#MNGIRL: is the first full length book in 'new to me author' A.M. Brooks's 'Midwest Boys' series. Spoken in 'Dual Perspectives.

WOW!! This lulled me into such a false sense of security as I sat there reading about Saylor's sad turnout for her seventeenth birthday, a night which should've been a night of celebration turned out to be a girls worst nightmare.

Her family is being investigated by some of New York's finest criminal investigators in the country all leading back to her father who had been laundering money through his company. An act that had destroyed so many lives including his own family. Leaving them alone to defend for themselves when the wolves come knocking at the door..

Split up from her mother and sister Saylor has been thrown into the boondocks of a town with a population of over seven hundred.

New school, new name, new hair, new home, new rules, new threats..This book pretty much had it all..

Don't stand out..Stay under the radar..And under no circumstances contact anyone from your previous life.


A school run by three guys, but these three boys (Ciaran, Silas and Kai) are nothing like you've come across before in books, these guys are a whole new kettle of fish. The school, the township is their playground, they rule and look over and protect with an iron fist.

Because of Saylor's dads wrong doings Saylor is on their sh#tlist. They don't want her here in their town. They want her gone..But there's more to this story than meets the eye. She's under Mat's protection, living under the same roof as Ciaron, lines between the two will become blurred.

As Saylor tries to navigate her new school and stay under the radar she finds herself struggling when she feels such a gravitational pull every time Ciaron is in the same room as her.

"They can act sweet as pie to your grandma then turn around and be a deadly force to an enemy and that's why we call them the good ol'Midwest boys."

That was the turning point where everything in her life changed. Saylor's life was like riding a rollercoaster, from good to bad, to extremely bad again. Twists and turns and stomach curdling moments, had me glued to my ipad. I read this at record speeds, once started I couldn't put it down.
This ticked so many boxes, and then some.

This took unique to a whole new level, going into this I never knew what to expect, twists and turns had my head spinning, hands clammy, heart pounding as I read where Saylor's life took a nose dive and everything changed within a blink of an eye. Thrown into a dark, gritty, tailspin that I did not see coming at me which left reeling in its destruction.

This book comes highly recommended by yours truly. get your one click on guys you won't regret it..

#MNGirl might very well be one of my top reads this year!

I've been a follower of A.M. Brooks for a while now and when I found out she was releasing #MNGirl, I couldn't wait to read it. From the cover to the blurb, I knew this was going to be a story I'd have a hard time putting down.

I'd like to start by saying that nothing about this story was what I was expecting. Not at all! Brooks chose her details carefully while she crafted this masterful story, and I'm still in awe at what I just finished reading. The first few chapters had me scratching my head, trying to figure out what was going on. I'm telling you, I was glued to my tablet as I absorbed each word because there was a huge storyline building. Lots of suspense and so many questions! But as the story progressed, I just couldn't read the pages quickly enough. Saylor is such a unique character that I think most readers will latch onto. There's just something about her you'll find intriguing.

I'd like to add that I'm super proud of Brooks and how far she's come as a writer. What she did with #MNGirl says so much about her and the effort she put into this story. If you like surprise endings and twists that you never saw coming, then this is one story you need to read! I promise you won't be disappointed!

Ugh..... *sighing*

One I’m such a huge fan of A.M. and this doesn’t let me down. In fact it just confirms my love for her writing style. This book is emotional and suspenseful. I literally felt like I was holding my breath on the end. I hate cliffhangers, but I’ll let this one slide. It sort of scream bully romance but then it doesn’t, so your not sure.
Losing everything you love has to be hard, but falling from such a high to a deep low has to be harder. But I’m must say Saylor does it in style. And let’s face facts 3 hit guys to make your heart trip. I’m not fully sure how I feel about the boys, but ROGUE.....I heart for sure. Big love for this book and I can’t wait for the next one.
No HEA, a little romance, a lot of drama, secrets and much more.

