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Could You Love An Apple?
[Author's Note:
This edition of "Could You Love An Apple?" is the original release. In 2025, I re-released a new updated edition with edits and improvements, and that is the version I recommend readers pick up.
Thank you so much to everyone who has read, reviewed, and supported this story from the very beginning. Your feedback helped me make the new edition even stronger, and I'm so excited to share it with you.]
~ ~ ~
Taylor Raven is starting over.
After a few difficult college years, he has decided to finally move away from Havensdale (and away from his father) to take a tennis coaching course in the tiny village of Westerfield.
The peaceful country life is exactly what Taylor needs to get away from it all. However, it is also incredibly lonely living by himself in the middle of nowhere. And no matter how far he runs, Taylor just can't seem to escape the mistakes of his past.
As he struggles to find any kind of meaningful connection, he comes across a place on the outskirts of the village that will soon change everything. The Apple Inn - a pub run by a curious, slightly eccentric family who welcome Taylor into their world with open arms.
Soon Taylor finds his guard dropping, particularly around the kind and fun-loving son of the family, Benjamin Apple. But the closer Taylor gets, the more he feels compelled to pull away...
Can Taylor ever fall in love again when the one obstacle in his way... is himself?
This edition of "Could You Love An Apple?" is the original release. In 2025, I re-released a new updated edition with edits and improvements, and that is the version I recommend readers pick up.
Thank you so much to everyone who has read, reviewed, and supported this story from the very beginning. Your feedback helped me make the new edition even stronger, and I'm so excited to share it with you.]
~ ~ ~
Taylor Raven is starting over.
After a few difficult college years, he has decided to finally move away from Havensdale (and away from his father) to take a tennis coaching course in the tiny village of Westerfield.
The peaceful country life is exactly what Taylor needs to get away from it all. However, it is also incredibly lonely living by himself in the middle of nowhere. And no matter how far he runs, Taylor just can't seem to escape the mistakes of his past.
As he struggles to find any kind of meaningful connection, he comes across a place on the outskirts of the village that will soon change everything. The Apple Inn - a pub run by a curious, slightly eccentric family who welcome Taylor into their world with open arms.
Soon Taylor finds his guard dropping, particularly around the kind and fun-loving son of the family, Benjamin Apple. But the closer Taylor gets, the more he feels compelled to pull away...
Can Taylor ever fall in love again when the one obstacle in his way... is himself?
546 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 20, 2017
17 people are currently reading
107 people want to read
About the author
Becky Jerams
6 books95 followersBecky Jerams is a writer and musician from Portsmouth, UK. Her first published novel The Songs You've Never Heard, co-written with Ellie Wyatt, blends story and real-life music into a unique 'booksical'. It was shortlisted for The YA Book Prize 2023, and featured in World Book Night and The Big Eurovision Reads campaigns.
Her 2015 self-published novel Reasons To Love A Nerd Like Me found a loyal following on Wattpad with over two million reads. It later became a multi-book series for Kindle, and is now re-releasing in a special 10th anniversary edition.
Becky lives by the sea with her husband and splits her time between fiction writing, songwriting, acoustic gigs, and working in a student art shop. Her songs have been featured internationally on TV and by artists around the world, and her stories have connected with thousands of young readers from the UK, US, Spain, the Philippines, Nigeria, France, Egypt, Jamaica, Australia, India and beyond.
She writes romantic, emotional, and uplifting YA fiction for the dreamers, the underdogs, and those who’ve never quite played by the rules.
Her 2015 self-published novel Reasons To Love A Nerd Like Me found a loyal following on Wattpad with over two million reads. It later became a multi-book series for Kindle, and is now re-releasing in a special 10th anniversary edition.
Becky lives by the sea with her husband and splits her time between fiction writing, songwriting, acoustic gigs, and working in a student art shop. Her songs have been featured internationally on TV and by artists around the world, and her stories have connected with thousands of young readers from the UK, US, Spain, the Philippines, Nigeria, France, Egypt, Jamaica, Australia, India and beyond.
She writes romantic, emotional, and uplifting YA fiction for the dreamers, the underdogs, and those who’ve never quite played by the rules.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews
December 23, 2018
I really wasn't sure if Taylor was able to be redeemed, but he certainly was by the end of this book! Both he and Benjamin go through some serious crap before they get their HEA, but I'm so glad they finally got there.
October 13, 2017
“I want you to know... that I love you. Rather deeply as it so happens.”
4.5 stars for this wonderful YA book. This is book 2 in the series and whilst I loved book one I enjoyed reading this one even more! It’s a long one - over 500 words! Which I love because I hate short books. But all 500+ words keep you gripped and entertained.
This is the story of Benjamin and Taylor. We meet Taylor in book 1. He was an awful bully with a terrible home life who relentlessly picked on the main character Scotty. By the end though he has apologised and they’ve all become friends. Taylor has now left Havensdale and moved to the little village of Westerfield to escape his fathers controlling and abusive behaviour.
Taylor is still greatly affected by his past behaviour and does not feel he deserves anyone’s kindness and love and isolates himself from his new classmates and the locals. His walls are firmly in place. Desperate for some peace and quiet he stumbles upon a rundown old pub in the village - The Apple Inn.
‘Benjamin Apple. He was tall. He was confident. He was absolutely gorgeous in a curious kind of way.’
The Apple Inn is owned and run by the Apple family. Taylor initially rejects their attempts to get to know him. But brick by brick his walls start to crumble and they become a big part of his life. At the centre of the family is Benjamin Apple. He is one of the best book characters I’ve ever known. He’s kind, sweet, goofy and loyal and I fell in love with him from the very beginning. Taylor and Benjamin become friends and Benjamin sets about winning Taylor over with such fantastic Benjamin-isms as ‘The Extraordinary Benjamin Apple Quiz Of Dreams!’ And ‘The Extraordinary Benjamin Apple Village Tour Of Dreams?’.
‘His dear, sweet, perfect Benjamin Apple.’
When things are running smoothly between these two they are so sweet and perfect for each other but a combination of their young age and Taylor’s past means there’s plenty of YA angst and drama a long the way. At times I wanted to reach in to the book and have a little chat with both of them!.
“I like myself a lot more when I’m with you,” Taylor whispered
I just adore the Apple’s. All of them! Mr and Mrs Apple are the parents every young adult wants. They are kind, generous and loving but with a steely protectiveness that comes out when needed. Ashleigh Apple Benjamin’s younger sister is just hilarious. She’s a classic excitable teenager and becomes the sister Taylor has never had.
‘He was a beautiful, understanding Apple.’
There’s so much more than their romance going on in this book. It’s a bout family, love and acceptance. It’s about Taylor learning to love and forgive himself. And it’s about all of them trying to save The Apple Inn.
A fantastic book and I cant wait for more from this author!
Reviewed by Lulu from Alpha Book Club 
June 4, 2017
---- Beware; this is going to be a review full of quotes because I love quotes, quotes are the best ----
He felt ready to put on his armour and fight until every last demon was finally defeated.
Once upon a time there was a beautiful boy who in the past made really terrible mistakes and, even if people around him has somehow forgiven him, it was very hard to convince himself that he was a person worth being with, a person worth loving.
This book has 500+ pages and has every single quality of a Netflix original series:
1) You will go through all range of the emotion spectrum;
2) You will laugh, cry, shake your head, be mad, scream, want to shake some sense out of characters for being dumb;
3) You will love every second of it;
4) You will want to binge read the hell out of it in a single sitting if time and responsibilities allow;
5) You will finish only to feel happy yet empty inside.
Every time someone smiled at him or treated him kindly, it felt so thoroughly undeserved that it made Taylor’s skin crawl.
How can you not love a book like that? It will test your patience. Believe me, it tested my patience and I am a very patient person. There were times I wanted to put it in stand-by because it was making me feeling anxious and a little, let’s say, murdery. I was angry at everything and everyone because I could see how the world would’ve been with them happy and together and it seemed that the only ones in their way to happiness were themselves.
Taylor Raven has left his family and city behind to start anew. But the past is not easy to forget, forgive or get away from. We know the horrible things he’s done to Scotty in the previous book “Reasons to Love a Nerd Like Me” but we also know that by the end of the book he has redeemed himself and we see at the beginning of this book that Scotty and co has forgiven Taylor and now they are friends. Taylor knows all of this but he doesn’t feel worth having friends or people around him. He thinks he is toxic. He thinks he’s not going to find love because how can he deserve it after everything?
“I made his life a fucking misery.”
“Because you liked him?” Benjamin asked aloud. Taylor clenched his fists together into an angry ball.
“No. Because I loved him.”
Taylor is not an easy person. He has anger episodes and a lot of internal issues caused by his family, especially his father, and by what he’s done alongside his bully friends in college. He thinks nobody will bother him in Westerfield but being a small town where everyone knows one another, is hard escaping people trying to get to know you better.
“I can’t believe this. I’ve stayed out all night in another man’s bed and I don’t have any clean clothes. I don’t even have a toothbrush! My mum is going to be disgusted with me. I’ll be a family disgrace.”
One day, trying to get away from people and his lonely flat, he stumbles upon a little pub called The Apple Inn. The pub looks quite rustic and the customers are scarce, almost non-existent. The Apple family runs the Apple Inn and they are lovely people. George and Sharon are loving parents, Ashleigh is a bubbly teenager and a very slow barman, and Benjamin is the adorable ginger cook/barman/artist who thinks Taylor is the most interesting thing that has happened in his life in a very long time.
“Is that all you’ve got to say?” Taylor grunted in response, still holding onto Benjamin firmly. “Oh bother?”
“It felt like a very ‘oh bother’ kind of moment.”
Benjamin is the most beautiful and adorable boy and he deserves the world. He is funny, some may think he tries too much, but it’s not like that, he likes making people laugh and he is genuinely lovable. He is very tall, ginger like Garfield (his words not mine), is very good at drawing and is trying his best to help his family run the pub, even if it means he had to put his future on hold.
