Lovin' los libros

 

 

After reading and enjoying Elyssa's first book in the series Stay With Me, I couldn't wait to get my hands on Daphne's story. We got a brief glimpse of her and Nick interacting in the first book and I have been cheering these two on from the beginning.

 

Pacing: I liked the pacing of the book overall, but I did feel Daphne and Nick's relationship was a bit fast. They are clearly attracted to one another, even though they bicker and fight like crazy. Nick has been in love with her for some time now, so his feelings shouldn't have come as a surprise to me, but for some reason I almost felt it was a bit rushed. I also felt some of Nick's dialogue was a bit awkward for me. It was more flowery than I would have pictured, and while I'm all for laying feelings out on the line, I think it was a bit overkill.

 

Storyline: It has been a little over a year since a tragic accident changed Daphne Fox's life forever. Not only does she bear physical scars that serve as brutal reminders, but she has emotional ones as well. She is attracted to her older brother's best friend, Nick, but refuses to entertain the thought that the two could actually be something together. Nick, however, has been sweet on Daphne for some time, and is finally stepping up to the plate and putting his feelings out there to her. As things heat up between the two, Daphne is insistent they keep their relationship a secret. She still carries a lot of guilt from the accident and fears that she won't be able to give Nick what he wants: her heart.

 

Characters: I liked Daphne, even though she drove me a little crazy with her not wanting to tell her older brother about her and Nick. She is afraid of ruining their friendship if things between them go south, which I get. It also hurt Nick, as he didn't want to be her dirty little secret. She is a survivor though and she has been through more trauma than someone should ever have to deal with in their lifetime. Nick is extremely supportive of her and he really is a good guy through and through. She is afraid to completely let him in for a multitude of reasons, but the greatest one being that Nick makes her vulnerable.

 

I really like that the side characters played such a pivotal role in the novel. I enjoyed seeing Caleb and Hailey again, as well as how close Hailey and Daphne have become. I also like that we got to see a bit more of Jamie in this book, as his novel is coming up next. He is the easy going, jokester of the group, but we also see that Jamie has a more serious side as well. My fingers are also crossed for Griff and Kate, as I hope they get a story!

 

Final Thoughts: I thought this was a cute read, even though I had a few issues with the dialogue. I do like the college feel to this book though and I felt the friendships between the characters was such an important part of the book. Nick and Daphne's relationship is sweet and I'm glad she was able to start making peace with the past and move forward with her life.