An emotional friends to lovers romance full of risky secrets and late-night lessons in seduction.
Dylan is my best friend, and the only person in my life who understands me. He doesn’t mind my social awkwardness or my weird history. The only glitch? He doesn’t know that I’ve been hopelessly, desperately in love with him since the first day we picked apples together in his family’s orchard.
But I know better than to confess.
Now that we’re both in college together, I’m seeing a new side of him. College Dylan drinks and has a lot of sex. None of it with me.
Until the night I foolishly ask him to tutor me in more than algebra…and he actually says yes.
But the cool morning light shows me how badly I’ve endangered our friendship. And I don’t know if anything will be the same again.
ADD TO GOODREADS
REVIEW: 3.5+ STARS
"I feel evil every time I notice her curves, or have the urge to taste her smile."
I have loved the True North series since the very first one I picked up. With each one, I've been lucky to fall in love with not only the characters, but the writing as well. Sarina Bowen is definitely an author I enjoy and this series sits high on my recommend list. Chastity and Dylan's story was all sorts of innocence and mistaken communication, learning and fumbling. It was also an exercise in patience as well as understanding....for me.
Once again, I'm reminded of how an innocent love can blossom in a seemingly improbable world. With me enjoying the angsty side of a story more than a sweet side, this one sat comfortably on the sweet seat. When I wanted to hurry it up and soak in their attraction and revel in their chemistry, they kept the pace slow and cozy and made their way that best fit them. Equally frustrating yet satisfying. But very important.
"In my heart I've always been a rebel."
Chastity had a very basic, almost rudimentary understanding of the outside world based on where she came from, so she was very innocent, but knew what she was feeling - I liked that about her. That strength in who she was and what she felt was liberating. She had an honest level of immaturity - and it fit for her circumstance, which allowed a lot of her curiosity to play out accordingly. I did have a hard time reconciling some of her naivety with her actions, but nothing that wasn't easily explained.
"Talking about sex is probably my fifth favorite hobby."
Dylan, my gosh - poor Dylan. His world held such a heavy breath that I wasn't too sure how he held his head up. I loved him. His actions and reactions all fit in accordance to his pain he held, which in turn explains how this whole thing went down. He is such a playful young man and I loved his demeanor and the way he carried himself in the world.
When they were together - FIRE. Their chemistry seriously rocked the pages. It was definitely a sweet, sweet romance with lots of reward and discovery between them, so that was very satisfying to read and it's what kept me in the book. I loved their story. but when they were not together or not having actual discussions....I was bored out of my mind. I hate saying that because I absolutely love her writing, but I just struggled with the lack of flair that the words carried throughout the first half of the book. This one felt more stiff. She usually has more of a 'lean' to her words; a more relaxed flow. I am not saying this was a forced narrative, because in the entire time I've been reading her, she has never once had a forced story, but it just felt more stiff. I love her voice, I love her canter, I love the way she writes. This one just felt different. I honestly loved their story and enjoyed watching them fall in love.
"Talking about sex is probably my fifth favorite hobby."
Dylan, my gosh - poor Dylan. His world held such a heavy breath that I wasn't too sure how he held his head up. I loved him. His actions and reactions all fit in accordance to his pain he held, which in turn explains how this whole thing went down. He is such a playful young man and I loved his demeanor and the way he carried himself in the world.
When they were together - FIRE. Their chemistry seriously rocked the pages. It was definitely a sweet, sweet romance with lots of reward and discovery between them, so that was very satisfying to read and it's what kept me in the book. I loved their story. but when they were not together or not having actual discussions....I was bored out of my mind. I hate saying that because I absolutely love her writing, but I just struggled with the lack of flair that the words carried throughout the first half of the book. This one felt more stiff. She usually has more of a 'lean' to her words; a more relaxed flow. I am not saying this was a forced narrative, because in the entire time I've been reading her, she has never once had a forced story, but it just felt more stiff. I love her voice, I love her canter, I love the way she writes. This one just felt different. I honestly loved their story and enjoyed watching them fall in love.
Communication, or the lack thereof, was a key source of frustration. While I can understand why it happens in this scenario, the noncommunication is overplayed and underwhelming and I struggled with it the most. It added a sense of *drag* to the story for me, which was difficult because I LOVE her words and they are usually alive with emotion. This one didn’t have that flair, and it felt pretty one dimensional but I will admit, this story took a tremendous leap around 66% and it was smooth sailing from there on out. I think the part that kept me going was the fact that Chass and Dylan had palpable chemistry. It was amazing when they were on the page together, talking or working together, because that electricity was alive and I couldn't stop soaking in their attraction.
This was a very slow, very paced read. I admit to having a hard time with slower reads, but I know that is solely a me thing. I need to keep in mind that this is truly their world and I’m just a visitor. So these two, they take things slower. Their pace in life is more relaxed and chill, so it would do me good to recognize that for what it is. And Sarina is good at giving me a pretty accurate read in a book. So the speed set aside, I really enjoyed their love story. The joy they gave me, the love they showed me, it all worked in the end and I walked away with a smile.
Bowen's words always dance and tell me a story, so even if this one seemed to lack her usual flair for me, it still worked. I’m not sure if it was a me-mood thing, or the actual writing, but it wasn’t as exciting. Not bad! I promise, but it wasn’t the norm for me. This is not a negative review by any means. It was so close to being a full 4 stars, but with the struggle from the beginning, it just made me sad. It's so hard to feel this way, especially when I loved the characters individually, and the story as a whole and have always enjoyed the author.
I loved catching up with the entire Shipley family, and seeing their dynamic play out over the pages was definitely a trip down memory lane. Putting all their stories together in the outline of this one was fun. The nice thing is, once again, she effortlessly tells a standalone story within a series and you are not missing a thing. Bowen's always good for a guaranteed entertaining story ripe with quality family time, lessons learned, and a love worth exploring. Oh, and I want Rickie’s story!!!
"Kissing her makes me feel wild."
~BEE
~BEE
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~MEET SARINA BOWEN~
Sarina Bowen is a USA Today bestselling author of contemporary romance and New Adult fiction from the wilds of Vermont.
The Ivy Years is her college hockey series. Centered around the hockey team at an elite Connecticut college, The Year We Fell Down began breaking hearts in March, 2014. There are three novels and a novella in the series so far. See http://www.sarinabowen.com/TheIvyYears for updates.
HIM is a bestselling sexy, sporty hockey LGBT novel co-written with Elle Kennedy.
For lovers of angsty snowboarders, Sarina also writes the Gravity series, featuring snow sports heroes.
Sarina enjoys skiing, coffee products and a nice glass of wine. She lives with her family, six chickens and more ski gear and hockey equipment than seems necessary.
She would be honored to connect with you at http://www.sarinabowen.com
~CONNECT WITH SARINA~
I'm a pretty big fan of friends to lovers. This sounds right up my alley.
ReplyDeleteI love this trope so your review has me eager to read.
ReplyDelete