ARC, 342 pages
Release Date: April 15, 2014Published by: WalkerStand-aloneSource: Around the World ARC ToursFor fans of: Contemporary, Chick-lit, Hot Literary Guys, Romance, Realistic Fiction, YAAfter breaking up with her bad-news boyfriend, Reagan O’Neill is ready to leave her rebellious ways behind. . . and her best friend, country superstar Lilah Montgomery, is nursing a broken heart of her own. Fortunately, Lilah’s 24-city tour is about to kick off, offering a perfect opportunity for a girls-only summer of break-up ballads and healing hearts. But when Matt Finch joins the tour as its opening act, his boy-next-door charm proves difficult for Reagan to resist, despite her vow to live a drama-free existence. This summer, Reagan and Lilah will navigate the ups and downs of fame and friendship as they come to see that giving your heart to the right person is always a risk worth taking. A fresh new voice in contemporary romance, Emery Lord’s gorgeous writing hits all the right notes.
*MY THOUGHTS*
Reading the synopsis of this and all the promo items they featured for it (like the amazeballs book trailer) I was expecting this to be another womance. Although it did feature one that I really liked, it was about much more than that. It was a romance, a womance, a road trip, and heartbreak all rolled into one. And I loved it.
“‘Ain’t no pain in my alone.“
pg. 15 (ARC)
First I want to start with the characters. The MC Reagan got on my nerves sometimes. I understand she was a little broken, but sometimes she went over and beyond. I wanted to punch her a couple of times, but at others I really liked her for overcoming the things she did. Then there was Dee. There was no way one can NOT like Dee. She’s the most down to earth person I’ve ever read about. Especially for her to be nation wide country singer. She felt more real and down to earth than Reagan. And let’s be honest, her back story is less than stellar as well. Then there’s Matt. Matt Finch. Goodness, I could go on FOREVER about my love for him. He rescued both of those girls that summer and didn’t even realize it. He was another one that was super down to earth. All the characters in this book were amazing and made me want to be their best friends as well. No one kept secrets and everything felt so real.
“‘My mom says the best revenge is living well, and I believe her.“
pg. 29 (ARC)
Another thing I really liked about this was the writing style. Lord basically writes with a very descriptive style. But there’s not too little detail or way too much fluff. It was exactly right. Enough for me to be swept off to Tennessee and be embarrassed, mad, happy, or sad when Reagan was. This was a bit of a chore because Reagan was a bit moody lol This was part of the reason I didn’t like her.
“‘That Southern brand of trust is stronger than whiskey, and when broken, it burns even more.“
pg. 36 (ARC)
Now the romance in this book takes center stage for me. I KNOW this book is about friendship, but the romance is adorable. I love when the Book Boys are so swoony they can break down all the walls that their other half has set up. And he did just that. There was a time I was actually mad at Reagan for some of the things she did and said about him. He changed for the better and tried to help her change as well and all she did was hurt him. A lot. But they got it together and I very happy with the outcome.
“‘It’s too damn hard to watch someone else get what you want.“
pg. 155 (ARC)
There is so much win in this story and it brings out all the feels. I was heavily reminded of Taylor Swift when I read this and we all know how she brings the feels as well. I made a play list of all the songs I thought of by Taylor Swift that I thought of while reading this. I will share this with you on Monday, so be on the look-out for my Beyond the Book post!
“‘Most complicated things in life are actually pretty simple at the core. We put so much extra nonsense in the middle that we can’t even see how easy it really is.“
pg. 335 (ARC)
This book was filled with emotion, friendship, and love. I was swept away to the country side in this beautiful romance. The characters weren’t hard to love and the writing style and romance won me over 100%. This amazing debut blew me away!
Overall, I give this
