***ARC Provided by the Author***
How do you review perfection? What the heck do you say about a book that was just absolutely perfect? Do you talk about the characters and how much you liked them? Do you say you couldn't put it down? Do you say that books like this are the reason the author is one of your favorites?
I guess you start with that, by saying it was exactly what you wanted it to be...for all of those reasons.
There were no parts of this I would change, there was nothing that seemed out of place or out of character. It flowed, I didn't want to put it down. I was up way too late reading, and finishing this book was the first thing I thought of when I woke up this morning.
Dylan. I felt for him so completely. With his struggle, with the reasons for it, and with how heartfelt it was. A lot of times heroes in books have things that are keeping them from the relationship that is right in front of them, and often you find yourself annoyed that they are missing what is right in front of them. But Dylan and his story is different...you don't get annoyed, your heart breaks for him because he believes what he is saying, he believes that what he is doing is right, he believes that love isn't in the cards for him, that it won't work, and that Audrey is better off with someone else.
Imagine his surprise, and his angst (which the reader shares) when he realizes what we already know...that he is in love with Audrey. And, that he can't be with her because of those fears. he tries to ignore it, and then realizes that he really can't.
By that time, Audrey (and everyone else in his life, albeit in different ways) are calling him out on it, telling him that his fears are holding him back. But, and I won't spoil the "who" of it, he finally hears it from the person who actually gets through to him. And, isn't that just the way life works? You can be told the same thing 937 times, but there is always the one time, the one person, the one way of telling you, that you finally hear it. This scene is perfection...it's beautiful for it's raw emotional honestly and for how healing it is in a number of ways. This has to happen for them to get the HEA that we know is coming, but as is true about romance, since we know where it is going, it's all about the story and character development and the path the characters take to get to the HEA.
This book is told through Dylan's POV, and I think it is stronger for it. Audrey is fine with the age gap, with who Dylan is, with what he wants out of life, and the things he says he doesn't want in his future are things she is ok with compromising on (except loving him) so...the problem is Dylan, and it's really his book.
For someone who says she has a cold, back heart, Laurelin Paige sure knows how to write a compelling, angsty, beautiful romance...kind of makes me suspect she is secretly loving, kind, and a romantic. (Don't tell her I said that.)
I loved and recommend this book.