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Waiting for the Rain
A native of Puyallup, Washington, MACKENZIE ROADS wanted to spend her senior year with her friends: Bree Thatcher, her closest friend from a broken family, Asia Blake, a mouthy black girl from Louisiana, and Rachel Evans, whose recent behavior has been putting a strain on the circle of friends.
Everything changes for Mackenzie when she meets A.J., a nineteen-year-old aspiring bull-rider. Drawn in by his simple country lifestyle, shaggy blond hair and witty sense of humor, she finds herself torn between her goals of attending college and maintaining the blossoming relationship.
In an era of teenage pregnancies and half-hearted romances, A.J. pledges to fulfill Mackenzie's deepest fantasy, to have her first kiss in the rain!
WAITING FOR THE RAIN is a story about teenage dreams and the reality of adulthood, resisting temptation, and overcoming adversity through the bonds of friendship.
Everything changes for Mackenzie when she meets A.J., a nineteen-year-old aspiring bull-rider. Drawn in by his simple country lifestyle, shaggy blond hair and witty sense of humor, she finds herself torn between her goals of attending college and maintaining the blossoming relationship.
In an era of teenage pregnancies and half-hearted romances, A.J. pledges to fulfill Mackenzie's deepest fantasy, to have her first kiss in the rain!
WAITING FOR THE RAIN is a story about teenage dreams and the reality of adulthood, resisting temptation, and overcoming adversity through the bonds of friendship.
252 pages, Paperback
First published January 2, 2014
3 people are currently reading
1031 people want to read
About the author
Shaun Holt
6 books44 followersAuthor of the Trevor Knight series, Samuel Creed series, and the single-title book "Waiting for the Rain".
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
March 16, 2016
You can read this review and more on my blog:
I received a free copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.
There were a lot of things to like about this story. It focused more on the sweet aspects of romance, and the main characters were truly best friends. The story-line was familiar, but the writing style took some getting used to. It felt like I was actually experiencing everyday life with these characters. Sometimes that was enjoyable because it made it very easy to imagine the scenes as I was reading, but other times it was too much. There was a lot of focus on cooking, bull riding, and the other aspects of the main characters lives, but the character development of those main characters suffered a little bit. Because I am such a huge fan of character development, I need something equally as entertaining to fill the void when it is lacking. The secondary characters and the chemistry between the main characters, Mac and Josh, are what kept this story interesting.
Every time Josh and Mac shared the page together it was great. They didn't do things that would be considered traditionally romantic, but they made the everyday things that girlfriends and boyfriends do seem adorable.
There were quite a few secondary characters that piqued my interest. Cody, Josh's fellow bull rider, best-friend was the comedic relief. Bree is mac's parentally neglected best friend, who despite her very unhealthy home life, still manages to keep a positive attitude. And possibly the most offensive, annoying, and yet still likable character in the book is Asia, Mac's mouthy black best friend. I mention the fact that she is black solely because she finds the need to mention EVERY time she speaks. Everything was about race with her. It was always, "white folks do this" and "Black people do that". Every other word out of her mouth could be considered offensive by any number of people, but for some reason, I still liked her. In fact, I liked her so much that I wished the author had written her story. I do that a lot when the secondary characters are better developed than the main characters. Authors tend to take more risk with story lines and personalities, when the characters involved are not the main focus, and that was definitely the case here as well. I am both black and have lived in the South for the majority of my life so I've known people like Asia. This character was more exaggerated than anyone I know, but I have definitely known people who make a much bigger deal out of race than is necessary. The thing I liked so much about this character is the fact that she is all talk. She says offensive things, but I didn't actually believe she meant them. It was a case of "will say anything to shock" more than anything else. Her boyfriend is white, all her best friends are white, and never did she say anything with the intention of being cruel. She was more bark than bite.
