Izzy Moffit is finally free from her toxic parents, and she’s vowing to only take care of those who care for her from now on, especially her best friend Paris Hemsworth—the only strength and support she’s ever known.But a mistreated heart is always the softest, and Izzy can’t keep people out for long. Before she realises it, Izzy is losing her way again, and she soon begins to understand that not … understand that not all villains look like monsters.
Some offer themselves as lovers; others as friends.
The battles she thought she’d left behind have only just begun…
The only thing that can save her now is an unexpected hero, and he seems to take on many different forms throughout her life until, one day, he shows up at her front door, ready to save the day, her future, and most importantly:
Izzy’s heart.
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I’m such a fan of Victoria’s writing! I connect with the characters she writes so deeply and it was no different with Izzy. Izzy’s story is one full of moments that make you want to fight FOR her with all the crap life gives her. I found myself wondering how she keeps getting up day after day. Life never gives her a break. Until it does. That’s all I can say without giving too much away. This book is the first book in an incredibly emotional real life type series. Each book has a different author and the characters all know each other in some way and make appearances in each book. I will always want more of the Wonderland Series.
I thought I was broken. I can often find myself becoming totally absorbed in the book I am reading but I have found recently that hasn’t been happening to the extent where I have a real connection with the characters and storyline – which has been a little disappointing. Reading The Trouble With Izzy has proven that I am wrong. I’m not broken. I’ve just been waiting for an author’s words to grab me so hard so that I can actually feel the emotions that the characters are experiencing and become emotionally invested in the storyline. I should have known that Victoria L. James would be one author who is able to do exactly that.
From the very beginning you’ll need to buckle yourself in and be prepared to embark on this incredible emotional roller coaster of a ride. I’ve cried lots! And I’ve loved that from closing one chapter where the tears have been streaming down my face that I found myself smiling widely in the next. I have had butterflies in my stomach many times throughout the story. Sometimes due to being swept up in its romance but sometimes they have been due to the situations that Izzy and Paris have found themselves in – more of an angsty feeling than the swooning I first described.
You are going to love Izzy…. really love her! She doesn’t have it easy in this book at all and she tends to take life far too seriously for her age. Readers of my age will want to mother her whilst younger readers will want to be one of her best friends. Paris Hemsworth fills the role of best friend but they are more like sisters to each other. There are times, as in all friendships, that this relationship is tested to the limits but true friends will always be there for each other no matter what….. or so you would hope.
To say I loved Izzy’s story would be understatement. It highlights everything that you can expect from an emotion filled book – Love, friendships, tragedy and laughter. I felt that there is a strong theme of hope and strength and I certainly will take this away with me. The author writes about real life issues with sensitivity and care and I’m so thankful. There is nothing that I would want to change about this story and I would recommend for you to read it without any doubts. I’m excited to continue my reading journey with the other books in A Road To Wonderland series. I’m certain we will see more of Izzy in the very next book which is Paris’ story.
Different, Entertaining, I liked Izzy Moffit’s journey.
This is very different from any romance books I have read before, Izzy’s journey is almost like a love affair with her best friend Paris. A journey of how they grow together as children, become one another’s anchor through times of trouble and then there are the teenage years which all lead to College years and later through circumstances they are separated which lead’s to Izzy then drifting through life making one mistake after another, all the while pining for and missing her best friend like she is her missing soulmate, a piece of her she can’t live without and can’t function without.
I enjoyed the Izzy Moffit adventure with its many ups and downs, more downs than ups but enjoyable all the same. Izzy’s story spans from her young life with her abusive father to her late twenties where she eventually finds peace and hopefully love.
The latter end of this book from about 80% is when she meets Ethan, it’s like the stars align and I thought finally, YES!! and I could not get enough of this, I was finally loving the romance element of Izzy’s story which I then discovered continues in Ethan’s book which is book 3 in this series. I was disappointed, the romance lover in me wanted the hea. It became like a book of two halves and I desperately want more of the latter half.
