When her mother is sleeping with the man she loves, what’s a girl to do?Francesca is weeks away from high school graduation and the hope of escaping her self-centered, grasping family – her trashy mother and hustling twin brother. While her crush on their older neighbor holds her attention, she is blind to what everyone else can clearly see, the love her best friend Mitch carries in his heart for … his heart for her. When her dead grandmother’s high school boyfriend returns to town for his class reunion, his immediate attraction to Francesca is a game changer. Can Mr. Long – and his wealth – open up undreamed of opportunities for Francesca’s future, and at what price?
*adult content (sexual situations, language)
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This story is a slow indepth development of the characters. Mitch’s love for Francesca is deep, but he doesn’t want to ruin their best friend status. Francesca has a crush on the older neighbor. Her mother, Francie, is an opportunist! Always looking for a man with money to use, and encouraging Francesca to be more than friends with the rich boy, Mitch.
Along comes Mr. Henry Long. He’s infatuated when he sees Francesca, a duplicate of his long, lost love. When he finds out that she is the Granddaughter of his beloved Julia, he wants to get closer to her and offer an opportunity she can’t refuse.
I enjoyed listening to this story narrated by Greg Young. audiobookobsessionreviewer
This is not a HEA YA romance read – this is a heat wrenching read about hurt and betrayal. I have to say that really the only character I am truly heartbroken for is Mitch. This read has a multitude of in depth characters that the author delivers to us beautifully. However these characters are anything but beautiful with a myriad of flaws which anyone can relate to – nobody’s perfect – but really this book will suck you in and spit you out and leave you wanting to know more. The narration was a bit stilted at times but still came across very well. Well written and enchanting but at the same time disappointing.
This book was given to me for free at my request and I provided this voluntary review.
*this review is based on the audio version of this read
Cecily writes like no one else.
I can’t explain, you have to read it for yourself, but it’s beautiful, I assure you.
Funny, but while I was reading, I saw movie clips. I was so into this story!
I don’t know what else to say than bravo. I loved it! The writing, the characters, the way this story was told, everything!
This is def different than any book I’ve ever read this book is told by all the characters which I think is good it tells the feelings! A good book enjoyed reading it!
First and foremost to the author:
How dare you. How dare you make me fall in love with these characters and have my heart ripped out in the end. I was a blubbering mess when I finished. That was by far the most unexpected turn of events and it literally destroyed my inner soul. And I absolutely loved every bit of it with every fiber of my being.
Now that I got that off my chest, Cecily Wolfe has once again captured my heart with her cast development. None of these characters are your standard run of mill characters that you see in a young adult romance. There are sexual situations, so if you’re not comfortable with your teen reading about that then this is probably one you’ll want to keep away from them. But in my opinion, I think it suitable for 16 and up, it’s really nothing worse than what you see or hear in a pg-13 movie.
Every young girl has that older man in their life that they just fawn over, mine was my science teacher of the 9th and 11th grade. My goodness, I don’t remember anything I learned during those classes. So while reading this book, it really brought back to the mindset I had during my high school years. Hence why I was so devastated by the ending. Believe me, this is one you’ll want to read it, this is not your standard twist.
The way this was written, was different from most books I’ve come across. You have every character’s point of view coming into play. At first, I was really hesitant on that, I didn’t see how all these Points of views could morph to tell the story of Francesca. So I was pleasantly surprised to see that the story entwined so well with these characters than to have written it in another format I don’t think would have been successful of a story.
Most coming of age story I find to be somewhat unrealistic especially when they try to cover the romance department. It’s a fine line to walk when you’re writing about high school students. And Wolfe has no problem waking that line. There’s enough push to keep you intrigued but not enough that you appalled at what you’re reading. Meaning you really do get a good insight into these young minds, Francesca, Tricia (best friend #1), Mitch (Best friend #2), Ricky (Twin brother) And Ashley ( New girl). It’s a large cast of teens/young adults to cover in one book but this book wouldn’t be possible without them though.
Oh and don’t forget the most unforgettable mom award goes to Francie and Jane. I mean my goodness, you’d think these two women as similar as they are could become the best of friends but when you watch them interact with each other while you know their true intentions is just a ball of sarcasm and for someone like me, it is brilliant.
You have the enchantment of the mysterious Mr. Long and his quip personality. I still and probably will find myself often thinking about his relationship with Francesca and pondering what his true motives are. If they are as pure as he comes across in the book or if he has longing for his lost love.
So if you’re looking for something new, something that is not your typical read, a weekend book, a long flight or long road trip book, then this is it. You won’t be disappointed.
I had a hard time deciding what to rate this book. It was so much going on at once and so many different character that it was confusing
. The basis of the plot was good, but the execution was a little hard on the reader. There were so many un answered questions but you wanted to know what would happen next. The author did a good job of making you feel dislike for those who wronged Francesca.
This book.. where to begin. First off I absolutely LOVE the innocence of Francesca and Mitch, I was drawn in to their characters right from the beginning. Francie was aggravating and irritating and I felt as if I was in the book feeling all of the angst and drama along with the characters. Mr. Long was sweet and loving and everything you expect out of a true gentleman and I fell in love with him from the beginning. This book leaves you waiting for the other shoe to drop so to speak, and the agony, love, and every other emotion in between was there and right at the forefront the entire time. I am hoping there is a second book because I just HAVE to know… What happens next?!