Review ~ Be With Me by J. Lynn

Paperback received from the publisher in exchange for an honest review

Release Date: 13th February 2014

Publisher: Harper Collins

Description:
Teresa Hamilton is having a rough year—she’s in love with her big brother’s best friend, but he hasn’t spoken to her since they shared a truly amazing, mind-blowing, change-your-life kiss. She got out of a terrible relationship. And now an injury is threatening to end her dance career for good. It’s time for Plan B – college. And maybe a chance to convince Jase that what they have together is real.

Jase Winstead has a huge secret that he’s not telling anyone. Especially not his best friend’s incredibly beautiful sister. Even though he and Teresa shared the hottest kiss of his life, he knows that his responsibilities must take priority. He certainly doesn’t have time for a relationship. But it doesn’t help that all he can think about kissing the one girl who could ruin everything for him.

As they’re thrown together more and more, Jase and Tess can’t keep denying their feelings for each other. But a familiar danger looms and tragedy strikes. As the campus recovers, the star-crossed couple must decide what they’re willing to risk to be together, and what they’re willing to lose if they’re not…

My Opinion

I loved Wait For You and I couldn't wait for this book to be released. I actually squealed when it arrived in the post and then had to force myself not to start it straight away as I had work to finish and a deadline to hit. However, with all that done, I was finally able to spent the whole day curled up with Be With Me yesterday and I loved it. Wait For You is still my favourite but this book didn't disappoint and it was a close call.

One thing I've found with J. Lynn's writing is that she is able to blend serious aspects, such as; abuse, death, violence and realistic problems, with more lighthearted aspects. For me, this takes me on an emotional rollercoaster where one minute my heart is bleeding for the characters and the next I have a smile of my face because of the playful side and relationship between some of them. I especially loved the more playful side of Jase and Teresa's relationship. It was fun to watch the romance develop and how they moved from friends to more.

I found the characters easy to relate to and although I went from loving Jase to hating him, to loving him, to hating him (you get the idea), I enjoyed that he had his flaws that made you dislike him at times. Personally, I found it made him more believable and realistic. I also loved his relationship with Jack and although it was predictable, I was glad that the author didn't drag the secret out, but rather revealed it quite early. Rather than be kept in the dark, the story was developed by it and I liked that as you were able to focus on other things rather than "what is he hiding?"

I've heard a few people say that this book was too formulaic and in a way it did follow some of the usual patterns. Some of the things that were going to happen were easy to predict and the romance was standard. However, isn't that what you expect from these in the first place? I love that it was. I knew what I was getting into before I started it and it's the main reason I pick up these kinds of books. It's OK having a wildly different romance (if there is such a thing) but I'm a hopeless romantic at heart and love the standard ones where they focus on the relationship, which is what Be With Me did. Each book connects with me differently so it never feels I'm reading the same thing over and over again. 

Overall, Be With Me was a great read. It made me fall in love with the characters and their story. It made my heart break for them and their situation and I couldn't put it down. I would definitely recommend both books in this series!