Despite a decent premise and a narrative voice that's fast-paced and catchy, The Promise of Amazing has a few flaws that prevented me from truly enjoying it. The love connection between main characters Wren and Grayson is of the instant variety, based on first impressions in a "meet-cute" situation. There's no real reason for these two to be so suddenly head-over-heels; I didn't find it credible. On top of the insta-love problem that plagues so many contemporary YA novels, there is an even bigger problem in terms of Grayson's past and how quickly everyone seems to accept it and get over it. Gray is presented as the bad boy who just needs a good girl to turn him around. It's a cliche, and it's not convincing. His past actions are pretty repugnant, and Wren has much too easy a time getting past it all once the truth comes out. There are no real consequences here, and none of the outcomes seemed earned. 
 That said, the story flows very smoothly and always held my interest. I think the book skates over moral issues without ever really digging deep, and ultimately that dilutes the book's impact. I was never terribly convinced by Wren and Gray's relationship -- or by the fact that their relationship apparently is the magic key for each of them to make substantial changes in their lives. 
 The Promise of Amazing is highly readable, and I enjoyed it while I was in the middle of it. It wasn't until I'd finished the book and started putting my thoughts together that I realized to what extent it just didn't work for me when it came to big-picture issues and the tone and message of the book overall. 
 (For more, see my review at Bookshelf Fantasies.)