4.5 Smooches!
Synopsis
Sadie Vaughn knows all about heartbreak. Her heart is so fractured that she has walls built up around it thick enough to keep everyone out, which means at least she won’t get hurt again. When her roommate, Henley, takes her on a tour of her new campus, Sadie literally falls into the arms of a devastatingly handsome stranger. She tries to ignore the feelings that have been awakened in her, but when she meets him again, she realizes she’s losing the battle. To make matters worse, the brooding boy in the back row of her literature class stops her heart and makes it beat faster at the same time, even when he completely ignores her. She had all intentions of focusing on her studies and refusing relationships, but she finds herself in situations where she is unable to help herself. Her past may have created the fears, but now she must decide if she is going to face them.
Review
This review was quite hard for me to write, I loved the book but I don’t want to give anything away from the story. Although I felt that once you start reading it, one of the big parts of the story was obvious, I don’t want to give away what happens.
This book follows Sadie as she finally gains some independence from her mother and her past. Sadie wants distance from the things that cause her to build walls, but the problem is that the past doesn’t go away, it can’t be avoided forever. Sadie moves in with Henley, who herself is a character. We are introduced to Henley’s friends at the beginning, and also a mysterious man. Sadie soon finds herself being pursued by Gavin, the guy who literally catches her before she falls.
Gavin is cocky when we first meet him, but he soon becomes this sweet guy, who you can’t help but fall in love with. Gavin makes it clear from the beginning that he is after Sadie and he isn’t going to stop until she agrees to go on a date with him. Sadie is closed off though, but even she can’t pretend the pull between them isn’t there. Gavin will do whatever he can to make her give it.
“I’m going to fight for you.”
The second guy in this story is the dark and brooding Jamie, he is similar to Sadie, he is closed off and doesn’t want to let his guard down. Sadie isn’t sure that she likes the hot and cold feelings from Jamie, but something can’t stop her from wanting to talk to him. Jamie has secrets, he has a past he is trying to escape from as well. Jamie is always putting others feelings before his own, he likes Sadie but he doesn’t feel that he is the right person for her. All he can offer is friendship.
“You deserve a man who makes your heart race in all the good ways, who will not hesitate to do everything he can for you.”
Sadie is trying her best to bring down her walls, let her guard down and be happy, but she finds herself not being able to open up to anyone but Jamie. She tells Jamie all the things that she never told anyone. Jamie becomes her go to person even though she has started a relationship with Gavin. Gavin is such a wonderful person in this book and the first date that he arranges for Sadie is EPIC, I smiled throughout that whole scene of the book.
Just when Sadie finally lets her guard down a betrayal makes her question everything she knew and she runs straight to the person that knows her. Lines get blurred, feelings get hurt, pasts come back to ruin the present and all you can do is sit back and watch it happen.
I loved this book, it brings out all the emotions, I laughed, I got annoyed when she couldn’t see what was right in front of her and I even cried. There was a scene that just got me, it was emotional to read the feelings that were being shared. Well done Samantha Rey on a fantastic read.
“You’ll always be my favourite ‘what if.”
~Stacey