I love the build-up in a romance, the getting to know you stages, the chase, I’m not sure now Izzy and Ethan have already discovered each other and met in this book I will get what I love in a romance read but I will have to see, I certainly want to see if Izzy has finally found her soulmate and I definitely want to read Paris’s own story, what happened to her through the missing years?, I can see this becoming an addictive series.
One girl’s life journey, a story of friendship, growth, mistakes, and regrets and hopefully happily ever afters.
All books in this series are available in KU or can be snapped up for a bargain price, hallelujah, let the adventure begin
I’m not even entirely sure I have the words to express just how much this book touched my heart.
Izzy’s story is not an easy one, hell at one point I was praying that she would just get a break from all the crap that is thrown at her. I have giggled in places and I’ve cried, huge tears, ugly cry with snot and the inability to see the words before me and you know what I would happily go back and read through those emotions again because frankly this story is so beautifully put together.
I really can not recommend this book or this author enough as they both rock socks!
Victoria L. James has a way with words that will sweep you off your feet and pull you into the world she’s created with vivid pictures and descriptions that can, at times, completely enrapture you. Her writing is thoughtful, smart and captivating in every possible way it can be, but don’t let that fool you. The story of Izzy is a roller coaster ride that can take you into dark places in one chapter, only to have you giggling aloud at the next. You never know what’s coming and that’s a large part of the beauty in this debut novel.
Izzy Moffit isn’t your typical teen and she hasn’t grown up in a typical situation, but rather than allowing it to weaken her, it’s given her strength and fortitude that is only encouraged by her best friend Paris. For Izzy, Paris is her soul mate, they do everything together, which makes facing some of life’s decisions and harder situations a little more bearable. That’s not to say that these girls can’t be self-sacrificing, or that they’re incapable of making bad choices.
Thrust into the real world without their buffers has some unexpected repercussions.
The highs are high and the lows are low. You will find yourself laughing along with the characters, crying in empathy and sympathy and screaming in frustration as Izzy navigates the maze we call life, but every beautifully sculpted word and image are worth the emotional roller coaster. Sit down, buckle up and enjoy the ride of a lifetime.
Favorite Quotes:
“My daddy says that’s why you have to live each day as though it’s your last… or something like that. I dunno. He talks a lot of rubbish around the dinner table. He calls himself the owl because he says he’s wise. I think he’s an owl because when he’s really, really mad at me, he’s able to do that non-blinking thing that makes me apologize quicker than I want to. Uch, I hate that.”
“He used to have a special scent about him – one I can’t even begin to describe without making him sound like he worked in a bakery by day and rolled around in fields of lavender at night. But it was there and it was him.”
“I want to speak, but I’m silenced by sensation as my skin begins to sing his name.”
“My imagination is running so wild, I feel like we’re stumbling into a really bad horror movie, and the only people that can’t see the watchful eyes in the shadows happen to be us.”
“I want to be somebody’s everything. Not just physically, but mentally too. I want someone to love me and adore me enough to say the thought of anyone else having you makes my heart ache. You are mine, forever. You know? That kind of all-consuming love where you’re powerless to stop it.”
“He felt like he was always meant to happen. He felt right. I’m just not sure I can trust my own judgement at the moment.”
My Review:
This book was exceptionally well-written, achingly real, and no less than heartbreaking. It gutted me, it intrigued me, it fascinated me, and despite the fact that I am no fan of angst – I couldn’t put it down all day. I was sobbing and smirking all in the same hour. My eyes stung, my lower lip trembled, and my nose ran while I read. The character of Izzy is exquisitely built and fully fleshed out with incredible insight from the ground up. She has by her own words, an “incredible ability to seek out disaster.” I adored her, and I hurt for her as she was constantly left behind by everyone she ever cared about. Ms. James has an incomparable talent for painting vivid an indelible pictures with her words. This is one of those books that is going to rattle around in my head for the ages. I am eager to continue on with the rest of the series.