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This kind of love deserves a second chance. 

Matt

I didn’t mean to come back like this. A bullet in my arm, a chip on my shoulder, and violent nightmares that transport me back to Afghanistan. My wife Olivia wants to help, but no one should see me like this. She needs to move on and forget about the man she married … He died in that desert half a world away. I’m nothing more than his shell.

But now I’m trapped with her on a couples’ trip, and I’m finding it hard to resist her warmth, her sweet smile, and her determination to fix what I broke—us.

Olivia 

One thing Matt may not understand about me is that I’m a fighter. He’s falling apart, and I have to step up. See, I made a vow to him that no bullet or nightmare can erase. I won’t walk away from him when he needs me the most.

Now I have one week to prove to him that what we have is worth saving. That’s he’s worth saving … whether he likes it or not.


Away from You is a sweet romance told from alternating POVs, set in the world of The San Diego Marines. Each book can be read as a standalone but are fun to read in order.

266 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 26, 2019

562 people are currently reading
518 people want to read

About the author

Jess Mastorakos

55 books707 followers
Jess Mastorakos writes sweet military romance books that feature heroes with heart and the strong women they love. She is a proud Marine wife and mama of four. She loves her coffee in a glitter tumbler and planning with an erasable pen.

Get a free novella from her San Diego Marines series, Forever with You, at the link below!

www.jessmastorakos.com/forever-with-you

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5 stars
434 (53%)
4 stars
217 (26%)
3 stars
126 (15%)
2 stars
29 (3%)
1 star
6 (<1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 97 reviews
Profile Image for Mandi Blake.
Author 43 books834 followers
November 4, 2021
I couldn’t wait for Matt and Olivia’s story, and it did not disappoint! There were so many layers and dynamics to this second chance, and I was glued to it from the beginning.
Profile Image for Aimee .
3,072 reviews298 followers
December 12, 2020
I didn't love this one as much as the first one but it was still good. Very drama lama. After seeing these two in the first book, this separation was hard. It made me a bit crazy. I'm enjoying this series though and I'll be on to the next book!
3.5 stars, rounding up
Profile Image for Melody Cox.
1,502 reviews180 followers
September 21, 2019
This was better than book one but I still wasn't thrilled with it.
Profile Image for Kate McMurry.
Author 1 book124 followers
June 25, 2023
Poignant reunion romance between young, military spouses

Matt and Olivia have been together since they were 14. They married when they were only 18, so that they would not be separated when Matt joined the Marines. They were blissfully happy until Matt was shipped to Afghanistan, where he was wounded in the arm during a bloody firefight instigated by betraying Afghan soldiers, who were living inside the US military compound. His best friend Brooks was wounded much more seriously than Matt and nearly died, but Brooks did not get PTSD as Matt did, which Matt has been ashamed about ever since. While living with Olivia after getting out of the hospital, Matt completely terrified himself when he abruptly woke from a gruesome dream, which was a reenactment of the battle where he was wounded, and instinctively leaped threateningly toward Olivia. Though she got out of the way, and he didn't actually touch her, Matt decided it was not safe for him to be around her, because he was convinced that he would inevitably harm her. As a result, for the past seven months, Matt has walked away from their marriage and had no contact with Olivia. Until the weekend getaway at the beach, where two other military couples, who are their closest friends, including Brooks and his wife, play matchmaker. They trick Matt and Olivia into staying simultaneously in the large, rental house that the three couples reserved months ago, before Matt left Olivia, in hopes it would get the two of them back together.

Matt and Olivia previously appeared in the book just before this one in this series, in which they were on the verge of getting married. They are an adorable couple, and this is a well-written, sex-free, reunion romance. It's not typical in "sweet," non-religious romances for the authors to even bother to motivate why two healthy, attractive individuals, who are on the verge of getting married, barely even kiss each other. In the case of this particular novel, the foregoing of sex between these two people, who are actually legally married and, by any moral standards free to engage in sex, is well motivated. Both Matt and Olivia refuse to restart their sexual relationship until they feel secure that Matt is truly going to give their marriage a second chance.
Profile Image for victoria_tonks.
314 reviews
May 12, 2021
For some reason, this part of the series did not work for me. It is centered around Matt and Olivia whom we met in part 1. Matt a Marine who is struggling with PTSD after having been shot on his last deployment, so it is definitely not a fluffy read. I do not know much about PTSD, so I have no idea how realistic its depiction in the book was. It might have been completely spot on for all I know - and if so, I am being unjust - but try as I might, I just could not feel much sympathy for Matt at any stage. I know a lot of reviewers here loved AfY and thought it was a truly satisfying emotional rollecoaster, but I was mostly either bored or irritated (sometimes both) for the better part of this novel. The couple's dynamics also seemed off - IMO Olivia got the short end of the stick, especially with . I just felt like she was giving, giving, giving and not getting much in return.

