Most people dream about getting out of Sharon, Nebraska, but after three years away, Lauren Barrett is coming home. There are the justifications she gives to everyone else—missing her family, losing her college scholarship. And then there’s the reason Lauren can’t admit to anyone: Rob Conrad, her best friend’s older brother.
Football prowess and jaw-dropping good looks made Rob a star in high school. Out in the real world, his job and his relationships are going nowhere. He can’t pinpoint exactly what’s missing until Lauren comes back to town, bringing old feelings and new dreams with her. But he’s the guy that women love and leave—not the one who makes them think of forever.
Though she’s terrified of opening up, Lauren’s ready to take that chance. Because the only thing more important than figuring out where you truly belong is finding the person you were meant to be with.
As Long As You Love Me
blew I Want It That Way right outta
the water. Don’t get me wrong, I liked
the first installment in the 2B Trilogy, but it wasn’t all that and a bag of
chips. Mr. Sexy Ginger was slightly annoying, and there were moments when I
would have taken great pleasure in flicking Nadia between the eyes. Lauren and
Rob? Now they’re something altogether different. I guess I have a thing for I’m-secretly-in-love-with-my-best-friends-older-brother
type stories. All I can say is, yum.
Lauren (great name, right?) just returned home after
flunking out of college. She’s been essentially living a lie for year now. The mask she wears on a daily basis has
become second nature to her. Years of suffering with anxiety gave her little
choice. While away at college she used alcohol to help her loosen up and fit in.
But when things get out of hand, Lauren is forced to face the music, which
happens to be playing all the way back in Nebraska…
Rob is great. His family just doesn’t seem to see it. They
act like he’s a couple fries short of a happy meal and constantly put him down.
He’s not like Nadia, the wonder child. He struggled throughout high school but
could play a mean game of football. In the end, it wasn’t enough. Rob had been
living with his parents (until recently) and working for a local construction company.
He loved to build furniture and remold things but seldom dreams of more. Why
dream when people constantly squash your hope?
When Lauren moves back home she can’t help the pull Rob has
over her. The only problem? Rob is still seeing Avery. Oh, and he’s Nadia’s
brother and doesn’t seem to realize Lauren has a vagina… Everything starts off as innocent, but as the
two spend more time together, feelings grow. When Lauren helps Rob make a website
and YouTube channel to encourage people to buy his furniture, the two are
forced to make big decisions. Sometimes when you love something, you have to
let it go…
When I had sleepovers at Nadia’s, back in high school, I imagined him cornering me and shoving me against the wall, overcome by his unspoken longings. That was pretty much my favorite fantasy when I was sixteen, but Rob never gave any sign he suffered from ungovernable passion.
Too bad.
I instantly felt a connection with the characters, and while
Rob annoyed me with his self-hatred, I got it. When you’re told you’re less
than others for so long, you begin to believe it. He was a little whiney at
time, but gah….the man earned his ability to act like a 5 year old. I couldn’t
imagine going through life living in your little sister’s shadow. No thanks.
Over-all, As Long As
You Love Me was great. Maybe I identified with Lauren because I too suffer
from anxiety from time to time. I don’t know… Something about this book just
clicked with me. I can’t wait for the
next in the series!
Ann Aguirre is a New York Times & USA Today bestselling author and RITA winner with a degree in English Literature; before she began writing full time, she was a clown, a clerk, a voice actress, and a savior of stray kittens, not necessarily in that order. She grew up in a yellow house across from a cornfield, but now she lives in sunny Mexico with her husband, children, and various pets. Ann likes books, emo music, action movies, and she writes all kinds of genre fiction for adults and teens, published with Harlequin, Macmillan, and Penguin, among others.
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