Now a little about the main characters:
Mac's biggest obstacle in life was an overprotective father. She is a good girl who has a firm set of morals and values that she adheres to and, she was also a decent hardworking student with aspirations of becoming a chef. Because she was such a "good girl", I thought it was strange that her father would have such a problem with his 17-year-old daughter dating a 19-year-old. That felt a little over the top while I was reading it, but southern fathers have been know to be extreme when it comes to their daughters so maybe it's not that far-fetched.
I enjoyed one aspect of this story more than any other, and that was Josh. He was such a southern gentleman and I loved him to pieces. He meets a girl that he likes, learns right away that she is going to be a lot of work, and commits to her anyway. I love, love, love that trait in a man! Mac has had a dream to receive a first kiss in the rain since she was a young girl, and Josh has every intention of helping her reach that goal. The fact that they live in one of the rainiest cities in the country leads them both to believe that they won't have much of a wait, but soon it becomes obvious that having this kiss won't be as easy as they thought. They never seemed to be able to be in the same place at the same time when it rains or something happens that makes it the wrong moment when they do manage to be together. However, none of this keeps Josh from sticking with her. He has moments when he pouts and tries to convince her to give him a kiss, but he also respects her desire to wait for the perfect moment and the perfect rain storm. All of the near misses when it came to the rain did become tedious after a while, but I always get frustrated with romance novels like this after a while. All in all it wasn't too bad of a wait. The book still managed to be romantic without a bunch of kissing scenes.
This book also focused a lot on the importance of family and friendship. Josh and Mac had a lot of people in their lives who cared for them deeply, and they felt just as strongly about them. This was a very sweet and innocent love story, and I would recommend it to anyone in the mood for a clean romance.
Because of language I would recommend this book for ages 13 and up.
I received a free copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.
There were a lot of things to like about this story. It focused more on the sweet aspects of romance, and the main characters were truly best friends. The story-line was familiar, but the writing style took some getting used to. It felt like I was actually experiencing everyday life with these characters. Sometimes that was enjoyable because it made it very easy to imagine the scenes as I was reading, but other times it was too much. There was a lot of focus on cooking, bull riding, and the other aspects of the main characters lives, but the character development of those main characters suffered a little bit. Because I am such a huge fan of character development, I need something equally as entertaining to fill the void when it is lacking. The secondary characters and the chemistry between the main characters, Mac and Josh, are what kept this story interesting.
Every time Josh and Mac shared the page together it was great. They didn't do things that would be considered traditionally romantic, but they made the everyday things that girlfriends and boyfriends do seem adorable.
There were quite a few secondary characters that piqued my interest. Cody, Josh's fellow bull rider, best-friend was the comedic relief. Bree is mac's parentally neglected best friend, who despite her very unhealthy home life, still manages to keep a positive attitude. And possibly the most offensive, annoying, and yet still likable character in the book is Asia, Mac's mouthy black best friend. I mention the fact that she is black solely because she finds the need to mention EVERY time she speaks. Everything was about race with her. It was always, "white folks do this" and "Black people do that". Every other word out of her mouth could be considered offensive by any number of people, but for some reason, I still liked her. In fact, I liked her so much that I wished the author had written her story. I do that a lot when the secondary characters are better developed than the main characters. Authors tend to take more risk with story lines and personalities, when the characters involved are not the main focus, and that was definitely the case here as well. I am both black and have lived in the South for the majority of my life so I've known people like Asia. This character was more exaggerated than anyone I know, but I have definitely known people who make a much bigger deal out of race than is necessary. The thing I liked so much about this character is the fact that she is all talk. She says offensive things, but I didn't actually believe she meant them. It was a case of "will say anything to shock" more than anything else. Her boyfriend is white, all her best friends are white, and never did she say anything with the intention of being cruel. She was more bark than bite.
Now a little about the main characters:
Mac's biggest obstacle in life was an overprotective father. She is a good girl who has a firm set of morals and values that she adheres to and, she was also a decent hardworking student with aspirations of becoming a chef. Because she was such a "good girl", I thought it was strange that her father would have such a problem with his 17-year-old daughter dating a 19-year-old. That felt a little over the top while I was reading it, but southern fathers have been know to be extreme when it comes to their daughters so maybe it's not that far-fetched.
