Say You Still Love Me By: K. A. Tucker
Atria Books
Women's Fiction
Pages 384
Pub. Date 6 August 2019
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I really enjoyed this book. This is the first book I have read of hers. I had a great time and I gave this book 4 stars.
This book is about a woman named Piper and she is from a rich family. The other main character is a man named Kyle and he is from a poor family with a family with a history of the men spending time in prison.
They met one summer thirteen years ago as camp counselors. This was Piper's first time as a being a counselor and this was Kyle's second year. Piper's mom wanted her to learn about the way other people live. Piper's mom grew up on the poor side and she wanted Piper to experience this.
Something happen at camp and Piper and Kyle ended up not hearing from each other for thirteen years.
Now Piper sees Kyle in her father's building and it brings back a lot of memories and pain. She still has feelings for him and wonders if he does also.
Do they get back together? What happened in camp thirteen years ago?
The reason I gave this book 4 stars wasn't because of the writing I love her writing style. I gave it 4 stars because I am really not into insta-love. I know teenagers think they are love all the time. Also the intimate scene for teenage love seem a little out of place or knowledge wise for a 17 year old boy.
I would highly recommend that you read this book.

This was my first K.A. Tucker novel and I’m even more excited to read The Simple Wild now. Say You Still Love me is set in present day with flashback scenes to a summer camp, where the main characters, Piper and Kyle, are camp counselors. I don’t know about you, but I always wished I went to a sleepaway camp as a kid/teen so hearing the inside outs of summer camp was so fun for me. I loved the young love and second chance romance story lines.
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The only thing that didn’t work for me was the flashback steamy bits. Because they were involving 16 & 17 yr olds, it just felt odd reading it, and I wish that it was less descriptive and more “leave it to the imagination” type writing for those scenes. Don’t get me wrong, I am all about the steamy parts, but not a fan of it with teenagers and especially outside of the YA genre. But again, this might just be me and definitely don’t let that stop you from reading it as the story outshines it for sure.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for the complimentary copy to review!

I think that Say You Still Love Me cements the fact that "second chance romance" is a very difficult genre for me. There are a few I've enjoyed - The Girl He Used to Know and Love and Other Words being a few examples - but in general, I find them so predictable it's just boring.

Now I hear you saying, "but isn't predictability a point of romance?" and I hear you. I still haven't quite ironed out for myself why this sub-genre really bugs me (maybe it's because I definitely have no one in my past that I would want a "second chance" with lol) but I knew every single plot point of Say You Still Love Me before they happened. It also bugged me that the only reason Kyle & Piper seemed to get together in the present timeline was just because they had dated before and I guess that connection never went away...? Okay, one more thing, I do NOT enjoy summer camp stories. I think it's so cheesy - I found myself skimming the chapters where it was telling the story of them at camp. Honestly if this hadn't been a review copy I probably would have DNFed.

Okay, the positives! Piper was a strong female character, and I really enjoyed the way we got to see her struggle with and overcome sexist issues at work. There was examination of class issues and prejudice, and Tucker's writing is pretty strong.

The topic and sub-genre were just not for me! I would recommend this to those super fans of Love & Other Words out there.

This book didn’t give me all the feels but was still a pleasant way to spend a few hours.

Piper Calloway is a twenty-nine-year-old VP at her dad’s multibillion-dollar real estate development firm. Piper is pleased with her life until she runs into Kyle Miller—her first love. The guy she hasn’t seen or heard from since they were summer camp counselors together.

Told in alternating time lines—present day and the summer they spent at camp—readers get to see Piper and Kyle’s beginning as well as how they deal with their reconnection years later. I could feel the chemistry between Piper and Kyle. Their relationship did feel right, but I never experienced the aww, that’s so sweet! feeling. A good romance usually has butterflies throwing a party in my stomach as I wonder will they, or won’t they? There was something missing between the couple though I can’t put my finger on what it is.

I enjoyed the side characters introduced in this story but thought that some of their stories didn’t feel quite finished. Will there be a sequel? If so, I would read it because there were some stories I would love to see explored further.

