Unfinished

Unfinished #1

by Shae Scott

To everyone else, Owen Brooks was a player. A heartbreaker.
You could look, you could touch, but you could never get close.
But I saw another side of him.
He gave me what he gave no one else.
I got the real Owen Brooks.
He was my best friend.

It only took one night to change everything.
Lines crossed, rules bent, roles blurred.
And then we were nothing.

Ten years later, the boy that haunts my memory is the man flipping my life upside down.

A familiar stranger.
A lost connection.
Words unspoken.
Endings unsettled.
And a story unfinished.

Genres: Romance, New Adult, Contemporary Romance, Friends To Lovers, Second Chance

242 pages, ebook

First published January 1, 2014

About the author

Shae Scott is a contemporary romance writer who loves to write stories that turn real life into fairytales. She loves a story that makes you believe that real romance can happen when you least expect it.

Shae was born a southern girl and her accent comes out when she’s excited or drinking. Now, she lives just outside of Kansas City with a boy she met on vacation in California, her tiny dog and the most well-mannered cat around. When she’s not writing, she’s usually reading or watching true crime documentaries. She loves podcasts, deep discussions about nothing, all bodies of water, fried pickles, tree tunnels, and animals of all kinds.

She also loves to talk to her readers. Connect with her anytime:

NEWSLETTER: http://Shaescott.com
FACEBOOK: facebook.com/shaescottwrites
FACEBOOK READER GROUP https://www.facebook.com/groups/ShaeS...
INSTAGRAM: http://instagram.com/shaescottwrites
EMAIL: shaescottwrites@gmail.com

Reviews

[Tmstprc · Rating 2 out of 5]

So, I was in a pissy mood when I reviewed this last night, upping it 2 I was feeling guilty stars.



234 pages of nonsense, angst and crap. He’s the protagonist and the antagonist and she’s a moron for putting up with the nonsense.

And, we get a cliffhanger.

Great, just great.

1 I hate cliffhangers star

[Angie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ladies and gentlemen, buckle up your seat belts and prepare yourselves for a raving review.



First off, let me start with that cover. Isn't it just gorgeous?! I love it, and I feel it really personifies the book and title of the story well. And it's just great when you CAN judge a book by its cover. Both are fabulous.

Now, on to the book. Let me tell you guys, Shae is an evil mastermind at her craft. The ending was just...terrible. And amazing. And heartbreaking. And empowering. And not what I expected at all. And left me all



But I'm getting ahead of myself. Let me start with the story. Ally and Owen become really close friends in high school, before the novel takes place. But on the night of their graduation, Ally and Owen almost hookup, but Owen stops them from going all the way because he feels he's not good enough for her and believes he'll screw up their friendship. Well low-and-behold, Ally (feeling rejected) disappears that night, and she and Owen go on to live separate lives. Eventually, Owen finds Ally on Facebook, and they reconnect with that simmering sexual tension still present between them. However, Ally is still hesitant to give Owen her heart because of the distance between them physically (he lives in Chicago, she lives in Nashville) and because she still thinks Owen doesn't see her that way. Owen, however, has his own secret reasons for trying to keep their relationship purely platonic. In the end, neither are successful in keeping their hands off each other, but their relationship is far from easy and any smooth-sailing.

Now, on to Ally. I really connected with her and thought she was a great mind to be in because I could really see bits of myself inside of her. I felt that even though she was kinda wishy-washy when it came to letting Owen back into her life and acting against her "just friends" rule, she was very conscientious of what she was doing. I found her inner monologues some of the most real and natural writing of the entire novel. She was so easy to connect with for me, and I could definitely see myself making the same decisions she did (even if they weren't always the best decisions).



Owen. One word that brings to mind someone I want to slap and hug at the same time. Then slap once more for good measure. Because his dad left his mom when Owen was young, Owen decided that he would make something of himself and be successful. Unfortunately, it's this obsession with success that turns out to be the main obstacle between Owen and Ally. He is unwilling (and maybe even unable) to put Ally first, ahead of his work and upcoming promotion, and Ally is continually disappointed because of it. And I was absolutely Team Ally on this one. I wanted to slap some sense into him over his delusion in needing to prove himself successful. I was so happy when Ally finally stood up to him on this issue! She needed to show herself as a strong heroine, who's able to look out for her best interests over some hot (HOT) guy. And she was amazing.