“Stop being so soppy, get off me!”
“NO! YOU WILL ACCEPT MY ADVANCES WILLINGLY!”
I can’t begin to explain how much I love Benjamin. And I also loved Benjamin with Taylor. I knew how good Benji’s personality was making Taylor realize he could have it all. It was scary and he still had a lot to reveal about himself. What would adorable Benjamin think of Taylor after he learns what he’s done, what he was capable of doing?
“People tell me I’m very charming.”
He was joking, but at the same time it was completely true. “Oh, people tell you that do they? What people?”
“My mum.”
This was a rollercoaster of emotions. As soon as something nice was happening I knew it wasn’t going to last because, come on, I was only at 30%, how could things be perfect if the book was only at the beginning? I was scared all the time. Everything that could go wrong was destined to go wrong. They was no way of escaping it and maybe that’s for the best because that way Taylor could really face his demons, defeat them, move on and be happy.
I will recommend it and I will keep on loving it. I already loved Becky Jerams for Scotty’s story and now my love is confirmed with this book. I am putting her on my authors-I-love list; she deserves it.
“I’ve seen you knock things over so artfully, I thought for sure you were training for the next Olympics.”
^^^Oh, how I love my beautiful goofy ginger angel!
He felt ready to put on his armour and fight until every last demon was finally defeated.
Once upon a time there was a beautiful boy who in the past made really terrible mistakes and, even if people around him has somehow forgiven him, it was very hard to convince himself that he was a person worth being with, a person worth loving.
This book has 500+ pages and has every single quality of a Netflix original series:
1) You will go through all range of the emotion spectrum;
2) You will laugh, cry, shake your head, be mad, scream, want to shake some sense out of characters for being dumb;
3) You will love every second of it;
4) You will want to binge read the hell out of it in a single sitting if time and responsibilities allow;
5) You will finish only to feel happy yet empty inside.
Every time someone smiled at him or treated him kindly, it felt so thoroughly undeserved that it made Taylor’s skin crawl.
How can you not love a book like that? It will test your patience. Believe me, it tested my patience and I am a very patient person. There were times I wanted to put it in stand-by because it was making me feeling anxious and a little, let’s say, murdery. I was angry at everything and everyone because I could see how the world would’ve been with them happy and together and it seemed that the only ones in their way to happiness were themselves.
Taylor Raven has left his family and city behind to start anew. But the past is not easy to forget, forgive or get away from. We know the horrible things he’s done to Scotty in the previous book “Reasons to Love a Nerd Like Me” but we also know that by the end of the book he has redeemed himself and we see at the beginning of this book that Scotty and co has forgiven Taylor and now they are friends. Taylor knows all of this but he doesn’t feel worth having friends or people around him. He thinks he is toxic. He thinks he’s not going to find love because how can he deserve it after everything?
“I made his life a fucking misery.”
“Because you liked him?” Benjamin asked aloud. Taylor clenched his fists together into an angry ball.
“No. Because I loved him.”
Taylor is not an easy person. He has anger episodes and a lot of internal issues caused by his family, especially his father, and by what he’s done alongside his bully friends in college. He thinks nobody will bother him in Westerfield but being a small town where everyone knows one another, is hard escaping people trying to get to know you better.
“I can’t believe this. I’ve stayed out all night in another man’s bed and I don’t have any clean clothes. I don’t even have a toothbrush! My mum is going to be disgusted with me. I’ll be a family disgrace.”
One day, trying to get away from people and his lonely flat, he stumbles upon a little pub called The Apple Inn. The pub looks quite rustic and the customers are scarce, almost non-existent. The Apple family runs the Apple Inn and they are lovely people. George and Sharon are loving parents, Ashleigh is a bubbly teenager and a very slow barman, and Benjamin is the adorable ginger cook/barman/artist who thinks Taylor is the most interesting thing that has happened in his life in a very long time.
“Is that all you’ve got to say?” Taylor grunted in response, still holding onto Benjamin firmly. “Oh bother?”
“It felt like a very ‘oh bother’ kind of moment.”
Benjamin is the most beautiful and adorable boy and he deserves the world. He is funny, some may think he tries too much, but it’s not like that, he likes making people laugh and he is genuinely lovable. He is very tall, ginger like Garfield (his words not mine), is very good at drawing and is trying his best to help his family run the pub, even if it means he had to put his future on hold.
“Stop being so soppy, get off me!”
“NO! YOU WILL ACCEPT MY ADVANCES WILLINGLY!”
I can’t begin to explain how much I love Benjamin. And I also loved Benjamin with Taylor. I knew how good Benji’s personality was making Taylor realize he could have it all. It was scary and he still had a lot to reveal about himself. What would adorable Benjamin think of Taylor after he learns what he’s done, what he was capable of doing?
“People tell me I’m very charming.”
He was joking, but at the same time it was completely true. “Oh, people tell you that do they? What people?”
“My mum.”
This was a rollercoaster of emotions. As soon as something nice was happening I knew it wasn’t going to last because, come on, I was only at 30%, how could things be perfect if the book was only at the beginning? I was scared all the time. Everything that could go wrong was destined to go wrong. They was no way of escaping it and maybe that’s for the best because that way Taylor could really face his demons, defeat them, move on and be happy.
I will recommend it and I will keep on loving it. I already loved Becky Jerams for Scotty’s story and now my love is confirmed with this book. I am putting her on my authors-I-love list; she deserves it.
“I’ve seen you knock things over so artfully, I thought for sure you were training for the next Olympics.”
^^^Oh, how I love my beautiful goofy ginger angel!
March 3, 2017
I was ridiculously excited to read this book, as it's the sequel to Reasons to Love a Nerd Like Me (which I adored). As far as the writing style, plot, and characters go, this was an excellent follow up.
Although I didn't care for Taylor Raven in the first book, I was still glad to see him get a second chance. I also love the theme here, that people can and do change. Taylor is as prickly as ever, but he's also carrying around a lot of baggage. He doesn't quite know what he needs until he finds it in the form of Benjamin Apple.
There aren't words for how much I love Benjamin. He's thoroughly delightful in every way. I like that they don't just jump into an instant love connection and that it's through Benjamin's friendship, not only his romantic love, that Taylor begins to open himself to the possibility of a "chosen family." Of course, it's icing on the cake that they're so perfectly suited for each other as boyfriends, too.
The writing style is tight, and the humor is exactly what I love: a little snarky and sarcastic, but also with affection and warmth underneath. That was my favorite thing about the first book, and I'm glad to see that tone continues here.
I had two really big reservations, which I'm going to detail here. The first isn't really a spoiler, but the second is. When Taylor and Benjamin are intimate with each other, I saw some red flags in the area of consent as well as what constitutes "real sex." I could have lived with Taylor's internal dialog about it. He didn't want to be the receptive partner because of the messages received from his father. I also could buy that as a nineteen-year-old with limited experience he might insist that "real sex" involved penetration. But Benjamin was perfectly suited, by his personality and his maturity about sex, to dispel these notions--yet he didn't. In fact, they went right to penetrative sex after only one prior intimate encounter, and without any added discussion or working up to it if that's what they both wanted. That was deeply, deeply disappointing to me. I had the same reaction when they were coupled and Taylor referred to it as being the closest they could be. Penetration was repeatedly referred to as their "first time" (it wasn't), and they had precisely zero sex other than what was politely referred to as "fumbles" versus "going all the way" (somewhat outdated language). The whole thing hit me wrong in how it was presented. This is not a good message to send to the young adult and older teen readers of this book. Nor is it good to make it clear that penetrative sex equates to adulthood or couplehood, that one's reservations about it are to be ignored and not worked through, or that it's somehow wrong to find other ways to be intimate. This is where an author really does have a responsibility to the readership.
My other hesitation was in how the situation with Taylor's father was resolved. This contains spoilers.
For those two reasons, I feel really uncomfortable recommending this to emerging adults. I would love to be able to, as I think the themes of personal growth and chosen family are wonderful. But it would need to come with a heavy warning that the above messages are not healthy or appropriate.
That said, I can still highly recommend this for fans of MM romance in general. For those with enough experience to dismiss the aforementioned messages, it's also a great read. Everything else about this book is spot on and pitch-perfect, right down to the absolutely stellar handling of the big blow-up between Taylor and pretty much the entire supporting cast. Despite my reservations, I still found the story delightful. I am one hundred percent certain I could love an Apple.
For lovable characters, solid writing, and a whole lot of fun, this gets 4 stars.
Although I didn't care for Taylor Raven in the first book, I was still glad to see him get a second chance. I also love the theme here, that people can and do change. Taylor is as prickly as ever, but he's also carrying around a lot of baggage. He doesn't quite know what he needs until he finds it in the form of Benjamin Apple.
There aren't words for how much I love Benjamin. He's thoroughly delightful in every way. I like that they don't just jump into an instant love connection and that it's through Benjamin's friendship, not only his romantic love, that Taylor begins to open himself to the possibility of a "chosen family." Of course, it's icing on the cake that they're so perfectly suited for each other as boyfriends, too.
The writing style is tight, and the humor is exactly what I love: a little snarky and sarcastic, but also with affection and warmth underneath. That was my favorite thing about the first book, and I'm glad to see that tone continues here.