Anyway, I think I might return this part for refund and buy part 3 instead, because it looks like more promising.
Profile Image for Laura Danielle.
499 reviews6 followers
November 30, 2021
Amazing

I love the storyline. This series has me wanting more. I'm ready to see what is next for Cooper and Angie.
Profile Image for Kathy Jo.
778 reviews144 followers
November 26, 2020
Have you ever picked up a book, started reading it and instantly knew you were going to have the hardest time putting it down? Well, that's exactly what happened to me with this book. The only thing that stopped me from staying up all night reading was my kindle continually hitting me in the face every time my body drifted off to sleep. But, the moment I woke up this morning, you better believe I grabbed my kindle, curled back up under my blanket and picked up right where I left off. It was the perfect way to start my Sunday. 😊

Matt and Olivia have been together since their freshman year in high school. Their relationship was strong and they knew that when hard times came, they would be able to weather them together. Neither one of them were prepared for Matt getting injured in combat and coming home with PTSD. Words were said, trust was broken, and Matt's decision to end their marriage crushed them. But when your love is as strong as theirs and your friends know the only way to overcome this trial is by being together, you have to give it your all and trust that, in the end, it will all work out the way it should.

I knew from the moment I started reading this book that it would be an emotional rollercoaster. I found myself rooting for Olivia and Matt from the very beginning. They were young, barely starting out in their marriage, and were dealing with something that no one around them had ever gone through before. To say their journey was tough is an understatement. But it made them better and brought them closer together. I loved every single minute of this book! It's one I know I'll be reading over and over again.

There are several reasons why authors become one of my favorites. One of those reasons is their ability to take a very hard, taboo subject that no one wants to read about, and address it in a respectful way that has you opening your eyes and understanding, even if it's just a little bit, what others who are suffering with it may be going through. Ms. Mastorakos does an exceptional job writing about the hard stuff that most of us will never face in real life. PTSD is one of those hard subjects no one wants to talk about but that everyone should be talking about it. It's real and it probably tears more families apart than most of us realize. I've always had a deep respect for our military men and women and their families. But after getting a "behind the scenes" look into what they can and do face every day, my respect for them has grown even more.

I am absolutely loving this series! I've been in a bit of a reading funk lately but this series has completely captivated me and I don't want to do anything BUT read. I can already tell you I'm going to have a major book hangover when I finish this series. 😉

As for my casting... y'all... I'm loving these two! What do you think?

description
Profile Image for LUAYNE.
1,953 reviews4 followers
July 8, 2020
Good read. Thanks for writing a clean marine story. My son was a marine, so their language is colorful.
January 18, 2024
I was so excited about this trope, but unfortunately the writing wasn't all that great.
There were so many moments where the author missed opportunities to write good scenes, or when the scenes had a good set up but were executed poorly. 😞
One example of this was when Olivia helped Matt wake up from a horrible nightmare.... and then he immediately got mad at her because he felt like he was bothering her and getting in the way of her school schedules and exam... like, COMON... let there be one good, lovey-dovey moment! 🤦🏻‍♂️

None of the scenes were very satisfying and Liv and Matt's love story wasn't as good as I thought it'd be.

The writing was pretty cringey and I felt like quitting the book but I couldn't because I was already sort of committed.

All the characters other than Olivia and Matt are so pointless and annoying. The writing is just plain cringey.
I assume that the other couples in this book had their own book, their own story within Mastorakos' Marines series?
But like we don't care about them right now, reading this. And there were a few paragraphs talking about those other couples; I found it useless. 🤷🏻‍♂️

Matt's family sucks for disappearing from Liv's life while Matt was trying to separate from her. Just plain weird. 🚩 RED FLAG, LIV!

This book was very redundant with Matt talking to his buddies (them telling Matt that he is dumb and needs to get back with Olivia) and Olivia talking to her friends about how she loves Matt but that he's done with her. Olivia was not annoying in these scenes (her friends were), but why reiterate this ten times? 🙄
OOOOOO and Olivia's mom trying to hold her back from reconnecting with Matt and his family? What kind of crap was that? NARCISSIST ALERT!

