Emma Hendricks……..Zach Owens She’s 15…….He’s 18 She’s experienced nothing… He’s experienced the world… What happens when their worlds collide? Never allowed to date, will the relationship survive Emma’s overly-protective, older brother and his friends? And what happens when his past is revealed and she discovers he’s on probation. Even if she accepts it, she must lie to her parents and those around her. She’s always been… Just one of the boys… and now a man sees her as so much more… Can she convince him that she is old enough to love?
Old Enough to Love is the story of Emma Hendricks, or Runt as she’s known to her older brother and his friends. Emma—born prematurely has always been physically smaller than other girls. Protected by a posse of guys, led by her brother, she’s pretty much off limits as dating material for anyone in their small high school—until Zach Owens, a senior from San Francisco moves to the small town of Ashland, Oregon and is oblivious to the unspoken rule.
Emma, an inexperienced fifteen-year-old, is smitten with Zach and the undeniable attraction brewing between them. She attempts to compete with the older girls to maintain Zach’s affections and believes she is ready to take the relationship to the next level. Though she is eager to easily bid her virginity farewell; she misunderstands his hesitations. Zach is on twelve months supervised probation and caught a lucky break the first time around. He adamantly refuses to participate in any activity that would lead to juvenile detention, and he is frightened he’ll lose Emma if specific information about his past is revealed.
Zach and Emma uncover blooming passionate emotions while discovering first time love, all the while reining in nearly uncontrollable desires. Meanwhile, their biggest obstacles are the battle with her brother, her brother’s buddies and Zach’s elusive past.
HI! The Just One of the Guys series was my first writing experience. I love writing romance. I struggle writing sex… But usually like the end product. I think…
I work part-time as a probation officer for juveniles. But i spend the majority of my time with two of the most freakishly awesome boys ever...MY two sons!
I am a huge Kansas Jayhawk fan, Oregon Duck fan and Chicago Cubs! I'm deliciously addicted to music...Love all kinds! Dr. Pepper is a close second in my addictions.
Life is taken way to seriously by most...i say enjoy every moment, have a drink and READ!
Oh My...First Love. Is there anything sweeter, more endearing than first love? Anything that gives you that warm feeling. Or that "I am going to throw up" feeling of losing your first love. That uncertain "does he like me the as much as I like him?' feeling. First loves, first crushes, lots of firsts. And I wouldn't go back and redo those days for all the chocolate Ghirerdelli Square. What sweet torture!
Emma is a little bitty petite thing. She is 15 years old and surrounded by her brother and his big football playing friends. You would think this would be a gravy train for Emma, but no. They all see her as the little sister they need to protect and keep guys away from. Emma is a bit tired of this. She is in high school after all. She is ready to date. Find a guy. Just not a womanizer like her brother and his buddies.
Zach is the new guy in town, a senior. With a past. He has moved to a little town in Oregon from San Francisco and is not totally sold on the small town life. He meets Emma as school is about to let out for the summer. She is sweet and innocent and he knows he could take advantage of that, but chooses not to. She is just too sweet and innocent. And Zach has not walked away from many opportunities in his life.
The innocence in her touch, the passion in her kiss, the love in her eyes...I'd never felt any of that before. She believed in me. She believed in me more than I did.
After spending the summer away, can Zach and Emma reconnect? Will his summer conquests get in the way. He is a hot football stud and there are some older high school gals after him. What does Emma have to offer? Will all the guys in Emma's life let her explore her feelings for Zach or will they drive him away? And what about Grant? The guy Emma has crushed on for years? Will he just step aside? Or does he even know that he needs to? Grant knows Zach's secret. Will he use it against him?
This is a well written story of young love and the drama that comes with it. Zach has some real issues and Emma can't decide if she can deal with them or not. Drama. Angst. Slamming doors. Crying. Late night texts. Misunderstandings. Young love. As Charlie Brown would say...Arggghhhh. And if all that torture isn't enough....Ms Pelton decides to draw it out into another book.
I will be waiting for the next book. Cause I secretly have a crush on Grant. Don't tell anyone.
Author Kristi Pelton gives us a delightful birdseye view of the angst of first love. Emma is experiencing all of the emotional and physical responses that come naturally to a teenage girl in the throes of her first "real" love. With those feelings come a host of questions and conflicts. With Zach, the object of Emma's affection, the author takes us into the mind and thoughts of a teenage boy. This story is a funny,yet startlingly true to life snapshot of today's American teenager. This is a great young adult read.
Loved everything about this book!! especially the writing and the characters, plus the dual POVs.
Emma was completely adorable, although there were instances in the book where I just wanted to shout at her. But I understood her, being a 15-year old in such circumstances. She's definitely one of the guys, and not by choice (LOL) that's because of her "overprotective" brother Ryan. He is the perfect brother, at first you might think he's overprotective but you'd see that it's because he really cares about her, knowing what she's been through when she was little. They have arguments/discussions that are just too funny! I felt so happy for Emma and Zach when he (Ryan) accepted their relationship. As an innocent and attractive teenage girl, she goes through a lot of painful and confusing situations. Kudos to her for overcoming all of them (for now). But I felt torn between Zach and Grant though!! I could really see why he hesitated in approaching Emma, being her brother's best friend and all. :(
I still need to read books 2 and 3 to see where it takes Emma.
Overall Old Enough to Love is a wonderful novel! It has the perfect formula with romance, drama, enough humor, and a couple of suspenseful scenes.
Aaaahh!! I loved this story!! I loved Emma and Zach. Seriously. I thought Emma was such an endearing character. Her innocence is so sweet and yet she is feisty and funny. I loved her relationship with Ryan and all his friends and it seemed pretty realistic. I am a sucker for first love stories and these were the perfect characters for that. Zach was so sweet and sexy!! I liked that they obeyed their parents most of the time and tried to follow rules. Emma was quite young and I thought Zach really handled himself well. Emma was ridiculously insecure at times, but overall I thought all the emotions and reactions were reasonable and relatable. This book came out of nowhere for me and it captured my heart. Looking forward to the next book!!
Some times great things coming knocking on your door. Things like books from Amazon. Or a really cute guy looking for your brother. One time we had someone leave a piglet on our doorstep. His tail has gotten frost bite and dropped off. Yeah, I get damaged pigs...and Kristi Pelton gives us really cute boys. With a history. You choose which door you want to open.
Emma is a freshman whose older brother and his football friends have appointed themselves as her protectors. Not that she needs protectors. She would much rather actually get to be a freshman, date, flirt, you know...Freshman girl stuff. But they keep a close eye on her and a closer eye on other guys.
Zachary is new in town. He doesn't know Emma is off limits. But he quickly learns that Emma has a lot of guys looking out for her. As a senior, Zach has his own reasons to not want to be in the spotlight. He has some secrets of his own. He quickly learns that he doesn't want to stay aways from Emma any more than he wants to disappoint her.
Zach is sweet and cautious with her. He wants to earn her feelings and the respect of her family. They have lots of reasons to be protective and he wants to be in that circle of trust.
"I'm supposed to be a sophomore. You know that, right....Born premature. Docs thought it was a good idea to wait to send me to school though I exceeded all their expectations." "You're exceeding mine right now." His groan was satisfying.
I love Kristi Pelton's writing. I was so happy to discover this YA read. She builds the romance and the relationship. I can't wait to recommend this to my high schoolers. And to you. I recommend it to you.
I read this book without expectations or anything then as I started reading the prologue and it made me cry in page 1!? Can you imagine that and now here I am, writing a review while nursing a good hangover at 1 in the morning!
ZACH AND EMMA'S story held my attention from start to finish. Zach's secret sucked me up even more with the story. What I love more in this book is the new words that I've learned such as PUMA, scrog and weirgin.. I laughed, i got nervous, I feel the "first love" feeling. Clearly, Kristi has her unique way of writing, it is not NA, but it will not disappoint you either I've read YA and almost every genres of books, but this one is unique, OLD ENOUGH is a breather, when you are too tired to read Mature books or you just want to read a feel-better book.. THIS IS YOUR FIX! I fell in love with the characters in an instant and I crave for more..... When I say more, I mean right at this moment.
A friend recommended that I read this and every time I saw her she asked me, "Did you read Old Enough to Love?" I read the book out of guilt because I am over New Adult. I started this book and I couldn't put it down. I loved the two point of views and a story that shows the hero growing. This book is part of a of a series but the book can be read as a stand alone. I will definitely be checking out the rest of the books in the series.
I only recently discovered Kristi and I HATE that it took me this long!!
A story of first love with so many obstacles to get through, this book was filled with the kind of drama that had me anticipating what will happen next! I couldn't put it down and I can't wait to get straight on to the next one!! 5+ stars for sure!!
Old Enough to Love is a wonderful book about teenage love & all the drama that goes along with it. As a first time author, Kristi Pelton captured my attention from the first page, & never let it go. I can't wait to read her following books to see what happens with Zach & Emma's story!
Being a book junkie I have to say that this book captivated me from start to finish. I laughed with the characters and could feel their frustrations. I would Definately recommend this book as a must read.