I had two really big reservations, which I'm going to detail here. The first isn't really a spoiler, but the second is. When Taylor and Benjamin are intimate with each other, I saw some red flags in the area of consent as well as what constitutes "real sex." I could have lived with Taylor's internal dialog about it. He didn't want to be the receptive partner because of the messages received from his father. I also could buy that as a nineteen-year-old with limited experience he might insist that "real sex" involved penetration. But Benjamin was perfectly suited, by his personality and his maturity about sex, to dispel these notions--yet he didn't. In fact, they went right to penetrative sex after only one prior intimate encounter, and without any added discussion or working up to it if that's what they both wanted. That was deeply, deeply disappointing to me. I had the same reaction when they were coupled and Taylor referred to it as being the closest they could be. Penetration was repeatedly referred to as their "first time" (it wasn't), and they had precisely zero sex other than what was politely referred to as "fumbles" versus "going all the way" (somewhat outdated language). The whole thing hit me wrong in how it was presented. This is not a good message to send to the young adult and older teen readers of this book. Nor is it good to make it clear that penetrative sex equates to adulthood or couplehood, that one's reservations about it are to be ignored and not worked through, or that it's somehow wrong to find other ways to be intimate. This is where an author really does have a responsibility to the readership.
My other hesitation was in how the situation with Taylor's father was resolved. This contains spoilers.
For those two reasons, I feel really uncomfortable recommending this to emerging adults. I would love to be able to, as I think the themes of personal growth and chosen family are wonderful. But it would need to come with a heavy warning that the above messages are not healthy or appropriate.
That said, I can still highly recommend this for fans of MM romance in general. For those with enough experience to dismiss the aforementioned messages, it's also a great read. Everything else about this book is spot on and pitch-perfect, right down to the absolutely stellar handling of the big blow-up between Taylor and pretty much the entire supporting cast. Despite my reservations, I still found the story delightful. I am one hundred percent certain I could love an Apple.
For lovable characters, solid writing, and a whole lot of fun, this gets 4 stars.
March 19, 2017
Overall Rating: 9.3/10 (5/5 stars)
Plot: 9.7/10
Characters: 9.5/10
Writing: 9/10
Originality: 9.2/10
I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Wow, what an amazing sequel. I was excited about reading this for a lot of reasons: first, this is a sequel to Reasons to Love a Nerd Like Me, and in that story Taylor, the titular character of this novel, was the bully. I’ve always been fascinated with books that choose to take a different perspective, especially that of an opposing character. Second, Jerams’s writing in the first book was incredibly good, and I couldn’t wait to envelop myself in her characters again. Could You Love An Apple exceeded all of my expectations, which were already pretty good. This book has the perfect balance of new characters and old, of conflict and love, and is realistic. I literally could not put this book down because the pacing is fantastic. Jerams’s novel offers a diverse romance with plenty of conflict and angst, but a satisfying resolution.
Sequels are always difficult plot-wise, but this book does a fantastic job of both being its own and reminding readers what happened in the previous installment. I think what makes this novel so successful is that it is somewhere in-between a sequel and a companion to the first one. I would imagine that people who pick this one up without having read Reasons to Love a Nerd Like Me would not get the full impact of the situation, but this book has its own characters, and takes place in its own universe. I was a little worried about reading this immediately because it has been a while since I read the first book, but I had no problems remembering the key concepts.
That being said, this is definitely more of a character-oriented book than the first one is. There are a few distinct plot points, and a few parts of this book that had my heart breaking and racing, but overall it is a study of Taylor’s personal growth and his self-acceptance. What I love is that though the beginning is slow, this book ultimately avoids the consistent tedious content that character-study novels sometimes have; the romance is detailed and develops quickly to keep the reader interested, but also faces its ups and downs to be realistic. I don’t often say this about romance novels, but Could You Love An Apple is a page turner. By the end, I was so engrossed in the characters and the conflicts that build throughout the whole novel that I’m fairly certain I read the last 100 pages in one sitting.
The characters are really what makes this story. It is a small cast and crew but I think that’s one of this book’s strengths. Each character is strongly developed with their own mannerisms and personalities. There is a great balance between the resurgence of old characters, enough to keep fans of the first book happy, and moving onto new characters. Ashleigh is a particularly bright spot of this book. She is the typical fun and peppy younger sister, but is also clearly human. She gets her feelings hurt when Taylor is rude, and quiet moments between her and Benjamin showcase her maturity. That brings up another thing I love about this novel–each character has not one, and not two, but many different sides to them, just like regular people. Jerams’s characters truly feel like people I could run into on the street, and that’s part of what got me so attached to them.
I want to discuss the main characters, Taylor and Benjamin. Benjamin at first doesn’t seem twenty plus years old at all, and that is literally one of my only qualms with this book. Some of the dialogue and mannerisms seem a bit unrealistic and dramatic at first, but this becomes a lot more bearable and understandable as the reader gets to know the character. I love that there is one chapter from his point of view, because it’s at such a pivotal point in the novel, and the reader can see his past while in the midst of dealing with Taylor’s. The handling of Taylor and his problems are fantastic. Though some time has passed between the events of the first book and the events of this book, Taylor is still facing some very real struggles, and he realistically has some of the same mannerisms that he did during his time as a bully. I like how he does face consequences for his actions, and it is only through that plus the kindness he receives that he begins to move on and become a better person. It’s the realistic highs and lows of Benjamin and Taylor’s relationship that truly made me fall in love with both of them, and I hope that they continue to appear in Jerams’s other works.
Jerams’s writing is wonderful and continues to mature as her series does, this being a more New Adult experience than Young Adult like the first book. Though there are still some awkward dialogues and descriptions that sometimes just don’t quite fit, her ability to delve deeply into character’s minds and emotions truly set this book apart from other self-published works that I’ve read. Taylor is such a complex character but Jerams writes him as the beautiful but flawed human being he is. This book also contains moments of intimacy far beyond what was seen in the first novel, and these scenes are written very well. The way sex is treated in this book is mature and realistic, because the characters actually discuss it. The choice to put these scenes in the novel is fantastic, because I think it’s so important for readers to know the normalcy of discussing intimacy with partners. The emotional scenes are sometimes over-dramatic but always kept me on the edge of my seat.
Finally, though this book is still a romance novel, I think it is one of the most unique New Adult romances that I have read. With characters who are diverse not only in sexuality but also in personality, Could You Love An Apple truly is an original work. The way conflicts are handled and resolved is by no means predictable and provides a balanced outcome. The originality in this series overall lies in the fact that it is realistic and relatable, and I love it.
Overall: Could You Love An Apple by Becky Jerams is an amazing novel and a step-up from the first installment. It has a wonderful romance and light-hearted moments while also dealing with complex and serious issues. The realism in this series make the characters relatable and makes this novel worth the read. I would recommend this book to anyone!
www.goodbadanduglybooks.net
Plot: 9.7/10
Characters: 9.5/10
Writing: 9/10
Originality: 9.2/10
I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Wow, what an amazing sequel. I was excited about reading this for a lot of reasons: first, this is a sequel to Reasons to Love a Nerd Like Me, and in that story Taylor, the titular character of this novel, was the bully. I’ve always been fascinated with books that choose to take a different perspective, especially that of an opposing character. Second, Jerams’s writing in the first book was incredibly good, and I couldn’t wait to envelop myself in her characters again. Could You Love An Apple exceeded all of my expectations, which were already pretty good. This book has the perfect balance of new characters and old, of conflict and love, and is realistic. I literally could not put this book down because the pacing is fantastic. Jerams’s novel offers a diverse romance with plenty of conflict and angst, but a satisfying resolution.
Sequels are always difficult plot-wise, but this book does a fantastic job of both being its own and reminding readers what happened in the previous installment. I think what makes this novel so successful is that it is somewhere in-between a sequel and a companion to the first one. I would imagine that people who pick this one up without having read Reasons to Love a Nerd Like Me would not get the full impact of the situation, but this book has its own characters, and takes place in its own universe. I was a little worried about reading this immediately because it has been a while since I read the first book, but I had no problems remembering the key concepts.
That being said, this is definitely more of a character-oriented book than the first one is. There are a few distinct plot points, and a few parts of this book that had my heart breaking and racing, but overall it is a study of Taylor’s personal growth and his self-acceptance. What I love is that though the beginning is slow, this book ultimately avoids the consistent tedious content that character-study novels sometimes have; the romance is detailed and develops quickly to keep the reader interested, but also faces its ups and downs to be realistic. I don’t often say this about romance novels, but Could You Love An Apple is a page turner. By the end, I was so engrossed in the characters and the conflicts that build throughout the whole novel that I’m fairly certain I read the last 100 pages in one sitting.
The characters are really what makes this story. It is a small cast and crew but I think that’s one of this book’s strengths. Each character is strongly developed with their own mannerisms and personalities. There is a great balance between the resurgence of old characters, enough to keep fans of the first book happy, and moving onto new characters. Ashleigh is a particularly bright spot of this book. She is the typical fun and peppy younger sister, but is also clearly human. She gets her feelings hurt when Taylor is rude, and quiet moments between her and Benjamin showcase her maturity. That brings up another thing I love about this novel–each character has not one, and not two, but many different sides to them, just like regular people. Jerams’s characters truly feel like people I could run into on the street, and that’s part of what got me so attached to them.
I want to discuss the main characters, Taylor and Benjamin. Benjamin at first doesn’t seem twenty plus years old at all, and that is literally one of my only qualms with this book. Some of the dialogue and mannerisms seem a bit unrealistic and dramatic at first, but this becomes a lot more bearable and understandable as the reader gets to know the character. I love that there is one chapter from his point of view, because it’s at such a pivotal point in the novel, and the reader can see his past while in the midst of dealing with Taylor’s. The handling of Taylor and his problems are fantastic. Though some time has passed between the events of the first book and the events of this book, Taylor is still facing some very real struggles, and he realistically has some of the same mannerisms that he did during his time as a bully. I like how he does face consequences for his actions, and it is only through that plus the kindness he receives that he begins to move on and become a better person. It’s the realistic highs and lows of Benjamin and Taylor’s relationship that truly made me fall in love with both of them, and I hope that they continue to appear in Jerams’s other works.