Say You Still Love Me gets 3.5 stars instead of 4 for a couple of reasons. One, it did have me wiping a few tears (near the end). Two, because of the reason for the teenage breakup at summer camp. How many times have I read a similar plot line? It certainly didn’t bring anything new and exciting.

As stated, this was a pleasant two day read. If you’re looking for a quick romance, this one should suit your purposes just fine.

3.5 stars


Thanks to Netgalley and Atria books for a digital galley in exchange for an honest review.

Nothing like a K.A. Tucker romance to heat up my my summer vacation! Remember that guy or girl that you met years ago and always wondered "what if?" Well, main protagonist Piper Calloway gets that question answered when she comes face to face with a man from her past. Now working at her father's company, one which Piper will inherit one day, she is more than shook up when the newest employee in the security department, Kyle Stewart, is the boy she fell in love with thirteen years before. A boy she loved and that disappeared from her life without any explanation. As the story bounds between the present and the past, Piper must choose between letting things lie in the past or seeking out a promising future.

Now Tucker has had me in her literary grip since I devoured Ten Tiny Breaths years ago. She writes richly drawn characters that are easy to connect with and even when something falls into a cliche, she somehow manages to make it work in her narrative. But I found it just a little bit slow and drawn out especially when dealing with the teen romance. This resulted in me picking up and putting down the book quite a bit. But I still cannot deny that I was still tempted enough to stick with it because I am such a fan of the author.

Goodreads review published 23/07/19
Expected publication Date 06/08/19

Really enjoyable story! I really liked the characters, Piper’s friends and her interactions with the hero. Unfortunately though I felt the pace was a bit shaky and the ending a bit rushed which affected my overall enjoyment. But all in all a nice, sweet and satisfying romance for those who enjoy second chance romance, nostalgia and strong friendships.

Told in dual timelines- Piper and Kyle meet at camp when they’re 16 & 17 and instantly fall for each other. The summer starts as the best of their lives, but ends with a tragedy. Piper doesn’t hear from Kyle for 13 years, but he’s still the person she compares every man to. She’s now 29 and trying to conquer the corporate world when Kyle walks back into her life, but things are more complicated this time.

This was one my most anticipated summer reads. The Simple Wild (by the same author) has been one of my top 2019 books. Here’s what worked for me and what didn’t work for me...

What worked: I liked the characters and the present day timeline. Piper is smart and tough. I also work in a traditionally male dominated industry, so I liked that aspect of the storyline. The settings were great and I enjoyed the friendships a lot.

What didn’t work: So... this may be a total personal issue, but I guess this is also my personal review. I’m not a prude for steam in books if it’s tasteful, but the vast majority of the steamy scenes are taking place in the high school aged timeline. There’s quite a bit of it and it’s detailed. Something about a book written for adults (this isn’t YA), but having pretty detailed sex scenes between minors didn’t work for me. Those same scenes wouldn’t have bothered me if they took place in the present day timeline, but it just felt a bit much. Also, there was no slow build and I’m all for a slow build!

Because of all that, this was a difficult one for me to give a star rating for, but I went with 3- I did like a lot of the book and I plan to read the author’s future books, but I just had some issues with this one.

KA Tucker has been an auto buy author for me from the moment that I read her first book, Ten Tiny Breaths. I've read her contemporary romance books, her suspense/thriller and romantic suspense. Although I have my favorites, she never disappoints. I know I'm in for one heck of a story and adventure no matter what!

SAY YOU STILL LOVE ME is told through alternating timelines; current day and 13 years earlier at Camp Wawa. The main character, Piper, is a female real estate tycoon being groomed to take over her fathers business. In a predominately male work force, she is constantly being questioned and undermined simply for the fact that she's a woman. Piper is strong and driven, doesn't take things sitting down. She's everything I wish I could be!

It's been thirteen years, but she would recognize him anywhere - the boy that stole her heart at summer camp only to break it into a million pieces. When Kyle walks back into her life after so many years, Piper is understandably shaken. Feelings she thought were long buried resurface. What could his return mean? Where has he been all these years?