Overall, if you can't tell by now, I thought this was an amazing novel. The writing was great and flowed nicely and never seemed repetitive or boring. Like Ally, I found myself waiting for the scenes where they were together, but I also enjoyed the time they spent apart. Cassie was a great bff and distraction for Ally, and she lovingly reminded me of one of my bffs. Definitely a must-read, and I will be anxiously awaiting the sequel!!

**ARC provided by author in exchange for an honest review.**

[books are life · Rating 2 out of 5]

Check out more of my reviews on my blog at http://gemmareadstoomuchforittomenorm...

I was given a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review so here goes......

This book started so well all warm and fuzzy with Owen and Ally meeting in high school, and creating a best friend relationship. Owen is a cute high school boy who’s trying not to end up like his dad.

The books premise of Owen and Ally reconnecting through facebook is genius in this age of social media. It’s an idea that is so easy to relate to because I bet we have all made friends with random people we went to high school with.

I do have some issues with this book and they all start when we are reintroduced to grown up Owen.

Ok so the good bits....

• I love high school Owen he’s sweet and strong and very protective of Ally.

• I love the idea of getting together with your high school crush.

And the not so good bits....

• I HATE grown up Owen he is an asshole!!!

• Did I mention how much I HATE grown up Owen?

So I’m gonna have to rant for a bit now....

Hate is a strong word but I honestly really hate adult Owen, the guy is a selfish, manipulative asshole!!

I feel like he completely strings Ally along and uses her, she frustrated the hell out of me too. Being innocent and easily led is acceptable at high school age but as a woman in her last twenties I feel like she should have been able to see through Owens’s bullcrap!!!

I hated everything about Owen and Ally’s relationship; He leads her on, is constantly messaging her and calling her. But he waits months to tell her he’s in this pseudo relationship with this bosses daughter.

Now as far as I can see this should have been Ally’s moment to cut and run from Owen but NO she accepts all of the lies and rubbish he spouts and gets completely taken under by his manipulations WTF!!!

I really tried to like Owen, I wanted to put all of his selfish ideals down to an absentee dad but I couldn’t. I couldn’t find one redeeming quality about his character!!!!

Ally is almost as bad she accepts everything he says and basically allows herself to be treated like a doormat just to have some kind of relationship. I needed her to be stronger, to have enough self esteem to stand up for herself and say getting the dregs of a relationship isn’t enough.

The sex scenes were disappointing and repetitive, it basically felt like the exact same event down to the order things were done and the same exact wording to describe it. Even when Owen is doing her against a door i didn’t even feel a spark of real lust.

It comes to something when I prefer the high school almost sex scene, this felt more organic and I felt the desire and passion between the characters.

As bad as all of the above is I could have probably overlook most of it if Ally and Owen had been violently, passionately in love but I never felt it.

Perhaps they are in love but as a reader I didn’t feel it!!! There was no heat in their interactions and no passion in their sex scenes.

To be honest when Ally & Owen fell out and Ally met Austin I actually got really excited and thought the author was going to take the book in a massive twist and have Ally fall in love with Austin.

As daft as it seems I actually prefer Austin, I imagine him better looking than Owen and his behaviour on his date with Ally was so adorable, he wanted to spoil Ally and protect her!!

This book ends on a horrible point too, Ally & Owen have argued and he leaves the epilogue sees Owen six months on plotting to get Ally back. I’m assuming the author is planning on releasing a second book, but I really wish she wouldn’t. Please, Please let Ally move on and forget Owen she could do so much better and even though these are fictional characters I really hope Ally doesn’t get back together with Owen.

I have had a really strong reaction to this book and really I suppose as an author that’s a good thing. Unfortunately on this occasion the intense emotion I am feeling is extreme dislike sorry.

[Alexis *Reality Bites*]

Will continue this at a later date very soon.

*Copy kindly provided by the author for an honest review*

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have been given a copy of this book for an honest review

I truly love ally and Owen. They were eat friend for there senior year of high school and after one night of mistakes tht didn't speak to each other for about 10 years. Then one day ally had a message in her inbox from Owen. And so started there crazy story!
Own got on my nerves a lot with the she can do better babble. It got annoying at times because they were perfect for each other.
Ally was strong I'm glad about the times she stood up to Owen,
The passion These two had was crazy and I could feel it,
Own drops a big bomb on ally ad while I could see his logic I agreed with her, I can't go into too much with out giving much away. So well leave it at he had choices to make and made the wrong ones.
The ending had me mad only because I wanted more! I truly enjoyed this book ad can't wait for more!

[I Love Story Time · Rating 4 out of 5]

**** I Love Story Time was gifted an ARC in exchange for an honest review ****


4 Stars!


"You already know me better than anyone else. The way I see it, that's really just the beginning."


