 I've previously reviewed Armentrout's The Covenant series books HALF-BLOOD, PURE, DEITY, ELIXIR and APOLLYON. I've also reviewed her stand-alone novels CURSED and FRIGID and done a guest post with both Armentrout and cover designer Kate Kaynak on the Covenant series design, as well a post with Armentrout on Halloween Memories! I've also audio-recorded and shared Armentrout's recent audio from the SENTINEL Tour Launch Party! | ||
O P E N I N G L I N E:
Not because the amount of sugar could send you into a diabetic coma after one slurp. Or because my brother had nearly caused a triple-car pileup by winging his truck around in a sharp U-turn after receiving a text message that contained two words only.
Sweet. Tea.
Nope. The request for sweet tea was bringing me face-to-face with Jase Winstead--the physical embodiment of every girlie girl fantasy and then some that I'd ever had. And this was the first time I was seeing him outside of campus.
And in front of my brother.
(pg. 5, US e-book edition)
You definitely don't have to read WAIT FOR YOU (or TRUST IN ME, the same story from Cam's POV instead of Avery's) to read BE WITH ME. While Cam and Avery make multiple appearances in BE WITH ME due to the fact that Cam is both Teresa's brother and Jase's best friend, the novel is completely about Teresa and Jase. Cam and Avery scenes are just bonuses thrown in by the author for the reader.
Teresa has been having the worst year of her entire life. Dancing is her life, but a recent injury has put all her dreams and goals on the back burner. She's now skating through her freshman year of college, not taking it too seriously because she knows she'll be out in the spring as soon as she's cleared by her doctor and back to dancing. She's once again her older brother Cam's tag-along, now at the same university as him and forced to watch his many excessive PDAs with girlfriend Avery. She's also forced to interact more with Cam's best friend Jase. This shouldn't be a hardship; Teresa has had a crush on him since she was sixteen. But he kissed her once about a year ago, and hasn't talked to her since. Now they're back in one another's lives and unable to avoid her feelings. Jase plays hot and cold, unsure of what he really wants. Teresa knows she wants to be with Jase...but at what cost?
There's a lot to same about BE WITH ME. It has some great one-liners worth quoting, ones such as:
"I have considerable charm, Tess...And with said charm comes great responsibility to use it wisely."
(pg. 141, US e-book edition)
and:
I always knew I'd make an excellent human tissue...thank you for letting me achieve that dream.
(pg. 146, US hardcover edition)
to name just two examples.
There are also a couple of genuinely sweet, moving scenes. I love the scene where Jase and Teresa have a "horse meet and greet." Teresa is beyond terrified of horses, but Jase is sure that if she can get past her fear, she can fly on a horse the way she once did as a dancer. He's so sweet and wonderful with her, and the way that he gets her to just hold out her hand, to touch a horse, to feed it, to lose her crushing sense of fear...it was a great scene. Phobias can be debilitating, and the scene was very genuine. My other favorite scene comes right after Teresa visits the doctor with Jase and falls apart in his car. He's so good with her, so calming, and is willing to just be there for her and let her cry. I'm also a fan of the way Jase always brought Teresa special cupcakes, and love that Jennifer Armentrout gave a cameo to Jenuine Cupcakes the way she did!
That said, I had some of the same issues with BE WITH ME that I did with FRIGID. There was a little too much drama for me, personally. There was a lot of back and forth on Jase's part, and Teresa never knew where she stood with him. Granted, Jase has his reasons, though the astute reader will see these coming and not be blindsided by the revelation like Teresa is. At the same time, Jase really messes with Teresa and gets cold feet a little too late in the game.What's funny is that about 150 pages into the novel, I assumed that the book would be wrapped up in the next 50 pages and the rest of it was a bonus short or sneak peeks or something. It was starting to feel a little long. I didn't realize that things were about to hit a boiling point and become dramatic for the book's back-end.
I still prefer Armentrout's fantasy books to her contemporary New Adult reads, but that's just me personally. I'm a fantasy girl at heart. I like to have more going on than just a romance or to have that romance become convoluted with drama. I struggle more when I read contemporary novels and they have to work harder to hold my attention. That's my fault, though, not a book's! Tess actually has many characteristics of the type of character I do like to read about in contemporary fiction. They have a backstory that changes them and makes their future less certain and perfect. They have to work for that happily ever after. I wish we saw a little more of Teresa and her life and her struggles, that she wasn't quite so wrapped up in Jase that he became her reason for everything. Jase definitely has his endearing moments, and, as I mentioned earlier, is very quotable. I would have liked to get into his head and see why he made the decisions he did, because maybe then I would have understood him more!
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C O V E R D E S I G N:
I actually prefer the lovely UK cover:
It has a lot of color, which the US series is lacking, and a fun pose. It's really interesting to look at!
That said, I like the uniformity of the US covers, the way the titles are boxed in and the important text is highlighted in the same color as the box!
It has a lot of color, which the US series is lacking, and a fun pose. It's really interesting to look at!
That said, I like the uniformity of the US covers, the way the titles are boxed in and the important text is highlighted in the same color as the box!
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O F F I C I A L I N F O:
Title: BE WITH ME
Author: Jennifer L. Armentrout
Release Date: Feb. 4, 2014
Publisher: William Morrow / HarperCollins
Received: For Review
Received: For Review
SUMMARY:
Teresa Hamilton is having a rough year—she’s in love with her big brother’s best friend, but he hasn’t spoken to her since they shared a truly amazing, mind-blowing, change-your-life kiss. She got out of a terrible relationship. And now an injury is threatening to end her dance career for good. It’s time for Plan B – college. And maybe a chance to convince Jase that what they have together is real.
Jase Winstead has a huge secret that he’s not telling anyone. Especially not his best friend’s incredibly beautiful sister. Even though he and Teresa shared the hottest kiss of his life, he knows that his responsibilities must take priority. He certainly doesn’t have time for a relationship. But it doesn’t help that all he can think about kissing the one girl who could ruin everything for him.
As they’re thrown together more and more, Jase and Tess can’t keep denying their feelings for each other. But a familiar danger looms and tragedy strikes. As the campus recovers, the star-crossed couple must decide what they’re willing to risk to be together, and what they’re willing to lose if they’re not.
Jase Winstead has a huge secret that he’s not telling anyone. Especially not his best friend’s incredibly beautiful sister. Even though he and Teresa shared the hottest kiss of his life, he knows that his responsibilities must take priority. He certainly doesn’t have time for a relationship. But it doesn’t help that all he can think about kissing the one girl who could ruin everything for him.
As they’re thrown together more and more, Jase and Tess can’t keep denying their feelings for each other. But a familiar danger looms and tragedy strikes. As the campus recovers, the star-crossed couple must decide what they’re willing to risk to be together, and what they’re willing to lose if they’re not.
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Her dreams of becoming an author started in algebra class, where she spent most of her time writing short stories….which explains her dismal grades in math. Jennifer writes young adult paranormal, science fiction, fantasy, and contemporary romance. She is published with Spencer Hill Press, Entangled Teen and Brazen, Disney/Hyperion and Harlequin Teen. Her book OBSIDIAN has been optioned for a major motion picture and her Covenant Series has been optioned for TV.
She also writes adult and New Adult romance under the name J. Lynn. She is published by Entangled Brazen and HarperCollins.
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This is a great review! Thank you for the shout-out too. :)
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