I'm not sure what drew me in more to Why Now?...the cover, that blurb, or this author. This book looked and sounded spicy and angsty and sexy before I ever turned a single page, and after thoroughly enjoying previous books by this author, I knew I'd be in for something yummy. I'll tell you what though, there's so much more to this story than I could have imagined. The dynamic between each of these characters, their history, the emotional web connecting them all far exceeds what's hinted in the blurb. Even the secondary characters add such depth to this story. I devoured this one eagerly.
This is a story about a girl who, for years, has longed for and loved her best friend's older brother with no hope of those feelings being returned. It's an unrequited love story that becomes something else entirely. Why Now? evolves as a love triangle of sorts, but it's a love triangle that is outside the box from anything else I've read in recent memory. There's no lies, no deception, just a war for one woman's affections. And there's no right or wrong choice because all players involved are good people, honest people, that care and respect each other and just want to be happy. Kacey is every girl that's ever loved a guy all the while knowing he'd never feel the same. Heath is a guy dealing with heartbreaking circumstances within his family who's just looking for something solid to hold on to. Jake is simply a man with the weight of the world on his shoulders whose eyes are just now seeing something he's been overlooking for years. Why Now? is the perfect storm of tumultuous emotions, fragile friendships, sexual tension and everlasting love.
One of my favorite things about Carey Heywood's writing is the way she nails the male POV. This story is told through the alternating perspectives of Kacey and Jake, and while I thoroughly enjoyed being inside both of these characters' heads, there's something extra delicious, extra sexy, extra swoon-worthy about the voice Heywood gives to Jake Whitmore. I dare any reader not to fall for this guy. This story is peppered with swoon-worthy one liners that had me falling harder and harder for him with each turn off the page.
Why Now? is a girl's dream come true. It's the story of what happens when the guy you've loved your whole life from afar decides he suddenly wants you too, even if the timing couldn't be worse, even if it doesn't make sense. It's a little messy, a little steamy, a little emotional. Why Now? is just what I needed, honestly. It's an adorably sexy, heartwarming, heartbreaking romance that I easily found myself lost in. Sure, there's some elements of this story that are a little unrealistic, but I think that's why I enjoyed it so much. I'm typically a reader that prefers realism all the time, and it was nice to just allow myself to get lost in the romanticism of this story, letting the over-the-top parts of the plot take me away rather than pulling me out the way they usually do. This is simply a beautiful contemporary romance, a love story that transcends time, overcomes devastation, and makes you hopeful for the impossible.