Reagan Bellamy has her whole life planned out. So when her neighbor starts showing her some attention, she completely shuts him out. Dash Carter refuses to take no for an answer from the only girl who has caught his attention in months. When I initially read this part of the synopsis, I expected this to be a hate to love relationship much like The Hating Game by Sally Thorne. I don’t mind that trope, but I really didn’t like the way it was done in this novel. I feel like we missed a lot of the beginning of the relationship. When the novel starts, Reagan is already in deep hatred with him for no reason other than the fact that he is nice to her.

I did really enjoy both characters on their own. Both Reagan and Dash have their own personal issues that they face and I really saw growth with them throughout the novel. Reagan and Dash as ‘romantic interests’ made me cringe. I really didn’t feel the chemistry between them at all.

Overall this was a decent read. If you don’t take issue with some of the things I mentioned that bothered me I think you’d really enjoy this novel. It isn’t what I normally reach for in a contemporary, but it was a nice change of pace.

I received this copy from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

My first book by this author. I grabbed it off Netgalley because I liked the cover (isn’t it cute?). I’m actually having a hard time rating it, going back and forth between 3.5 stars and 4 (do we have to have a star system?) because there were things I really liked about it but I also thought it could have used some editing. Not comma misplasement or typos or anything but more cutting and trimming of content here and there. But the things I liked—the uniqueness of the story. The redemptive arc came from an intellectual angle, which I don’t think I’ve seen much of in Christian Fiction. It was kind of funny when the heroine was “studying” with children’s bibles and seeing some of the “far fetched” things in Bible stories from her eyes. I also liked that the characters were believable and the author didn’t white-wash thoughts and words and such from a college-aged person (I can see some pearl-clutching from readers who don’t like “edgy” material).
Over all it’s a good read. Interesting angles and characterization if a bit long winded at times.

Not your typical Christian Romance! Definitely a refreshing departure from standard Christian romance where the characters are already Christian, with very realistic circumstances in today's world. Dash is a bad-boy in the middle of a year-long dating sabbatical to get his life back on track without distractions. Regan is focused on school, her future and judgemental of those around her and would never give Dash a second look. Until she's desperate to make it to an interview on time and he's her only option.
I loved the main characters. They were flawed, funny and relatable. Unfortunately, there were so many side characters that I couldn't really keep them all straight, but I was ok with that.
For mothers of tweens/teens out there, I do want to mention that it does deal with one-night stands (from the first page), drugs, drinking, and passion. It is well written and wasn't offensive to me as a Christian as we all come from different walks of life, but I'm not sure I'd want my teen daughter reading it.

As a Christian myself, I did not enjoy the mega-church aspect of this book. It felt like someone who has never really attended much church trying to write a religious setting. The concert style performances and coffee shoo vibes were off putting and sad. That being said, the faith aspects were fairly accurate and authentic, if a little cheesy and overly simply at times. The story itself, however, was addictive, the plot was uplifting, and the characters were charming. There’s no subtlety to the writing, but I couldn’t help but root for Dash and Reagan. The story jumps a bit fast at Reagan’s conversion, and gets a little heavy with the cliche Christian speak towards the end (even for a Christian reader). The side characters weren’t very well developed. I couldn’t distinguish her roommates from each other, or Dash’s band mates. It was still a quick and entertaining read.

This was a surprise for me, Christian romance not typically being my thing. The way Dash sprung church on Reagan wasn't cool, but it all made sense for the journey.

Well-written, engaging, and sweet, I think this works well within the genre.

This book was a total surprise for me, at first I was attracted to it because of the plot I read and also the cover, but as I keep reading it I discovered a lot more.

Yes, at first you may feel that it is just another love story with the hot guy and the beautiful girl. But you will find out that there is more than that, the author has developed the story in a totally different way that most of us are used to. This book does not only focuses on romantic relationships but also on true friendship and especially in the parent-children relationship. This last topic was the one that I like the most because the author made an awesome job with her writing and with all the emotions she conveyed.

This is the first time that I have read a Christian novel, and I was very pleased. The scenery the author chose is just perfect and the characters were very well designed too. If you are looking for a good refreshing, mind-opener and lovable book, you should give this one an opportunity. You would not regret it.

2 stars
This book was not for me. In full disclosure, I didn't read that it was a Christian book until I started to read it.