Jerams’s writing is wonderful and continues to mature as her series does, this being a more New Adult experience than Young Adult like the first book. Though there are still some awkward dialogues and descriptions that sometimes just don’t quite fit, her ability to delve deeply into character’s minds and emotions truly set this book apart from other self-published works that I’ve read. Taylor is such a complex character but Jerams writes him as the beautiful but flawed human being he is. This book also contains moments of intimacy far beyond what was seen in the first novel, and these scenes are written very well. The way sex is treated in this book is mature and realistic, because the characters actually discuss it. The choice to put these scenes in the novel is fantastic, because I think it’s so important for readers to know the normalcy of discussing intimacy with partners. The emotional scenes are sometimes over-dramatic but always kept me on the edge of my seat.
Finally, though this book is still a romance novel, I think it is one of the most unique New Adult romances that I have read. With characters who are diverse not only in sexuality but also in personality, Could You Love An Apple truly is an original work. The way conflicts are handled and resolved is by no means predictable and provides a balanced outcome. The originality in this series overall lies in the fact that it is realistic and relatable, and I love it.
Overall: Could You Love An Apple by Becky Jerams is an amazing novel and a step-up from the first installment. It has a wonderful romance and light-hearted moments while also dealing with complex and serious issues. The realism in this series make the characters relatable and makes this novel worth the read. I would recommend this book to anyone!
www.goodbadanduglybooks.net
May 9, 2017
I’m back with the second installment of the Love Stories series. Totally unexpected find. When I decided to reread the first book, I was expecting to finish and finally write about it, but TADA! Book 2 was waiting for me on the “Before you go” screen.
Could You Love an Apple? picks up a little over a year later with Scotty’s year having graduated and left Havensdale behind. In an out of the way village named Westerfield, we find Taylor Raven trying to engage in his studies without engaging with his coursemates. If he could just find a quiet spot to do so, he’d be all set. His search eventually leads him to the Apple Inn. And while he’s come to terms with a lot of things that plagued him before, he’s still somewhat bitter and sharp tongued, so no one would be surprised that the warmth given off by the bright and shiny proprietors of said inn rubs him the wrong way.
What is surprising is that, even knowing this, he finds him self returning there again and again. At first because he has nowhere else to go, but later because the warmth begins to grow on him and Benjamin Apple, the brightest and the shiniest, is kind of hard to resist. His encounters with Ben are rather cute and you probably wouldn’t mind if the rest of the book was just Ben being cute with Taylor and Taylor failing at resisting his charms, but of course it can’t be like that.
Coming to terms with the past doesn’t always mean actually dealing with its issues and, for better or for worse, Taylor’s past is begging to be dealt with.
Now, I liked Talyor’s relationship with Ben, but what really won me over was the way the past came back to bite him. Each of Taylor’s issues--his relationship with his parents, especially his father; his past (and present friendships); and his willingness to embrace the multiple facets of his sexual identity beyond acknowledgement and attraction--set off flares along the way just to let you know they were still lurking about. Some flares burned brighter while others streaked across the sky longer, but as they burned out, as the story progressed, their smoke trails, which merged, diverged, crossed, and juxtaposed with each other, formed this beautiful mesh of love, shame, forgiveness, understanding, and second and more chances.
The story had a lot of heart, a different kind from Reasons to Love a Nerd Like Me, but heart nonetheless. I don’t mind recommending this, but with one caveat.
As I mentioned in the Reasons review, there was just one thing I didn’t like about the story. The women. With the exception of Mandy and Scotty’s mother from Reasons and Benjamin’s mother from this story, all the women in this series are caricatures--tropes--mostly of the bitchy/abusive/manipulative variety.
The pushy female BFF of the gay character: Olive was pushy and demanding and regardless of whether or not it was done out of love, her insistence that she was right about certain things and straight up dismissing anything Scotty had to say about them was sickening and really hard to swallow.
The clingy/jilted ex-lover: Alexis. Rude, loud, antagonistic, bitter, petty. She attacked Scotty and then lied about it to Vincent right in front of Scotty. That’s some SWF level ish.
The spoiled rich girl: Patricia was bitter, vindictive, and intentionally abusive to everyone, even her best friend. She was also desperate, clinging to an admittedly gay man.
The spoiled rich girl, the second coming: Imelda was rude and dismissive of people, but her actions weren’t fueled by malice like Patricia’s were. She was just vain and sheltered.
The insecure/pleasantly oblivious girl: Ashleigh had a good heart but was highly excitable, too trusting, and I can’t confirm it with any specific line of text, but I think she was also not as trim as her friends. You learn to see a character through what’s written just as much as what isn’t.
The gay~ fetishists/opportunists: Annabelle and Sarah thought it was okay to make comments about Taylor in regards to decorating and shopping once they found out he was gay. Additionally, they were friends with Ashleigh, but didn’t make an effort to that end until they thought they could benefit from it. Furthermore, after accidentally outing Taylor, Ashleigh asked them not to say anything about it to him, but at the first opportunity, they made the comments alluded to above.
The desperate woman: Taylor’s mother knew his dad was a horror story and yet she sided with him over her son, her child.
Like I said elsewhere, in and of themselves, there isn’t anything wrong with these types of characterizations. HOWEVER, when this is the bulk of representation in a story and there’s no real effort to balance it out, there’s a problem. Scotty’s mother and Mrs. Apple do well at cancelling out Mrs. Raven, but Mandy, as decent as she is, is no match for the remainder of the female lineup.
I don’t need the women to look bad in order to root for the guys. I knew the book was gay when I picked it up, so I’m half way there. The writer’s job is to convince me of their chemistry through their interactions, not by demonizing the women.
Could You Love an Apple? picks up a little over a year later with Scotty’s year having graduated and left Havensdale behind. In an out of the way village named Westerfield, we find Taylor Raven trying to engage in his studies without engaging with his coursemates. If he could just find a quiet spot to do so, he’d be all set. His search eventually leads him to the Apple Inn. And while he’s come to terms with a lot of things that plagued him before, he’s still somewhat bitter and sharp tongued, so no one would be surprised that the warmth given off by the bright and shiny proprietors of said inn rubs him the wrong way.
What is surprising is that, even knowing this, he finds him self returning there again and again. At first because he has nowhere else to go, but later because the warmth begins to grow on him and Benjamin Apple, the brightest and the shiniest, is kind of hard to resist. His encounters with Ben are rather cute and you probably wouldn’t mind if the rest of the book was just Ben being cute with Taylor and Taylor failing at resisting his charms, but of course it can’t be like that.
Coming to terms with the past doesn’t always mean actually dealing with its issues and, for better or for worse, Taylor’s past is begging to be dealt with.
Now, I liked Talyor’s relationship with Ben, but what really won me over was the way the past came back to bite him. Each of Taylor’s issues--his relationship with his parents, especially his father; his past (and present friendships); and his willingness to embrace the multiple facets of his sexual identity beyond acknowledgement and attraction--set off flares along the way just to let you know they were still lurking about. Some flares burned brighter while others streaked across the sky longer, but as they burned out, as the story progressed, their smoke trails, which merged, diverged, crossed, and juxtaposed with each other, formed this beautiful mesh of love, shame, forgiveness, understanding, and second and more chances.
The story had a lot of heart, a different kind from Reasons to Love a Nerd Like Me, but heart nonetheless. I don’t mind recommending this, but with one caveat.
As I mentioned in the Reasons review, there was just one thing I didn’t like about the story. The women. With the exception of Mandy and Scotty’s mother from Reasons and Benjamin’s mother from this story, all the women in this series are caricatures--tropes--mostly of the bitchy/abusive/manipulative variety.
The pushy female BFF of the gay character: Olive was pushy and demanding and regardless of whether or not it was done out of love, her insistence that she was right about certain things and straight up dismissing anything Scotty had to say about them was sickening and really hard to swallow.
The clingy/jilted ex-lover: Alexis. Rude, loud, antagonistic, bitter, petty. She attacked Scotty and then lied about it to Vincent right in front of Scotty. That’s some SWF level ish.
The spoiled rich girl: Patricia was bitter, vindictive, and intentionally abusive to everyone, even her best friend. She was also desperate, clinging to an admittedly gay man.
The spoiled rich girl, the second coming: Imelda was rude and dismissive of people, but her actions weren’t fueled by malice like Patricia’s were. She was just vain and sheltered.
The insecure/pleasantly oblivious girl: Ashleigh had a good heart but was highly excitable, too trusting, and I can’t confirm it with any specific line of text, but I think she was also not as trim as her friends. You learn to see a character through what’s written just as much as what isn’t.
The gay~ fetishists/opportunists: Annabelle and Sarah thought it was okay to make comments about Taylor in regards to decorating and shopping once they found out he was gay. Additionally, they were friends with Ashleigh, but didn’t make an effort to that end until they thought they could benefit from it. Furthermore, after accidentally outing Taylor, Ashleigh asked them not to say anything about it to him, but at the first opportunity, they made the comments alluded to above.
The desperate woman: Taylor’s mother knew his dad was a horror story and yet she sided with him over her son, her child.
Like I said elsewhere, in and of themselves, there isn’t anything wrong with these types of characterizations. HOWEVER, when this is the bulk of representation in a story and there’s no real effort to balance it out, there’s a problem. Scotty’s mother and Mrs. Apple do well at cancelling out Mrs. Raven, but Mandy, as decent as she is, is no match for the remainder of the female lineup.
I don’t need the women to look bad in order to root for the guys. I knew the book was gay when I picked it up, so I’m half way there. The writer’s job is to convince me of their chemistry through their interactions, not by demonizing the women.
April 8, 2017
Read full review HERE
Hey guys! I don’t know if you remember – it was along time ago – but I read the first book of this series a while back, Reasons to Love a Nerd Like Me, and I really enjoyed it at the time. So when Becky Jerams asked me if I wanted to read and review the sequel, I of course said yes. But I have to say, even though I did like the theme of the story and the overall plot, I had some major problems with the characters, some actions, and most of all, some things said within the book. I’ll try to explain the best I can, without giving it much away, ok?
