Jake Harris has spent four years regretting the night he let her get away. When she finally reappears in his life, he is determined to win her back and prove how much he’s changed. She might never forgive him for that night, but if he tells her the truth about what really happened it will shatter the world she thought she knew. If he doesn’t, he might not get a second chance. He’s already lost her once and he won’t lose her again.
They come from two different worlds that are threatening to tear them apart…can they make it this time around?
This book was a really fun find. It was light and hopeful. I was drawn to it because of the country-looking cover. And I about fell over when I read the synopsis. Hello, life (or what could very easily be my life). I thoroughly enjoyed this quick read and I found a lot to relate to. While the lack of conflict was very apparent, it was nice to kind of sit back and just watch a relationship unfold. There's some serious swoonage in this story.
Nora and Jake's story seemed like a mash-up of The Notebook and Sweet Home Alabama. Which wasn't always a good thing. Sometimes it seemed like moments were taken right out of those stories. Like a moment in the rain after getting caught on the boat and the fact that she left her southern home to be something in New York, which makes him feel like he needs to have something more to offer her. But if you don't think about it too hard, those similarities aren't so hard to get around and I found that I still enjoyed reading it.
I loved the Nora and Jake's relationship, but it lacked the kind of conflict that makes a riveting story. Any issue they had seemed resolved too easily - or like not much a conflict at all. They had this event that had come between them and broken them up just before Nora left for New York, but that is quickly brought to light and resolved. There's also an obnoxious girl who keeps trying to "steal" Jake, but she's never a real threat and I almost wish she had been. Just for the sake of the story. I mean, if this was real life, all this would be great, but without the conflict to build tension it was all just easy and sweet.
The thing is - I'm just a sucker for a good country boy. And Jake is pretty awesome at being just that. Even better - he always seems to know the perfect thing to do and he's always saying the right things. I actually really liked Jake and Nora's best friends, too. Jake and Nora come back together because their best friends are getting married, and that was a really great little side story in the book. I love that they all hang out together still and their group dynamic is great.
This is definitely a new adult book I'd recommend if you want something lighter that will just make you happy for a little while. And if you're like me and can't get enough of the country boys, then Jake is a good one to get attached to for a bit.
