Choosing You

by Allie Everhart

[Cocktails and Books]

3.5 Stars

This was a hard story to get into. Jade is a character that isn't exactly warm and fuzzy. She's closed off and does her damnedest to make sure no one gets close to her. But as the story progressing, we see the cracks in her armor. We see the scared girl who truly wants nothing more than for someone to love her for who she is. When those chinks started to appear, that is when I started liking Jade and hoped that she and Garrett could somehow manage to build a friendship.

Garrett and Jade meet on the first day she arrives at Moorhurst, her new exclusive, private college she's attending on scholarship. Despite Jade's sharp tongue, Garrett practically falls over himself to befriend her. Jade trusts no one and has a hard time believing Garrett would ever want to be friends with her. But Garrett has a way of wearing down Jade's defenses. Despite how she might act, she really does like him and she falls for his charms, even when she doesn't want to. Jade's attitude isn't the only obstacle they must face on their path to friendship. There are rules that Garrett must follow and they are rules he's willing to break to be with Jade, no matter the consequence.

Despite being less than happy with Jade, what kept me going with this story was Garrett. He was a cocky, funny and sweet eighteen year who could reel you in with just a smile (even through an electronic page). I liked how he was willing to push the boundaries with the rules he's forced to abide to in order to be with Jade. I loved the journal he gave to Jade as his way to apologize and kept hoping he'd be able to turn his back on the society life he's always lived for his family in order to find his own happiness.

The ending is a bit of a cliffhanger, but the remaining three books in the series are out to jump to next.

This was a good read, over a couple of hours. It was earth-shattering or overly emotional, but sometimes those books are just what you need.