Saylor's life changes in horrible ways in one night when she's forced to leave town and relocate to a small town with a family friend, for protection. What could be a new start at a new school, albeit one without her family, is hampered because her new protector's nephew dislikes her on sight, and he and his friends make it their mission to tear her down. Saylor's strong, though, and eventually it's this strength that gets under Ciaran's skin and one of those teenage loves, those intense, epic loves, is born. But the danger that forced Saylor to leave in the first place, is still out there, waiting for her. Will it come for Saylor again? Will her new protectors be able to save her?

Damn! This was a crazy high school bully romance. In a lot of ways it reminds me of Siobhan Davis' Rydeville Elite series, same bullying tone, same alpha males being brought to their knees, but it's still very intriguing and suspenseful and I'm dying with anticipation now after that cliffhanger. Yep, I said cliffhanger. Hopefully the second installment is coming soon!

Well damn!....
This was my first read by this author and I can honestly say, it won't be my last!

I went in to this blind, I had read the blurb but because I've never read any of her work beforehand, I just didn't know what way it was going to pan out!? The first few pages were quite sad, the night of Saylors 17th birthday and the only one to show was her best friend Oaklynn, and I really felt for her, can you imagine that? So sad, but if you think that's bad - just wait...believe me it's all about to blow! I was definitely not expecting what happened next and I was seriously captivated the whole way through!

It was fast paced but not rushed, I liked Saylor and her family (most of them!), I liked Matt but as for the Midwest boys? Eh 🤷🏻‍♀️ sometimes I really loved them, othertimes not so much - it will all make sense soon!
It was cute yet complex, it has its highs and it's lows with all the emotions thrown in too.....very excited for book 2! 🤞🤞🤞 It's an early release!!!
4.5



I voluntarily received an arc from the author and this is my honest review.

***I received an ebook copy from the author at no cost***

I was immediately drawn to this book for 2 reasons: it takes place in MN and I'm MN born and raised, and the synopsis intrigued me. I'm so glad I got a copy of this because it's one of the best books I've checked out in 2020 so far. 

Saylor's whole world gets turned upside down in the wake of a scandal caused by her father. After she, her mom, and her sister endure a horrific attack that literally leaves her mom bloodied and broken, the three are forced to flee their New York City home. Saylor's mom has a connection named Matt, who does some protection for families who are in danger. Matt thinks the safest bet is to split the three women up, and Saylor heads to small-town MN with him. Despite the small town cliches, things get going for Saylor after she arrives and meets Matt's nepher Ciaran. 

This book is all kinds of amazing. I loved the enemies-to-lovers story line. There was so much tension between Saylor and Ciaran, and Ciaran's friends didn't help matters much either. Brooks did a fantastic job of creating this push and pull between the two characters and making me as a reader long for them to finally get together. I love when there's a slow burn in a story and #MNGirl definitely had that. It's hard to do this without spilling too many details but I will say that nothing happened overnight for Saylor and Ciaran. 

This story was packed with so much action. It opened with a bang and the action kept going from there. I love the feeling of being on the edge of my seat with no idea what's going to happen next or who will make it out in the end. I got so emotionally invested in this story and a large part of the reason for that was because of how well Brooks wrote the action and kept me on my toes. 

This is the first book in a new series and not gonna lie, there's a big ol cliffhanger at the end. I can't wait for the next book to come. It's going to be hard to wait patiently for it. 

Five stars to this novel!

Got to admit the trailer for this book got me super excited to read it cuz this is the first book I’ve read from this author.

The book starts off with the family scandal and Saylor, her mom and sister are left to fend for themselves until people come after them and they need to leave.

As soon as Ciaran and Saylor meet it’s instant hate from Ciaran’s side and she has no idea why he hates her when he’s never even met her before. I admit I’m dying to know why too 😂

There’s so much going on and even though Ciaran hates Saylor, he can’t deny the attraction that he feels toward her.