The 3rd act break up scene was LAME, rushed, super short, unrealistic, and unnecessary. Give me a break.

This book was kinda slow and nothing rly happened... OH ALSO: I was SO excited for the fact that the author wrote this book with dual POVs as I am always so stoked to read the main male character's POV.... but Matt's chapters were mostly flat, uneventful, and filled with his boring, long war dreams.

Is it just me or is Matt a total whine bag?
I mean, he was so pick-me and was always crying.
This really would be fine if it was WRITTEN IN WELL! 😂
Again, just poor writing IMO.

I like that this book was clean, but it simply wasn't good. The ending was just MEH. I'm just done with these poorly done amazon Kindle romances. 🤷🏻‍♂️
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Erin.
690 reviews4 followers
January 19, 2025
I enjoyed this one even though it was a roller coaster of emotions.

Matt and Olivia have been separated for months after Matt got injured and has been dealing with PTSD. He doesn’t trust himself around Olivia so he leaves her. But a previously planned group couples week to celebrate Spencer and Ellie’s upcoming nuptials might be the key to getting them back together. A week of forced proximity, some meddling friends, and starting over like the last months hadn’t happened might finally get Matt and Olivia back together again.

This was such a sad yet hopeful and sweet book. I was sad that mills and Olivia weren’t together and to read how it all went down was sad as well but I think they needed it. Or at least Matt needed it to work on himself. He’s in a good place when they see each other again. But there was so much hurt with how he left her that their taking it slow and not jumping into things made sense. You just kept rooting for them. The fears and worries about trust made sense even if nobody loves reading about that in a romance. But it made sense here and the author gave us glimpses of hope and romance with this couple. It was a good read and I look forward to seeing them in later books.
Profile Image for Katie.
1,159 reviews24 followers
May 24, 2022
What I read: Away from You by Jess Mastorakos

Why I picked it up: I’m a sucker for a good series!! They don’t necessarily need to be read in order but they’re better when you do.

How I read it: On audio in a day at 2x.

What it’s about: Matt was injured on deployment and came home with a slight physical injury and PTSD. He decided it was safer for both of them if he left their marriage.

What I liked: I appreciated the look into deployment and marine life; a second chance romance is always a delight too.

What I disliked: While PTSD was discussed in the book, I think he “got over it” a little too quick for reality.

Genre: Closed door romance, military.

Rating & Recommendation: ⭐️⭐️⭐️ and as part of the series. I’m going to need to get Kindle Unlimited if I want to finish this series, so we’ll see if I ever do.
58 reviews
January 22, 2021
I loved this book just as much as the first in the series, back to you. I love that we are able to follow the characters through the many troubles and triumphs they face with each new book. The author does a great job in making her books for everyone. I am not a Marine wife not do I have any Marines in my family but there was not one second that I didn't understand what was going on. It gives a lot of insight into those suffering with PTSD and I feel I now have a better understanding on the hardships those suffering and those around them deal with. This book is serious, funny, sweet, and just overall a great read. I never hesitate reading a book by this author because they are all amazing and so hard to put down! 5 stars all day everyday.
Profile Image for Tara.
1,194 reviews8 followers
July 18, 2020
This is a page turner that will have you cheering for the growing relationship between Olivia & Matt. I LOVED everything about this book; the banter, the sweet swoon-worthy moments and the heartbreak that made me cry for them. The author tackles a subject (PTSD) that many don’t want to discuss, much less mention in a romance novel. PTSD is very real and needs to be talked about more. Shoving it “under the rug” only hurts everyone living with PTSD. Highly recommend this series, story, and really all of this author's work, because every story sucks you in. Each story highlights the importance of strong friendships as well as strong romantic relationships, and I LOVE that particular theme!!
17 reviews
December 19, 2020
Passable ?

Good .... "fairly clean" romance. Several Innuendos close to curse words. Story shares some issues about PTSD and couples getting married too young....especially Military couples that are apart MONTHS at a time.
W/O giving spoilers the story mostly surrounds a Marine with PTSD and is struggling with his health and young bride.
BAD...story dragged at times and I almost gave up several times.
SOME "young" (teens- mid 20's may find it appealing, I myself will pass on her other books. Just not my style of book.
I "think" I received a Free/inexpensive copy, and for that I am grateful...but otherwise, I would pass on these books. Better stories out there !!
Profile Image for Linda.
1,175 reviews25 followers
May 3, 2020
This was a very entertaining book and I enjoyed it a lot. It was interesting that the H with PTSD was so clearly described. It also highlighted that it was not the length of exposure to the stressor or the severity of the injury that was inflicted (sometimes it could be emotional) that could result in PTSD, This part was well done. There were instances where I was jealous of the closeness of the friends and their relationship and willingness to have each others' back that was envious.

