By Ann Aguirre
Release Date: September 30, 2013
Source: Publisher
Football prowess and jaw-dropping good looks made Rob a star in high school. Out in the real world, his job and his relationships are going nowhere. He's the guy who women love and leave, not the one who makes them think of forever –– until Lauren comes back to town, bringing old feelings and new dreams with her.
Because the only thing more important than figuring out where you truly belong is finding the person you were meant to be with.
After dropping out of college and returning home to Sharon, Nebraska, Lauren Barrett is definitely not where she thought she'd be at her age. But Lauren had faced problems in college and didn't want to confront her anxiety issues, so home was the safest place for her. Not to mention, it had Rob Conrad. Rob is Lauren's best friend's older brother and Lauren just so happens to have the biggest crush on him that has been growing for years. Rob may be gorgeous on the outside, but he struggles with wanting even more out of his life while everyone else seems to doubt him. He's the kind of guy who girls don't stick around with and Lauren is determined to show him that he is worth it. When Rob and Lauren start spending more time together, they teach each other the good about themselves and make them feel worthy in the world.
Like I said, I had an issue with the main character in the third book in this series. With Lauren, though, I really enjoyed her character and connected with her insecurities. First off, I loved how she had a huge crush on Rob when she was younger and always around with his sister. Now, Lauren gets to see a whole new side to Rob and really get into who he is as a person. Rob is such a sweetie and I could not get enough of him! He didn't want to rush things with Lauren and I just wanted to give him a big hug when he talked about how it was hard for him when everyone thought he was just a pretty face and not really worth anything. Lauren helping him with his furniture/home building was a great way for them to grow closer and also grow more confident in themselves.
The only issue that I had with this book was the pacing. It seemed like things were a good pace in the beginning, but then about two thirds through the book, things sped up and like 6 months passed in mere pages. I would have liked more consistency. Also, Lauren had anxiety, which was addressed throughout the book, but other moments I completely forgot about it because Lauren seemed fine in those social situations (like confrontations with Avery). I did, though, like how Lauren reached out to Avery and had some friends outside of her relationship with Rob.
While this wasn't a passionate, addicting new adult read, I still really enjoyed As Long As You Love Me. The characters were great and I loved how adorable Rob was. Also, I liked how there was more complexity to the story where Lauren was dealing with her relationship with Rob as well as her anxiety issues and her mom starting a new relationship as well. If you're looking for a sweet New Adult read with some steamy moments, you should check out As Long As You Love Me.
I really enjoyed books 2 and 3 out of this series; the first one was a bit meh for me. But I loved Rob in As Long As You Love Me!! He's just so sweet and there's so much more to him than his looks, I honestly couldn't help but adore him ;) Lauren I wasn't as keen on but I still liked her and related to her quite a lot. I'm glad you enjoyed this one and great review!
ReplyDeleteZareena @ The Slanted Bookshelf