Four Years Later (One Week Girlfriend, #4)

by Monica Murphy

[Cocktails and Books]

If you've followed the One Week Girlfriend series, than you know Fable's little brother Owen is a handful. He was a pawn in their mother's sick and twisted game to one up Fable, forcing the kid to become knowledgable in things now little kid should have to know about. We started to see things turn around for Owen once Fable and Drew's relationship solidified, but in FOUR YEARS LATER, we find out how much of a pawn he still is to his mother and her demands.

I could understand how Owen was stuck. He wanted the life that Drew and Fable were helping him carve out. He was working hard to have it. But he was also still a little boy who loved his mother, no matter what she said and did and no matter how much he wished she'd leave him alone. He took on a lot of responsibility when it came to his mom, especially hiding from his sister that she was back in contact with him. The guilt killed him and he started spiraling down a path that was not where he wanted to be, but couldn't seem to stop. But that all changed when he met his English tutor, Chelsea.

Chelsea had her own issues. She was the one who took on picking up the pieces of her mother after her father would tear her down and leave. It was a vicious cycle and one that was repeated. Chelsea didn't trust man people, but she really didn't trust men. Figuring they were all liars just like her father. Owen was doing a pretty good job of breaking down Chelsea's walls, until his mother proved to Chelsea that Owen wasn't different from her father.

Owen and Chelsea were broken, luckily not as broken as Drew and Fable, but they had a lot of obstacles to overcome to make their way to their HEA. If you thought Owen and Fable's mom was a bitch, we see a whole lot more form her that shoots her into the Wicked Bitch of the West stratosphere. Chelsea has her issues, but we find she's the stronger of the two and it's because of her that Owen is finally able to pull himself together. Very reminiscent of Drew and Fables story...without the World's Worst Stepmonster. It took an army to try and help Owen undo the years of "abuse" he suffered at the hands of his mother. You wanted him to be stronger and do it on his own, but he needed what Chelsea brought to their relationship. She helped him believe in himself, but to also realize it's ok to ask for help when you can't do it on your own.

Another great entry into the series and a perfect way to close out what started with One Week Girlfriend. As always, Monica Murphy gives us such great characters, giving them such depth and emotions that it's hard not to love them from the minute you meet them on the page.