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Review

3 stars

A second-chance, brother’s-best-friend, enemies-to-lovers romance, this book is an angsty rollercoaster ride. It’s the second book in the Alabama Summer series, but can easily standalone, and Tessa and Luke’s story had me feeling so many things!

Tessa is a supremely confident man-eater, the best friend of Mia, and younger sister of Ben (the couple from the first book in the series), Luke is her brother’s best friend and partner in the Police force. The two of them were together in the past, but it was a mostly sexual relationship; they didn’t really open up and share too much about each other. And while Luke was happy with that, Tessa wanted more. When he couldn’t give it to her, she walked away.

Now, it’s a year later, and everything that was between them has fallen apart horribly. They’re both so hurt by their split, blaming the other person, they haven’t even talked about it. Instead, they’ve spent a year trying their hardest to hate each other. They are completely obsessed with each other, unable to emotionally move on, and it only pisses them off more, creating this maelstrom of anger and frustration and complete confusion over how to deal with their feelings. So they force themselves to hate and be angry, and it’s painful to watch.

Wow, this is a toxic dynamic. He’s a grumpy asshole, and completely closed off, and has been sleeping his any random woman that comes his way. She’s a childish flirt desperately looking for somebody of her own to sleep with in an effort to move on once and for all, and help with her almost-crippling sexual frustration. It’s a hot mess – especially as their friends and family are all so close and around each other all the time. And OMG, they are so mean to each other! Though they are both hurting, they are outwardly antagonistic to each other, they won’t talk other than to bitch at each other, refusing to show vulnerability, and God, it’s frustrating! It’s all snark and arguments, until the tension becomes too much and then it’s all angsty (though hot) hate sex.

She’s the worst fucking thing that ever happened to me, and I can’t let her go.

There’s no denying their sexual chemistry, which is sizzling and intense, but I was desperate to see some tenderness between them, to see them show each other some care and affection, but it’s just not there. Even after they are physically together, there’s still this huge wall between them. But as we see them clash over and over again, things start to become clearer. Luke won’t open up to Tessa, and she knows that that’s not enough for her. She knows she needs to walk away for the sake of her heart, but it’s so hard when she loves him so deeply.

I love him. I feel it every day, even when I don’t want to. Even when he keeps me out. Even when he breaks my heart, it’s there and it scares me. Because when you fall in love with someone, exactly the way they are, how do you convince yourself they aren’t enough for you.?

“I’m tired of only getting pieces of Luke. I want all of him, or nothing.”

This book had me feeling all of the things. At first I was pissed off with Tessa’s immaturity, but as the book progressed, I was actually kind of proud of her, and I became immensely pissed off with Luke. He’s so selfish! He wants Tessa, but refuses to open up to her, which is the one thing that he knows she wants. He just plans to barge on into her life and ‘make’ her see things his way. Why won’t he just talk to her?

“Either let her in, or let her go. This in-between shit isn’t fair to her.”

Right on!

It’s a wildly angsty rollercoaster, but fascinating to watch it all unfold. Both Luke and Tessa make mistakes, and neither of them handle their situation well, but like watching a car crash, I could not look away!

“I still want you.”
“You can’t have me,” I growl up at his face. “Let me go.”
“I can’t … I can’t let you go, Tessa. Please don’t ask me to do that.”

The feels do come, and I was feeling the emotion as we get to the crux of their issues, but the rollercoaster continues as they awkwardly and frustratingly work through it all. Not all relationships are easy, and this one certainly isn’t it, and while it was frustrating to read and I wanted to smack some sense into both of them while I read, Daniels does a great job getting to the heart of these flawed characters, making their story real and heartfelt, and I was so happy when they eventually got their happy ever after.