Let's start with this...I am so happy that the prologue was relating to the past. I can not stand when stories start with a prologue and it's related to something that is going to take place later in the story. I feel that by doing that, the author is giving away major parts of the storyline! The last story I read was like that, and it basically took away a major moment. So...thank you Shae Scott for using the prologue the way I think it should be! With that being said, I was already hooked by reading the prologue. I also liked that the areas that were written in Owens P.O.V showed us his thoughts and flashbacks from the past. Reading about how Owen and Ally's friendship started, was nice and made me fall in love with Owen. He was so sweet to her and hearing how much he really cared for her while they were in high school, was really cute.

Owen and Ally's relationship stopped after one night when the lines in their friendship were crossed. Ally gets scared and leaves for college without even saying goodbye to Owen. Now...years later, they find each other through a social network and become friends again. They begin to have a friendship and soon find themselves right back where they left off. Their relationship is really comfortable and things tend to lead them to the next level. However, Owen has been keeping a secret from the beginning and finally lets Ally know. At first Ally isn't sure what to do. She knows that she can't let him go, so she agrees to move forward and deal with the circumstances with Owen and his job.

Ally and Owen were cute together. I was able to connect with their relationship and I can see the connection they had with each other. I loved seeing Owen open up and start to let his guard down around Ally. Growing up, he was always afraid that he was never good enough for her and felt that he would grow up to be just like his dad. So instead he worked hard, and was able to succeed in life through his work. Owens only downfall was that he put his work above everything else, including Ally. The ending was sad. I totally understood the decision that Ally had to make when it came to Owen. As for the epilogue, that's when I my eyes got blurry for the first time in this story, which in return, left me wanting more!

~Juls

[Rob · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ok so this is a book where two old friends, Owen and Ally, meet up again 10 years after their friendship stepped over the line. It is about a rekindled friendship, and how that friendship moves out of the friends’ zone and into the romantic zone.

I liked Owen. I liked how he woo’ed Ally. I thought he laid himself bare for her on more than one occasion. Yes he totally misread her feelings and her expectations at the end, and he was an absolute idiot, but he will spend all of the next book sorting that out no doubt!!

Ally….Oh blimey, I don’t know what to think of her. She wanted him and she knew he wanted her but he was working towards his dream job, a position that he would do anything to achieve, including a bit of a fake girlfriend! What annoyed me about Ally is she never recognised how important Owen’s career was to him. She was pretty selfish. At no point did she suggest that she could or would up-sticks and move to be closer to him and actually help him achieve his dream. No, all she did was be a moany whiney nag!! Then she wonders why he did what he did. He did it because she was not giving him the right signals and she wasn’t being at all understanding to the predicament he was in.

This book was very well written. It was a little bit round and round the same storyline, it pushed and pulled the couple.

I felt the author did a good job, particularly with Owen, at showing the strain and the toil this relationship was having on his heart. I kind of wished that Ally would have opened up to him in a less selfish way.

I’m definitely on Owen’s side over the whole thing and feel that Ally only had herself to blame for the way it left her feeling.

[Lesley · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received a complimentary e-copy of Unfinished by Shae Scott in exchange for an honest review.

One day out of the blue, Ally receives a friend request from a man she'd been very close friends with in high school. A boy she hadn't heard from in almost 10 years, since the night he walked away from her after coming very close to crossing the friend line. Even though it's been so long, neither one of them has ever been able to forget the other.

Ally and Owen's friendship picks up very quickly, as if there hasn't been so many years since they last spoke. She's living in Nashville, he's in Chicago but with phone calls, texts and instant chats, they become immersed in each other's lives again. A chance business meeting for Ally and a friend's last bachelor hurrah puts them both in Dallas at the same time and coincidentally enough at the same bar and things start to fall into place for them. It may not have been their time back in high school, but maybe now is the time for things to work out between them.

I absolutely loved this book! I loved the budding relationship between Ally and Owen and even though secrets came out and I wanted to smack Owen more than once, I couldn't help but cheer for them and hope that everything would work out for them.

I wasn't expecting the ending to be as it was and I will be waiting (impatiently) for Shae Scott to give us book #2 to see where things will go from here.

[Anna · Rating 4 out of 5]

OMG this book was great! really! I loved it. it was really good, sweet read, good writing style, good character development, good plot. I'm so very glad that I had opportunity to read it.