As someone who has never been to a summer camp once in my life, KA Tucker made me feel like I had missed out on a right of passage. I felt nostalgic for something I've never done. Tucker always has the perfect mix of mystery/suspense even when it's not a romantic suspense novel. The dash of suspense had be turning page after page dying to find out what was going on (in both timelines)! Tensions rise; lies and secrets are unveiled. Can love span a decade? Will old flames reignite? You'll have to read to find out. I thoroughly enjoyed this story from start to finish.

Piper Calloway had one true love at summer camp that she hasn't stopped thinking about, so when she sees him one day in the lobby of her father's company, she is at a loss for words. Told in chapters that alternate between present day and the summer they met, this story shows Piper and Kyle falling in love as teenagers, and trying to see if they can make it work present day.

I really liked this book, I think the summer camp aspect made it a really fun summer read. I do think that I ended up enjoying the chapters from summer camp a lot more, which was surprising because I don't usually love romances that are told from the point of view of very young characters. I think that the storylines for the chapters told present day lost a little bit of the magic. Some of the decisions that the characters made I thought were very strange and seemed to have no reason behind them. I also felt like Piper's friends were so prominent in present day but we never really got to see them become close, and I wish I would have had a little bit more of that. I really liked Christa and Ashley, and I think it would be great to see more from them in the future. It also turns out that I don't care about real estate development, and I felt like that came in a bit heavy in the present day chapters. All of those aspects are why it was only a four star read for me instead of five, but I still think it was a fun book about reuniting with a first love. I received an ARC of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

What a great light beach read! The chemistry and these second-chance romance is exactly what I was hoping for! K.A. Tucker gets it right every time.

The story shifts between summer camp, where our couple meet and fall in-love, and the present where they haven't spoken since that fateful summer. Personally I feel like the book spent a bit too much time on the past timeline, it was the one I like the least. I have a hard time with young adult books and I while not exactly classified as YA this novel spends a lot of time there.

This is a great beach side read! Start to finish, easy and light with some steam to keep you interested ;)

I recently read and really enjoyed The Simple Wild, so I have been anxious to check out more from K.A. Tucker. While I liked The Simple Wild just a little bit more, I still enjoyed Say You Still Love Me.

The story alternates between the present and thirteen years in the past. I’m a fan of multiple timelines, but I thought it could have been used a little more effectively than it was here. I didn’t feel like a lot really happened in the past chapters. While I shipped Piper and Kyle, their relationship was basically instalove. There are some cute moments, but the past chapters are basically them getting in trouble at camp with their friends and rounding the bases of their physical relationship. I didn’t really feel like we needed every other chapter to be from the past. I was much more interested in their second chance romance as they run into each other as adults.

I liked that Piper was more than just a rich socialite. She worked hard at her job and she was good at it. While she did seem to take her lifestyle for granted, she also didn’t look down on people who had less money than her. I liked her relationship with her old camp friends and current roommates and would’ve liked even more interaction between the three of them in the present. I also really liked Piper’s assistant, Mark. I felt like there was so much story with him and would’ve liked to have seen more of him. I actually would really enjoy a book from his POV. On the subject of supporting characters, I also loved Kyle’s brother, Jeremy. We only see him in a couple scenes, but I loved everything he said and did.

While I did think teenage Piper and Kyle started out as instalove, I enjoyed their romance. I’m a fan of the Second Chance Romance trope and thought it was done well here. I liked how they were able to talk to each other and still knew and cared about each other after so much time apart. Kyle did do some stupid things that was frustrating, but he eventually made up for them.

Overall, I enjoyed Say You Still Love Me. I liked Tucker’s character-driven writing and the second chance romance between Piper and Kyle. I wish the supporting characters got a little more page time and that the multiples timelines were used a little more effectively, though. However, I would still recommend this one to Contemporary fans and am looking forward to reading more from this author.

Overall Rating (out of 5): 3.5 Stars

I tried to read this one but ended up DNF’ing this by quarter of the way through. I couldn’t stand the characters. I also didn’t like that the flashbacks are back when they 15 or 17 so it read more of YA novel than adult. I realized that I can’t stand to read second chance love stories.

