JUST ONE YEAR IS NOW AVAILABLE!
From New York Times bestselling author Penelope Ward, comes a new standalone novel.
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"... amazing banter ... flirty and sometimes heated exchanges ...sexual tension was on point... not my favorite by this author, but absolutely worth the read." - Craves the Angst
TITLE: Just One Year
SERIES: standalone
AUTHOR: Penelope Ward
AGE GROUP: New Adult
GENRE: Contemporary Romance
RELEASE DATE: Feb. 23, 2020
PAGES: full length
COPY PROVIDED BY: Author
MY GOODREADS REVIEW LINK
RATING: 3 Stars!
CLIFFHANGER: No.
BOOK BLURB:
The beginning of my sophomore year in college was off to a rough start.
On the first day of orientation, I had an altercation with an infuriating British dude in a campus bathroom.
(The ladies’ room was out of order. So, I used the men’s room. Don’t judge.)
I got home later that night and realized that the foreign student we were expecting to rent a room in my parents’ house was allergic to our cat.
So, the spare room went to someone else: Caleb—the British guy from the men’s room.
And so it began…my love-hate story with Caleb Yates. Or was it hate-love in that order?
The guy knew how to push every one of my buttons.
Sometimes I’d email him to express my aggravation and disdain.
He’d actually rewrite my own words and send them back to me.
That was the type of infuriating person Caleb was.
So frustrating.
And…
Sometimes incredibly funny and endearingly sweet.
And hot.
He eventually grew on me, and Caleb soon became one of my best friends that year.
Too bad he was headed back to England soon, so nothing could happen between us—for so many reasons.
I definitely couldn't fall in love with him, especially since all we had was just one year.
REVIEWER'S NOTE: I received an eARC from the author in exchange for an honest review.
3 Stars!
The Review:
I thoroughly enjoyed the beginning of this book! I always love this authors meet-greets. She really puts some effort into the introduction of her characters and it’s usually playful and entertaining. This story was no different. A hot, outgoing British exchange student and a super-smart introvert girl meet in a most unexpected and somewhat hilarious way. Turns out, he’s also her new housemate. From the very start, these two had chemistry and fire. And I loved how when she decided to put him in his place, he gave as good as he got, and the interaction resulted in both characters learning something new about each other and themselves. It was very mature in a sometimes immature situation. And it was fun!
Along with creative character interactions, this read also had some amazing banter. I really enjoyed the flirty and sometimes heated exchanges between Caleb and Teagan. The sexual tension was on point and a true relationship foundation was being built.
I also really enjoyed the British lingo the author used. It felt real and not just put in to make the character stand out.
BUT ... and without giving too much away, I felt like everything went completely downhill after the airport goodbye scene. Caleb thought he needed to be a better man to deserve Teagan, but that’s not what happened at all. In fact, his story took a nosedive which made me question his sincerity towards wanting to be a “better man”, which by the way, I didn’t think he needed to do. He was pretty awesome as he was.
Also, and again, trying not to give too much away, but after learning Caleb’s story and the revelation she had about herself and what a good life she had, filled with people who genuinely loved and treasured her, I felt like she traded one family for another - a new family she could connect on a personal level with, more so than the one she had. That was probably not the author’s intention, but Teagan’s full circle moment felt like a tradeoff.
I kind of wish the last twenty percent of the book hadn’t happened and instead, the story gave us more fun banter, more get to know you moments, more date-time, more relationship building, etc. I just wasn’t happy with the way this one concluded.
Overall, I loved the beginning and didn’t quite connect with the ending. That being said, I still enjoyed the story and the characters. I love Penelope Ward’s writing and I enjoy her stories. She’s one of my favorites. For me, this one was not my favorite by this author, but absolutely worth the read.
PURCHASE LINKS:
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR...
Penelope Ward is a New York Times, USA Today and #1 Wall Street Journal bestselling author of contemporary romance.
She grew up in Boston with five older brothers and spent most of her twenties as a television news anchor. Penelope resides in Rhode Island with her husband, son, and beautiful daughter with autism.
With over two million books sold, she is a 21-time New York Times bestseller and the author of over twenty novels. Her books have been translated into over a dozen languages and can be found in bookstores around the world.
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i do love some lively banter. can make for some fun moments
ReplyDeletesherry @ fundinmental
Absolutly! Amazing, lively banter can make for some fun and interesting character moments. This book had a lot of that. Thanks for your comment.
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