This book was extremely slow burn but somehow it worked with everything going on in the book it was like that didn’t even matter.

Things heat up and the ride gets wild! Someone is still after Saylor and her family and they need to figure out who it is! This book definitely had me in my emotions! The suspense in some parts had me on my edge of my seat and I couldn’t put it down!

Omg! That ending !!!! Not a cliffhanger per say but it definitely let me hanging and now i NEED the next book!

This was a wild ride!! And if you don’t get the title #MNGirl trust me once you read it, it will all make sense!

This definitely deserves 5 stars and i highly recommend!!

ARC received from The Next Step PR

This is the first book I have read by this author, so I went in blind in regards to style and writing. I saw “enemies to lovers” and just jumped on this boat. I am so pleased I did! This is more than an enemies to lovers romance. It has some angst and a whole lot of mystery.

After Saylor’s family runs into issues, she is sent away with her mother’s old friend, Matt, to his home where his son, Cieran, who hates her for no apparent reason, also lives. She attends the local high school and starts her new life, under the protective and watchful eye of Cieran and his friends. All three hate her. They ensure she is essentially alone in the school, save for one friend. She doesn’t know this, other than the fact that they dislike her. She believes it is due to her father, but we later find it goes deeper than that.

So I use the term mystery to describe this book, because as readers, we have no idea what’s really happened in this town, despite having access to his POV. Cieran often says things that had me scratching my head. It isn’t till the end that we get the full story and know all the details.

The angst and heat in this book is still making me sweat. Boy, this author did amazing with Cieran! There is nothing about him I dislike. Even when he’s being rude, he’s likeable. I just love their relationship so much. He’s protective of her, but it isn’t alpha; it’s quiet and very background protecting of her. It’s heartwarming to watch those walls fall down.

Saylor is a good character as well. She’s determined to get through all this, and also finds ways to still get her own way, despite their rules. Cieran’s friends are fantastic secondary characters, with deep links in this story. While Cieran may have been the romance, his friends are equally as important to this entire plot. I assume they will get books in the future, and I look forward to it.

For now, I will be waiting for My #MNGirl though...

Thank you NetGalley and The Next Step for a complimentary copy. I voluntarily reviewed this book. All opinions expressed are my own.

#MNGirl
By: A. M. Brooks

REVIEW ☆☆☆☆☆

When I saw the cover for #MNGirl, I immediately wanted to read the book. I didn't even read the synopsis, which is rare for me, so I went into this book blind. Looking back, I'm actually glad that I did that. This story went places I never would have guessed.

The story begins with Saylor, the heroine, anxiously awaiting guests for her seventeenth birthday party. When no one shows, Saylor reluctantly agrees to call it a day, and head home. I felt so sorry for Saylor and indignant about the no shows. From the first pages, Saylor elicits sympathy, and her authentic voice makes her easy to like and relatable. Why was her party a disaster? It turns out, Saylor's father is involved in a ruinous money laundering scheme, and many people hate him with a vengeance, and by extension, his wife and two daughters. Worse, still, he absconded with the money, leaving his family to suffer the fallout of this scandal. Poor Saylor has, through no fault of her own, become a social pariah. So, she returns home and goes to bed. Later that night, Saylor is awakened by her younger sister, Mila, and crashing noises downstairs. Someone is in the house looking for their father, and in lieu of him, hurt their mother. The sisters hide until they can creep downstairs, and finding their mother nearly beaten to death, she tells them to contact someone named Matt, aka Rogue. Hours later, Matt arrives and takes them from their home to a safer location. While Matt tends to their mother, Saylor and Mila cut and dye their hair and get some rest. Saylor is exhausted, terrified and confused but comforts Mila as best she can. For these girls, life, as they knew it, no longer exists. For relocation, the split up for safety. Saylor goes with Matt, while her mother and Mila go elsewhere-a necessary, but no less heartbreaking, concession.

