(3.5-3.75 Stars)

Ethan and Jenna’s book started off strong. The last quarter of the book was so emotional that I couldn’t help but cry. The middle is what lost me. I felt a bit disconnected and I’m not 100% sure why. I see that there’s plans for a fourth book but I cannot find too much info on it. I really hope we get to return to Baylor and the Walker Boys and their girls.

I really really thought that third time was gonna be the charm but NOPE.. On that note, what I love about Disney is that you can give the princess all the problems in the world and at the end, it’ll ALWAYS be a happily ever after but.. this wasn’t Disney. So the fact that a lot of issues were glossed over just made the whole of it cringe-y.

I pride myself in giving a fair chance to any and all books so it takes quite a lot for me to leave a bad review and I can count the bad reviews I’ve left in the single digits. So that I couldn’t get through it, me of all people who gives 5 stars out like candy.. well, that’s saying something.

The main issue I couldn’t get over was the main character whose divorce wasn’t even FINALIZED decided to go out and have a fling. And not judging, things happen but.. there is no way that a relationship started after a messy divorce could in any way be healthy. For one, both main characters were in their early twenties. I’m just 4 years older than 22 and I in no way could have seen myself anxious to “settle down” when at that age. Your twenties are about growing as a person and the way these two main characters were described? Lots of growing needed there.

This seemed it would be right in my lane but unfortunately it wasnt for me. I did end up not finishing as it started to put me into a slump.

Here is what I liked about the novel. First and foremost is Ethan himself. What an incredible character! He was kind, loving, sexy as hell, romantic, giving, patient, and so on. I was hooked as soon as he reached the Reese’s for Jenna in the convenience store!

Secondly, Jenna had the potential to be an incredible lead female character. She was smart, beautiful, funny, and a great friend. I love seeing character rise about crap that they have experienced and/or endured and making a happy life for themselves, which gave her amazing potential of being a fantastic character. Although I had other issues with her, she scored huge points with me for being a previous book blogger turned librarian!

I also loved the Southern setting and Southern hospitality, especially when they frequented Louisa’s diner. The small town vibe was strong in this one (to a point) and it gave the novel an overall homey feel. And of course, I have to mention the incredible sexy scenes between Ethan and Jenna. Bravo to Molli Moran for thinking up and publishing some very hot and intimate moments 🙂

Unfortunately, there were several things that I struggled with. First of all, Jenna’s angst was drawn out waaaay too long! She was only 24 and yes she was getting a divorce but she is not the first person to be cheated on by a douche of a person so I found myself getting very tired of her issues very early on in the novel. She met this incredible person and suddenly she had multiple personalities. One minute she was happy with Ethan, having great sex, meeting friends and family and so on. But the next minute she’s scared and things are moving too fast and she’s running. But then she misses him. Then she pushes him away. Had this back and forth of emotions been in a shorter novel I probably wouldn’t even mention it. However, this went on for over 300 pages.

Secondly, I struggled with the writing style. I think I’ve just gotten so accustomed to first-person narratives that this being told from the third-person was odd for me. With such heavy emotions being dealt with, I think it would have been more believable told from the first-person. Not trying to be nit-picky, it just felt forced and honestly, at times, I was confused about who was saying what.

Lastly, and please understand that this in no way suggests any personal issues with the LBGTQ+ community, but isn’t this set in a tiny town in Georgia? I realize that it’s 2019 but there were three different characters identifying as being bisexual in this novel. O.k., so one of those characters actually lived in Texas but also a tiny town. I have lived a multitude of places and had the pleasure of befriending numerous people from all walks of life with a variety of sexual orientations, however, I struggle with both Jenna and Ethan both having best friends in this little Southern town openly identifying as bisexual. Furthermore, I struggle with absolutely no one in the town caring about it. In a perfect world, no one would care or even think about someone’s sexual orientation, unfortunately, that is not the case. But what is even stranger to me is that is was such a prominent issue early in the novel, only to be sort of forgotten about later on. Why was it discussed in such an oddly emotional way so frequently in the first 1/3 or so of the novel, but then only came up maybe once more when Ethan was having yet another heart to heart with Darren?

My apologies for carrying on and on and please understand that I did like this book. As stated previously, I have nothing but love for Ethan and I had several moments of love for Jenna. I think that if this book was shorter and written in the first person, it would have been a 4 or 5 star read for me.

*Thanks to NetGalley for providing this review copy in exchange for my honest review.

"Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for the advance copy of this book, in exchange for an honest review."

Loved this book very much. It had just enough sweet, sexy romance and the storyline was great! I highly recommend!

