eARC Review: Shoot the Moon

Happy book birthday to Kate Watson’s Shoot the Moon! I can’t wait for the rest of the world to have a chance to read this fun book. You can definitely place your bets on this YA Contemporary retelling of Jane Austen’s Mansfield Park because it’s definitely a winner!

Thank you to Netgalley for approving my request for an eARC of this high stakes retelling!

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About Shoot the Moon

Despite what his brother—and sponsor—thinks, nineteen year-old Tate Bertram isn’t an addict. He has the 30-day chip to prove it. But when his father learns Tate’s been running an illegal card room out of a friend’s dorm to pay off old gambling debts, Tate is cut off. With his family no longer talking to him, his aunt Nora offers him a chance to intern for her political campaign. Juggling school with the intense internship, Tate finds himself buying scratch-off lottery tickets to take the edge off.

Tate is surprised to find the beautiful and calculating Alex Wolf—his first crush and the girl who taught him how to gamble—volunteering with Nora’s campaign, too. Soon, Tate is more drawn to Alex than ever. Her mind games stick in his head, but her vulnerable, softer side gets into his heart. But as tensions rise along the campaign trail, Tate is forced to question whether he’s really addiction-free, after all.

GREAT EXPECTATIONS meets ROUNDERS in this high stakes tale of the cost of winning and the price of redemption.

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My Review

This YA Contemporary picks up a few months after Seeking Mansfield  but this time you’re getting Tate’s POV. You remember Tate, Ollie’s big brother, who ended up in the hospital due to his gambling addiction.

Tate is not the most likable character and at times I struggled with his personality. I had to keep reminding myself that addicts are often so used to lying that they’ve become accustomed to doing what people expect them to do out shear habit. Tate is exactly like this. I struggled because he was just so cold on the inside but over the course of the book, seeing his struggle with his gambling addiction, it made more sense. Of course he’s cold, his addiction is what drives him, and it’s also what keeps the wedge between him and his family. Watson did a wonderful job of portraying this struggle and by the end of this book you’ll be rooting for him!

Can I just tell you that the end of this book with its twists and turns and secrets revealed was so well done that you never would’ve seen what happened next. It becomes almost like a thriller and the connections made in the end are shocking. I really enjoyed the corruption aspects of this book and by the end you’re not sure who to trust.

I’ve never read Mansfield Park but from what I’ve heard from others this retelling is spot on with it’s portrayal of the main character. I’ll have to add this classic to my TBR list so that I can make all the fun connections those who’ve read it have been able to make!

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Have you read Seeking Mansfield yet? If so, what did you think? Have you added this to your TBR piles yet?