*I was sent a copy of this book by the author in exchange for an honest review*
I was so pleasantly surprised by this book. It's a good, easy, casual read that I was able to finish basically within a day. There were some things I struggled with but it didn't take too much away from my enjoyment of the book.
The writing style was great. I think it was easy to start reading and it flowed nicely. The description of people was one of the best parts of the book. It was just the right amount of detailed to really give a vivid image of the characters, especially through the eyes of others. Emotions are also beautifully conveyed. The reactions and feelings that arise due to particular events feel realistic.
The only thing about the writing that wasn't particularly my favorite was something I really only noticed in the first chapter but I think it was important enough to take notice of: it really laid everything out for you. Including characters' past, problems, motivations, feelings. It was more of a tell, not show which I would've preferred to find out for myself through their actions.
The book is told in two perspectives, Ryan and Jenny. Particularly in the beginning/near the middle, I think these two perspectives helped really tell a well rounded story. I preferred Ryan's perspective but that might just be because I loved Ryan's character. I liked how straight forward and alluring he was. He was one of the best parts of the book and what really made it so fun to read. However, I think all the main characters were likable.
Near the beginning and middle of the book, I was so interested that I didn't put it down for hours. The romance is a very slow burn but that's what makes it so good! It makes it more passionate, more real. However, when you pass the halfway point and get to the end, I lost a lot of interest - but not in the romance, just the storyline. I took breaks between reading, which I didn't have to do before.
I attribute this lack of interest to the fact that its in the latter portion of the book where it starts to go into what was more of a subplot in the beginning portion, such as jobs, family, marriage, etc. I think any storyline that wasn't the romance blooming between Jenny and Ryan, didn't add much to the book. I would have preferred the subplot a lot more if it had zeroed in on their shared grief, which is only casually mentioned a few times but was so interesting and powerful and it would have been great to see explored more throughout the entire novel, not just a part.
This problem I had takes nothing away from the main focus of the book which is actually really compelling to read. That being said, I think a lot of the romance (which is the best part) was rushed afterwards and the irrational insecurity of the characters was off putting especially when it was both of our main characters.
The characters generally, though, are fun to read and it feels as if they are real people. The theme of family, found family especially, is always something I love to see in books and it is really portrayed cutely in this story. The very end was well done as well. It read the story like a love letter and it wrapped everything up perfectly and simply.
This book is definitely steamy and very much in the New Adult category, in my opinion. It has adult themes and talks about a few heavy subjects. Through this, though, I was really happy with how respectable it was when it dealt with morals and laws. Especially when this is an issue in other student/teacher type books that aren't handled as well as in this book.
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