This book follows Taylor, who was a very important character in book 1 of this series, as in, he was Scotty’s first love and also his bully. Taylor does have a transformative arc in the first book, and he regrets what he did to Scotty immensely, and they are even able to get past it and become good friends. While I liked his arc on the first book, the friendship was something that was always just a bit too much for me, but I rolled with it.
Now, a couple of years later, Taylor is trying to rebuild his life distant from his toxic father, and far away from the town he grew up with, and acted horrible. While trying to keep his distance from everyone, he ends up meeting the Apples and he forges a relationship with Benjamin, and the two of them face a lot of problems and setbacks to be able to be together.
My first huge problem with this book was how unlikable I found Taylor. He was already not easy to love due to his past, but even understanding his issues and knowing where he’s coming from, it was kind of hard for me to like Taylor when he was treating people terribly. This was sort of mild when he was trying to keep people away from him, but there’s a point in the book when he says horrible things to Benjamin, and while I understand that Taylor has some serious issues, he did believe the things he said and I don’t think they’re excusable.
With that said, I did like Taylor’s growth. He goes through some major things in this book, and he’s overall trying to be a better person, and he is. I really liked Benjamin though, even if I’m not sure he was always a consistent character.
This romance develops kind of slow, and for the most part, I liked Taylor and Benj together, they were so different that they kind of balanced each other out. I also liked the overall story and plot, so that was a major point FOR the book. But the relationship does go through a lot of stuff, and I didn’t think they were all necessary, to be honest.
Now, my major, and I mean MAJOR issue with this book was the homophobic language and messages. I found this extremely problematic.
The first thing that truly bothered me came from Taylor himself, a gay character, when he insinuates that being topped during sex is somehow bad, or would make him somehow LESS. That it would be a source of shame. I do understand that Taylor has not come to terms with his sexuality completely and lives with some huge hangups, but the whole language and situation were just wrong. And while he later sort of understands that he’s not “less of a man” for it, I still felt like that wasn’t enough to make up for all the hate speech done earlier.
One other thing was the homophobic language and stereotyping done by some secondary characters. Homophobic people will always exist and ignorant people too, but the impact wouldn’t be so huge if the characters had less dialogue page time, because they were really not important. Most of those comments were not necessary and didn’t contribute to the story at all, so they weren’t useful at all, and they made me seriously dislike this book.
Finally, I have to talk about the writing and the pacing. One of my issues with the first book was its length, and at the time I thought that book 1 could have used some editing, because it dragged on a bit. I have to be honest and say that I felt like this one dragged even more. It took me a long long time to get through it. And I also wasn’t a huge fan of the way the more intimate scenes were written, and I didn’t feel like there was a seamless flow, you know?
Either way, to sum it up a bit, because I do realize that the last few paragraphs have been kind of negative… I did like the story and some of the characters, especially the Apples. I saw a huge potential in the plot, but I couldn’t totally enjoy it due to the issues mentioned above. Not really liking the MC is a huge issue for me, and that along with everything else, didn’t make for a very enjoyable reading experience.
Hey guys! I don’t know if you remember – it was along time ago – but I read the first book of this series a while back, Reasons to Love a Nerd Like Me, and I really enjoyed it at the time. So when Becky Jerams asked me if I wanted to read and review the sequel, I of course said yes. But I have to say, even though I did like the theme of the story and the overall plot, I had some major problems with the characters, some actions, and most of all, some things said within the book. I’ll try to explain the best I can, without giving it much away, ok?
This book follows Taylor, who was a very important character in book 1 of this series, as in, he was Scotty’s first love and also his bully. Taylor does have a transformative arc in the first book, and he regrets what he did to Scotty immensely, and they are even able to get past it and become good friends. While I liked his arc on the first book, the friendship was something that was always just a bit too much for me, but I rolled with it.
Now, a couple of years later, Taylor is trying to rebuild his life distant from his toxic father, and far away from the town he grew up with, and acted horrible. While trying to keep his distance from everyone, he ends up meeting the Apples and he forges a relationship with Benjamin, and the two of them face a lot of problems and setbacks to be able to be together.
My first huge problem with this book was how unlikable I found Taylor. He was already not easy to love due to his past, but even understanding his issues and knowing where he’s coming from, it was kind of hard for me to like Taylor when he was treating people terribly. This was sort of mild when he was trying to keep people away from him, but there’s a point in the book when he says horrible things to Benjamin, and while I understand that Taylor has some serious issues, he did believe the things he said and I don’t think they’re excusable.
With that said, I did like Taylor’s growth. He goes through some major things in this book, and he’s overall trying to be a better person, and he is. I really liked Benjamin though, even if I’m not sure he was always a consistent character.
This romance develops kind of slow, and for the most part, I liked Taylor and Benj together, they were so different that they kind of balanced each other out. I also liked the overall story and plot, so that was a major point FOR the book. But the relationship does go through a lot of stuff, and I didn’t think they were all necessary, to be honest.
Now, my major, and I mean MAJOR issue with this book was the homophobic language and messages. I found this extremely problematic.
The first thing that truly bothered me came from Taylor himself, a gay character, when he insinuates that being topped during sex is somehow bad, or would make him somehow LESS. That it would be a source of shame. I do understand that Taylor has not come to terms with his sexuality completely and lives with some huge hangups, but the whole language and situation were just wrong. And while he later sort of understands that he’s not “less of a man” for it, I still felt like that wasn’t enough to make up for all the hate speech done earlier.
One other thing was the homophobic language and stereotyping done by some secondary characters. Homophobic people will always exist and ignorant people too, but the impact wouldn’t be so huge if the characters had less dialogue page time, because they were really not important. Most of those comments were not necessary and didn’t contribute to the story at all, so they weren’t useful at all, and they made me seriously dislike this book.
Finally, I have to talk about the writing and the pacing. One of my issues with the first book was its length, and at the time I thought that book 1 could have used some editing, because it dragged on a bit. I have to be honest and say that I felt like this one dragged even more. It took me a long long time to get through it. And I also wasn’t a huge fan of the way the more intimate scenes were written, and I didn’t feel like there was a seamless flow, you know?
Either way, to sum it up a bit, because I do realize that the last few paragraphs have been kind of negative… I did like the story and some of the characters, especially the Apples. I saw a huge potential in the plot, but I couldn’t totally enjoy it due to the issues mentioned above. Not really liking the MC is a huge issue for me, and that along with everything else, didn’t make for a very enjoyable reading experience.
February 20, 2017
Originally written for Pari's Books!
Happy release day to Becky Jerams!
I got an email from Ms. Becky a week ago asking if I wanted to read and review Could you Love an Apple? I almost immediately said YES! because, if you guys didn't know, I fell in love with her characters and her writing in Reasons to Love a Nerd Like Me . And when I found out that this book is the story of our not-so-loved Taylor, I had to read it.
And I was not one bit disappointed.
Could you Love an Apple? is such an amazing story. This story explores the life of a former bully, who was just scared of his father. To any boy, his father is his role model and disappointing him is the last thing that anyone ever wants to do. Starting a new life is herd, but when that new life is hidden away from one the one thing/person that scares you brings you some sort of an independence.
This book is written so very well. There are snippets of online chats and emails between many, many people and they were so well put together. They didn't seem out of place, and in fact, without them, there would be a lot of missing pieces. I loved this new idea and its innovativeness (is that even a word?).
The Apples. George, Sharon, Benjamin and Ashleigh. Where do I begin with them?!
They were the epitome of family. Every single member of the Apples were so amazing. George, even though very quiet, portrayed the role of the kind of father that Taylor deserved to have. Sharon as well. Ashleigh was amazing. Her fangirling was on point! I could relate to her so much that in the end, she became one of my top favourite characters of this series.
And, Benjamin. Love, I really wish you were straight and real.
Taylor's transformation as a person throughout the book was tremendous. It gives hope that people like Taylor can start a new life and there will people to love them.
Rating: 5/5
Recommendation: If you love sweet stories, with a heavy dose of reality, this is the one for you. But, really, just read it.
Happy release day to Becky Jerams!
I got an email from Ms. Becky a week ago asking if I wanted to read and review Could you Love an Apple? I almost immediately said YES! because, if you guys didn't know, I fell in love with her characters and her writing in Reasons to Love a Nerd Like Me . And when I found out that this book is the story of our not-so-loved Taylor, I had to read it.
And I was not one bit disappointed.
Could you Love an Apple? is such an amazing story. This story explores the life of a former bully, who was just scared of his father. To any boy, his father is his role model and disappointing him is the last thing that anyone ever wants to do. Starting a new life is herd, but when that new life is hidden away from one the one thing/person that scares you brings you some sort of an independence.
This book is written so very well. There are snippets of online chats and emails between many, many people and they were so well put together. They didn't seem out of place, and in fact, without them, there would be a lot of missing pieces. I loved this new idea and its innovativeness (is that even a word?).
The Apples. George, Sharon, Benjamin and Ashleigh. Where do I begin with them?!
They were the epitome of family. Every single member of the Apples were so amazing. George, even though very quiet, portrayed the role of the kind of father that Taylor deserved to have. Sharon as well. Ashleigh was amazing. Her fangirling was on point! I could relate to her so much that in the end, she became one of my top favourite characters of this series.
And, Benjamin. Love, I really wish you were straight and real.
Taylor's transformation as a person throughout the book was tremendous. It gives hope that people like Taylor can start a new life and there will people to love them.
Rating: 5/5
Recommendation: If you love sweet stories, with a heavy dose of reality, this is the one for you. But, really, just read it.
February 24, 2017
~3.5~
Cute story.
I adored Benji Apple he was such a lovely person
his age was mentioned in the story but if I didn't know any better I would have thought that he was much younger than Taylor.
Taylor was a little harder to like in the beginning of the story but he was really trying to be a better person .
