Tessa Ever After

I received a complimentary copy of this book for review consideration. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review. All the stars! All the feels! I can’t even begin to tell you how much I loved Nat and Asher and I have limited space to do it here, so I’m going to keep it brief. Heartbreak and loss brought them together, but it’s what they did with the opportunity that hit me in all the right ways. This perfect little family they found together obliterated my feels and I loved every moment of it. Their book was the perfect combination of heat and heart, something Brighton excels at in her books. Havenbrook is one of my favorite fictional small towns for so many reasons, but the biggest one is probably characters like Nat, Asher, and all the others.

Find this review and more at kimberlyfaye reads . As the ending approached, I wanted to find a way to stop time and keep living inside this book. Everything from the characters and their stories to the writing left me hopelessly addicted and unable to think about anything else once I started. (And long after I finished, too.) This book was chock full o' feels and I'm not sure I can adequately express how much I loved it. Tessa Ever After truly is the best of new adult. This is one of my top five reads of the year so far, and I'm pretty sure it'll end the year high on that list. I didn't think I could love anyone more than Cade and Winter. I couldn't have been more wrong. In reality, I actually loved Tessa and Jason even more. (Shhh… don't tell… I don't like to play favorites.) I don't know what the plan is for this series, but I hope there's more. Like, maybe a book about Paige and Adam? (hint hint) I think they could be incredible together. In this book, single mom Tessa is feeling overwhelmed by life. Her brother Cade has left to chase his dreams – and she's happy for him – but she's struggling to raise her daughter Haley without his help. He's always been there for them and she's having a difficult time balancing everything without his help. Tessa's a great mom, but she's feeling the pressure of doing it all on her own. Cade's best friend, Jason, keeps popping in when she needed him most – even if she didn't actually ask for the help. Jason promised Cade he wouldn't ever pursue his sister, but that's a promise he's finding more and more difficult to keep as he spends time with her and her daughter, Haley. He definitely feels a connection to both of them and it comes through in all his actions. I loved watching things develop between him and Tessa because it felt so real and right. But even more than that, I loved the scenes in which he spent time with Haley. You want to talk about things that will make you melt? OMG. My heart melted and I swooned big time. I swear, I'll never be the same. I probably don't need to tell you I loved Tessa and Jason together, but I'm going to anyhow. As much as I adored these characters on their own, something special happened when they were together. They had tons of chemistry and a long history of friendship and supporting the other. It was natural that feelings would start to shift into something more than friendship once Cade was no longer there to police them. (Don't get me wrong, I LOVED Cade, but I think he was wrong in this situation… though I can't entirely fault him for wanting to save his sister from becoming simply a notch on Jason's bedpost. Which is exactly what I think probably would've happened had they tried anything before now. Jason wasn't ready for more before.) I loved watching Tessa, Jason and Haley become a sort of family on their own. I get all smiley just even thinking about it now. There's not an abundance of angsty drama in this book – something I'm grateful for – but there is a little bit. Jason's family pissed me off from the start, but it only got worse. His mother. Ugh. Without getting spoilery, the biggest situation happens late in the book and it broke my heart (more than) just a little. I knew Jason's motivations were honorable, but Tessa didn't and I hated seeing her hurt. But holy grand gesture. I melt into a puddle just thinking about it… and, of course, I was in tears while reading it. *squees* Even if you're not a huge new adult fan, you should take a chance on this book this series. You won't be disappointed. If anything, you'll fall in love and be anxiously awaiting the next book as much as I am. I wish I could give it more than five stars. I received a copy of this book from the publisher, via one awesome friend, in exchange for an honest review.

And down goes the first book of TBRtakedown 2.0. A lot of repetition and an overdone plot. Was okayish. Three Stars and an E for this one.