REVIEW: I see London by Chanel Cleeton

I see London by Chanel Cleeton: When Maggie is unsuccessful at achieving her dream of attending Harvard she applies to an International University in London and takes the huge leap of living abroad, huge in the sense that she has had fairly limited life experience and her small town Southern upbringing hasn’t really prepared her for making great choices.

Hence, she finds herself stuck between the hot player and the upper middle-class dream; a love triangle that steams up both ways. And given it is the first in a series and therefore no ultimate conclusions are drawn it is left in the readers good hands to determine which path she should take.

For the most part this was a relatively well written NA novel with some clear young adult themes. Unfortunately though, there were a few moments wherein Maggie’s evident immaturity created unnecessary drama and didn’t really value add to the plot. Having said that, our two male protagonists were cleverly drawn, Samir the serious bad boy with very loose morality and Hugh, the rich guy that Barbie like dreams are made of.

At times, the pacing was a little off and some of the content appeared a little out of context and whilst the characters unpacked some of their serious baggage throughout, it was tricky to determine clear thematic intention, perhaps due to the first instalment factor.

On the whole, this was a decent NA novel with a smattering of effective tension. Definitely a good way to begin a series to see how Maggie continues to grow and which choice she will invariably end up making.

Book Info:

Publication: 20th December 2023 | Canary Street Press | International School #1

Maggie Carpenter is a small-town Southern girl who’s never been kissed. She’s ready for a change—and to leave her ordinary life and a failed attempt to get into Harvard behind. She accepts a scholarship to the International School in London, where she’s suddenly mingling with the privileged offspring of diplomats and world leaders.

When Maggie meets Hugh, a twentysomething British guy, she finds herself living the life she has always wanted. Suddenly she’s riding around the city in a Ferrari, wearing borrowed designer clothes and going to the hottest clubs. The only problem? There’s someone else, someone she can’t seem to keep her hands off of.

Half French, half Lebanese and impossibly rich, Samir Khouri has made it clear to Maggie that despite their intense attraction, he doesn’t do relationships. He’s the opposite of everything she thought she wanted—a player with no interest in commitments—but she just can’t keep away. Torn between her dream guy and the one haunting her thoughts, Maggie must fight for her own happy ending. But in a city like London, you never know where you stand, and everything can change in the blink of an eye.