I really loved the relationship between the Mc's it wasn't perfect but I still loved the 2 together.
it was nice to see Vincent & Scotty and the rest of the gang.
it was a nice story about Taylor' s redemption.
Cute story.
I adored Benji Apple he was such a lovely person
his age was mentioned in the story but if I didn't know any better I would have thought that he was much younger than Taylor.
Taylor was a little harder to like in the beginning of the story but he was really trying to be a better person .
I really loved the relationship between the Mc's it wasn't perfect but I still loved the 2 together.
it was nice to see Vincent & Scotty and the rest of the gang.
it was a nice story about Taylor' s redemption.
February 6, 2017
A nice touching story with loveable characters :)
February 9, 2017
A really great and vivid book and you will come to love all of the characters.
January 8, 2020
After reading Book 1 ( Scotty’s story) and the Christmas Special short, both of which I thought were wonderful, I was a bit disappointed with Taylor’s story. The whole theme of this story was Taylor’s redemption, his abandonment of his old toxic life to start fresh in a new town. But right from the start, he was just downright bitchy toward everyone. He kept on thinking that to keep his old life at bay, he had to keep people out of his life, but instead he just brought his toxicity with him.
His walls began to crack when he meets Benjamin, who for the most part, was sweet, goofy and lovable, albeit way over the top sometimes.
The story really took a turn downward when he begins seeing Benjamin. At that point, the story really started to drag because it seemed like every other page was Taylor and his self-flaggelation. Benjamin really must have some special vision if he was able to see through Taylor’s constant - and I mean CONSTANT - angry outbursts. It went on for way too many pages.
And oh how things got worse when Patricia and Imelda arrived on the scene. They were really over the top, but I really hated that the Apples tolerated their homophobic and elitist garbage because they were customers. BS! In the real world they would have been tossed out on their asses.
If I remember correctly, there were no intimate sex scenes in Reasons.... and ...Christmas Story. The author should have kept it that way in this one. The scenes were not hot or romantic, just very clumsy and left me with the feeling that the author hasn’t a clue was gay sex is really like. I truly hope that her source of info was not porn videos (like Taylor used). This whole business of it not being sex if there is no anal intercourse, and that if you are a bottom your are somehow less than a man,....UGH! That really drew me out of the story.
I truly liked the Apple family. They were all collectively a very warm loving bunch but, most importantly, they were very supportive of each other. I was surprised, however, to find out that Ashleigh was almost nineteen. Based on her behavior throughout, I really thought she was around fourteen.
Then comes the expected climax between Taylor and Alan. I found it rather predictable. But I don’t understand how they could carry on like that in the middle of the pub during a concert and didn’t stop the show. How big was the Inn?
The epilogue was kind of sweet but also long-winded, but again, the focus on the top/bottom issue really should have been left out. It did nothing to enhance the story.
In spite of this story not reaching the same level as the rest of the series, I still enjoyed it and would recommend it. I would also continue to read other works by this author.
His walls began to crack when he meets Benjamin, who for the most part, was sweet, goofy and lovable, albeit way over the top sometimes.
The story really took a turn downward when he begins seeing Benjamin. At that point, the story really started to drag because it seemed like every other page was Taylor and his self-flaggelation. Benjamin really must have some special vision if he was able to see through Taylor’s constant - and I mean CONSTANT - angry outbursts. It went on for way too many pages.
And oh how things got worse when Patricia and Imelda arrived on the scene. They were really over the top, but I really hated that the Apples tolerated their homophobic and elitist garbage because they were customers. BS! In the real world they would have been tossed out on their asses.
If I remember correctly, there were no intimate sex scenes in Reasons.... and ...Christmas Story. The author should have kept it that way in this one. The scenes were not hot or romantic, just very clumsy and left me with the feeling that the author hasn’t a clue was gay sex is really like. I truly hope that her source of info was not porn videos (like Taylor used). This whole business of it not being sex if there is no anal intercourse, and that if you are a bottom your are somehow less than a man,....UGH! That really drew me out of the story.
I truly liked the Apple family. They were all collectively a very warm loving bunch but, most importantly, they were very supportive of each other. I was surprised, however, to find out that Ashleigh was almost nineteen. Based on her behavior throughout, I really thought she was around fourteen.
Then comes the expected climax between Taylor and Alan. I found it rather predictable. But I don’t understand how they could carry on like that in the middle of the pub during a concert and didn’t stop the show. How big was the Inn?
The epilogue was kind of sweet but also long-winded, but again, the focus on the top/bottom issue really should have been left out. It did nothing to enhance the story.
In spite of this story not reaching the same level as the rest of the series, I still enjoyed it and would recommend it. I would also continue to read other works by this author.
March 3, 2017
(Originally reviewed for Love Bytes Reviews.)
I’ll be honest, I was a little hesitant about picking up a 546 page book, but then I remembered book one in this series, Reasons To Love A Nerd Like Me, and how much I enjoyed that one. I jumped on the chance to read and review this current installment, and boy am I glad I did. I really enjoyed it. It didn’t seem like anywhere near 546 pages. It went by so fast!
In Could You Love An Apple? we catch up with the bully from the first book, Taylor Raven, on his continuing journey through life. This current book could easily be read as a standalone, in my opinion, but I highly recommend both, particularly so you know the bullying background.
Taylor has moved on with his life since we met him in the previous book. He has now left home and his domineering and homophobic father behind and is going to school at a college in a very small, out of the way, town to become a tennis coach. His father and mother are still in the picture. His mother is secretly funding his apartment at school for him and providing funds for food and other necessities. When his father finds out… you know what will hit the fan. Taylor’s dad was a big time professional tennis star, and he demanded Taylor follow in his footsteps. But Taylor doesn’t want that life, and certainly doesn’t want the wife and 2.5 children route that his parents are waiting for him to take. His parents are certain he will get over this ‘gay nonsense’. He is a Raven after all, there are expectations.
Taylor hasn’t made any friends yet at school. He still suffers from self-worth issues from the horrible things he did when he was a bully. He has started frequenting an out of the way little run down pub on the outskirts of the town he is now living in. It just might have something to do with the ginger behind the bar, or more accurately in the kitchen of the pub. Benjamin Apple’s family owns the pub, which is struggling to survive.
I really enjoyed this book. Ms. Jerams wrote an interesting and fast moving story, and it kept me reading straight through. Her characters feel very real, as does the story. I wanted to reach in and strangle one of Taylor’s exes when they showed up. I’ll let you figure out which one it was!
If you’ve read the previous book in the series, jump straight into this one. If you haven’t, you can still jump straight in, but you will also want to read book one when you get a chance. I highly recommend them both!
I’ll be honest, I was a little hesitant about picking up a 546 page book, but then I remembered book one in this series, Reasons To Love A Nerd Like Me, and how much I enjoyed that one. I jumped on the chance to read and review this current installment, and boy am I glad I did. I really enjoyed it. It didn’t seem like anywhere near 546 pages. It went by so fast!
In Could You Love An Apple? we catch up with the bully from the first book, Taylor Raven, on his continuing journey through life. This current book could easily be read as a standalone, in my opinion, but I highly recommend both, particularly so you know the bullying background.
Taylor has moved on with his life since we met him in the previous book. He has now left home and his domineering and homophobic father behind and is going to school at a college in a very small, out of the way, town to become a tennis coach. His father and mother are still in the picture. His mother is secretly funding his apartment at school for him and providing funds for food and other necessities. When his father finds out… you know what will hit the fan. Taylor’s dad was a big time professional tennis star, and he demanded Taylor follow in his footsteps. But Taylor doesn’t want that life, and certainly doesn’t want the wife and 2.5 children route that his parents are waiting for him to take. His parents are certain he will get over this ‘gay nonsense’. He is a Raven after all, there are expectations.
Taylor hasn’t made any friends yet at school. He still suffers from self-worth issues from the horrible things he did when he was a bully. He has started frequenting an out of the way little run down pub on the outskirts of the town he is now living in. It just might have something to do with the ginger behind the bar, or more accurately in the kitchen of the pub. Benjamin Apple’s family owns the pub, which is struggling to survive.
I really enjoyed this book. Ms. Jerams wrote an interesting and fast moving story, and it kept me reading straight through. Her characters feel very real, as does the story. I wanted to reach in and strangle one of Taylor’s exes when they showed up. I’ll let you figure out which one it was!
If you’ve read the previous book in the series, jump straight into this one. If you haven’t, you can still jump straight in, but you will also want to read book one when you get a chance. I highly recommend them both!
June 17, 2018
I read this soon after I read the first book, "Could you Love a Nerd like Me?" and I must say, this is an improvement across the board. I saw potential in the first and I thought I could give this a try. It was worth my time, I'm happy to say. Much of this review will be in comparison with the first novel.
The writing has improved a great deal. There is still a sense of mediocrity in that the writing never impressed me, but it doesn't make me pause or question anything. There are no "wow this is great literature" moments. It works fine. Considering the length of the novel, I think if it were too flowery then I'd have gotten sick of it, so it worked out.
The plot was also much more involved than the first book. I found Taylor the most interesting character in Scotty's story and I was pleasantly surprised to see this story was about him. So much more happens in this novel. There were no great stereotypes or cliches and I enjoyed the many complications which were constructed and handle well.
I must say, I did not always love Benjamin. This is a personal thing. I felt his speech and mannerisms were too flamboyant, or too old-fashioned. It felt at times that he was much older than Taylor and there was a sense of inequality between them. This was not always a bad thing, but there were certainly moments where I imagined him as a court jester. "My dear" and "darling" made me feel uncomfortable.
The section from Benjamin's perspective helped me understand his character a bit more. I felt it was tastefully done and important to the story, if a bit out of place. The entire book was written in third person focused on Taylor, and that one chapter was sudden and unique.
Taylor was a great main character though. There was a real sense of character development, even coming from the first book. I think his issues and problems were realistic and interesting to read, and they did evoke the emotions successfully.
