From bestselling author, Lisa Shelby comes the second installment of the 5-star You & Me Series with the conclusion to Jonathan and Emily’s heartfelt story. Secrets and second chances abound in this contemporary romance series you won't want to put down. Find out why readers say this series keeps getting better and better with each book. All four books are AVAILABLE NOW!
You & Me: Part Two
We had one perfect week. Then she walked away, and I shipped out.
Five years is a long time to wait for a second chance. I imagined seeing her again about a million times. I just never expected to be drunk in a crowded bar when she walked back into my life.
Both of us have changed, but she’s still keeping secrets, and I’m battling demons of my own. All this time, she’s had the pieces of my broken heart, but this time I’m not letting her walk away without a fight.
Lisa Shelby is a USA Today bestselling contemporary romance author, a self-proclaimed love geek, and cake-pop addict. Born and raised in the Pacific Northwest, this is still where Lisa calls home with her husband and their dogs. When she isn’t writing her next happily ever after, you can find Lisa with her husband traveling, listening to live music, and living their new empty nest lifestyle while pretending they aren't wishing their son would call or drop by every day.
Blurb: Jonathan Kelly had planned for a week of fun with the boys before heading back to Afghanistan. He never expected to fall in love.
Naturally beautiful, and funny, Emily wasn’t like any woman he had ever known. She brought a smile to the face of everyone that met her. To Jonathan, she was perfect. Pure light. He knew the day he met her that he had met the only woman he would ever love.
Emily Jacobs wasn’t prepared for Jonathan to walk into her life. She wasn’t ready to have this man rock her to her core when nearly every other man in her past had been such a disappointment. The instant connection she felt with this handsome, kind Marine was unlike anything she had ever experienced.
Emily wants nothing more than to give herself to him, but can she get past the barrier that could keep them apart?
She has a secret so big that she’s sure it will shatter everything they have together; this rare connection that they’ve forged in just one short week.
So Emily is left with one of the biggest decisions of her life.
I am a former Marine and a long time Police Officer. My best friend recommended this book to me and was I was able get an ARC copy in exchange for my honest review. I am not much of a reader but I read this book in two nights. All 400 plus pages of fun, steamy, sad, traumatic, sweet, hot, suspenseful and a true love story.
I would have never guessed that this was Lisa Shelby's first attempt at a novel. The book got me from the beginning and I just could not put it down.
The story of Jonathan and Emily really got me with feels - I adored their beach vibe and chemistry, the first 30%...or what they called Part One. I even enjoyed the ride it took me on through the middle of the book as everything was rekindled, because they really were perfect for each other. But overall this story was way too long and drawn out. Took 90 too many turns and reconciliations and oh the guilt layers on top of layers - what I thought was going to come in at an enjoyable 4 stars at 50% ended at me feeling 2- 2.5 rounded up - it slogged badly and I skimmed way too much and still got too much of the story!
Called part 2 but is actually the full original story that was published back in 2016 - at least the copy I downloaded has part 1 and 2 in this part 2 book. I did not need to read You and Me part 1 because that was in this book -so that's my housekeeping report! Also Part 3 and 4 to continue on with some of the other characters - but I am passing...and I own them on kindle already
Lisa Shelby, wrote this sweet yet emotional second chance romance book that kept tears in my eyes and me turning the page. This was in of the most emotionally satisfying books I have read in a really long time!
(Thanks to the author for providing me with an ARC in exchange of an honest review!)
Oh my God.
I don't know what to write, I'm absolutely speechless! This book was so damn amazing!
Georgia and Gracie were both the awesomest characters ever! I fell in love with both of them (and cute little princess Ireland too) in You & Me!
The writing style was awesome, the dialogues witty, catchy and sweet! And the storyline? Absolutely awesome!
I've always had a thing for a book portraying a character who's been hurt, and yet who's stronger than ever, or so they think. And I gotta say, this book was just the best one of them! <3
I wish I hadn't had to wait so long in order to finally see them together, but it was totally worth the wait! <3
So yep, I absolutely loved You & Me and am looking forward to reading the rest of the series!
This had the potential to be a good second chance love story, but it was unnecessarily long. I love second chance love stories and the secret in this one was one I had never read before. Jonathan and Emily met on vacation and fell in love. It was really bad timing for Emily though and while Jonathan knew where she lived, he didn't even know her last name. She purposefully did not give him her last name or phone number. 5 years later he moves to her town and they run into each other. She reveals her secret of why she couldn't get involved with someone before. Could he deal with it? Could they work things out? It was a great story line. Then there was too much added drama. She had issues at work. Then he had issues at work. I ended up skimming the ending because there was just too much for one story in my opinion. This is the author's first book so I actually am looking forward to reading more from this author because of the unique story line this book had, aside from the extra drama.
