Diamonds in the Rough by Michelle Madow

Diamonds in the Rough by Michelle Madow

Release Date: October 28, 2014
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Series: The Secret Diamond Sisters, Book 2
Rated: YA 14+
Format: Paperback
Source: Author
Buy: Amazon ● The Book Depository
Goodreads ● Website

Read my review of The Secret Diamond Sisters HERE.

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The three Diamond sisters survived the summer in style after coming to live with their long-lost billionaire father. But making a place for themselves at their exclusive new Las Vegas private school is throwing them any number of gold-plated curves. Savannah's YouTube stardom turns into a Sweet Sixteen reality show extravaganza with complimentary enemies on the side. Dangerous flirtations don't keep Peyton from a gamble that will risk far more than she planned to bet. And when Courtney and the sisters' archenemy, Madison, uncover two explosive secrets, it will rock even this town of glittering illusion and turn their lives upside down all over again.

**WARNING: Spoilers from Book 1!**

After finishing The Secret Diamond Sisters I knew I couldn’t WAIT until I got my hands on the next one. I’m so honoured to have been picked to review this book by the author, and absolutely freaked out when I got the copy in the mail, signed to me in all it’s glory. I believe I’ve mentioned it before but I’ll say it again: something about this series has a TV-show quality to it. After Gossip Girl ended, I NEED another show to satisfy my craving for scandal, drama and boys. This is the perfect substitute! While there were somethings I didn’t like in this one, Madow’s second instalment was absolutely packed with amazing interweaving storylines that build up to several shocking moments in the book.

There was definitely a lot more character development compared to the first book, but my opinions on characters haven’t changed. I still don’t like Peyton, I find her too annoying, but she has improved a great deal. She just needs to think about what she does and the consequences of it because it’s basically a record-player playing the same thing over and over again– you would have thought she had learned her lesson the first or second time round! Courtney is still my favourite character. Something about her level-headedness being so refreshing in this family where two of three sisters are infatuated by material objects and throwing themselves at guys. Loved her frustration and tension with Brett, that was done so well in this book. I felt so bad for her as well, because this story builds up to a HUGE moment and how she handles it doesn’t go down too well. Savannah... honestly, she didn’t make a mark for me in this book. Same old story, trying to figure out who to choose between Damien and Nick (who doesn’t make much of an appearance in this book by the way), and literally, the only thing I picked up from her storyline was her singing career moving forward. That’s about it. Madison, on the other hand, got a lot more interesting. There’s so much more to her and I really like her character now. She also has a huge role in this book, with another secret that shakes her whole world (and is definitely going to be a major part in the next book), so I can’t wait to see where it all goes!

What I didn’t like about the book was this: how flashy it was. I mean, the name dropping didn’t bother me in the first book, but this was pushing it a little too far. I mean, a boy band from the UK called One Connection? HELLO? Not to mention boy band members, Perry Myles, Noel and Kayn... sounds a little too familiar doesn’t it? It just seemed kind of weird considering how many times TV shows, such as The Vampire Diaries and Downton Abbey, are mentioned. It wasn’t just the name dropping though. It seemed like with every pop culture reference there had to be a multiple-sentence explanation as to why it was in the book. To be honest, it kind of hindered my reading experience, and while everything else was quite sound, this was the thing I absolutely disliked, and is something that I dislike with any other book as well.

The end of the book is shocking, but it wasn’t so shocking that I felt like I needed the next book. I liked how the author presented the cliffhanger but I found myself feeling underwhelmed by it all. Hopefully the next book will quench my thirst for the amount of secrets sure to be uncovered. Who will end up with who? What on earth is going to happen to the Diamond sisters and will everything ever be normal again? I really like the title of the final book as well, just like the rest of the titles in this series– a great play on words!

Diamonds in the Rough had so much crazy drama and I enjoyed it so much. In this dazzling world of glitz, glamor and money, secrets and betrayal are never far behind. I can’t wait for the next book, Diamonds are Forever, although I’ll be sad to say goodbye to Michelle Madow’s fantastic series.

▪ ▪ ▪ Thank you so much to Michelle Meadow for sending me a copy for review! ▪ ▪ ▪

If you like this, try...

• The Luxe by Anna Godbersen ● Goodreads
• Secrets of My Hollywood Life by Jen Calonita ● Goodreads
• Confessions of the Sullivan Sisters by Natalie Standiford ● Goodreads