Tuesday, July 16, 2013

This Time Around by Ellie Grace {Review}

Genre: New Adult Romance
Expected Publication Date: July 15th 2013
Author: Ellie Grace
Format: eARC provided by author for review



Nora Montgomery left home and heartbreak behind in South Carolina when she moved to New York City after her high school graduation. Now, four years later, she returns home and is forced to confront the past she left behind and the reckless boy who broke her heart. It’s not long before the pieces of her past begin to blur with the present and she realizes that the feelings she had for her first love never really went away. As old dreams resurface and new truths come to light, she begins to question the future she's always planned on. 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?



My Take:
This Time Around was a sweet, quick read about high school sweethearts who find their way back to each other after their rocky breakup four years prior. 

Nora and Jake met when their best friends started dating and from then they were inseparable. Nora is the daughter of wealthy parents and Jake is just a small town country boy who is used to sewing his wild oats until he meets Nora. After dating for a while she decides to move their relationship into intimate territory but he stands her up that night. Assuming the worst and fearing he may have dumped her to continue his wild ways somewhere else she is so heart broken she packs up and leaves for college in New York earlier than she was planning. After four years she finally comes home to be in her best friend's wedding and ultimately comes face to face with Jake again. 

Jake and Nora weren't an angst filled couple and I liked that it didn't take them long to reconcile. As soon as they talk things out they reconnected and made a fresh start. I enjoyed watching them build back the foundation they had that was so strong in high school and although they weren't the same people their connection was still there. As you get into the story you find that Nora has never taken been physically intimate with anyone after her breakup with Jake, but Jake went into a deep depression and ends up hooking up with his friends cousin and the girl Nora hated in high school. This causes a few bumpy moments in the story but I never felt like it was too much for Jake and Nora. They were just a solid couple you just knew would make things work. 

There were a few things I didn't like, one being that Jake had a sort of Neanderthal mind set about Nora not having been with anyone and expressing his glee about it. I liked Jake but his mentality about this rubbed me the wrong way. It was OK for him to screw around and call it depression and he expected Nora to be OK with it. I did love how Nora handled finding out about his hookup with the girl she hated. It was a very real reaction that I am sure every woman has had to face at some point in her life. One of the other things that irked me was the whole "I don't have a condom, it's OK I'm on the pill" moment. I'm seeing a lot of books do this now and it just doesn't come across as realistic to me. Now there are some stories where it can be pulled off convincingly in the heat of the moment but I wasn't feeling it here. This couple knew they would be getting intimate and to not have any protection and then for Nora to be all "Tee Hee I'm on the pill" just pissed me off. 

Despite my qualms about the book it really was a sweet romance between two people who loved each other enough to work through their issues. Jake ultimately helped Nora find out what she wanted to do with her life and encouraged her to pursue what made her happy. The supporting characters being their best friends was a nice addition to the story and getting to see through their memories how they all became friends and lovers was beautiful. I was happy with the way everything worked out for Nora and Jake and recommend this book for anyone who loves stories about a southern boy charming the girl who is out of his league.


Quotes:
She called me on my bullshit, teased me when I deserved it, and didn't flinch about getting a little dirt under her fingernails. She challenged me. And I loved it. eARC 5%

"Didn't anyone ever tell you that love doesn't make sense? Sometimes when you meet the right person, you just know; and you stop looking for anything else cause you know you already found her." eARC 17%


About The Author:
I'm an avid reader and overall book lover. I love to write, and when a story popped into my head that I couldn't seem to ignore, I decided to take a shot at self-publishing with my first book, “This Time Around.” Now, much of my time is spent dreaming up new characters and planning for the next books that I hope to write. When I’m not writing, I’m usually curled up with my Kindle, reading book-after book-after book from all of my favorite authors (which is a very long list!)

Links:






2 comments:

  1. I really enjoyed this one, I'm such a sucker for reconnected love. I'm glad you did like TTA, and I love the quotes you included!

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  2. I loved this one. It was sweet and easy for me to read. I loved Jake. I'm kind of surprised you didn't like this one more.

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