When Emily agrees to go on vacation with her girlfriends she never expected Jonathan a guy who was gonna serve in Afghanistan in a week. She and Jonathan hit it off right away and Jonathan is hoping he will have Emily to come back to but she refuses to commit or even tell him why. Five years have passed and Jonathan has lost a lot in his life but when the woman of his dreams walks back in the bar and kisses and hugs his fellow coworker Mick he sees red. When Emily sees him and comes to say hello he is very stiff with her not the same guy she knew and she feels really bad. Eventually she and Jonathan are in the same vicinity and she gets a chance to explain herself and try as he might he begins to soften towards Emily. This is a story of a lot of ups and downs and heartbreak and I felt myself tearing up sometimes but reading the struggles they both had really made this story stick with you I just loved it! Reviewed on behalf of Once upon an Alpha
Well I can honestly say I can't remember how I came across this book as it was in my never-ending TBR list, but it was a recent one as it was at the beginning of my list.
I am soo glad to have started this as I loved the book. It also helps that it takes place in my hometown of PDX and I knew a lot of the places that were mentioned.
I loved the story of "Georgia" and "Gracie" as it tells of how you find that one true love even when you are not looking for it. Emily and her BFF's take a trip to SoCal in hope of taking her mind of how her life was about to change in a drastic way. Jonathan and is buddies are spending their last week of freedom before being deployed to the war zone for a 9 month stint.
Emily was guarding her heart from the heartbreak she has seem throughout her life and didn't believe in love, but a chance meeting at a local bar with a very handsome Marine with dimples and she was a goner. Soon they would be spending all of their free time together getting to know each other.
I can't wait to read the next book in this series!!!
What a remarkable way for someone to start their writing career! This debut book is nothing short of fabulous and filled with so many emotions. There are times of sorrow and anger as well as laughter and love! Not only a romantic love that can withstand hard times and the test of time itself, but also that love of true friendship. The characters old and young bring you so much joy, laughter and happiness that you are invested from start to finish. With tears in my eyes, laughter in my chest and love in my heart, I read this book and loved every minute of it! It is a story that truly touched every inch of me and I am so honored to have got to read it:)
You & Me is the debut book from Lisa Shelby. All I can say is wow. This book blew me away with the writing and story of love and second chances.
Jonathan was on a week long vacation with his friends before heading out for his next tour. Emily is on a getaway with her girlfriends to forget about the hurt she is feeling. When fate brings these two together, even for the short week, they decide to take a chance and throw caution to the wind and take advantage of the time they have together. What they didn’t expect was to fall hard for each other. But the timing for both wasn’t there and when the week ended, so did their relationship.
Fast forward 5 years. Jonathan has finished his tours and is now a police officer in Portland. Once again, fate has brought these two back together. Could they rekindle what they had 5 years ago? Do they want to? Both have secrets that need to be shared. But will these secrets make or break them.
This book had me from the first chapter. The relationship between Jonathan and Emily is one most people would wish for. They have their ups and downs and setbacks but they persevere through it all to get back to where they started. The book is long, but every page keeps you wanting more and hoping for Jonathan and Emily to have their HEA. The story was so well written I hated to stop reading. But eventually I had to sleep. So thank you Lisa Shelby for an amazing debut novel. I can’t wait to see what more comes from you and this series. Congrats!!
This is a true love story like the ones I fell in love with. The only difference is the adult version added. Thank you for sharing. A must read people.
Really good book! I enjoyed reading Emily and Jonathan's story. This was well written and loved both characters. I even bought the box set so I can read more from this author.
Really good book! I enjoyed reading Emily and Jonathan's story. This was well written and loved both characters. I even bought the box set so I can read more from this author.
Wow-- quite the saga!! An amazing love story -- two people meant to be together. Throw in an adorable 4 year old and it's just a great story. A few spelling/grammar errors, and maybe a bit too long, but overall definitely worth reading!!!
You know a book has sucked you in when you think you are getting to the end of the story but you are only really 25% in. However, at 25% in I wasn't sure my heart was going to be able to handle anything that might have been coming - which I still at that point had no idea what was to come. Did I need to grab a box of tissues or not? Jeez...such an amazing emotional ride.