Saylor finds herself in a little nowhere Minnesota town. Matt has a nephew, Ci, also living in the house, who loathes Saylor on sight. Ci and his "bros" continually taunt and demean Saylor at school, and everywhere else, with any opportunity they get. The question is why? They hate her father, but that's understandable. The tension and heat between Saylor and Ci is palpable. What will their relationship become living in the same house? Saylor senses something odd about this town. Everywhere she goes, people stare and whisper like she is an alien creature. Matt is Rogue, which seems to be some sort of protection agency, and he has a history with Saylor's mother, thus, the reason why he helped them in the first place. What secrets lay dormant in this town? Why is Saylor disliked so vehemently? Will Ci and Saylor turn a spark into a blaze, or douse it with water? So many questions dangling from the cliff! Just read #MNGirls. It's an unexpected, fast paced, amazing treat!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 5 STARS

This engaging story by A.M. Brooks, utterly captivated me from beginning to end. The twists and turns interspersed with the drama and angst along with the secrets, lies and betrayals made #MNGirl a definite page-turner.

I’m eager for more of Ciaran and Saylor. #MNGirl by A.M. Brooks is an EPIC book that will join the ranks of the BIBLIO-ARISTOCRACY!!!

5 stars 🌟

I picked up this book on a whim. Seriously, I didn't even read the blurb until halfway through the story. The cover and the unusual title intrigued me into indulging my time with this gem.

And a gem it was! I can't believe this author and I have never met before. This book was totally, hands down amazing.

Saylor Torre, a seventeen year old girl has had a bad birthday party where none of her friends and boyfriend show up. Her father has been charged with money laundering and is currently a wanted international criminal, hence the aforementioned birthday disaster.

But, this thing is seemingly nothing to compare to what meets her when she gets home.

A series of disastrous events takes place leading her to separate from her mother and sister, change her appearance and disappear in the middle of nowhere in the small town of Minnesota.

She wasn't prepared for her life to be yanked right from under her foot. But more importantly, she wasn't prepared for a blue-eyed roommate who hates her gut for no reason.

I loved the enemies to lover relationship between Ciaran and Saylor. Their chemistry was off charts! The suspense in the story kept me on edge waiting for the next shoe to drop.

The book ends in a cliffhanger, but it was totally worth it! I can't wait to get my hands on the next book!

This was my first book by A.M. Brooks and I was blown away. It was filled with so much angst. You will be completely sucked in by chapter two and will be held hostage until the very last page.

Saylor just turned seventeen and when she thought her night couldn’t get any worse, it detonates. She is forced from her home, the life she knew, and her family within hours. She will have to change everything about herself in order to survive, but at what cost?

Matt, A longtime friend of Saylor’s mother arrives to help her family relocate. Only Saylor discovers that relocation doesn’t involve the family staying together and Saylor will have to split from her mother.

“When your own government can’t keep you safe; sometimes, you have to go rogue.”

Thrust into a new home, new school and unfamiliar surroundings, Saylor discovers that the town where she is brought seems to know a lot about Saylor and her family. And a few of the locals that run the town do not welcome Saylor with open arms, more with side eye glances and hateful remarks.

Where has Matt brought her? Why does this town hold so many secrets? And how can the sexiest man Saylor’s ever seen be her roommate and enemy?

This book is part of a series and I can’t wait for the release of book two.

OI’m probably a little old for this book. That being said I found my suspension of disbelief wavering ( okay it was completely broken). I wanted to love it, but I kept getting pulled out of the story because it was so far fetched. This would probably do better with a younger audience.

I LOVE IT, WITH CAPITAL LETTERS!!!!!!!!
⭐️ ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

A.M. Brooks, I love you and I hate you at the same time, I'm just saying! How can you do this to me? The waiting is going to kill me. It was a great story, super extraordinary.

It has caught me from beginning to end and there has not been a single moment that made me hesitate to continue, on the contrary, I wanted to go on and on and when I saw that the end was near and there was still much to be resolved, I was getting a knot in my stomach because I knew that this would not end in a single book.That would be the only thing I dislike about the story, and just because I suck at waiting for the sequels, I tend to get stressed out and with this story I can start preparing my calming teas. I want the second part now.

I've already let off some steam and now I can tell you about the book and its wonderful characters.

Saylor loses her life as a princess because of her father's bad decisions and crimes, she, her sister and her mother suffer the consequences of her father's cowardice. When they need help the most, her mother calls Matt and their lives change radically. Hiding and going unnoticed is her new life, and to achieve this Saylor has to separate herself from her sister and mother and enter the life of a group of boys who have secrets and from whom Saylor will discover that her family could be linked to them.

Ciaran is an idiot for saying the least about him, his attitude and treatment with Saylor is reprehensible, I understand his loyalty to Silas but he takes it to the extreme. Saylor should have kicked his ass.
Then he redeems himself a little bit, just a little bit, I'm sure I'll love him as the story progresses in the next few books because the boy has the potential not to let him suffer for long.

The other characters are wonderful too and I look forward to reading and learning more about them.
I'm still freaking out. This book has all the elements to catch you and not let you go. Deception, betrayal, drama, suspense, trust, friendship, love. For me it is a book that borders on perfection, and I cannot recommend it enough.

I received an ARC in exchange of my honest review.
Thank you to the author, NetGalley and The Next Step PR

New to me author, A.M Brooks managed to surprise me in the best way, with this thrilling and suspenseful story. The situations presented were relatable and I enjoyed the writing style, it was easy to follow and engaging. The action was fast-paced and there wasn’t a dull moment throughout the whole story. It had the right amount of angst, drama, hot moments, and sexy banter.

Saylor's life turns upside down, the day she turns seventeen. Her family is in danger and she's forced to go into hiding. With the help of one of her mother's childhood friends, she arrives in a small town in Minnesota. She has to stay under the radar and lay low, but the moment she meets Ciaran, Saylor realizes that she's in for a lot of trouble and heartache.

I loved the protagonists. Saylor is a tough cookie, she can fend for herself and will go head to head with anyone who tries to bully her, and that includes Ciaran, who has it out for her from the first time they see each other. Ciaran tries hard to keep his distance from Saylor but it's near impossible.

The chemistry between the two of them was off the charts, the build-up and anticipation were amplified by their constant bickering, and when they finally got together they were explosive. Also, the secondary characters were interesting. Kai was a delight, always flirting, and making jokes and I was intrigued by Silas who was always moody and angry.

Twists and turns, hot steamy moments, throw in some romance, and this book ticked all of my boxes. Book two can’t come quick enough, I'm really eager to know what happens next.

A family owned witness protection program helps a teenager in need!

When I was a teenager I used to love this movie called “Hiding Out”, it starred John Cryer and he was a New York stockbroker that was wanted by the mob so he shaved his beard, plunked out his hair, dressed like a teenager and hid out in the Midwest with a distant cousin and went to high school. This book reminded me a lot of that movie. Though it was a girl that was hiding out and she is actually a teenager.

The teenager in question is a girl named Saylor who had been living the good life in New York for the last few years as one of the nouveau riche, attending private high school with other wealthy students. Though it recently came to light that her father was embezzling from his own investment company and he bankrupted a bunch of families, some of whom lost life savings, committed suicide and worse. He then took the cash and disappeared.

After a break in and attack at the their home, her mother called on an old friend for help. The friend, Matt owns some sort of witness relocation type operation called Rogue, for families in Danger though they are not necessarily witnesses. Though apparently Rogue (Matt and the people that work for him) usually doesn’t help the families of criminals.

Though at first I was not really sure what the problem everyone seemed to have with the fact that they were helping Saylor, her Mother and younger sister. Obviously the two girls at the very least had nothing to do with their fathers’ crimes and the mother was attacked in the home by men trying to find the father. So why are people not more compassionate? Well, apparently Saylor’s mother and/or father have a history in the Minnesota Town that Matt lives in, so it is all very mysterious.

However, Matt thinks it is safest to split up, so the Mother and sister go to a different place and Saylor goes to stay with Matt and his nephew Ciaran. Ciaran is a senior in high school and works for Matt along with his two best friends, Silas and Kai. They all hate Saylor from the start and it seems to be more about Silas and his feelings than about anything else.

Saylor thinks that possibly her Silas’ family invested with her father and lost everything and that is why he hates her so much. It isn’t long before Kai starts wavering though and begins to see that Saylor shouldn’t be held accountable for her parents. Ciaran can’t stop thinking about her but in solidarity with Silas, has the school ignore her just because he can. When they do finally start getting romantic it gets pretty steamy. I give it a heat index of three out of five flames 🔥🔥🔥.

The story is very compelling and the mysteries in the town and surrounding Saylor’s family are intriguing to say the least. Every time I think one thing is going on, something will happen or people will have a conversation that will lead me to think that it is something completely different. In the end what I thought would be the big surprise was completely incorrect and It turned out that I liked the way it was all explained much better than my guess.

The ending is explosive and quite a big cliffhanger. So I can’t wait to find out what happens next. This is a great story and I plan to continue the series. There are elements of bully romance, thriller, suspense, and more in this and the supporting characters are terrific.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Holy heck! THIS IS SOOOO AMAZING!!!! A whole new series with an exciting plot and characters!
#MNGirl is the first book of Midwest Boys Series. It can't be read as a standalone with a big cliffy at the end! This is a high school, new adult romance with thriller elements. We can read this story in present time, from Ciaran & Saylor's POV. This is a very exciting and painful story!
I was excited at the whole time. Saylor is a powerful but broken girl who just want to survive. She is a new girl in the town! Ciaran and his frosty blue eyes strongly complicates her situation. The chemistry between us is PERFECT! Ciaran want to hate the girl, but he didn't know! He attracts Saylor like a magnet!
This story is seared your soul! I'm curious about what will be happening in the next part!

I received this ARC for an honest review. I don't know what I was expecting from this book but surpassed my expectations.
Saylor's 17th birthday held in the party roon of an upscale restaurant, no one from Trinity Prepatory shows up not her boyfriend or her so called friends only her childhood best friend Oakland. Saylor's dad has been charged with money laundering and skipped town leaving his wife and two daughters to bear the brunt of his mistakes. On her 17th Birthday she knows sadness, loneliness and shame but from this moment on her life will never be the same. Saylor experiences terror, running for her life, trusting people she doesn't know, living in a new place that has lies, secrets and a past that isn't hers. Through the book as you experience the emotional rollercoaster you are always waiting for the other shoe to drop and believe me it does. I am patiently waiting for the next book in this series, loved reading this book.

I thought this would be a great book but it absolutely exceeded my expectations! I was captivated from page one! Saylor's struggles with her family and safety along with hers and Ci's long angsty enemies to lovers romance is so much more than I could have hoped for. The suspense is real ya'll! By the end of this book I was doing the ugly cry and going through tissues like crazy!

I CANNOT WAIT for Book 2 of the Midwest Boys Series! I'm officially an A.M. Brooks fan and look forward to reading more of her work!

*The playlist is phenomenal. Make sure you listen to it throughout the book!

I was provided an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

5 #MNGirl stars for this book. I loved it. This book has everything starting from suspense to drama to romance. I fell in love with Saylor's sassy attitude and Ciaran's hot and cold behaviour. The chemistry between Saylor and Ciaran is just off-the-charts. There was so much angst. The end left me reeling, though. I can't wait for the second book in the series to come out. I have so many unanswered questions.