Pepped Up

Publisher's Summary

Qualifying for Nationals. It’s all I can think about, and I’m willing to do anything it takes to make it happen. I can handle long miles and hill sprints in cross country, but guys? That’s an entirely different challenge. 

I’ve kept my feelings hidden from the boy next door all this time. My longtime friend Jace Wilder doesn’t see me that way. He has the personal magnetism and good looks to hook just about any girl in town - and he has. Our friendship stands apart from high school social circles, and I’m fine with that, or so I keep telling myself. 

That is, until running star Ryan Harding moves to town and bridges the gap. Apparently, I’ve caught his eye, and suddenly Jace starts seeing me in a different light. Everything changes, for all of us. 

On the trails, my goals are clear. Train, run, breathe, run, win. But when it comes to Jace and Ryan, it’s nowhere near as simple. This battle can’t be won by crossing a finish line; this war is in my heart. 

©2013 Ali Dean Fiction, Inc. (P)2015 Ali Dean Fiction, Inc.

Loved it!

I love this series. This is the first series I read from this author and I can’t wait to read whatever she comes out with next.

Pepper Jones is a runner in high school who is happy with her life of running and hanging with her best friend Jace. She has her running goals and her routine. She has been friends with Jace since they were young, but her feeling for him has moved from platonic to attraction. Jace however, keeps his friendship with Pepper and his life of girls and parting separate . Pepper is resigned that Jace just sees her like a sister. Things start changing with them, Pepper wants more, but Jace is getting more secretive and she is starting to think she doesn’t know Jace at all. As Pepper starts pulling away and trying to movie on from her feelings for Jace, he starts spiraling out of his usual tight control. Pepper is torn between wanting to be there for Jace and not wanting to get sucked in and get her heart broken.

This book was a great read. The story flowed and the character development was great. I have read this series a few times and listened to the audio book. The audiobook was great! The actress reading was great and truly displayed the emotion of the characters.

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

The choice is hers...

Any additional comments?

This audiobook was provided by the author, narrator, or publisher at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review courtesy of Audiobook Blast. I have to start by saying I can't wait to listen to book 2 in this series. This book was all too easy to listen to! The narrator kept my attention the whole time, and the book is written with excellently animated characters. Pepper has it all going for her, but can she decide which guy to let in to her nearly perfect life? This book is worth the credit to find out!!

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

Pepped Up

This is the first book that I have read or listened to by Ali Dean, and I was not disappointed. This book is about a high school cross country star that is navigating her feelings between her lifelong best friend and a new kid that is the defending national cross country winner. It shows some of the challenges that teenagers are facing in today's world while maintaining the great story line of a young adult romance book! I enjoyed this immensely and can't wait to finish the series!

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

love+friendship+running+great characters=awsome

This audiobook was provided to me by the author at no cost, in exchange for an unbiased review.

Pepper Jones is a high school student and ambitious runner, who enjoys her live with her Grandma, spending time with her friends from the running team and hanging out with her best friend since childhood-Jace (who is also the high schools star quarterback).
Pepper has had a crush on Jace for a long time, but since he sees her like a little sister, she tries to keep it secret from him, to obtain their friendship.
She is even ok with his womanizing (ok kind of), but is really hurt, when she realizes, that Jace has this whole other live with a lot of partying, alcohol etc. which he actively tries to keep her away from. She feels like she doesn`t know her best friend at all anymore and starts to withdraw from their friendship and starts to spend more time with her girlfriends and the new guy on the running team, Rian, who helps her realize a couple of things (both about her running and her relationship to Jace).
As a reaction to Peppers withdrawal, Jace Partying begins to get out of control, helping both Pepper and him to realize, just how much he needs her to be part of his live. In what capacity? –Well you will just have to read / listen to the book yourself ;-).
What I like best about the story is, the change of dynamics between Pepper and Jace, but also that she doesn`t sacrifice her life for him, but stays true to herself. And also the complexity and development of the characters. IN addition I loved the running scenes, which are often used for an internal monologue, to let the reader know what exactly Pepper is thinking.

I have read a few books by Ali Dean by now and I enjoy her writing style immensely, I find it to flow easily and when it sometimes get a bit explicit, I feel like it is to help develop a character (the bad boy swearing a little more than the girl next door, etc.).

Coming to the other important part of an AUDIObook, the voice.
At the beginning I couldn`t stand the voice, she sounded just wrong to me, not at all how I would have expected Pepper to sound (after reading the series about 5 times I was rather set on how she was supposed to sound). And I found it difficult to distinguish the male voices in the beginning.
But after a while I got used to it and by chapter three I had no issues at all with recognizing the characters by voice. (I am still not that happy with Bunnys voice but that’s just my personal opinion).
What did hinder the listening experience for me was the naming of the chapters, but again not that big of a problem.

So summing it Up, I loved the story, the voice was good but not excellent and I will totally recommend the Audiobook /Book to some friends.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

love Tijan!!

It was great, she portrayed the characters how I imagined them. The only thing I would have changed was some of the excitement levels at the different points where Pepper won the races or when some exciting parts happened. It really helped to have the audible of the book, helped me picture the scenes that I only thought of. It felt like I was there.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Great Listen!!

I received this audio book free from the author in exchange for an unbiased review.

I really enjoyed this book! The narrator did a great job with keeping my attention and bringing Ali's characters to life. my only comment on the narration is some of the pauses and pacing seemed off when transitioning from one scene to another. As for the story I really liked it. Pepped Up has a bit of everything, from sweet innocence to implied debauchery, and I enjoyed every minute of it. There were times when I wanted to shake Pepper for her naiveté and passiveness is certain situations and I definitely wanted to smack Jace upside the head for his stupidity and irrational behavior, but overall I just though the book ended too soon. Thankfully, Pepped Up is the first in a series, and there is more out there for me to listen to as an audiobook or read as an eBook.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

really enjoyed

I read this book before I listened to it and I loved it even more. I feel like the narrator did a great job with this story. This being book 1 in the Pepper Jones series does a really good job setting up the series. You can't help but like Pepper and I think most people can connect with her. Jace is your bad boy and best friend. this story will hook you into the series.

A great story

I am new to Ali Dean but I really enjoyed this book. I was really rooting for Pepper and Jase so I'm glad it ended the way that it did. now I need the next book A.S.A.P to find out more lol.

Inappropriate behavior & language

I received this audiobook free from the author. I'm reviewing voluntarily.
Maybe this review won't be helpful to you, if this is your kind of read. I didn't finish this book, so I can't give a full opinion of the entirety of it, but these are high school kids. I'm of the opinion that just because the world seems ok with living just any way they want doesn't mean that it's good. I didn't make it much more than 10 minutes into the book before getting my ears filled with foul language and talk of promiscuity. This book, I understand, is meant to be a crossover between teen and young adult, but I am myself an adult (with nearly grown teenagers) and don't want to read this kind of story. Maybe this is your thing, and considering the other books in the series, it looks like it does have a happy ending. This is just not for me.

0 of 1 people found this review helpful