REVIEWED BY
Micky Barnard
Like You Mean It by Jillian LiotaMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
Got wrapped up in this story
I got lost in this book by Jillian Liota, it’s a story that worked for me on a number of levels and also had a thread of uniqueness. The heroine, Annie is a single parent (I love single parent tropes) and there are a few twists to her background which I don’t want to spoil. Annie moves next door to a sympathetic neighbour, Cole.
Cole was a beautiful bunch of contradictions that grew on me. He had a bit of a biker-look but not a biker’s attitude. He was just a guy, running his business, seeing his girlfriend of two years but keeping her at a casual distance. There’s an element of commitment-phobe assholery to him, but I was drawn in. He was a compassionate neighbour and his relationship with Jones, Annie’s son, built quickly and I loved them together. Cole and Annie however, seemed to have good moments but then crossed wires and hurt. The girlfriend, Jess had something to do with this, boy, she irritated the heck out of me.
“I’d made it some sort of unspoken mission to try and bring whatever light Annie has inside of her to the front, to give her reason to smile like she means it. Instead, I doused it in water.”
Annie’s character went on a journey from mouse mom to empowered mom over time but she also evolved to believe in herself and find respect again. I enjoyed her character growth.
This is a book of slow burn proportions and whilst I enjoyed that because slow burn is my kryptonite, I wanted more intimacy on the page; I wanted more in culmination. I feel like I could read another Annie and Cole story but the epilogues make me think this isn’t happening.
This was a great read, a story that will wrap you up in the guy/girl (adult) next door and will keep you guessing about where things are going to end up. I think that Jillian Liota has shown versatility from her NA sports romance to this contemporary romance quite beautifully. I remain excited to read what comes next from her.
I voluntarily read an early copy of this book.
Reviewed for Jo&IsaLoveBooks Blog.
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