Zachary Jacobs feels as though his life is spiraling out of control as he deals with the aftermath of losing his childhood best friend, Emmett Hanks. When his sister, Danielle, disappears without a trace, he finds comfort in the only person who truly knows what he is going through: Haylee Hanks.What he least expects is to fall for her. She went from the silly girl next door to the beautiful woman … beautiful woman he can’t get out of his head. For the first time, he wants more than just a notch on his bedpost. Will his past be too much for her to handle, or will she let him catch her as she falls?
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This is the 2nd book in this amazing series and is Zach and Haylee’s story. This book starts off when Zach loses his childhood best friend, and with his sister Dani disappearing. Zach and his next-door neighbour Haylee are brought together by their grief at losing Emmett, and how their relationship evolves over time. This author is a genius at bring all the emotions and feels into her stories which lead the reader down the path of an emotional roller coaster which pulls at the heartstring. This is a beautifully written story which is raw, gritty, heartbreaking, endearing, and is an entertaining and humorous tale. I cannot wait to read more in this captivating series, and recommend this talented author’s work for all.
Another amazing emotional book by Stefanie Jenkins! I loved every second of this book! Zach and Haylee’s story is the same timeline as the first book I Never Planned On You but in Zach and Haylee’s POV. We got to see how their relationship developed and how they built each other up when all they wanted to do was crumble into a black pit of sadness from Emmett dying and Danielle running away. They formed this beautiful unbreakable bond starting as friends supporting each other after such a tragic loss. But as time went on their feelings changed and a great love story was created. Stefanie Jenkins sure know how’s to chew your heart up, spit it out, stomp on it and set it on fire but she also knows how to glue the pieces back together. Bravo Stefanie on another beautifully written book!
I read book one in the series by this author and she totally blew me away and this book is no different, she will have you hooked right away. This is book two in this series and they are both phenomenal.
Book #1 I Never planned on you.
Book #2 I Never Expected You.
Zach and Haylee have been through alot. We watch there relationship grow between each other and it’s so strong and powerful that it has you going through it with them.
They go from strength to strength through love, they go through struggles and their relationship is strong. But they both have to go through thing’s before they can blossom together. There love is from friends to lovers and before they know it there’s no going back. There connection is so strong it totally pulls them in, we see how their relationship develops and how their journey progress.
This book does carry straight on from book 1 only now it’s with Zach and Haylee’s point of view, I do like it when we see characters from previous books in the next instalments it makes it all the more special.
This book is told from separate points of view, which I always prefer.
This story is gripping and is quite emotional reading it and really relatable. This story is very real and very raw and this author writes so good that she has you feeling all these emotions too. These books in this series will stay with you for a long time.
I really like this author writing style and this book is beautifully written. The characters in this book are written so good that they feel like real people. I highly recommend that you read the first book in this series so you know where your up to and who everyone is.
Thank You to the author and publishers for allowing me to read a copy of this book.
ARC provided in exchange for an honest review.
This book is out now.
Heartbreak and Romance
This is a great story of love and loss, and finding love in unexpected places. I loved seeing Zach and Haylee’s POV. Wonderful characters and story. I enjoyed this story very much. From the moment of tragedy, Zack and Haylee have to learn to cope. Finding each other to lean on they find love. I love their chemistry, funny, and sexy. Great HEA.
A wonderful story about two childhood friends who find themselves feeling more in the wake of a devastating loss. Haylee Jacobs is devastated by the loss of her older brother. She would usually turn to her best friend but Dani is not in the place to give her the support she needs she turns to Dani’s brother Zach who was also her brothers best friend. Zach and Haylee have know each other forever but feelings are changing and the find themselves drawn together in a different way. The story follows the progression of their relationship over many years and definitely has a great HEA.
I enjoyed this story for the most part. Haylee & Zach have a sweet (and yet semi-antagonistic) history. They develop more of a friendship after a tragedy touches them both, and that friendship falls into love pretty seamlessly. I love both characters – their banter, their sexy times, their support of one another! Zach is pretty swoony for a reformed manwhore, too. Heh.
A few things kept popping up as annoyances – there are some time skips that gloss over events that could have been used to tighten the story up a bit more & give some insight into Kyler & Dani’s characters. I found out after reading this that Kyler & Dani’s story is actually told in book 1, so I understand that the pieces I felt were “missing” were probably a part of their story. So, for those looking into this series, I would recommend reading book 1 first – even tho Haylee & Zach’s story absolutely can be enjoyed read first!
And I did – I enjoyed their story a lot! : )
5 stars for I never Expected You by Stefanie Jenkins. This is book two in the I Never Series. This is the first book I have read from this author and she now has a fan in me. This book put me into an emotional overload. Zach and Haylee ,I don’t even know where to start with these two and this book. If I say to much it could ruin the experience for you and I do not want to do that. Zach is a hero that will have you swooning and Haylee will grip your heart. While reading this book I felt like I was experiencing the grief along with them This book should come with a warning. You may need a first aid kit for your heart that will be ripped out by this book.
Genre- Contemporary Romance
Feels-5/5
HEA-I don’t even know where to start
Heat- 5/5
Cliffhanger-NO
Cover-5/5
Hero-5/5
Heroine-5/5
Overall-5
I’m sure that I’m in the minority here, but I Never Expected You just didn’t hit the mark for me. It started out with such promise, and I really liked the first half. I liked getting a better understanding of how Haylee and Zach got together. I loved how they found love through tragedy. Unfortunately, a good chunk of this book was repetitive of I Never Planned On You because much of the timelines overlapped. Yes, it was from a different character’s POV, but much of the retelling was way too similar for me; in fact, I found that I skipped over much of the second half of the book (at least until the last few chapters) because of this.
Please do understand that I really enjoy Stefanie Jenkins’ writing, and will definitely read more from her. Definitely (she is a great storyteller)! But I Never Expected You was a miss for me.
I Never Expected You is an emotional ride. While it is the second book in the series, I have not read the first one and had no problem following along. Haylee and Zach have suffered a devastating loss and are trying to find their way back. Will they way back lead them to something they never thought possible?
I really enjoyed the story. I definitely need to go back and read the first book!
“This. Is. Different. You. Are. Different.”
Just when you think Stephanie Jenkins isn’t going to put you through the emotional wringer with this book like she did book 1, she strikes again, leaving me staring into space with a lump in my throat trying to sort through my emotions.
Bravo Jenkins, because not only did you wreck my world with I Never Planned on You, you’ve just made me rip the bandaid off of my heart, to relive it all over again through Zach and Haylee.
“She’s my Haylee.”
And that’s my man! God Zach is soooooo swoony!
If you are looking for a book to ruin you, gut you and leave you speechless then you need to read this series. I’ve stood along side these characters and wallowed in their grief with them, I’ve cried for them, I’ve rooted for them, laughed with them and loved them. I don’t know how much more my heart can take from the emotional terrorist that is Stefanie Jenkins.
Read this series!