Suz @ Bookish Revelations
Written on Oct 2, 2015
My Thoughts Broken Down By Characters
Jenna is so totally my girl!crush and is exactly what I needed right now. She is a spitfire, feisty, courageous, and amazingly charming character all rolled into one. I love how she is tough as nails, but still vulnerable in all of the right ways. It makes her easy to relate to and interesting to read about. My heart totally went out to her, in dealing with an asshole shit-for-brains soon-to-be ex who wouldn't do anything that she asked him to do with regards to the divorce. Still, she persisted and it shows that she has great stamina and a tenacious grit. I could definitely relate to her throwing herself into her work, in order to try and forget about the dipshit that turned her life upside down and broke her spirit in more ways than one.
Sadie, made me giggle and blush all the way through the novel. She is the life and spirit of this beautiful novel in a lot of ways. I'm not saying that she upstages Jenna by any means, but this is a girl who is going through a different set of struggles all of her own. She really is facing a hardcore fear that the LGBTQ+ community and many other minorities are when it comes to rights and being regarded equal. Yet, she has this undeniable spirit about her that just makes me feel like there's a major possibility for change in the world around us. Both her and Darren, have woven their way underneath my skin and have found themselves residing in my heart in a number of ways that just touches me and makes me want to create a safe space for them and to stand beside them as an ally and friend in this fight for a better tomorrow. Each of them have their own story to tell and yet, they are an amazing booey for keeping both Jenna and Ethan grounded in a lot of ways. They bring out the best in the two of them.
Ethan absolutely makes me swoon in all of the right ways. He's got this amazingly hot southern swagger about him, that is just so damn charming it's unreal. It's not at all hard to see what Jenna see's in him and it's not hard to see how she can't resist his charms and southern wiles either. My heart nearly dropped and shattered for him, when he found out that while he had been spending the weekend away his father had been rushed into the hospital due to having a heart attack. I just wanted to gather him up in my arms and hug him to pieces. There was no reason for him to feel guilty for not being there, it's hard to see him with so much of the weight on his shoulders trying to sort through his own life and struggles. Yet, he lends himself to being such a fantastic brother, friend, son, and person for Jenna.
Overall Thoughts:
I loved seeing all of the characters from the past novels making appearances throughout this one, it just warmed my heart to see Quinn and Jonah. This book is so relevant to today's society and I love that it not only showcased a beautiful southern charming and soulful straight romance, but that it also tackled the issues that the LGBTQ+ community is facing now in terms of fears and struggles of coming-out when and where and to the right people. Stories like this one are very much needed, to give people someone with whom they can see a piece of themselves in and also to showcase just how much we all need to band together as human beings and be there for one another when fighting for equality and rights. This may not have been the main point of the novel, but it was an extremely powerful underlying one that was beautifully written and extremely moving.
The romance was scintillating and scorching and the setting of the novel made me feel like I was coming home. I can't lie, I got a small little thrill to know that Jenna, my tough as nails girl, was from Texas. In fact, she might just match me for southern sass and grit. lol. In a nutshell boiled down...MOLLI MORAN FREAKIN' KNOCKED IT OUT OF THE PARK WITH THIS ONE!
Disclaimer: I received a copy of this e-galley for beta review from the [a:Molli Moran|7543317|Molli Moran|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1415767173p2/7543317.jpg], in exchange for an honest and thoughtful review. I did not receive any monetary gain from this. I love reading and sharing my thoughts with other's on books. It is a hobby, not a job.