Now to be more specific. I really liked plot. At first it was sweet, simple read. after reading 30-40% of it I thought "what will she write more about ? its almost over" and then BAM! and Owens secret comes out and I'm like"nooooo". and then story goes on and it seems as if everything is ok and than this whole Anna crap comes. so this book isn't simple, its emotional roller coaster and I loved it. I almost cried in some places: like when Allys grandma dies or when she finds out about Anna, and at the end I was crying constantly I think :(

Now about characters: I freaking loved them. character development was really good. I could see how they were growing and changing. they all felt real and likable.I loved that Ally was ordinary looking.I liked watching how she grew and grew and learnt that she was worth more. Of course I was annoyed at Owen during several scenes. I mean, him saying he's asshole doesn't make him less of asshole. and he cant use this excuse all the time. oh and I really loved Cassie. I really would like to read more about her.

And the ending! OMG! it was freaking great. I can't wait for second book to come out.

[Krithika · Rating 4 out of 5]

*I received this book in exchange of honest review (R4R)*

I loved this book.After reading the blurb, i really wanted to read this book.i thought this would be the usual YA romance but this book blew my mind.The ending was heartbreaking and unexpected.Ally and Owen are characters you would see in your daily life.The book takes you through a journey many face, the complications of a long distance relationship.Ally and Owen muddle through their relationship trying to find a common ground so that their career and relationship stays balanced.


I liked Ally more than Owen because i felt Owen was taking decisions for Ally thinking it is good for her.Sometimes that annoyed me and I felt that insulted Ally's intelligence.

Overall the book is worth reading.

[Shelley Martin · Rating 5 out of 5]

love is pain

Once again, Shae Scott delivered the tragic love story and deep heartbreak 💔 moving on to the second book with my guts ripped to shreds…to be continued

[Cynthia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this to be an enjoyable read until the end, I do not like cliffhangers. If I had book two and knew it was the end it might be ok but I am unsure of when the next book is coming out. Do not get me wrong it was an outstanding read and I totally enjoyed the read. I did find my mind wondering from time to time. I got a little confused with title headings his past.

It has been a very trying time for Ally and Owen from high school to 10 years later. They walked away from each other, they were not willing to hurt their friendship. Owen had plans and having a girlfriend wasn’t part of it. Now 10 years later neither have forgotten the other, both wondering how each are doing. Owen just needs to find her and touch base which he does on facebook. The come together and find the easy flow they always had. One thing leads to another and they are in a relationship. Things happen, things get in the way and now they have to find out if they can work it out.

I can’t really say more than this without giving the story way. It is a wonderful read but you have no closure and to find it (I hope) you have to wait for the next book to come out. For me with cliffhangers I forget with the many books I do read to go find them when they are released. So for me this was a nice read but I will most likely never read book two.

With that said, it does not take away from the story which is really outstanding. I found the characters to be well liked. I found their tug of war to be interesting. I found this story to be believable and could very well have happen. I did find Owen to be loveable as a teen, very protective but as an adult not so loveable. I did find that him being the person he is today adds to the story. With most people I would think with all that he had to deal with growing up it would turn most into a harder person. It gives the author much to be able to work within the next book. Owen has a lot to learn and a lot of growing up to do, I think once he finds his self he will turn out to be a very loveable character.

With that being said I found the author writing style to be great, she knows how to tell a story. Even though I found my mind wondering from time to time I did not feel it took away from the story. However I am stuck on the cliffhanger and for that I give it a 4 star.

[FMR Book Grind · Rating 4 out of 5]

TATIA'S REVIEW - 4 Stars

We begin with Owen and Ally first meeting in high school. It all begins at a party. Owen is a "bad boy" so to speak. He doesn't commit to relationships, and he has girls lined up waiting to use him like he uses them. But Ally is different. He knows she's a good girl. He sees a friend in her. Throughout their senior year, they become best friends. That all changes graduation night. With Ally feeling rejected, she runs. They lose contact with each other for 9 years.
Eventually, Owen contacts her on Facebook. The sparks are still there after all this time. The friendship is rekindled, along with the possibility of more. They have to be willing to overcome the distance (he lives in Chicago while she's in Nashville) and other obstacles that are in the way.
This relationship is anything but easy.

Owen still hasn't changed his ways. He's still the boy (now man) using women to his advantage. But the girls haven't changed either. He still feels the need to prove himself, to prove he's nothing like his father. There is a great guy underneath the hard exterior, but he won't allow anyone to break down the surrounding walls that he's put up.

Ally on the other hand is a lover. She's excelled in her career and has the best of best friends, Cassie. Ally has gone on dates here and there, but no one worth keeping around. She battles with her heart when it comes to Owen, not knowing whether to jump in head first, or preserve her heart. She fears that it'll only end up broken down the line.