Let me start off saying that I am in love with everything that is Jonathan. If a perfect man could exist I think he would be the epitome of one. I just couldn't get enough of him - he is sexy, romantic, bad@ss, protective, caring, and so much more. Oh and did I tell you he is a Marine. Totally swooning over him. #ClaimingJonathan
Then you have Emily. Who you also can't help but fall in love with. She has been hurt (but we don't know what or who has hurt her) and we follow her journey to ultimately finding herself again. To me she was courageous, strong, loving, quirky and more. My heart broke for her because I could feel that she was hurting and I didn't know why or understand why she was doing some of the things she did.
Emily and Jonathan meet while they each are on vacation with friends and what ensues there after is a whirlwind romance that involves some heartache but with it comes growth. I really don't want to dive further into the story - it will spoil the experience for you. Just know that Fate plays a huge role in You & Me and you have to also have Faith in the book as you are reading it.
Lisa Shelby does an amazing job of showcasing the emotions of everyone throughout the book. Literally I was left holding my breathe time after time waiting for the other shoe to drop. The book has angst, drama, suspense, heartache, heartbreak, love, lots of awesome and hot sexy time and sweet moments. I just couldn't get enough of it. I truly enjoyed You & Me and can't wait for the next book.
This book was everything and more to a reader. I am a total sucker for a second chance love story.
Emily meets the handsome Jonathan on a last minute girls trip. She is struggling with her new circumstances and tries really hard to avoid Jonathan. However, this sexy Marine with the swoon worthy dimples is hard to resist. Jonathan is persistent and convinces Emily to spend the week with him before he deploys to Afghanistan and she returns to school and her crazy circumstances. Due to Emilys past, its difficult for her to totally trust Jonathan. She has felt the heartache of her fathers transgressions and her own. Needless to say she falls hopelessly in love with her "Georgia"! Jonathan treasures Emily and shows her true love, appreciation, devotion, loyalty, respect and honesty. He proves to be a great man and neither person was looking for love at that moment. However, fate intervenes. Emily and Jonathan cant resist the connection they feel and fall hard and fast. 9 days it took for Jonathan and Emily to embed each other into their souls. Emily cannot offer Jonathan more than those 9 days due to her new circumstances that she is forced to face when returns home. Jonathan is devastated that his "Gracie" is unwilling to trust him with her secrets and unwilling to give their love a chance. A chance meeting 5 years later is not the reunion either Emily or Jonathan expected. Both still feel a connection to each other but with the past and so many feelings and pain from the past, they have a difficult task ahead of them. These two beautiful characters both experience loss, life struggles and memories of when love was all that matters. Can these two find it in their hearts to move past the long time away from each other, or walk away from "the one" true love of their lives? Hope you bring your fishies, chocolate ice cream and your post it notes! Your in for one breathtaking love story!! 10 stars!!! **********
I read A LOT of book and I was totally blown away that this is Lisa Shelby's debut novel! She doesn't write like a "first-timer" (not a bad thing, just a few authors I've read had some "maturing" to do)! She has a bright future ahead of her as an author!!
The story starts off in 2010 when Emily is on vacation in San Clemente with, and because of Cami. Her life is in disarray and she doesn't want to be here, but Cami is her BFF and she'll do whatever for her. Samantha and Steph invited her and Cami for a week long stay. They go out to Ole's Tavern because it's Taco Tuesday (which apparently is a must do) and there are gorgeous men there. Although Emily isn't interested, the man with the dimples is pretty hot. She thought the dimples were over the top until she saw his gorgeous eyes! She's so in trouble! Mr. Hot Dimples with the gorgeous eyes name is Jonathan. The downside to him is he is only here temporarily,because he has a deployment to Afghanistan coming up soon. So, they spend that time together. They get to know each other and she's so falling for him. But, she has a secret that she can't/won't share with him that is life changing. But, what will happen once Jonathan returns from Afghanistan and sees her five years later?
This book had me captivated from the beginning! I loved the characters, they were amazing and so believable! The scenario was perfect (sex scenes were hot) and I loved the twists that were thrown in there, as well as the suspense! The details were spot on! Although this is a rather long book, I feel like every detail written was needed to add to the charm of the story and it wasn't unnecessary words to fill up pages...great job!! This was an amazing story and in my opinion, a must read! I look forward to reading more by Lisa Shelby!
I was given an ARC in exchange for an honest review and I have to say, I was amazed to realize this was a first time author! She makes it look WAY easier than I know it is.
