Source: e-ARC copy provided by the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review.
When We Met by A.L. Jackson, Molly McAdams, Tiffany King, & Christina Lee
Today’s premiere New Adult authors combine their talents to tell four original stories from inside one house.
When four girls decide to live off campus together as juniors at a college in Michigan, they expect it to be their best year yet. Little do they know, it’s a year that will change the rest of their lives.
BEHIND HER EYES by A.L. Jackson
Unable to live down her ex-boyfriend’s deception, Misha is determined to avoid betrayal. When, the new guy next door, Darryn starts to get under her skin, her defenses start to crumble. But trusting Darryn seems impossible, especially if he’s not sure he can trust himself.
SAVING ME by Molly McAdams
On the outside, Indy is always ready for a party—but inside she’s breaking. Kier makes a weekly routine of saving the girl next door from herself on Saturday nights… but when will she be ready to remember him on Sunday morning?
FOULING OUT by Tiffany King
Working at a sports bar, Courtney has become a pro at sidestepping propositions from arrogant jocks—which makes her a more elusive catch for campus basketball star Dalton than he expected. But when he falls for the saucy waitress, Dalton will have to rethink his game plan to prove he’s not the jerk Courtney expects.
BENEATH YOUR LAYERS by Christina Lee
In order to ace her fashion internship, Chloe must team up with local college dropout and set builder, Blake—much to her chagrin. But after some "hands-on" experience, Chloe will have to ask herself if Blake factors into her carefully laid plans…
When four girls decide to live off campus together as juniors at a college in Michigan, they expect it to be their best year yet. Little do they know, it’s a year that will change the rest of their lives.
BEHIND HER EYES by A.L. Jackson
Unable to live down her ex-boyfriend’s deception, Misha is determined to avoid betrayal. When, the new guy next door, Darryn starts to get under her skin, her defenses start to crumble. But trusting Darryn seems impossible, especially if he’s not sure he can trust himself.
SAVING ME by Molly McAdams
On the outside, Indy is always ready for a party—but inside she’s breaking. Kier makes a weekly routine of saving the girl next door from herself on Saturday nights… but when will she be ready to remember him on Sunday morning?
FOULING OUT by Tiffany King
Working at a sports bar, Courtney has become a pro at sidestepping propositions from arrogant jocks—which makes her a more elusive catch for campus basketball star Dalton than he expected. But when he falls for the saucy waitress, Dalton will have to rethink his game plan to prove he’s not the jerk Courtney expects.
BENEATH YOUR LAYERS by Christina Lee
In order to ace her fashion internship, Chloe must team up with local college dropout and set builder, Blake—much to her chagrin. But after some "hands-on" experience, Chloe will have to ask herself if Blake factors into her carefully laid plans…
Review...
Ever since I found out that When We Met was happening, I've been all over it like white on rice. Grabby hands were made, excitement ensued, and then came the day where I finally got my hands on this lovely anthology. Then I read it in a day and a half. And now I can officially say with certainty than these four authors are fantastic, and this anthology is positively wonderful.
I'd expected to like When We Met. I expected to enjoy it. Obviously, since I'd been all excited about it. What I didn't expect, however, was how many feelings I'd feel reading these stories. I SHOULD have expected it, considering the authors included, but I didn't. There was so much emotion in these stories, and I felt them all across the spectrum. My heart broke, I laughed out loud, and some serious swooning made my heart happy.
Each of these stories can be read alone. They don't need the other three to be understood, but it was definitely fun to watch the year pass by moving from one girl to the next--and even checking in with the old couples here and there. There was enough in common between each part that they linked, but there were also enough differences so that each author could do their own thing.
All four of these authors rocked it, big time.
Also! All of the couples. ALL OF THEM. I want to tackle hug them. Misha & Darryn, Kier & Indy, Courtney & Dalton, and Blake & Chloe. I fell in love with them all. They had moments to set my heart aflutter, and the guys were definitely book boyfriend worthy. They all had their individual strengths--like Courtney & Dalton making me laugh so hard I almost choked. And Kier & Indy being so sweet I kind of had to look away sometimes.
And Christina Lee! Thank you. Thank you for making the name Blake into something good. There are so many books I've read where guys named Blake are douchebags. Now I have a Blake who made me feel tingly inside. And I love him.
While it tends to be a worry that each of these stories might be too short to go through everything necessary, that never ended up being an actual problem for me. Behind Her Eyes had AMAZING character development. No trouble making that happening. Plus, I swooned all over Darryn in the process. Chloe had a nice arc, too. As did Indy. And Courtney with Dalton. Each piece of this anthology sufficiently tells the stories of the characters featured.
Honestly, I have so much love for this entire collection. I enjoyed it the whole way through, and falling in love with each of the couples along the way cranked that enjoyment level up to maximum. It was great to see each author's writing style included, and the range in conflicts was awesome as well. Some light, some heavy, all full of emotion. This is definitely an anthology I recommend!
5 stars - A lovely collection of stories that broke my heart, made me laugh, and had me swooning from one story to the next!
**About the Authors**
A.L. Jackson is the New York Times bestselling author of Take This Regret and Lost to You, as well as other contemporary romance titles, including If Forever Comes, Pulled and When We Collide, as well as the New Adult Romance Come To Me Quietly due out January 7, 2014.
She first found a love for writing during her days as a young mother and college student. She filled the journals she carried with short stories and poems used as an emotional outlet for the difficulties and joys she found in day-to-day life.
Years later, she shared a short story she’d been working on with her two closest friends and, with their encouragement, this story became her first full length novel. A.L. now spends her days writing in Southern Arizona where she lives with her husband and three children. Her favorite pastime is spending time with the ones she loves.
Author Links:
Molly grew up in California but now lives in the oh-so-amazing state of Texas with her husband and furry four-legged daughters. When she’s not diving into the world of her characters, some of her hobbies include hiking, snowboarding, traveling, and long walks on the beach … which roughly translates to being a homebody with her hubby and dishing out movie quotes. She has a weakness for crude-humored movies and fried pickles, and loves curling up in a fluffy comforter during a thunderstorm … or under one in a bathtub if there are tornados. That way she can pretend they aren’t really happening.
Come be my friend!
Come be my friend!
Author Links:
USA Today Bestselling author Tiffany King is a lifelong reading fanatic who is now living her dream as a writer, weaving Young Adult and New Adult romance tales for others to enjoy. She has a loving husband and two wonderful kids. (Five, if you count her three spoiled cats). Her addictions include: Her iPhone and iPad, chocolate, Diet Coke, chocolate, Harry Potter, chocolate, zombies and her favorite TV shows. Want to know what they are? Just ask.
Author Links:
Mother, wife, reader, dreamer. Christina lives in the Midwest with her husband and son--her two favorite guys.
She's addicted to lip gloss and salted caramel everything. She believes in true love and kissing, so writing romance novels has become a dream job.
Author of the Between Breaths series from Penguin. ALL OF YOU, BEFORE YOU BREAK and WHISPER TO ME available now, PROMISE ME THIS on October 7th, 2014.
Also Adult contemporary romance TWO OF HEARTS coming from Peguin/NAL on May 5th 2015.
She's addicted to lip gloss and salted caramel everything. She believes in true love and kissing, so writing romance novels has become a dream job.
Author of the Between Breaths series from Penguin. ALL OF YOU, BEFORE YOU BREAK and WHISPER TO ME available now, PROMISE ME THIS on October 7th, 2014.
Also Adult contemporary romance TWO OF HEARTS coming from Peguin/NAL on May 5th 2015.
Author Links:
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