This title seems to be a play on the first novel's title, although that one didn't make sense, so this one only works in context of that. Even then I don't think it's brilliant.
Still, this is a worthwhile read if you liked the first one, because it's a marked improvement.
The writing has improved a great deal. There is still a sense of mediocrity in that the writing never impressed me, but it doesn't make me pause or question anything. There are no "wow this is great literature" moments. It works fine. Considering the length of the novel, I think if it were too flowery then I'd have gotten sick of it, so it worked out.
The plot was also much more involved than the first book. I found Taylor the most interesting character in Scotty's story and I was pleasantly surprised to see this story was about him. So much more happens in this novel. There were no great stereotypes or cliches and I enjoyed the many complications which were constructed and handle well.
I must say, I did not always love Benjamin. This is a personal thing. I felt his speech and mannerisms were too flamboyant, or too old-fashioned. It felt at times that he was much older than Taylor and there was a sense of inequality between them. This was not always a bad thing, but there were certainly moments where I imagined him as a court jester. "My dear" and "darling" made me feel uncomfortable.
The section from Benjamin's perspective helped me understand his character a bit more. I felt it was tastefully done and important to the story, if a bit out of place. The entire book was written in third person focused on Taylor, and that one chapter was sudden and unique.
Taylor was a great main character though. There was a real sense of character development, even coming from the first book. I think his issues and problems were realistic and interesting to read, and they did evoke the emotions successfully.
This title seems to be a play on the first novel's title, although that one didn't make sense, so this one only works in context of that. Even then I don't think it's brilliant.
Still, this is a worthwhile read if you liked the first one, because it's a marked improvement.
March 25, 2018
A different story, different character, different life, different perspective. It's Taylor Raven's time now, and its time for him to tell his story. 19 year old Taylor left Havensdale, went to Westerfield, alone. Taylor's life has changed; ever since the incident with his father at his college, after that, he left. For good. We can see how hard for him to accept people inside, no matter how big the effort is, he will not let anyone enter his walls, never again. Not until he went to a pub called Apple Inn, and met the exact opposite of him, Benjamin Apple.
Becky Jerams never lost her touch; her capability to captivate the hearts of her readers. The Book is wonderful; Just like her first book, I experienced the same ecstatic feeling I felt before, and with that, I applaud Becky for that. I must say, the book is quite lengthy, but it is really, really worth reading! Taylor Raven made his time shine like no other, created a safe space, and corrected every wrongdoings he made in the past. Becky explained every perspective, each character's feelings, and its really really good to let the reader understand the story more.
Could You Love An Apple? is a book that will captivate your heart, give you a lot of butterfly in your stomach, and lastly, will understand who Taylor Raven really is.
To everyone planning on reading this book, I encourage you to read it. I promise you, it is WONDERFUL.
Becky Jerams never lost her touch; her capability to captivate the hearts of her readers. The Book is wonderful; Just like her first book, I experienced the same ecstatic feeling I felt before, and with that, I applaud Becky for that. I must say, the book is quite lengthy, but it is really, really worth reading! Taylor Raven made his time shine like no other, created a safe space, and corrected every wrongdoings he made in the past. Becky explained every perspective, each character's feelings, and its really really good to let the reader understand the story more.
Could You Love An Apple? is a book that will captivate your heart, give you a lot of butterfly in your stomach, and lastly, will understand who Taylor Raven really is.
To everyone planning on reading this book, I encourage you to read it. I promise you, it is WONDERFUL.
May 9, 2017
Woooooooooow!!!! I am so amazed by this second novel!!! This makes me so happy because there have been many times in my life where the second novel just wasn't the same as the first, this is definitely not the same for this series. I was just as intrigued with Taylor and Benjamin's story (Maybe even a little more ;) ) as I was with Scotty and Vincent's. Again the different personalities of each character and the flow of word choice and style is just phenomenal and it blows my mind!! I have such a hard time creating personalities for characters in my (attempted) stories that I can't comprehend the originality in each of the one's in this one and Becky's first novel, which if you haven't read, why are you here??!! Go read that one first!!! It will definitely be worth your time!! "Reasons To Love A Nerd Like Me" is the name, by the way. I honestly enjoyed Taytay and Benj's story and I'm sad that it has ended, I will miss their cute selves tremendously. The whole story had me on the edge of my seat and I literally didn't talk to anyone while I was reading it! Just with the first few chapters in, I was hooked. You really don't want to miss out on this book, trust me. Anyways, enough of my chitter chatter. Thank you so much, Becky, for again gracing me with your wonderful talents. You have amazing talent and don't let anyone tell you otherwise. :)
March 1, 2019
Taylor Raven is 19yrs old and starting anew (read book 1 - Reasons to Love a Nerd Like Me where he makes his first appearance). He's transferred to a school in the countryside where he's become a bit of a loner and have self exiled himself for his behavior in book 1. He deeply misses his friends and isn't open to making new ones. While looking for a quiet place he comes across The Apple Inn. There he meets the happy and friendly Apple family. Benjamin Apple and his sister go out of their way to try to befriend Taylor. At first Taylor just tolerates them but eventually the whole family wins him over. It's with them he starts seeing his world change but his past threatens his happiness and in the end Taylor isn't so sure Benjamin Apple (24yrs old) will be by his side.
I liked this as much as I liked book one. I was crying from 60%-maybe 75% of the book because it was just sad and heartbreaking how much pain Taylor was in and it carried through the story. I was happy that everything worked out and readers got to see Vincent and Scotty (of course Alexi and Olive too) in this story at times. I also liked that Taylor finally got some closure with his relationship with his father.
I liked this as much as I liked book one. I was crying from 60%-maybe 75% of the book because it was just sad and heartbreaking how much pain Taylor was in and it carried through the story. I was happy that everything worked out and readers got to see Vincent and Scotty (of course Alexi and Olive too) in this story at times. I also liked that Taylor finally got some closure with his relationship with his father.
July 21, 2017
3.5 stars!
I've never read the first book but I knew enough from reviews to get a feel of what had happened and where I would be heading off in this book. I lost some momentum midway but was determined to finish it and I was glad that I did.
I liked the characters (especially Ashleigh and Benjamin, the whole Apple family really) and the near silliness of the dialogue (in caps). However,
As for the villains of the story, they felt really one dimensional. And really easy to hate. Patricia was annoying and while Imelda seemed more clueless than genuinely bad, I cringe at her dialogue and actions. As for Taylor's parents, they seemed one dimensional to me for the most part but
The ending was a sweat HEA.
Overall, a good read.
I've never read the first book but I knew enough from reviews to get a feel of what had happened and where I would be heading off in this book. I lost some momentum midway but was determined to finish it and I was glad that I did.
I liked the characters (especially Ashleigh and Benjamin, the whole Apple family really) and the near silliness of the dialogue (in caps). However,
As for the villains of the story, they felt really one dimensional. And really easy to hate. Patricia was annoying and while Imelda seemed more clueless than genuinely bad, I cringe at her dialogue and actions. As for Taylor's parents, they seemed one dimensional to me for the most part but
The ending was a sweat HEA.
Overall, a good read.
March 11, 2017
3.5
Taylor has a rich, controlling father who has an agenda for Taylor, one that Taylor had been on board with until recently. Now, however, he’s moved to a small village and taken a job at the Apple Inn to get away from who he was and maybe head to who he wants to be. Because let’s face it, Taylor was a nasty bully in his past. I didn’t read the book before this to get Taylor in all his horrid glory but enough is told here to understand what he was like.
At the Apple Inn, however, he gets to meet, know and fall for Benjamin Apple, the son of the owners. Benjamin is a ray of sunshine. He’s such an optimist and he thinks the best of people. Including Taylor. I admit, Taylor can be a difficult character to like. He gets angry quickly and sometimes lashes out at the wrong people. He has a reason for it in his abusive father but it’s something that makes him difficult.
Trouble comes in the form of an ex-girlfriend and her friend, who show up at the Apple Inn for the concert Taylor has been planning, a way to revive the Inn. Unfortunately, the girlfriend, Patricia, is also a nasty piece of work and she causes trouble for Taylor. He doesn’t handle it well either. Patricia is an over the top villain and I felt it took away from the fact that Taylor at times really hasn’t progressed much past where he had been when he was bullying Scotty. There are times when Taylor actively seeks out Benjamin in order to inflict emotional pain on him and that made me pause. “Why are you being so pathetic about all this?” is his response when Benjamin has just come face to face with Taylor’s lies about his past. “Everyone I fall in love with seems to h-h-hate me. Is it me, Ash? Do I deserve this?” At times, I thought, yes, yes you do. Change and make it so you don’t.
I also had trouble with the whole scenario with Taylor and his father, because I felt he was being pushed to “make the first move” to reconcile with dear old dad and I didn’t feel that was right. He’s young, only 19, and his father is a homophobic bully who really should have stepped up first.
The secondary characters, especially Scotty and Vincent, provide a glimpse into what Taylor can be, they see it in him. I liked the tight knit circle of friends that Taylor is lucky enough to have. The Apple family themselves are also wonderful, loyal and protective of each other while welcoming Taylor in with open arms. Benjamin deserves the absolute best and I hope, although I’m not positive, that Taylor can be that for him.
Taylor has a rich, controlling father who has an agenda for Taylor, one that Taylor had been on board with until recently. Now, however, he’s moved to a small village and taken a job at the Apple Inn to get away from who he was and maybe head to who he wants to be. Because let’s face it, Taylor was a nasty bully in his past. I didn’t read the book before this to get Taylor in all his horrid glory but enough is told here to understand what he was like.
At the Apple Inn, however, he gets to meet, know and fall for Benjamin Apple, the son of the owners. Benjamin is a ray of sunshine. He’s such an optimist and he thinks the best of people. Including Taylor. I admit, Taylor can be a difficult character to like. He gets angry quickly and sometimes lashes out at the wrong people. He has a reason for it in his abusive father but it’s something that makes him difficult.
