Release Date: September 6, 2016
Publisher: Forever
Pages: 400
Genre: New Adult, Young Adult, Romance, Contemporary, High School, Suspense, Abuse
*I received this book as a NetGalley ARC in exchange for an honest and unbiased review. All opinions are my own. Thanks NetGalley!
Summary
Jamie Cole has just been released from juvenile detention. Determined to go straight, he tried to cut ties with crime boss Brett Reye--but Brett has no intention of letting him go. Jamie's life is already more complicated than it needs to be, yet when he meets a beautiful stranger at a bar, Jamie knows he's in over his head.
Ellie Pearce has just gotten out of a terrible relationship and isn't looking for anything serious...until she meets Jamie. Their attraction is overwhelming and intense--she can't seem to shake her growing feelings for him, even though she's trying to keep it casual.
But when fate goes horribly wrong and Jamie's family is faced with ruin, he's forced to strike a deal with Brett. Despite his struggles, he wants nothing more than a future with Ellie. That's until Ellie finds out that he's been hiding more from her than she could ever imagine...
The Rundown
Thank God this book is the first one and a sequel is in the works because my first thought was "NO!!! You can not end it like this!!!!" I can rest easy knowing that there's more to Jamie and Ellie's story.
This intense romance was nearly equal parts plot and character driven, which makes for the kind of love story that I just can't put down. I really enjoyed Jamie, who you root for from the very beginning for trying to rise above a childhood of horror to prove that your future isn't defined by where you came from. Ellie, who on the outside has a picture perfect life (suburbs, head cheerleader, traditional nuclear family) has her own struggles of an emotionally abusive parent, a controlling ex boyfriend, and finding her place in the world as high school comes to an end.
Something I really enjoyed about their romance was the build up, especially Ellie asserting for quite a while that she just wanted to be single for a while to love herself again after leaving a bad relationship. Not that she wasn't attracted to Jamie, but she had no interest in diving in fast again. Jamie is extremely respectful of Ellie from how he treats her on dates to the physical aspect of their relationship, something I think is very refreshing in these stories that ride the YA/NA line.
My one gripe about this story is Jamie constantly calling Ellie "little girl." I can let a few pet names here and there go. I mean it's a love story after all, but gross. They're less than a year apart, and Ellie isn't described to us as short so stop it with this "little girl" nonsense.
This is the perfect book to hand to readers who were fans of Perfect Chemistry by Simone Elkeles or Pushing the Limits by Katie McGarry! The ending will have you ready for the sequel like yesterday!
Rating: 3.5/5 Stars. It's not a life changing must read, but it's a good love and coming of age story.
*Side not for librarians: We mostly order from Baker & Taylor at my library and I don't agree that they recommended it for general adult audiences as opposed to older teen audiences. Theme, subject, language, and sexual content so strongly reminded me of works by Katie McGarry and Simone Elkeles that their suggestion surprised me. I truly think this is a find addition to young adult sections where romances are popular.
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