As You Come Undone is a sweet romance story. Jenna is getting divorced. She meets Ethan, and sparks fly. It's a typical sort of romance with a predictable story line. The characters are likeable and charming and flawed. It's good but not remarkable. A fast entertaining read. Thanks to NetGalley for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

ALERT: ranty, uncharacteristically ragey review ahead (#sorrynotsorry)

This is a book that wanted to be a socially relevant romance, and misses the mark in being both relevant and romantic.

I had so many issues with this story, I’m not even sure where to start.

Jenna is trying to put her life back together after a terrible divorce. She’s been throwing herself into the reopening of the small-town library where she’s a new resident, when her best friend/roommate convinces her to take a weekend trip to Tybee Island. While she’s there she has an amazing fling with sweet, sexy Ethan.

Several weeks later, she’s shocked to discover her vacation fling is a lifelong resident of her new town. Ethan is all for continuing their relationship, but Jenna is a harder sell - first, her life is still a little complicated by her ex-husband, and then she’s plagued with doubt and insecurities. She then treats him like a yo-yo, pushing him away, pulling him close, pushing him away, pulling him close, before finally deciding to take a chance and have a future with Ethan.

Despite a strong start, things took a nosedive after a few chapters. For starters, the characterizations were a little off - the way Ethan was talking at the beginning of the book about not having found his place, his purpose for life yet, hasn’t found a person to share his life with, even though his older brothers had, made me think he was in his 30s. Then he is talking with Jenna about past relationships and he says he’s never had one last, that he always figured he had time to start a family, and I’m still thinking he’s in his 30s. But nope. He’s 22. There’s all this talk about the responsibility he has in his family and …. and he’s all of 22. What??? All this angst and uncertainty about not having done anything with his life, and he’s not going anywhere...and they’re barely in their 20s! (I actually think this story would have worked better if the hero and heroine were in their 30s instead.)

Then there were the frequently stilted conversations, using words normal people (especially those in the south) wouldn’t use. Good, realistic dialogue is very important to me. If you don’t have that, you’re gonna lose me real quick.

My next issue is with the author’s repeated attempts to be socially relevant, having not one but two bisexual characters - both of which were basically just given lip service (via a sentence or two) instead of actually dealing with their issues and feelings. Also, throwing around phrases like ‘toxic masculinity’ doesn’t make you hip or relevant. If you’re gonna go there, actually GO THERE. Show the reader how the hero had to deal with that.

Everyone’s sexuality is mentioned with all the casualness of a person’s hair color (and hardly anyone in this story was straight - which to be clear, isn’t a problem, but I live in the south and while a person’s sexuality isn’t as big of a deal as it used to be, it WOULD be in a small town, so to have this many people out and just living their lives??? not very realistic...so either skip the attempt to make it look like you’re writing an inclusive book, or have it be a meaningful part of the story), but then the heroine - who apparently lives in a Southern town that is all accepting and open to all the LGBQT people living there, is concerned people are going to judge her for using wrist braces because of carpal tunnel??? I was truly scratching my head at that one.

(And GOOD GRIEF...that may be the most rambling, disjointed run-on sentence/paragraph I’ve ever written in my life.)

There was SO MUCH telling instead of showing in this book. Jenna’s divorce has been terrible and put her through the wringer, her ex dragging things out, but we never see how exactly how it was so terrible. The hero is “always putting everyone’s needs before himself”...he’s”the one who holds his family together”. Uh, how, exactly? Because we never saw anything of the sort. Granted, this is the third story of three in this series, and I didn’t read the first two, so maybe those were things that were shown previously. But unless a book is a sequel, a good author is going to fill in any missing blanks that you’ll need to understand who a character is and what is going on.

I could probably keep going, but I think I’m going to stop. I never enjoy writing such a scathing review. I’m not clever enough to make it come off as entertaining like some reviewers, and there’s not a single cell in me that wants to be mean. But I have to be honest. There was nothing that worked for me about this story. And quite frankly, I’m ticked off that this was my final book of 2018.

Hopefully, I choose more wisely for my first book of 2019!

* thank you to NetGalley and Molli Moran for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review

The third book in this series.
Jenna meets Ethan on a weekend away and has a fling. She is in the middle of getting divorced so not looking for anything serious.
But then she meets him again and realises they live in the same home town. Can they both get passed their issues and be together?

Jenna is a librIan in georgia,she has a roommate named sadie.she feels like at least her career is coming along.jenna moved to Georgia for a job offer her ex husband had.her ex husband cheated and they were never able to recover

I've received a ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Jenna and Ethan strong connection drew me in. The attraction between the characters is instant and their chemistry is off the charts. Despite that, Jenna is in no rush to enter a relationship due to a pending divorce and heartbreak but Ethan is right there besides her really to mend her broken heart. This novel just proves that sometimes love is worth giving it a second chance.