpenter, a recent high school graduate that has always aspired to go to Harvard, but with a rejection letter and no backup plan she suddenly finds herself flying to London to attend an International school. The minute she arrives to London everything is foreign to her, but that soon changes the minute she forms new friendships and new adventures. Along the way, Maggie will also have to decide what's important to her and whether or not she wants to risk everything for the guy that she can't seem to resist.

When Maggie arrives to the International School in London she meets Samir. Half French and half Lebanese, Samir Khouri is the epitome of perfection in a guy. He is not only wealthy, extremely good looking, and very smart (he can basically get a perfect score without having to take notes or study in class). This all looks good to Maggie, but Samir has made it clear that he doesn't do relationships making it a problem for her. But having met Samier doesn't stop her form meeting other guys and that's when she meets Hugh, a very attractive British guy that seems to have everything Maggie wanted. He is kind, wealthy, and also cares for her a lot. Now Maggie will have to choose between the two.

Having already expressed how much I loved this story at the beginning, there were also a lot of things that I really liked about the book. The story is very well-written and thought out. Maggie's character is one that I had a bit trouble liking, she doesn't have the best relationship with her dad and being sort of neglected by him makes her future decisions not the best. Although Samir has the “bad-boy” reputation, he is still a nice guy. He is the character that I enjoyed reading about the most, whereas Hugh, not so much. The sexual tension between Maggie and Samir throughout the book is obvious, and it just made me want to keep reading, for the lack of not knowing what was going to happen next. Overall, Chanel Cleeton did a good job with the story, I highly recommend it and will be reading the second book as soon as it comes out. 

*ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*

My Rating:

Book Trailer: