If You Want Me

by Kayla Perrin

Alice Watson's no longer the shy, overweight girl everyone dissed back in high school—everyone, that is, except Marcus Quinn, her one-time best friend who ended up trampling all over her heart. Now, thirteen years later, Alice is tall, stunning, sensational . . . and a genuine movie star who goes by the name of Desirée LaCroix. And passion's flame starts smoking again when she sees that handsome Marcus still has it going on. But is it Alice or her famous Hollywood persona who's got his beautiful brown eyes wide open?

Marcus's own heart has gone through major achin' since back in the day. And the reappearance of Alice/Desirée seems to spell bigtime trouble. Still, this proud, sexy sista could make Marcus forget the pain and his promise not to let a fine face and figure turn his head ever again. And even though the lady's got drama—and there's serious danger doggin' her trail—this could be the time for cautious Marcus to commit to a perfect love that he once let get too far away.

Genres: Romance, African American

388 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 6, 2001

Reviews

[Erin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Buzzword A Thon

In high school Alice was the fat girl who was bullied over her weight by everyone including her mother and sister. Only two things got her through school her love of acting and her best friend Marcus who she secretly loved. Marcus only saw her as a friend because his heart belonged to beautiful and self centered Tanisha. When Marcus proposed to Tanisha, Alice decided it was time to move to Hollywood to make her dreams of stardom come true.

Now 13 years later Alice now known as Desiree LaCroix returns home to care for her ailing mother and to stunt on her former bullies. She runs into Marcus who is find as ever and now divorced from Tanisha. The two find that they are feeling more than friendship for each other but can it work out?

If You Want Me was better than I thought. I had low expectations, I mean look at that corny cover, but I actually enjoyed it. Its an older book but I think it holds up even today. It was a fast, sexy, and sweet read. The only thing that stopped it from being a 4 star read was that the last 30 pages felt incredibly rushed but I definitely would recommend this book if you like the friends to lovers trope or if you just want a light fun read.

[Mya · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love how she writes her stories. It makes her books come to life.

[Whit · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a great page-turner except there are too many pages! The story soon became drawn out and repetitive. At first, I wanted to know 1)-why Alice's mother hated her so much, 2)- why Alice's sister held such a grudge against her and 3) who is really stalking Alice? But by page 217, I no longer cared. So many under-developed clues. This could have been an awesome story!

[Bookreadaholic · Rating 3 out of 5]

Title: If you want me
Author: Kayla Perrin .. Winner of Romance Writers of America Award. Her romance novels are on the most requested list @authorkaylaperrin
Rating: 8.5/10
Genre: Romanace
Pages: 360

Plot: Alice Watson is a young fat teenager who is bullied by everyone in her high school because of her figure. She has a dream of becoming an actress but she doesn't get the respect or support from her sister nor her mother. She is in love with her best friend Marcus but sadly Marcus's heart belongs to someone else. Devastated, she decided, right after high school, to run to Hollywood to pursue her dream of becoming an actress. Now, 13 years later, Alice is back to town As a tall, thin, famous movie star. All she's missing is love . Will she find it on not?

Opinion: the idea is fun and exciting and very relatable. I loved that the author shed some light on bullying. I loved the smooth story and effortless tale-telling . The author has an incredible talent for storytelling . Her novels should  definitely be  on  your must read romatic fiction list. It is action-filled and a thriller that will keep you on your tip toes until the end. An absolute  page-turner. You will be hooked from the beginning to the end. I felt that  the charcters are  very special, proud, genuine, chivalrous and noble and rare to find in our current times. They will make your heart scream with joy  and you certainly will FALL IN LOVE with them.  I connected with  them on a more personal level. I cried and laughed. They touch my heart. You feel as they were real people facing real problems. One the other side, I felt that towards the end the events were rushed a little and the title sounded a bit desperate.

I RECOMMEND IT AS A FUN LIGHT READ

[Rita · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a wonderful story. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. It’s about a young girl who feels unloved and unwanted. She is ridiculed in school because she is overweight (she thinks). She wants to be an actress but she gets no support or respect from her mother or sister. Her father who loved her and was a happy person and always able to make her feel loved has passed away from a heart attack. Yes she feels all alone except for one friend. He listens to her and takes up for her. When she finishes high school she leaves for Hollywood. Her mother tells her not to ever come back. However, her mother has had a heart attack. She has to go home. Can she make amends with her mother. What about the people she used to go to school with. Is it possible to go back to the town who had nothing for her before? This is a very good book and I highly recommend it.

[Zane Williams · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was the very first book I ever read, one day I picked this book up because I was bored and it turned out to be a good book!

[Myesha · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was more of a romance novel if anything. The writing was great but there was a lot of repeat information which dragged the story along.

[Elizabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

When an ugly duckling turns in a drop-dead gorgeous swan who’s famous and successful to boot, how should she respond to all the friends, families, and others who treat her differently? Inside, Alice Watson feels like she’s the same exact person, but she’s worried that everyone, even Marcus her best friend, only see her as Desiree, the successful, thin and beautiful starlet she has become and that the warm reception is for Desiree, not Alice.

Her estranged mother had a heart attack, so Alice flies back to Chicago to help take care of her. This story navigates how Alice and those around her react now that she’s made her triumphant return 13 years after leaving.

What makes this story work is how the author thoughtfully crafts the reaction and at times, reconciliation, between Alice and others. It’s not instant, and the author doesn’t pretend that Alice can instantly forget how she was treated. And she’s not the only one battling emotional demons. Marcus, her former best friend, has concluded he’s not cut out for love after a divorce and then the death of the next woman to whom he became close. I really enjoyed how well the author navigated these different emotional journeys.

There were a few things that drove me crazy. Too much time was devoted to back story that was repeated ad naseuem. A quarter into the book, and we’re still hearing how Alice had been fat and shunned at high school. Yes, it’s an important piece of the back story, but we got it. I would rather that the author have jumped into the story more quickly.

One aspect of the ending also drove me crazy (SPOILER). At the end Marcus and Alice acknowledge they love each other, so he asks her to drop everything and move back to Chicago so they can be together. Let’s see – she’s a Golden Globe winning actress, she earns about ten – twenty times as much as she died, and hello – no more Midwestern Winters. Perhaps ultimately if they’d discussed it, she could have gotten there, but the way he just assumed they could be together only if she adjusted to his life was really troublesome.

[Nikki · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book.

[Elaine Tomlin]

It showed how someone can overcome obstacles and dreams from high school. And become a success in there lives. And find the love that was long ago not realized.

[Tamiko Grant]

Very good read.