You & Me, her debut novel (obviously!), had me straight from the start. The second Emily meets Jonathan Kelly (don't worry ladies - that's like page 3!), you swoon a bit. He is made of YUM. He also defies the perception that chivalry is dead. Nope. Not with this one. You'll totally wish he was REAL.
Anyways, back to the review (he's totally distracting - you'll see). Lisa Shelby does an amazing job at setting her scenes in the book and it's super obvious that she has done her research! If you're a research geek like me, I'm talking little things like menus for restaurants that exist in real life all the way down to the day that Memorial Day falls on in 2010! And while she's incredibly attentive to detail, it never distracts from the story of Emily & Jonathan.
I won't spoil the ride for you, but there are quite a few surprises, twists and turns that will have you literally feeling things for these characters. You'll be biting your nails. You'll be scowling. You'll be swooning. You'll be tearing up. You'll be thinking about them when you're out and about until you can get back to their story to see what happens. Or when you see a cake pop. Or chocolate ice cream.
Right. No spoilers. Give it a go! You won't be sorry that you did!
Wow. I can't say enough about this book. I love second chance books and this was over the top. Meeting someone and feeling that instant connection is like a once in a lifetime occurrence. Well Emily and Johnathan got it hands down. Johnathan fought it tooth and even though she knew she had those feelings. She gave into them for 1 week. Johnathan was leaving for a tour in Afghanistan for 9 months and never thought he'd meet the "one" what bed timing, but he his feelings for Emily couldn't be denied. Emily was in a horrible situation and couldn't involve anyone let alone someone she loved because she herself didn't know what she was going to do. She gave him 1 week. She gave her heart 1 week. It was the best week of her life. What she did she did for both of them. What happens when you can't get the answers you need? What happens when fate brings back the love of your life? Can love overcome everything? Life always throw you curve balls that make you hurt on so many levels. Well I can't give you these answers. It is all so intertwined I would give it away. Just know you need to give it a try. I read this book voluntarily fir an honest review because it attracted me on a certain level and wasn't disappointed the least. Enjoy!
Written in dual point of view, You & Me: Part Two picks up Jonathan and Emily’s story five years after their one perfect week in the first book. On paper, this should have been an emotional second-chance romance, but for me it struggled to land.
I found it hard to connect with the characters, as so much of the first half of the book circled around the same point—lamenting about how much time had passed, then repeating it again and again. After a while it grew tedious, and I ended up skim reading just to push through, hoping it would get better. The character development felt limited, even with the side characters who might have added more depth to the narrative.
The saga that was supposed to bring Emily and Jonathan back together felt half-hearted and under-developed, and even when the ending approached, the happily ever after took far too long to materialise.
Final thoughts: While the dual perspectives offered glimpses into both hearts, the execution didn’t pull me in. The book could easily have been condensed to half the size and been stronger for it. I read Part One in March this year on my Kindle and borrowed this one in physical copy from the library, and I’m glad I did—they’re not shelf keepers for me. I’m really not sure if I’ll continue with the rest of the series.
Reading You and Me by Lisa Shelby was a wonderful way to spend a stormy weekend. The main characters Emily and Jonathan are those rare people who are truly meant to be together but life, insecurities, loss, and much more make their journey travel some rocky paths. The author brings you into their worlds with twists and questions that make you pour over every page to find the answers. The story brings out every emotion from unbridled happiness, anger, and even tragic loss. I never stopped pulling for them even though there were so many events that could derail their future together leaving the ending uncertain and fragile. The supporting characters were so well done and important to their journey and fate that they leave you feeling they are people you would love to know. The fact that this is a first time author is amazing and I hope there is much more from her in the future!!!
This is the most detailed book that I have ever read! While I was reading this book I felt so many emotions happiness, sadness, anger, and most of all I felt the love! Please get this book and read it! It's long but well worth the time it took to read it!
I fell in love with the authors writing and her characters from the first chapter. The author has a way of making you feel all the emotions of the characters and I could see it playing out in my mind. If you love second chance romance stories this book is one you need to check out. Looking forward to more books by this author.
After reading More by this author and loving that story so much, I had to go back and read You & Me. You & Me is a beautifully written second chance at love romance that will keep you up long past your bedtime waiting for the story to reach it's anticipated HEA.
Lisa Shelby is now on my must have one-click author list! I can't recommend her stories enough!
LOVE...Jonathan and Emily were wonderful together. I absolutely loved the beginning of their love story before he was deployed. When you know, you know! When they met up again it was magical! I thought the book dragged at times, but overall I freaking loved this book!! A great love story.