If you are a fan of low-angst, friends-to-lovers, and all the feels, you will love Swoon. Although a stand-alone, I really enjoyed visiting characters from many past books including all of the Morgans, Kat and Josh, Reed and Georgie, Fish and Alesandra, and rock stars from the other bands. If you haven’t read anything by Lauren Rowe before, this book will surely make you want to dive in and get the back story on the other wonderful supporting characters whom have burrowed deep into my book lovin’ heart.
In Swoon, Colin Beretta is a very successful drummer in the rock band “22 Goats” with his childhood friends Dax Morgan and Matthew Fishberger (Fish). Colin is back in his hometown of Seattle to attend the wedding of his friend Logan O’Brien, and sees Logan’s little sister, Amy, for the first time in almost a decade. Of course, she is all grown up now and their four-year age difference no longer matters. These two are flirty, fun, and uber-sexy, and Lauren Rowe gets an A+ in writing steamy scenes!
Lauren’s writing makes me smile so big my cheeks hurt while I am reading. The author is truly a romantic at heart because this book is full of SWOON. Even Amy made me swoon as she openly gushed about crushing on Colin since she was a child. I loved how his mother was routing for them to become a couple and how she embarrassed him, how they gravitated towards one another and felt the heat, and naturally fell into easy conversation and friendship with not so friendly desires.
This book was about their journey to become a romantic couple out in the open as their secret friends-with-benefits situation did not sit well with Amy. She quickly bonded with his friends Violet and Alessadra, and I totally agree with the advice they gave when she shared her dilemma about Colin.
I admired Amy when she stood up for herself and gave Colin a piece of her mind, but it bothered me when she said he should donate more to charity as one of his character flaws. She had mentioned this before and he explained how he gave back, and unless she saw his tax records, investments, and they were married, I feel it was unfair fair of her to judge him.
I was so excited that C-Bom (another drummer) was featured and how he shared a close friendship with Amy. He was often misunderstood and I always knew he was a great guy. C-Bom experienced such growth over the past few books, and he also made me swoon in Swoon! I am so glad he finally had closure with something that happened in his past. It warms my heart when people can forgive and move on, and this happened with several characters in this book including our hero and heroine, and shows just how relatable these characters are.
Colin’s rise to fame in the music industry was because of the band's raw talent and a few breaks, and I liked how he was able to branch out and try his hand in acting with his friends’ full support. I also admired him for being honest about his contributions to the band and how humble he was. The original music the author included will draw you into the story even further as you can play it directly from your e-reader.
When you are in your early 20’s it’s difficult determining a career path, and I admired Amy's independence and how she was able to evaluate her strengths and channel them to find her own niche.
Colin and Amy were always meant to be and readers will enjoy his grand gesture, as well as a glimpse into their future in the epilogue of Swoon.