train wreck
noun
1. A chaotic or disastrous situation.
2. An utter catastrophe or mess.
3. A devastating calamity or source of trouble.
4. Pepper O’Brien.
As the daughter of a famed film producer, Pepper O’Brien is Hollywood royalty.
Also, her life sucks.
Because, unfortunately for her, the old adage is true: money can’t buy everything—including grace, true love, or the ability to not screw up … grace, true love, or the ability to not screw up every single opportunity her life has brought her.
After her latest disaster, Pepper moves across the country to start over but, as usual, her life has other plans, namely in the form of Derek Cashette, her former teenage crush and now ridiculously handsome friend of her older brother.
Derek is determined to salvage the train wreck of her life and Pepper’s determined not to let him. Her life is her problem and, dammit, why can’t she be her own hero?
But sometimes fate has other plans. Or maybe it’s hormones. Especially when her rescuer comes with a killer smile, a chest Thor would be jealous of, and a butt that any girl just wants to—
more
Train Wreck is a cute story that I could see being made into a rom com with Matt Bomer as the hero, Derek and Jessica Chastain as the heroine, Pepper. I didn’t connect with it the way I have with the other Elise Faber stories I’ve read, but I still enjoyed it for the slightly fluffy piece of romance that it is.
Pepper is a walking disaster, whose messes are always being cleaned up by her famous, wealthy father, Peter O’Brien. He coerces Derek into watching over Pepper, with the condition that if he does, and gets Pepper to her brother’s wedding in one piece, he’ll fund Derek’s documentary. Derek has given up his work as an attorney at his family’s firm to strike out on his own making documentaries, and Peter O’Brien is his ticket out of his family’s business.
When Pepper and Derek sort of drift into a relationship, I wasn’t really feeling it. I’m not sure why, I guess it’s just that their connection wasn’t very strong, and neither Pepper nor Derek really stood out much. Plus, though they have a backstory, what with Derek being Pepper’s brother Paul’s longtime friend since childhood, their backstory wasn’t fleshed out well. I find with stories where the 2 leads have history, their backstory has to be well detailed for their present attraction to make any sense or to have any basis. And here, I just didn’t feel as if their backstory was detailed very well.
It was good seeing Sara Jetty and Mitch (from Backhand) and I liked Pepper’s friend and neighbor, Samantha, and her adorable daughter, Rylie. I am hoping a story is coming for them, and that Samantha’s cheating hubby gets kicked to the curb! And Pepper’s family, (controlling father Peter, whiny brother Paul and snooty mom Poppy) though all complete douches, added a touch of drama that Train Wreck needed. If only Pepper and Derek had been as vibrant as the secondary cast.
Still, though I didn’t see Derek and Pepper as this really passionate couple, Train Wreck is a cute, sweet story that is a good way to spend an hour or so escaping from reality.
I enjoyed this book. I have really loved everything I have read from this author.
This is a good book. It is a light and funny read. Pepper is a walking disaster, I can totally relate to her cause well I am a clumsy fool all the time lol. And really we all need a superhero to save us, cue Derek! Peppers hero who saves her multiple times.
It is just a really cute story, Not a heavy romance.
I did have a hard time starting this book, I wasn’t initially pulled in and it as just slow for me. I am glad I kept on going though.
All around a light ready with some LOL moments. I would recommend this book if you are looking for something light and not heavy on romance.
“She needed rescuing. Alarm bells blared to life in his mind. His inner hero dusted of his super suit, straightened his mask.”
Loved Pepper
The only reason I didn’t give this book 5 stars was the poor editing. I absolutely loved Pepper! Derek was a bit slow to realise the perfect gift she is but, once he got with the programme he was a growly alpha male (sort of). Lots of laughs to be had.
The premise of this story really drew me in. Pepper is a walking disaster but she’s determined to stand on her own two feet and discover herself while Derek is the white knight who swoops in to save her. I love this trope but it went a little too far here by the end of the book. Sure, Pepper caused some problems but she also had a lot of bad luck and her family was the worst. They treat her like garbage and allow the rest of the world to do so as well. She has one real friend and then Derek comes along, determined to convince Pepper to stop being so hard on herself.
There was a lot that I liked about both characters and I really rooted for the couple, but there were things that just didn’t work here. Pepper is constantly having some kind of slip and fall injury, to the point where someone should probably take her to a neurologist for a work-up and it’s just too much. There was a lot of overkill in driving home the point that bad things happen to Pepper. She was also really mean to Derek at first, but then when he actually did something infuriating, she forgives him instantly so the character was inconsistent. Likewise, he was this sweet, perfect-for-her guy but then he does something completely out of character that didn’t make sense at all, solely to add unnecessary drama. A bit of meaningful interaction between them would have been so much better than all of that.
There were also a few things that were just too much for me. I can’t conceive of an attraction so strong that you just have to have sex with someone while they have a stomach bug, that’s just NO. A huge event near the end is also super dramatic and completely out of left field, which detracted from this story a lot for me. I did like the characters but the execution didn’t work for me.
Very good. Sometimes the unlucky get lucky sooner or later
Pepper is an accident waiting to happen. Her father is a big shot producer so anything she does ends up in the papers or on the internet. She finds her fiancé cheating and leaves for a little town near the beach. Where she is trying to figure out her life. Because everyone she meets only wants a chance to talk to her father. Derek has been best friends with Pepper’s brother, was a lawyer but now is trying to make his own film. Pepper’s father is putting up the money for it and wants Derek to keep an eye on Pepper until her brother’s wedding. Derek learns that Pepper is more than the klutz her family thinks of her. He starts to fall for her but he wants to straighten things out with her father first. Derek ends up hurting Pepper and it will take more than a few words to get her to forgive him. Never read this author before but was pleasantly surprised by this story. Funny. Sexy. And a little heartbreaking. I felt sorry for Pepper and wanted to smack her family.
Really enjoyed this one. A good story and you wanted them to work out.
I didn’t want to put it down!
Definitely a must read!
Sweet , funny enjoyable story