Nice story with characters you care about. Well done.
Profile Image for Shebb.
775 reviews
September 22, 2020
Another page-turner from Jess Mastorakos.

A tear-jerker of a story, this one hit me for a six from chapter 1. After loving Matt and Olivia in Spencer and Ellie's novel, I felt shell-shocked by the change in their relationship. I was like, 'What the heck happened since I finished the last book only yesterday?!'

What a grueling journey they had to get through. Just... wow. Believable writing, emotional highs and lows, tears, angst... the works. A wonderful read... now I can breathe again. 😊
52 reviews
June 29, 2020
I happened to start with book 4 and loved it so I went back to the beginning of the series.

In this book I appreciated how they showed that marriages are work and the challenges of being a military couple.

I can't imagine how hard it would be for both of them to deal with the emotional trauma of a shooting. They each had a side and needed each other.

I would love to hear more of their story and we might in later books?
Profile Image for Heather Green.
Author 9 books11 followers
July 28, 2021
This one was just so so

This one was just ok. I feel like I should have had stronger feelings about it because it dealt very well with PTSD and deployment and how difficult it is on a marriage. But it didn't make me feel more than mild sadness. I wasnt dying for more when I had to put it down for a while. And that says something. Hopefully the next one will bring it more emotion. It's clean with some innuendo between married couples.
Profile Image for Jill.
840 reviews11 followers
December 13, 2024
Olivia and Matt are childhood sweethearts and married right after high school when he joined the Marines. They don’t want to become one of the statistics of failed marriages, but the PTSD he acquired after being shot in the arm in Afghanistan just one month into his first deployment has been hard on both of them. Their couples friends are conspiring to keep them together, but there are so many obstacles in their way.
Profile Image for Susan Swiderski.
Author 3 books40 followers
July 10, 2020
This was an okay read. It's a sweet second chance story of a marriage torn apart by PTSD and how the couple... with the help of their friends... managed to find their way back to each other to face their problems together. The depiction of PTSD was a bit simplistic, but this is still a fairly enjoyable read. (Beats watching TV!)
135 reviews
July 20, 2020
Hopes for getting back together.

A great story. Great characters, especially Olivia and Matt. As much as they wanted to be together, they had to be patient and work through things and let their friends help them which was part of the story and sometimes funny. You will like it for sure. Enjoy.
725 reviews2 followers
September 20, 2020
Restores faith in reconciliation

In the first book about Spencer and Ellie, you get to know the strong love foundation of Matt and Olivia. This book spot lights the tragedy of combat resulting in Matt's physical injury complicated by PTSD and the negative impact upon their marriage!
125 reviews4 followers
November 28, 2020
Enjoyed this sequel

The main characters are marines and the story is about the friendships that are formed and the loved they share outside the service. The author did an excellent job of interweaving their lives to arrive at the wedding of best friends. Thoroughly enjoyed this book.



778 reviews20 followers
November 30, 2020
Sweet second-chance read

This was a sweet read! I enjoyed getting to see Olivia and Matt come together in the first book, it was rewarding to watch them struggle and come together again. This was a sweet and clean read, I'd rate it PG for kissing and some thematic violence, as well as Matt's struggles with PTSD.
9 reviews
March 5, 2021
Wow I love Matt & Olivia’s story! Such a wonderful book showing how things aren’t always perfect and how sometimes you have to be able to work through things together to grow as a couple. I loved seeing how Matt dealt with his PTSD and how he learned to grow and work through.
I also love that we got to see more of Spencer & Ellie, and meet Brooks & Cat
2,537 reviews
December 7, 2021
free ebook
they had broken up when he came home with ptsd. he thought he would hurt his wife and didnt trust himself around her
but she wanted them back together and with the help of their friends, having the two of them show up for the pre wedding trip of one couple in their group, they did get back together
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Katie Marie.
493 reviews
June 24, 2023
Away From You was everything I wanted it to be!! Seriously so good. Matt had a lot to deal with and it broke my heart seeing all he struggled with. I loved how even when he and Olivia were separated you could tell they were meant to be together. They connected so well and I loved watching them fight for their marriage!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 97 reviews

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