Shae Scott, I love her and hate her all at once. She breaks your heart, slowly rebuilds it, waiting in the shadows for the right time to jump out and break it again. The ending, it was horrible, but yet, she has the hope in my heart sprouting again. I wasn't expecting it at all. I was speechless afterwards. The last 10% of this book, she had me biting my nails hoping for a quick turnaround of events. I'll be impatiently waiting for the next book.

[Melissa Miller-Mattern · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reviewed for A Wanton Book Lover Blog:

Unfinished is the story of Owen and Ally, two best high school aged friends. After an awkward enter at a party, they part ways. Ten years later, Ally receives a friend request from Owen on Facebook. She accepts and the two old friends reconnect. Ally is living in the south and Owen now lives in Chicago driven to be successful after his own dad left him and his mother when he was young. Ally and Owen soon find themselves back to the ways things were in high school-texting, talking, Skyping , etc. A chance meeting occurs and Ally and Own can't deny the attraction they feel for each other; they eventually decide to act on their romantic feeling for each other to see where it leads. As Ally soon finds herself falling in love with Owen but soon finds out there are a few things Owen didn't mention to her. Ally and Owen have to work really hard on their relationship with distance and Owen's job getting in the way.
I fell in love with Ally. She is the sweet girl that you related too as well as cheer for. I liked Owen's character too but there was more than one time I thought he needed to be slapped upside his head. Through Ms. Scott's writing, I thought you could really feel the love that Owen and Ally had. It was evident in the dialogue and actions of the characters. I thought the book moved swiftly and keep things interested. The book captured what it is like to be strung along by a man that you are head-over-heels in love with. My emotions were all over the place. I think that Ms. Scott did an outstanding job with her first novel.

[Ava · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 Unfinished Stars
The title really matched the story from page 1 to the finish line.
It was a story about two best friends. Owen was a guy we could say an ass and could have any girl he wanted. Totally hot and became hotter. And the girl, Ally, outgoing and with emotions. They became friends quite quickly because the talk and everything else were so easy. Never Owen tried to flirt knowing he would be a bad guy for her. That showed how much he liked her. One night, they crossed that line and he was the one that ended it but she was the one who left.
Fast forward: career, Fb, nowaday technologies. Bam the past came back but he was career driven. she knew the reasons why he was like that, and left him like that or maybe one day he could resent her.
The book was about them in the present with few chapters in the past with Owen's POV so both present and past combine gave the obstacles, help to understand the circumstances or choices. But also, following them because they made a choice, he let himself trust that he won't make her suffer and she let him back in her life which it difficult twice. So how and what happened.
It was then interested to follow them and understand them.
But the ending was a punch to the gut because it was hard and need another sequel.
Yep another book because it was unfinished. Hope it will end well. I want a HEA not something after another decade. no. Owen will fight hard and quick.

[Jamie Chrystal · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ally and Owen were good friends in high school. On graduation night they almost hook up before Owen stops them and Ally leaves. A few years laster she gets a friend request and message from Owen on Facebook. Owen wants them to reconnect but Ally is unsure because she lives in Nashville and he lives in Chicago. When they finally meet up all those old feelings start coming back but once she finds out he's been seeing someone she finally decides they need to just stay friends.
I loved this book. The author did a great job writing it and I just loved both characters. There was a couple times I really wanted to shake both of them and say what were you thinking but overall I think a lot of people could relate to both of them. I would recommend this book and can't wait for the next one to come out.

*ARC given by the author in exchange for my honest review*

[manuela · Rating 2 out of 5]

mmmh I'm kinda disappointed because when I started reading it I thought it'd be really good. Ally and Owen met in high school and became best friends, they both didn't want to complicate things until that last day when they crossed that line and then they won't see each other again for 10 years. They start talking again and it's really cute and funny but Owen has one priority, his job. So what disappointed me it's that there's no character development, present Owen keeps making mistakes and Ally blames herself for them. It was kind of repetitive. I'll probably read the second book to have a closure anyway.

[Medavis66 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh my gosh...tell me there is a book #2 that I can start reading later tonight when I find all the pieces of my heart! I have to say, even while I am still screaming over the end of this book, I have now found one of my new favorites. I think anyone who has ever thought about "the one who got away" could totally relate to this book and become as wrapped up in it as I have been. I loved both Ally and Owen. I can picture this entire story happening in real life. 5-PLUS stars is my actual review rating. If you a romantic, you need to grab this one!

[Gizelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked it. It's different by how the story ended. The physical attraction was always present for both of them. It may looked like an erotic novel but it's not. The main focus of the story was how they handle their situation. Both of them were not doing a pretty good job because Owen wanted to prove something for himself while Ally was a hopeless romantic. Good thing Ally is not a weak girl at all though in the beginning, she was. She learned to love herself more than letting Owen rule her life. I'm looking forward to read more books from this author.

[Leslee Howard · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book! It took me thru every emotion I can think of and definitely left me wanting more....in a good way! Ally and Owen are so relatable, I feel like I know them both. This is definitely a must read and I look forward to reading more from this author.....hopefully a continuation of ally and Owen. And Cassie. She totally needs her own book, I kinda love her too! :)

[Laura Chuks · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing Amazing Amazing!! Can't wait for the second book

[Tricia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ugh this book was all over the place, which had me all over the place right along with it.

Owen befriends Ally in H.S., falls in love with her but wont date her because she's one of the "good girls" and he doesn't do one night stands. Ally and Owen become BFF's, they are inseparable what he lacks she has in spades. He can't see the good he is, but she sees everything. He loves her but can't be with her, he can't deal with life when he came from a broken home and a father that put other things first instead of him and his mom.

Typical Cat in The Cradle story.

But on Graduation night everything changes for the both of them, when they lose themselves to their own desires, only it leads to Owen stopping it before "it" happens and Ally walking away.

Ten years later Owen contacts Ally out of the blue on FB, the man that owns a piece of her heart suddenly gets back in touch with her, their friendship is rekindled and they become inseperable. The only problem is? Owen has more issues than a Vogue. He is career driven, his job is #1 and he doesn't have room for Ally in that equation when everything that he has been waiting for is suddenly within his reach.

Ally on the other hand never asked to be put into this situation of falling in love with Owen but when everything becomes blurry between the two of them, cruel words are spoken and broken hearts hang in the balance.

[✨✨ Claire✨✨ · Rating 4 out of 5]

So this one came out of nowhere...!!!

A freebie I picked up somewhere along the way and decided to read it and see what happens.....

I honestly cannot tell you what it is about the storyline that kept me hooked. It was your usual "boy meets girl, love, trouble, make up..." BUT this is where the cycle seems to screech a bit.

Ýes the storyline reacted but it never felt like it.

I think a lot has to be credited to the depth of character, the style of writing, the way the author makes you literally feel like it's YOU it's happening to. There's not a lot of books out there that can honestly and truly do that.

I will admit to skim reading in some parts - mainly when it was about Allys doubts as they were the same doubts each time and that DID feel repetitive.

I didn't realise there was a book 2 so the ending shocked me but now I know there's a book 2 I HAVE to get it!!!!!

[Lenna Wright · Rating 2 out of 5]

Cliffhanger, plus Owen has a girlfriend/fiancée and Ally is actually the 'side chick'... this whole book is Owen wanting Ally while he keeps his fiancée a secret until Owens crosses a line with Ally and when he confesses he's using/dating his boss's daughter to get the VP position.

[Tiffany Do · Rating 5 out of 5]

*Thanks to the author who provided me a free copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.*

Ally and Owen met 10 years ago on a night where everyone enjoyed themselves by drinking, dancing, and conversing with one another. After their first encounter, they started to get to know each other more and became best friends. However, after one fateful night, everything changed between them and it had caused Ally to walk away from Owen. Now after 10 long years, Owen has found Ally again and both aren't willing to go back to what they once were, friends. However, issues start to surface between them and those issues start to threaten what they are trying to establish between themselves.



Seriously, I can't describe this book. I thought it was well thought out and absolutely amazing. It captivated my attention from the beginning. I thought the pace of this story was absolutely incredible. The whole time I was just so surprised by everything that was happening. Ally, whom you might think of as a sweet, innocent country girl is actually the absolute opposite. She is fierce and stubborn when she needs to be and she won't let anyone control her life, not even the one she truly wants to be with. Owen on the other hand is a dark, mysterious, intense, and charming man. He attracts all of the ladies; however, the one he really wants to attract is Ally and he believes that he shouldn't take advantage of her in any way at all because she is so sweet and innocent and they are such good friends that being anything more might ruin their relationship. However, they dare to take the risk and become involved with each other in a more intimate way and this leads to issues because of Owen's work. Although the storyline was absolutely amazing, I seriously wanted to slap Owen at some parts of the book like seriously? This girl truly loves you and yet you can't devote yourself 100% to her. I understand his side of the story too, but seriously it is just really annoying and it left me pulling at my hair when he was being indecisive while Ally was all ready for him. I'm glad that Ally didn't let him call all of the shots though and spoke her mind. She is such a good example of a girl who knows what she wants and wants herself to be happy. Even though she knows for sure she wants Owen, she can't let herself be hurt because of his indecisiveness. I can't believe what happened in the end though, I really did not see that coming AT ALL. That was just... Wow that ending was heartbreaking, but amazing. This whole book was amazing; I found it to be more realistic than many stories I've read. A friendship that blossoms into something more, that to me is really beautiful. Also, the dialogue between them conveys the lust, angst, and emotion that needs to be shown. All in all, everything in the book was great and I enjoyed it thoroughly. I can't wait to read the next book and see what happens next with Ally and Owen.