I think I read this entire series in three days! It was a great way to come home and just get lost in a great story! I can not wait to read other works by Kristi.
Emma was born premature and has always been fiercely protected by her brother Ryan and his best friends. "Runt" as she is annoyingly called by all of them, because of her small stature. She's 15 and has had crushes on 2 of her older brother's BF's. An unknown boy comes to her door, looking for Ryan, and Emma is instantly taken by him. Zach, 17, has recently and reluctantly moved to Ashland, OR, and is not one bit happy about it. Coming from SF, he thinks this OR town is a joke. He has a bad attitude and is going through the motions of his probation. Zach had been living a reckless life for awhile, making bad choices. He is now paying for them. His chance meeting with Emma while waiting for Ryan to return home, has an instant effect on him and his outlook. The story is a coming of age love story, I suppose. Emma starts to have strong first time feelings for Zach. As their relationship develops, there is a dark secret Zach wants to keep from Emma. I found the characters well written and engaging. I enjoyed the message of love and forgiveness. The supporting characters are big players in the story, and kept the story flowing. This is more than a young adult story, the characters are in high school, with realistic experiences making it an interesting and enjoyable read. The truth of sexual experiences and alcohol use is written honestly. There are bound to be more hurdles for Emma and Zach to overcome to keep their love strong and together. I can't wait to read the next book. This is Kristi Pelton's first book release. I am looking forward to reading more of her stories.
4.5 stars!!! A GR friend recommended this, and she was right - it totally sucked me in. It was full of teenage angst, first love, and secrets that haunt.
The story is basically about Emma, a 15 year old who has lived in the overprotective shadows of her brother and his "jock" friends. They scare off anyone who is interested in her, until Zach shows up.... he is sweet, protective, and so respectful and loving. Emma is a bit immature, but has learned all she knew from being around her brother and friends. She is very naive, and wears her heart on her sleeve. There were moments that I wanted to slap her, then I had to remind myself that she is a 15 year old and is acting as such. I loved all of the other characters, especially Ryan her overprotective brother. He's amazing and should have his own set of stories after this.
I really enjoyed this but am too nervous to read the next one since I'm happy how it left...
I was suggested this book by some friend and they didn't disappoint me. I LOVED it!!! Kristi did an amazing job. about high school kids. Emma is protected by her older brother and friends. It's second nature to protect her from trying to date or get hurt. that it still Zach comes into picture (swoon) she starts to have feeling for a Sr. in school and feels can't compare to other girls. I don't want to give to much away but will suggest you read this. very good can't wait to start book 2
If you believe in love at first sight, this is the book for you! Zach Owens is getting a fresh start, in a new town, at a new school. Emma Hendricks has been protected by her family and her brother's friends her whole life. But when the new guy shows up at her door, no one is able to protect Emma's heart from Zach. This amazing book is the about journey of young love, and I think we all need a reminder of what that is like sometimes. I can't wait to read the others in this series!
This book was amazing, I couldn't put it down. This book had suspense, romance, & even drama. Emma is so caught up in her own world that I just wanted to shake her & say my goodness just trust this man & be happy!!! But as a first love for Emma I can understand the insecurities she had. This is a definite MUST READ!!!!
I need more stars! This book was so sweet. I loved Zach and Emma. It was about young love, but the story held my heart. I really loved Ryan and her other "brothers". They would make amazing spin off books...hint, hint! Great read, I am starting the next one immediately.
Wonderful start to a fresh ...lovely series...it's a little sweet...a little drama...great characters and storyline...That pull you in..and make you want the next book...trust me!!
5+++ Amazing stars!!! Truly fantastic!!! Once again Kristi Pelton knocked it out of the park. I couldn't put the book down...even though I'm on vacation...on the beach...with my family...I had to know what would happen between Emma and Zach. I needed them to get past the ugliness and find happiness in each other's arms. They are absolutely perfect together!! I was freaking out at about 88% in but I told my husband "I won't be able to sleep until I know!" Beautiful love story that encompasses everything you need...sass, humor, sweetness, commitment, awww moments, yikes moments, and a dash of "Pleeeeaasse!" don't let that happen... causing you to sit on the edge of your chair....anxiously wanting to turn the page...then to sigh loudly when you realize you have been blessed with another book in this series by this phenomenal author!! Love it, love it, love it!!!! Grant...Austin...step aside because I'm going to do a nasty on you if you mess with their beautiful love story or interfere with Emma and Zach's HEA!! Well, I'm sitting on the hotel balcony...the family is sleeping...the waves are crashing...I'm jumping in to the next book! I'll check in later! =D
#1.. Fantastic writing job. Loved the duel POV, and every part of the story seemed to flow together real well.