Oh my gosh! This book... I don't even know where to start with my thoughts on this one. Tucker tops herself over and over again!

This book is such a unique story. Kismet is definitely a theme in this one. A high school summer fling that ended badly rekindles itself years later. Along with reuniting, the characters in this book are in for a few twists to what really happened all those years ago.

I devoured this book. I couldn't stop thinking about this book. It consumed me. There isn't anything I didn't enjoy about this story.

The bad boy at camp and the rich good girl fall for each other. What can possibly go wrong? And then they meet again in the read world as adults. But life gets in the way. Truths and lies threaten to keep them apart.

I loved the characters. I loved the plot. Everything just clicked in this book. I can't see how anyone wouldn't enjoy this one!

My first book by the author was Ten Tiny Breaths and I've loved her work since. KA breathes life into her novels. This story was beautiful and consuming.
Will release full review closer to publication date. Thank Netgally and the publisher for allowing me to read another outstanding novel by this author.

3 whyyyyy whhyyyyy whyyyy can’t I find a proper, loveable, edgy, twisty but also tear jerking, pant melting romance for so long, my favorite writers got me disappointed over and over again stars!

List started to get longer: first Jewel E. An did it with “Naked Love” and “Jersey Six”( some GR friends unfriended me after I gave two stars to that book, but I still stick with my review ), then Renee Carlino’s `Last Post” made me disappointed. Even Karina Halle released some good but not so good books lately.

Now one of my favorite and brilliant writers (Ten Tiny Breaths, Burying Water, Simple Wild are quiet great and remarkable reads), K. A. Tucker made me feel like my favorite brand of Chardonnay is no longer available at the markets!(Somebody burned the family’s vineyard, OH NOOOO!)

When I check the ARC COPY lists from NetGalley and saw this amazing writer’s book, I requested without thinking a second and as soon as the copy arrived, I danced, clapped, screamed, did all immature, awkward things( my neighbors still push me to see my shrink more randomly, I couldn’t say them I didn’t have one)!
But as soon as I start this one, I felt that something is not right, actually many, many, many things were not right.

Here is the list of the wrong things:
-Instead of too many flashback scenes, we may have stayed in the past and read a young adult camp story!

-I tried to turn the pages but I felt like I stuck in the mud and couldn’t move to anywhere.

-You may think this is slow burn romance. You are right. It’s so slow, too slow, never ever ending story, but it doesn’t burn, it is just SLOW and it’s hard to be considered as a romance. Where is romance? I was craving romance and when I didn’t get it, I feel like a frustrated person who watched the last episode of GOT over and over again!

-I didn’t find a moving plot maybe I lost it when I was yawning and taking a quick nap on my couch. At least this book helped me having lovely dreams.

-I didn’t like the character development. I didn’t like Piper and Kyle. I found them too immature and the lack of chemistry and their awkward behaviors made me detest them too many times.

So unfortunately, heart-breakingly this book didn’t work for me! I know what I’m looking for! A heart-wrenching, emotional, smartly written romance and I know deep in my heart, K.A. Tucker is one of the most gifted writers so in near future I hope she will give us better stories.

Special thanks to Atria Books and NetGalley to send me one ARC COPY is written by one of my favorite writers in exchange for my honest review.

Say You Still Love Me alternates between the past at Camp Wawa and the present 13 years later. I think this worked well for this story. Piper Calloway is the daughter of a wealthy, well-connected CEO and used to having all her needs met. Her parents decide to send her to Camp Wawa for a summer to help her learn to recognize her privilege. Kyle Miller is good looking, mischievous and someone her father would disapprove of in every way. They have an unforgettable summer and then don’t speak again. When they meet again 13 years later will this be their second chance?

I enjoyed this book and it felt perfect for summer. Who doesn’t want to read a book about summer camp and young love? I didn’t have this experience at camp and I was never a camp counselor, but I do fondly remember my years at summer camp.