[Julie Reveles (Juls ~ ILST BLOG) · Rating 4 out of 5]

**** I Love Story Time was gifted an ARC in exchange for an honest review ****


4 Stars!


"You already know me better than anyone else. The way I see it, that's really just the beginning."


Let's start with this...I am so happy that the prologue was relating to the past. I can not stand when stories start with a prologue and it's related to something that is going to take place later in the story. I feel that by doing that, the author is giving away major parts of the storyline! The last story I read was like that, and it basically took away a major moment. So...thank you Shae Scott for using the prologue the way I think it should be! With that being said, I was already hooked by reading the prologue. I also liked that the areas that were written in Owens P.O.V showed us his thoughts and flashbacks from the past. Reading about how Owen and Ally's friendship started, was nice and made me fall in love with Owen. He was so sweet to her and hearing how much he really cared for her while they were in high school, was really cute.

Owen and Ally's relationship stopped after one night when the lines in their friendship were crossed. Ally gets scared and leaves for college without even saying goodbye to Owen. Now...years later, they find each other through a social network and become friends again. They begin to have a friendship and soon find themselves right back where they left off. Their relationship is really comfortable and things tend to lead them to the next level. However, Owen has been keeping a secret from the beginning and finally lets Ally know. At first Ally isn't sure what to do. She knows that she can't let him go, so she agrees to move forward and deal with the circumstances with Owen and his job.

Ally and Owen were cute together. I was able to connect with their relationship and I can see the connection they had with each other. I loved seeing Owen open up and start to let his guard down around Ally. Growing up, he was always afraid that he was never good enough for her and felt that he would grow up to be just like his dad. So instead he worked hard, and was able to succeed in life through his work. Owens only downfall was that he put his work above everything else, including Ally. The ending was sad. I totally understood the decision that Ally had to make when it came to Owen. As for the epilogue, that's when I my eyes got blurry for the first time in this story, which in return, left me wanting more!

~Juls

[Jena · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was given this book for an honest review.

I really really enjoyed this book. That is why I needed to take some time to get over my frustration with the fact that it ended on a "to be continued ..." type ending. It was so good and I can't wait for the next book to come out. I will be sure to read it.
So other than the unresolved ending this book was a great read and I really enjoyed it. More than I enjoyed other books I read. I have read a lot of books lately that are those super fast fall in love books and I just sometimes want to read about a relationship that I can believe is happening out in the world somewhere. This book gave it to me. I believed Ally and Owen's relationship. I read the book in less than two days but felt like I had spent the months with them. Ally was a fun character. She was a strong woman and also open to possibilities. A lot of times you get this jaded character who is closed off through over half the book, but with Ally we get this woman who is enjoying what she can with a man it may or may not work with. But she remains positive and I love that. What this leads to is a book focused on the relationship growing into something the reader can fall in love with. It was just a refreshing read with a fantastic heroine.
I also love Owen in this book. I feel like he is a character we can all relate to. He wants this relationship to work but he has been so committed to a single goal in life it is hard to let go or change paths. Sometimes it is easier to stay with the devil you know rather than the one you don't. I think most people have been faced with a decision similar to this.
I love the way the double POV was done. We got the present in Ally's POV and the past in Owen's. It was something I hadn't seen before, but you were still able to really understand each person's feelings toward each other despite the time the thoughts took place.
Overall, it was a great book and I will definitely be reading the next one when it comes out. The ending is not resolved, but the book was worth it. If you don't like unresolved endings then I would just wait for the second one, but don't miss out on this amazing read!

P.S. Ally's definition of the one night they kissed in the barn is one hell of an understatement!! I loved it!!! Whew!! Smokin'!!!