#2.. This books gave me some craaaazy good feels! Man, I felt like I was teleported back to school again! Fantastic job in capturing the personality of teens at that age!
#3... I cannot stress enough... And I mean ENOUGH... How often I come across a book I refuse just because of the name of the characters. If the names are so out of this world, how am I supposed to connect it to anything remotely close to real life? My FAVORITE, and I mean absolute favorite part about this book is the fact that the characters in this book have real names!
... THATS RIGHT! REAL FRIGGIN NAMES!!
What a rare thing to come by! I'm pretty sure I know someone who every single name in this book!! I LOVED it! I think sometimes authors try to catch a reader in with a name that sticks out... This book caught my eye because the names were NORMAL!
I cannot thank the offer enough for that.
I seriously loved this book and this entire series.
The book was good and there were times that I had to remember that Emma is only 15 because the immaturity in her was all over the book. I loved Zach and at times I did think that HE did not deserve to be with her but I also understand this is her first love but she at times with her insecurity and her thinking just frustrated me to the max. THe part with the list and how she wanted to create her own just threw me over the edge and wanted to strangle her and then of course there is Grant and Austin. Before Zach she was just the "runt" that noone paid attention to and now she has Zach in her life and they all of sudden want her. THis book frustrated me so many times and then there were parts I did like. I think she should have had more faith in Zach and leave Grant and Austin alone or at least just treat them as friends. She cant have all of them and I think this is where I did not like this book at times.
My first Kristi Pelton book. How did I not discover her sooner? I had, Old Enough to Love, in my Kindle library but, as happens all too often, it was forgotten in the masses. Ms. Pelton's new book, Slick, was recommended to me by a Goodreads friend and I decided to read this first. I absolutely loved it! Full of first love angst, assumptions and misunderstandings, it sucked me in from the very first chapter. The characters are realistic and very likable. They do humanly, stupid things that are typical for teenagers, and strain the bonds of their friendships and their families. They learn and grow through their experiences and their insecurities, but have a lot of fun, too.
With three books available in the series, the third book is supposed to be re-released soon with a new cover, the fun, and angst, goes on. I can't wait! Then, of course, I'll have, Slick, to read, too!
There's so much to love about this book, the characters were great, the story was highly addictive and the added drama was a surprise. The only thing that I didn't like about the book was the fact that it was part of a series and I hadn't expected the story to continue!
First romance stories are always a joy but this one really stood out. Zach is such an interesting character elements of his past were a surprise especially as the book reaches the end. I loved the older brother and the band of friends over protective element. I was a little nervous that Emma was only 15 but as the story progressed everything in her budding romance was handled beautifully.
I'm looking forward to reading what happens next to this great cast of characters.
This was an amazing book! The story was great as well. The story is about a fifteen-year-old girl who falls in love with a eighteen-year-old. She is a virgin and he has a lot of experience. However, he has a secret.
Emma is a fifteen year old girl who was born prematurely, so she is tiny. Also, she has asthma. She loves Zach. Zach is a eighteen year old boy who is very smart and plays football. He is experienced in "other" stuff. He falls for Emma.
It was cute, funny, and charming. It was a great read and fun way to start the New Year. Zach and Emma are so cute together. Hope they get their HEA! Overall, a fantastic read.
Old Enough to Love... (Just One of the Guys)...it was longer than most YA stories and filled with dr-a-ma. My only problem was Emma's age (she just turned 15 when she meets Zach) and her drive and planning to lose the v card. And Zach, the boyho that he was preEmma matured into a personally and legally responsible man. I am looking forward to the next part of their story. Is Emma going to still be "too young"? How is Emma going to mature? How can they make the age difference work in their relationship? It'll be interesting to see.
I loved loved this book series. Loved the characters and the story. Zach is the perfect boy with a bad past. Em is a inexperience naive girl. Oh boy! I do want to say more about Zach but I can't without giving spoilers. If you love YA books this books is for you. This book is worth to be in every readers mouth. If you read it and like it recommend it to friends who love to read as much as you. I recommend it to my reading buddies. Thanks kristi for giving me the chance to read this amazing book series.
I really enjoyed this book, going to start on book 2 so I can find out what other troubles Emma is going to cause and get herself into. I liked Emma even though there are times I want to smack her upside the head, but hey she is young and learning. I loved Zach of course. He has a lot of patience poor guy. Of course I also loved big brother Ryan and her secondary brothers Grant, Austin, and the rest.