Wait for You Review: Avery

Book: Wait for You
Author: J. Lynn (Jennifer L. Armentrout)
Series: Wait for You
Standing: Book 1
POV: 1st person by Avery, past tense
Setting: Shepardstown, West Virginia
Genre: NA romance

Source: Physical copy
Pages: 332
Release: February 26th 2013
Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks

Favourite Line: "Everything was okay. Maybe not perfect, but life wasn't meant to be perfect. It was messy and sometimes it was a disaster, but there was beauty in the messiness and there could be peace in the disaster."

Rating: 5 Stars

Blurb (Goodreads)
Some things are worth waiting for…

Traveling thousands of miles from home to enter college is the only way nineteen-year-old Avery Morgansten can escape what happened at the Halloween party five years ago—an event that forever changed her life. All she needs to do is make it to her classes on time, make sure the bracelet on her left wrist stays in place, not draw any attention to herself, and maybe—please God—make a few friends, because surely that would be a nice change of pace. The one thing she didn’t need and never planned on was capturing the attention of the one guy who could shatter the precarious future she’s building for herself.

Some things are worth experiencing…

Cameron Hamilton is six feet and three inches of swoon-worthy hotness, complete with a pair of striking blue eyes and a remarkable ability to make her want things she believed were irrevocably stolen from her. She knows she needs to stay away from him, but Cam is freaking everywhere, with his charm, his witty banter, and that damn dimple that’s just so… so lickable. Getting involved with him is dangerous, but when ignoring the simmering tension that sparks whenever they are around each other becomes impossible, he brings out a side of her she never knew existed.

Some things should never be kept quiet…

But when Avery starts receiving threatening emails and phone calls forcing her to face a past she wants silenced, she’s has no other choice but to acknowledge that someone is refusing to allow her to let go of that night when everything changed. When the devastating truth comes out, will she resurface this time with one less scar? And can Cam be there to help her or will he be dragged down with her?

And some things are worth fighting for…

                       ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭

That blurb alone had me. Just saying.

I am re-reading this series in honour of Forever with You, the fifth book, coming out September 29th! Though I'm going to give you all a fair warning that I may or may not write reviews for all the books, due to time issues. But know that they all get 5 stars from me :)

Back to my review.

This book features the one and only Avery Morganstern. Upon graduating high school, she high-tails thousands of miles across the country to attend a smaller, out-of-the-way collage in Shepherdstown to escape an event that has haunted her for five years and made her life absolutely miserable. And then she literally runs into Cameron Hamilton, and I mean literally, and Avery's life takes a turn for the better. Until the same event Avery was running from finds its way back to her again...

Avery travels halfway across the country as a means to run away from her problems. Ideally, it should work, but it doesn't, and Avery has to toughen up to face it. Her character arc was a gradual one, spanning an entire school year, which made her growth seem very realistic. There was no sudden lightbulb moments; everything was a progression, just as things in life normally are. Running away and facing your problems are two very different things, which Avery comes to realize. It's true that everyone says you should just face your fears, the reality is that it's really hard. Especially traumatic experiences, or things that are rooted deep into you. Time heals wounds, so long as you are willingly trying to heal, not ignore it. And Avery goes through every agonizing part of running away and overcoming her issues, both with support of others and by trusting herself.

Cam...oh my god, Cam. He's just the biggest sweetheart in the history of sweethearts. And he bakes. Bakes! Cookies! Banana bread! Muffins! Cakes! I don't know any guy who bakes, let alone bakes well. Cam just blew me away. He was one big sweetheart, and I just loved him. So supportive, so awesome, just the guy any girl wishes she had. God. Where can I find one of these guys? *shakes head in wonder* But Cam wasn't without his own set of problem, though the circumstances that led to those issues really revealed that he is an honest-to-good guy who cares deeply for others. I'm sad that he had to face repercussions... He honestly didn't deserve them. But I couldn't help but love him for it.

As steamy as this novel was (yes, it is steamy!), this novel dealt with deep themes that are much more mature, mainly because they are serious issues in this modern day world. They are issues that truly can happen to people in this world, and it saddens me to know it. There is no definite "good guy" or "bad guy," just what you can do to cope, and what's best for you. I think that's why it's important to always be kind to one another, because we never know what everyone is going through, or has gone through. No one will fault you for being kind, ever, and there is never a price for kindness. Nor should there ever be.

This book is amazing book, and will have you laughing, crying, frustrated, overjoyed, and swooning. There are powerful themes and messages, and I highly recommend reading this, so long as you can take the heat of the romance! ;)