[Jennifer · Rating 1 out of 5]

0.5 stars rounded to 1.
I apologize in advance for this review. It may be more accurate to call this a rant, but I digress.
.
.
.
.
.
OK. Here's the deal. This may be one of the dumbest books I've ever read. I am not saying this to be mean, but to warn off others who might hate themselves for having wasted time and energy reading this. Here is my list of things I absolutely couldn't stand.

1) The H. He is not a villain, so I wouldn't say he's evil. But he is totally selfish. He cares too much about his career to put aside his fake work girlfriend who's helping him get ahead, but he wants the h to not date anyone. He can't give her what he needs, but he doesn't want her to move on. Back and forth, back and forth, ad nauseum. He's probably in my top five of H's I loathe.
2) The h. She's a doormat. "Oh, he's so handsome. His smile is amazing. His body is amazing. He smells so good." Blah, blah. We get it. He also knows her like no one else does. Everything just feels so easy around him. And she just lets him jerk her around, like a dog with a bone he just doesn't want anyone else to have. Ugh.
3) The cliche of "I don't want to end up like my dad. He disappointed his family and I'm bound to do that same thing. I'll just use women for meaningless sex instead. Never mind that even though I'm upfront about not wanting a relationship and some of them will inevitably get emotionally involved. It's a solid life plan." He's an idiot. And a total selfish jerk.
4) This author's writing style isn't that engaging to me and for once, I'm glad. It means that I don't get too invested (and hence mad) at what's going on in the story. It also means I can skim quite a bit of this without missing out on anything the author wants to say. And finally, since it didn't take me too much time to finish this book, my inner OCD reader can justify just spending another hour or two finding out what happens. I really hope the h ends up with someone else!
5) And not that it would really improve the annoying story, but this book needed another edit. The punctuation and homophone errors set my teeth on edge a little. They definitely didn't help matters.

[Jo-Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ally and Owen were best friends as teenagers until one night they made out with Owen stopping it from going too far so they don't mess up their friendship. Ally ran off because she felt rejected and never looked back. Ten years later, Owen contacts Ally asking her to be a friend on Facebook. She doesn't know if she should accept but finally does and they email, text and talk for months before meeting up again. They try to remain just friends but they can't resist the chemistry between them.

The character development was very well done. We got to learn who Ally and Owen were as teenagers as well as adults. Ally was a very kind person who tried to help Owen through his problems, but was strong enough to tell him when she'd had enough of his nonsense. Owen was good to Ally for the most part, but I did think he was using her much of the time, though he didn't seem to realize it. He was very confident of himself when it came to women but that made him take them for granted.

The author has a very smooth writing style making the story easy to follow and enjoy. I clearly felt the emotions this pair were going through, making me cry and laugh at times. When Owen and Ally had sex for the first time after getting together after 10 years, it had me on edge because I was afraid they were going to have a repeat of one of them running away like the first time they fooled around as teenagers.

The ending was a surprise to me and I would have preferred things to have wrapped up better, so I sure hope there is another book so we can see what happens to Ally and Owen. I sure hope they have a HEA. Even with being bothered by the ending I would recommend this book.

I received a complementary copy in exchange for an honest review.

[wendy Shelton(obsessedbybooks) · Rating 5 out of 5]

** ARC given on behalf of obsessed by books for an honest review **

Owen and Ally meet one summer night at party and have pretty much been best friends since. They have told each other secrets, fears, dreams. Owen has been for Ally's heart breaks, but one drunken night after graduation the lines of friendship were blurd. Ally has always had a thing for Owen but has kept hidden til that night when Owen made her feel things , but when he told her he shouldn't have happen she ran and never spoke to Owen again, her heart was broken. That same night Owen realized that what he thought was the right thing to do was totally wrong. When he and Ally shared that moment he was happy but was afraid of losing his best friend, so he stopped it only to end up losing her any way along with his heart. 6 years pass Ally has has done well for herself a great job, great friends but that's it, she's dated but nothing serious then one day out of the blue she receives a Facebook request from Owen, she shocked, excited. They start chatting, then they meet up, things seem back to normal til there not. the chemistry is so there, the attraction is hot, they grow closer, feelings become stronger, but...... this wasn't in Owens plans of life, he's kinda dating someone his bosses daughter, but it's so he can make partner, he doesn't love Ann and he's honest with Ally and she understands and she stays by his side, til she realizes she will never be his no. 1 pick and she can't handle that. This book is awesome, love Owen he's sweet, caring but stupid. Ally truly loves Owen and he truly loves her but he loves his career more. can't wait to read next one.