I enjoyed one aspect of this story more than any other, and that was Josh. He was such a southern gentleman and I loved him to pieces. He meets a girl that he likes, learns right away that she is going to be a lot of work, and commits to her anyway. I love, love, love that trait in a man! Mac has had a dream to receive a first kiss in the rain since she was a young girl, and Josh has every intention of helping her reach that goal. The fact that they live in one of the rainiest cities in the country leads them both to believe that they won't have much of a wait, but soon it becomes obvious that having this kiss won't be as easy as they thought. They never seemed to be able to be in the same place at the same time when it rains or something happens that makes it the wrong moment when they do manage to be together. However, none of this keeps Josh from sticking with her. He has moments when he pouts and tries to convince her to give him a kiss, but he also respects her desire to wait for the perfect moment and the perfect rain storm. All of the near misses when it came to the rain did become tedious after a while, but I always get frustrated with romance novels like this after a while. All in all it wasn't too bad of a wait. The book still managed to be romantic without a bunch of kissing scenes.
This book also focused a lot on the importance of family and friendship. Josh and Mac had a lot of people in their lives who cared for them deeply, and they felt just as strongly about them. This was a very sweet and innocent love story, and I would recommend it to anyone in the mood for a clean romance.
Because of language I would recommend this book for ages 13 and up.
March 31, 2014
Waiting for the Rain was such a good book! Its not a typical teenage romance. Its full of laughs and emotional moments! I think I cried the last few pages.. mostly happy tears but tears nonetheless.
A native of Puyallup, Washington, MACKENZIE ROADS wanted to spend her senior year with her friends: Bree Thatcher, her closest friend from a broken family, Asia Blake, a mouthy black girl from Louisiana never at a loss for words, and Rachel Evans, whose recent behavior has been putting a strain on the circle of friends.
Everything changes for her when she meets A.J., a nineteen-year-old aspiring bull-rider. Drawn in by his simple country lifestyle, shaggy blond hair and witty sense of humor, Mackenzie finds herself torn between her goals of attending college and maintaining the blossoming relationship.
In an era of teenage pregnancies and half-hearted romances, A.J. pledges to fulfill Mackenzie's deepest fantasy, to have her first kiss in the rain!
I really liked the cooking aspect in the book.. especially from a teenager.. this is the first one I've read.
So Mac meets A.J. and is pretty much smitten at first sight. They go on a date and Mackenzie tells A.J she wants her first kiss to be in the rain and that sets up the story of a lot of ups & downs as they wait for the rain.. in the Pacific Northwest!! You would think it would be fairly quick to kiss in the rain but you are wrong!
I loved following their relationship from the moment they meet at the fair til they are on the ranch. Reading this I forgot that they were just teenagers.. they are pretty mature for their age.. Especially Mac, A.J & Bree (Mac's best friend).. well maybe not Asia & Cody the comedic relief. I love the banter between those two they are hilarious!
Shaun Holt is a great new author that I can't wait to read more of his work!
A native of Puyallup, Washington, MACKENZIE ROADS wanted to spend her senior year with her friends: Bree Thatcher, her closest friend from a broken family, Asia Blake, a mouthy black girl from Louisiana never at a loss for words, and Rachel Evans, whose recent behavior has been putting a strain on the circle of friends.
Everything changes for her when she meets A.J., a nineteen-year-old aspiring bull-rider. Drawn in by his simple country lifestyle, shaggy blond hair and witty sense of humor, Mackenzie finds herself torn between her goals of attending college and maintaining the blossoming relationship.
In an era of teenage pregnancies and half-hearted romances, A.J. pledges to fulfill Mackenzie's deepest fantasy, to have her first kiss in the rain!