Trouble comes in the form of an ex-girlfriend and her friend, who show up at the Apple Inn for the concert Taylor has been planning, a way to revive the Inn. Unfortunately, the girlfriend, Patricia, is also a nasty piece of work and she causes trouble for Taylor. He doesn’t handle it well either. Patricia is an over the top villain and I felt it took away from the fact that Taylor at times really hasn’t progressed much past where he had been when he was bullying Scotty. There are times when Taylor actively seeks out Benjamin in order to inflict emotional pain on him and that made me pause. “Why are you being so pathetic about all this?” is his response when Benjamin has just come face to face with Taylor’s lies about his past. “Everyone I fall in love with seems to h-h-hate me. Is it me, Ash? Do I deserve this?” At times, I thought, yes, yes you do. Change and make it so you don’t.
I also had trouble with the whole scenario with Taylor and his father, because I felt he was being pushed to “make the first move” to reconcile with dear old dad and I didn’t feel that was right. He’s young, only 19, and his father is a homophobic bully who really should have stepped up first.
The secondary characters, especially Scotty and Vincent, provide a glimpse into what Taylor can be, they see it in him. I liked the tight knit circle of friends that Taylor is lucky enough to have. The Apple family themselves are also wonderful, loyal and protective of each other while welcoming Taylor in with open arms. Benjamin deserves the absolute best and I hope, although I’m not positive, that Taylor can be that for him.
February 25, 2017
Firstly, I just want to thank Becky for providing me with a copy of her book “Could You Love An Apple?” to read, enjoy and review.
CYLAA is the second book in a series of companion novels, it is considered more New Adult than Young Adult, it is a m/m relationship and it contains some fairly homophobic comments by some characters (if that is a trigger for you).
I have rated the book 4.5/5.
Here is a quick description for anyone that is interested:
“After a few difficult college years, Taylor Raven has decided to finally move away from Havensdale to the tiny village of Westerfield. The peaceful country life is exactly what he needs to get away from it all. However, he is incredibly lonely living by himself in the middle of nowhere and no matter how far he runs, he just can’t seem to escape the mistakes of his past.
As he struggles to find any kind of meaningful connection he comes across The Apple Inn – a pub run by a curious, slightly eccentric family who welcome Taylor into their world, particularly the kind and fun-loving son of the family, Benjamin. Can Taylor ever fall in love again when the one obstacle in his way is himself?”
So let’s start with Taylor. To put it simply, he was the main antagonist in the first novel in this series but it goes so much deeper than that. As an emotionally and physically abusive bully you wouldn’t think there was much else to him. But this is a story of redemption and a huge payoff for those moments of tenderness, angst and fear that were shown in the first novel. His journey in this book an internal one. How do you deal with the dreadful things you have done in the past? Even when everyone else has forgiven you, how do you forgive yourself? It’s not an easy or simple journey and he earns every good thing that comes his way.
The love interest, Benjamin, is selfless when it comes to his kindness and generosity – just one of those genuinely nice people that is so rare to read in books these days. He is funny without being offensive or at the expense of others and an absolute delight to read about. What I loved about the two of these people together is that their individual issues aren’t solved because they are together but because they show each other another way of being. It’s not a soppy, “Love can save everything” message, but one of personal growth when you surround yourself with the right people.
I loved the plot, storytelling and pacing. Although it is a story about personal growth and family troubles, it is still mainly a love story and this one gave me all the squishy feelings. It wasn’t a WHAM BAM THANK YOU MA’AM relationship, but one with a slow build and plenty of smooching and a couple of sexy times **wiggles eyebrows**. I like that it is all balanced with the relationship that Taylor has with his parents, friends and the new community and that the Apple family and the Inn’s problems play such a huge role in the story.
I think the only issue I had was similar to the issue that I had in the first book in that the “bad guy” was just way over the top. The character – Patricia – was just really…screechy. She just didn’t have another level (although there was some good insight into why she was acting the way she was). It was just tough reading a character that had no subtlety to their hatred.
I don’t think there is much more that I can say without giving away every single plot point in the book besides READ THE THING! If you love romance and cute boys being cute and angsty then this is definitely for you :)
CYLAA is the second book in a series of companion novels, it is considered more New Adult than Young Adult, it is a m/m relationship and it contains some fairly homophobic comments by some characters (if that is a trigger for you).
I have rated the book 4.5/5.
Here is a quick description for anyone that is interested:
“After a few difficult college years, Taylor Raven has decided to finally move away from Havensdale to the tiny village of Westerfield. The peaceful country life is exactly what he needs to get away from it all. However, he is incredibly lonely living by himself in the middle of nowhere and no matter how far he runs, he just can’t seem to escape the mistakes of his past.
As he struggles to find any kind of meaningful connection he comes across The Apple Inn – a pub run by a curious, slightly eccentric family who welcome Taylor into their world, particularly the kind and fun-loving son of the family, Benjamin. Can Taylor ever fall in love again when the one obstacle in his way is himself?”
So let’s start with Taylor. To put it simply, he was the main antagonist in the first novel in this series but it goes so much deeper than that. As an emotionally and physically abusive bully you wouldn’t think there was much else to him. But this is a story of redemption and a huge payoff for those moments of tenderness, angst and fear that were shown in the first novel. His journey in this book an internal one. How do you deal with the dreadful things you have done in the past? Even when everyone else has forgiven you, how do you forgive yourself? It’s not an easy or simple journey and he earns every good thing that comes his way.
The love interest, Benjamin, is selfless when it comes to his kindness and generosity – just one of those genuinely nice people that is so rare to read in books these days. He is funny without being offensive or at the expense of others and an absolute delight to read about. What I loved about the two of these people together is that their individual issues aren’t solved because they are together but because they show each other another way of being. It’s not a soppy, “Love can save everything” message, but one of personal growth when you surround yourself with the right people.
I loved the plot, storytelling and pacing. Although it is a story about personal growth and family troubles, it is still mainly a love story and this one gave me all the squishy feelings. It wasn’t a WHAM BAM THANK YOU MA’AM relationship, but one with a slow build and plenty of smooching and a couple of sexy times **wiggles eyebrows**. I like that it is all balanced with the relationship that Taylor has with his parents, friends and the new community and that the Apple family and the Inn’s problems play such a huge role in the story.
I think the only issue I had was similar to the issue that I had in the first book in that the “bad guy” was just way over the top. The character – Patricia – was just really…screechy. She just didn’t have another level (although there was some good insight into why she was acting the way she was). It was just tough reading a character that had no subtlety to their hatred.
I don’t think there is much more that I can say without giving away every single plot point in the book besides READ THE THING! If you love romance and cute boys being cute and angsty then this is definitely for you :)
August 28, 2017
I have not read this book but as far as the first book, it's currently on my Faves list! I would love to see what will happen to Taylor and Benj since the synopsis got me bloody curious! Too bad i cant make purchases on amazon :( Can someone let me know if theres any other way that i can read it? I'm halfway across the globe and without a credit card. I'm excited to read the novel about taylor and how his life will be.
November 18, 2018
I was here for the conflicting soul to find redemption and peace. Unfortunately, this book was at least 250 pages too long. The issues between the MC were laready there but bringing the ex-girlfriend was too over the top. Sometimes less is better and this story would've benefited of less. Much less.
July 29, 2017
Good Story but Needs Editing
This is a pretty decent novel, but the writing would benefit from a good editing. A number of common phrases have been mis-used, and some word forms are incorrect.
This is a pretty decent novel, but the writing would benefit from a good editing. A number of common phrases have been mis-used, and some word forms are incorrect.
March 6, 2018
LOVED this book read it and wept! This book was just a sweet story that will pick at your heart strings like it did mine 10/10 recommended read from me!!
August 8, 2018
This is the perfect sequel to “Reasons To Love A Nerd Like Me”. Brilliant job fleshing out the various characters personalities.
January 28, 2021
Second installment in the Love Story series. Loved reading this even more than the first one. Slay Becky Slay!
December 3, 2021
Great characters and character development, LGBTQ, very supportive
July 27, 2020
This is probably one of my most favorite books of all time, seriously.
In Could You Love An Apple you can clearly see the major improvements Jerams has made with her writing since book 1. It is such a smooth and beautiful read except for the parts where your squealing will interrupt the flow. Everything that could go wrong does go wrong but in a subtle way. It creeps up on you and sinks it’s teeth into your poor heart. Maybe you’ll even cry your eyes out.
I’m not as eloquent as Jermas or Olive so I really don’t know what else to tell you to make you read this (spectacular, genius, amazing, incredible) book. You just need to read it and thank me later.
P.S. I now have extreme writers envy because Jerams writes so beautifully and I am simply an amateur at the craft.
P.P.S I think Could You Love An Apple is due for a reread in the near future 😁!
In Could You Love An Apple you can clearly see the major improvements Jerams has made with her writing since book 1. It is such a smooth and beautiful read except for the parts where your squealing will interrupt the flow. Everything that could go wrong does go wrong but in a subtle way. It creeps up on you and sinks it’s teeth into your poor heart. Maybe you’ll even cry your eyes out.
I’m not as eloquent as Jermas or Olive so I really don’t know what else to tell you to make you read this (spectacular, genius, amazing, incredible) book. You just need to read it and thank me later.
P.S. I now have extreme writers envy because Jerams writes so beautifully and I am simply an amateur at the craft.
P.P.S I think Could You Love An Apple is due for a reread in the near future 😁!
November 13, 2024
I first fell in love with Taylor In Reasons to Love a Nerd Like Me. He kind of became real to me in this book and i cant wait for when the squeal will be updated. I miss those Thursdays. I'd give you infinity stars but we only have 5. <3<3<3
April 17, 2017
I loved this book because it was awesome to see how Taylor changed from the first book to this one. A great love story!
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