This book did not disappoint, I read it in less than a day and felt the same weight of emotion I felt after finishing The Simple Wild. I loved Piper’s character in the present a strong businesswoman working for her father’s company. There is a little bit of steaminess, which is awkward (perhaps inappropriate?) considering this is a teenage love story. Outside of that I really enjoyed this book.

Thank you Atria Books and Netgalley for my e-arc. All opinions are my own

The other two star reviews pretty much nailed it. I was bored out of my mind. I pushed through, as it's KA Tucker and I've really been loving her books lately, with hopes that it would pick up. Nope. Boring from beginning to end. The struggle was real. Kills me to say that.

My first issue was the insane amount of pointless, filler detail. Long paragraphs of mundane. I almost forgot which KA author I was reading there for a minute. Way too wordy and not enough character interaction/development/chemistry. Because of this, there was nothing that stood out about these individuals, which means there was nothing riveting about their journey.

My second issue was the jumping between past and present every other chapter. I wanted to be in the now with the characters and we don't really get them interacting in the present until about 65% or so, making it a slow burn for the adult portion of the romance. Most of the interaction we see between them is when they were teens at summer camp. You will get romance and sex here, but it is fade to black/minimal detail (this wasn't an issue for me but may be for others). 8 weeks at camp sure did provide a crap ton of unimportant content. I don't care who's wearing what or who's having sex with who, or who came out of the closet...

Ms. Tucker could have given us a 1/3 of camp life and spent the rest of the book in the now, building the characters and their relationship. By the time Piper and Kyle finally get back together, I couldn't have cared less. I just wanted it to be over.

My third issue was with the group of friends. A tragic accident happens and only one of them ever goes to check on their friend. Not once in the 13 years. They have no idea how this person is. No clue how bad the injuries are. Nothing. And the kicker, they were all partly to blame for it. When they finally do meet back up it felt very rushed. And maybe it's the bitch in me but I think I would have been a bit pissed off if none of my friends ever came to visit or at least check on me. I give props to this character for being able to move on and not hold a grudge.

I would say don't waste your time or money on this one, but everyone reads differently so you may love it.

Unfortunately, this book did not work for me. It felt cliched with unnecessary angst and drama leftover from teenage feelings. While teenage emotions are accurate, I"m not a fan of a complete lack of communication and carrying over events from the past.

Wow! You know a book is great when you stay up all night to read it. This book exceeded my expectations and everyone should treat themselves to copy of it.

What I loved about this book:

• The writing is amazing and the characters are complex and well developed. I loved reading the descriptions of everyone and was able to envision each character as the author imagined them.

• I loved how it went back and forth between timelines. As you read on you get to know Piper and Kyle in 2006 at Camp WaWa and then again in the present day when they reconnect. While their circumstances have changed them both, their love story draws you and you'll be rooting for them to find a way to stay together this time around.

•I loved how strong and independent Piper became, but that she also retained her kindness in her powerful position. From her acknowledgement of the security guard of the building to the treatment of her assistant, she was genuinely kind to everyone.

• Even though their romance was a slow burn, the build up will keep you addicted to the story. I was unable to put it down and sleep, but it was totally worth being exhausted the next day. I loved reading about them falling in love, but it was the present day plot of them reconnecting that was my favorite.

Honestly there wasn't anything about this book that kept me from giving this book 5⭐ because I absolutely loved it, but the relationship between Piper's Dad and brother had me cringing a bit.

This book was a solid 5 ⭐ for me and I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys second chance romances, powerful female leads, and great lasting friendships. There is so much more than romance in this book and you won't regret picking it up!

I really liked the characters in this book and Piper's work and leadership role in her father's company. The flashbacks to the characters in their teen years were fun to read. The chemistry between the two main characters seemed a bit inst-lovey to me but was still definitely good. Overall, this book held my interest and I enjoyed it. Great summer read since half of it takes place at a summer camp for children :) I had a few ups and downs with the plot in this book but many people likely will not feel that way. I will definitely pursue other books by this author in the future.

Thank you to Netgalley & Atria/Simon & Schuster Canada for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.