I really liked the cooking aspect in the book.. especially from a teenager.. this is the first one I've read.
So Mac meets A.J. and is pretty much smitten at first sight. They go on a date and Mackenzie tells A.J she wants her first kiss to be in the rain and that sets up the story of a lot of ups & downs as they wait for the rain.. in the Pacific Northwest!! You would think it would be fairly quick to kiss in the rain but you are wrong!
I loved following their relationship from the moment they meet at the fair til they are on the ranch. Reading this I forgot that they were just teenagers.. they are pretty mature for their age.. Especially Mac, A.J & Bree (Mac's best friend).. well maybe not Asia & Cody the comedic relief. I love the banter between those two they are hilarious!
Shaun Holt is a great new author that I can't wait to read more of his work!
January 1, 2018
I’m giving Waiting for the Rain 4.5 stars. This young adult romance is a quick read that draws you into the inner circle of Mackenzie, her 3 close friends and her new love interest AJ. I must admit I was hoping for perhaps more conflict, instead from time to time the author seemed to get lost in the everyday mundane nuances of characters that really had no bearing in the story. I did, however, love the interaction between Mac, AJ and AJ’s father. And of course, the ending left a smile on my face. If this is Shaun Holt’s debut novel, you can count me as a fan! I look forward to reading more from this writer, and urge romance readers to make sure to get a copy of this novel.
March 2, 2017
Absolutely beautiful.
February 26, 2014
Mackenzie is 17 years old, the daughter of the mayor of Puyallup. She is mainly focused on her dreams of becoming a chef, until she meets A.J., a 19 year old aspiring bull rider. After meeting him, she hopes to fulfill another of her dreams - to have a first kiss in the rain. Neither of them think it will be much of a challenge, however. They live in Washington State. Waiting for rain in Washington is like waiting for sunshine in Hawaii! ..... Will they get their big kiss in the rain, or will their relationship be a wash out?
Waiting for the Rain is such a great book!!
It had romance, drama & humor! It had a little bit of everything. It all flowed really well.
I instantly fell in love with the characters! Each character definitely had their own personalities!
I love the relationship between Mac & A.J.
"I felt like he was some kind of kryptonite and I was weak and helpless in his presence"
I think one of favorite characters other than Mac & A.J. is Asia! Then Bree!
This book literally had me laughing out loud. This is a definite favorite!
Waiting for the Rain is such a great book!!
It had romance, drama & humor! It had a little bit of everything. It all flowed really well.
I instantly fell in love with the characters! Each character definitely had their own personalities!
I love the relationship between Mac & A.J.
"I felt like he was some kind of kryptonite and I was weak and helpless in his presence"
I think one of favorite characters other than Mac & A.J. is Asia! Then Bree!
This book literally had me laughing out loud. This is a definite favorite!
March 31, 2014
I loved this book! I thought that A.J. was so cute! Waiting for the Rain is about a high school student named Mackenzie (Mac) who loves to cook. She falls for this guy named A.J. I really liked the dates they went on! Especially to the ranch! I love animals and would love to live near a place like that!
Asia had me laughing so much!
I felt like the characters in the book.. all the friends were real.. they felt real.. they weren't these imaginary characters you felt like you really knew them! I feel so bad for Bree..she has to take on so much.
I really like how in the book the main characters Mac & A.J. don't kiss as soon as they meet.. its like that in every book! They meet on page 4 and kiss on page 8.. so glad that Waiting for the Rain was completely different! it had me cheering them on!
This is my new favorite book!!
Asia had me laughing so much!
I felt like the characters in the book.. all the friends were real.. they felt real.. they weren't these imaginary characters you felt like you really knew them! I feel so bad for Bree..she has to take on so much.
I really like how in the book the main characters Mac & A.J. don't kiss as soon as they meet.. its like that in every book! They meet on page 4 and kiss on page 8.. so glad that Waiting for the Rain was completely different! it had me cheering them on!
This is my new favorite book!!
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews