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Review

4.5 swoony, sexy and oh-so-funny stars

“Every choice we’d ever made, every road we’d ever travelled brought us to this place.
Every bad decision, every stupid screwup, every bit of drama.
Every beautiful second together, every miserable hour apart… led us here.
We loved each other.
We belonged together.
And we were finally, finally ready to acknowledge it.
…
We finally recognized our forever.”

Oh. Hell. Yes!! I have devoured Layla and Trip’s tumultuous love story over two books (so beware spoilers if you haven’t read them yet). From their first meeting in high school, through young love, angst, heartbreak and so-close-you-can-taste-it moments, and now, finally, we get the romance.

The prologue of this book gives us Trip’s POV for the first time – including that heartbreaking moment that finished off the last book, and we see him hit rock bottom. And then it’s back to Layla’s perspective as the book picks ups five years later when Trip is now at the top of his game and the hottest thing in Hollywood. But when tragedy strikes and he is called back to his home town, the only person he wants by his side is Layla.

You’ve got to give it to T. Torrest. She knows what we want, and she gives it straight to us! Layla and Trip’s first moments together are intense and dripping with emotion, and things progress very quickly from there as they are both finally ready to declare themselves and claim each other, and I was bouncing up and down in my chair as they finally came together – the swooniness, the hotness, and the ‘rightness’ of it all.

“You’re mine, Lay. You always have been.” His hands moved to cup my face, fixing my eyes to his. “The thing is, though, is that I’m yours. You own me. You always did. This is happening. And we’re making it work this time.”

Layla and Trip have loved each other from the very first moment, and seeing them finally come together was sensational. But what makes it even better is that they still have that easiness between them that feels so natural. They still tease and laugh, and their banter was absolutely freaking hilarious!

“I’m in love with you, Trip. I love you. I always have.”
It looked as though he’d been slapped in the face by my words. Pain drifted across his features as he dropped his head and shook it. “I know.”
Not the words I was imagining, and the unexpectedness made me laugh.
“You know? Oh my God. Did you just Han Solo me?”
…
“I know you love me. I know, and it’s incredible.” He looked down at me, his eyes a shifting pool of blue, the corner of his lip quirked into a lopsided smile as he gently swiped my hair behind my ear. He buried his face against my neck, his breath tickling against my skin as he whispered softly, “Because I am completely in love with you right back.”

I love this book! Layla and Trip have things they have to deal with, but for the most part this book is like an extended epilogue. I love that their reconnection comes so early in the book so there is a lot of time spent with them happy together and living their lives, very much in love, with lots of steamy time and swoony romance to get completely wrapped up in.

“My God, every time, it never fails. You happen to me all over again.” He swiped a palm across my cheek and added, “I never stopped loving you, Lay. You were always with me. Everywhere.”

And it’s so much fun! The continued pop culture references made me giggle (especially the Futurama moments – I’m a huge fan) and it does a great job of grounding the characters, and making the story seem so real. And, of course, Layla and Trip are both incredibly witty, and with them being so happy with a lot less angst to deal with, they are free to relax and be themselves, and I laughed out loud so many times.

“I’ve been standing here plotting how to keep you naked twenty-four hours a day.”
“Might be kinda hard to go back down to the party. Or the supermarket. Or church.”
That made him chuckle. “Oh, it’ll be hard alright. In fact…” he pulled me against his hips again, “I’d say it already is.”
“Wow, that was bad.”
“I’ll show you bad.”
“Stop talking, you retard! Just take off your damned pants already.”
“I’ll show you retard.”
“Oh my God.”
His hands went to the belt at his waist, and then he slid his zipper down. Slowly. The move would have been sexy as hell if he hadn’t thrown out this line along with it: “Want me to dance for you?”
“Oh my God! Just shut up!”

“Everything looks bigger on the screen. Except me. I’m just as huge in real life. So’s my dick.”

But as much as they love each other, they’ve never been together as adults, and Trip’s life comes with all sorts of complications. Trip has had some demons to deal with in their years apart, and when Layla follows him back to LA and sees the realities of his life as a celebrity, is the love they’ve had for each other for over 15 years enough to survive what they now have to face?

This is a great ending to the Remember When series. I feel like I’ve watched Layla and Trip grow up. They’ve been through a lot to get to where they are, but it’s been worth it – they are so fantastic together, they love each other so much, and their relationship is a lot of fun, and all of that emotion has been captured beautifully throughout the story. Theirs is an amazing romance, and one that has captivated me since I picked up the first book only three short days ago. I have loved their journey.