Title: A Kiss in the Dark.
Author: Cat Clarke.
Publication Date: April 3rd, 2014.
Publisher: Quercus.
Format: Paperback, 384 pages.
Source: ARC Provided By Publisher.
My Rating:
When Alex meets Kate the attraction is instant.
Alex is funny, good-looking, and a little shy – everything that Kate wants in a boyfriend.
Alex can’t help falling for Kate, who is pretty, charming and maybe just a little naive…
But one of them is hiding a secret, and as their love blossoms, it threatens to ruin not just their relationship, but their lives.
I’ve only read one other book by Cat Clarke before, and that was quite a while ago – however I really enjoyed it and thought Cat’s writing was fantastic and really detailed, unique and interesting. When I first started reading A Kiss in the Dark, I wasn’t sure what to expect. What was this huge secret? How will it affect the couple’s relationship? You find out much more quickly than I expected what the secret is and it really shocked me – I honestly wasn’t expecting it at all! I can’t say much more, otherwise I’m afraid I’ll spoil the whole thing, but I flew through A Kiss in the Dark, finishing it in just two days – I absolutely adored it! A Kiss in the Dark is a fast-paced, compelling and beautifully written novel that’ll keep you engrossed until you’ve turned the very last page.
Alex is one of our two main protagonists throughout A Kiss in the Dark, and I really loved his character. Alex was a kind, funny, and really sweet and lovely character that you just can’t help but fall for (although he’s a bit too young for me!). He’s made some bad decisions, and kept a big secret from Kate but you can tell he’s really battling with himself over the situation. He’s in love with her, and just doesn’t want to lose her – so although I’m not saying that keeping everything a secret was the best idea, I could understand where he was coming from.
Kate is our other protagonist and the love interest throughout the first half of the book. I really adored her character; she was just so cute and sweet! Kate is smart, weird, and really a very loyal and wonderful girl and I loved reading about her. However, when the novel swopped to her perspective, and she found out Alex’s secret, my opinion of her went completely downhill. Eventually, nearing the end of the book, I started gaining more respect for her – but the decisions she made were appalling. I understood that she was hurting and upset, and people do crazy things when they’re like it, but what she did was down-right awful and spiteful. I’m glad, however, that things started to change as the book drew to a close – and I started to love her character once more.
Although Alex’s and Kate’s relationship was slightly insta-love, I actually really loved it. They were so passionate about each other, and everything was so sweet, that I instantly became jealous I didn’t have a relationship like it myself! It was so clear how absolutely besotted with each other they were, that it became a little cheesy at times, which isn’t a huge flaw, but one all the same that irritated me a bit. However, I really loved both their characters. I absolutely loved the ending of A Kiss in the Dark, it sort of bitter sweet, and I believe it ended perfectly. It was left open, which I thought was great, so the reader can decide in their own mind what would happen next. Usually I hate endings like this, but I thought it was perfect in this situation. A Kiss in the Dark is split into two sections; the first in Alex’s perspective, and the latter in Kate’s. As I’ve mentioned on many different occasions in the past, I love multiple perspectives in books, it’s great to get into the heads of the other characters in the story, to see what they see and feel what they feel. Although I loved reading Alex’s point of view, I wasn’t as keen on reading Kate’s – mostly because I found it quite hard to connect to her – even though I loved her character in the first half of the book.
Overall, I really enjoyed reading A Kiss in the Dark; it was a fantastic and incredible novel that I’d recommend to anyone who loves contemporary romance, but also has an open mind. Cat Clarke’s writing is wonderful and beautifully scripted – I was laughing one moment, and then crying the next. It’ll have you riled up and angry, with your stomach in knots, and shedding tears a few pages later – she really is fantastic and writes some very realistic teen romance. I believe it well and truly deserves the 5/5 star rating I gave it, and although it wasn’t absolutely perfect, it was incredibly well done – with many different twists and turns throughout the story. I can’t wait to read even more from Cat Clarke in the future, she’s definitely an author to keep an eye out for!
Quotes
When we sat down, Kate scooted her chair across so she was sitting next to me and we could hold hands. When the waitress came over to take Kate’s order she smiled as if maybe she remembered what it was like to be our age and in love. Because I think that’s what it was, even then. I was in love with Kate. I wasn’t sure when I’d started loving her, or exactly what it meant, but that didn’t stop me knowing it. And it made me feel good to know it, even though I had no intention of putting it into words. I didn’t want to freak her out.
I was in love with a girl and she was in love with me. This was what people talked about, what songs were written about, what made the world go round, apparently. Now I could understand what all the fuss was about. I wanted to stop random people in the street and tell them I was in love. But I didn’t, because that would have been weird.
I didn’t move. The snow turned into icy rain. The light in the front room went out. Before long I was shivering uncontrollably. I watched the door even though I didn’t expect it to open again. I wondered how long I could stay out in this cold before I would die. If I curled up into a little ball on Alex’s front doorstep would I be dead by morning? Would Alex come outside, all dressed up for court, and find me frozen to death, a fine layer of ice blanketing my body?
No one would be able to hate me if I was dead.
