If Ever ★ National Readers’ Choice Award Winner ★ From the glitz of LA to the lights of New York, the best is yet to come…. if you let it. Fiercely independent Chelsea Barnes has caught a rare break and been cast as the first non-celebrity on the hit show Celebrity Dance Off. Chelsea is coined ‘America’s Chance to Dance,’ but her partner planned on an A-lister, not a nobody. Clashing with her … planned on an A-lister, not a nobody.
Clashing with her partner, she’s ready to go home; but during an emotional dance, her heart-breaking past as a homeless teen is revealed. Not only do the viewers fall in love with her, so does the flirty British guest singer, Broadway star Thomas Evan Oliver.
Tom is struck by this feisty girl who complicates his over-structured life, and pursues her in a romantic cross-country courtship until she’s voted off and joins him. Their sexy whirlwind love affair blossoms in New York as she navigates the big city and his exhausting eight shows a week, but most important, her scarred heart begins to heal. Perhaps happily ever after might be a possibility after all.
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I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book.
4.5 Stars
Actually I’ve started this book without reading the blurb or any reviews beforehand. So I dove in pretty blind. Which was kind of exciting.
So I was quite confused when Chelsea and Dominic had such a rough start and no chemistry at all. I am used to the fact that in the romance books the first guy a girl meets (or the other way around) is usually THE one person. But it was obvious that they were not it.
However, the chemistry part between those two changed with the flow of the story, even though only in the friend-zone part.
Still, it was kind of unusual that you are a while into the story before the two guys meant to be meet. Until then it was an excited journey on how a non-celebrity deals with a reality show and the real celebrities.
The idea of the book where Dancing with the Stars meets Broadway was something new to me, interesting and exciting. Woven in this story are topics like dealing with vulnerability, hurt, loss, love and friendship.
Things I love most about this book was the atmospheric writing style, attention to details and the fact that the main characters really talk. Chelsea and Tom (as well as Chelsea and Dominic) have really good and mostly deep conversation. Talking things through. Getting to know each other on a deeper level than “only” sexual. I was fascinated by their honest and open conversations. Even sometimes forced as they also have their “I don’t tell/talk” problems as we already know from other romance books.
However it was really refreshing reading through deeper conversations than I was used to.
I really liked how Chelsea fought for what was important for her. How she dealt with the stones thrown in her way and the confidence with which she held up her head high. It shows the survivor she actually is. Considering how Chelsea develops during the first part of the story the more surprising is it seeing how she falls into this self-conscious girl with trust and abandoning issues. It’s like she transformed into a new person. It’s not that I don’t see where this is all coming from. Seeing her difficult past and all. But where went this self-confident woman we got to know? I was quite disappointed how this part took a turn.
Tom was cute as hell and almost too good to be true. But this somehow made him a little boring and he has no real development during the story. Nice, caring and understanding in the beginning as well as in the end. Nothing changed much.
Nevertheless you feel how deep he fell for Chelsea and that they have great chemistry right from the beginning. And every time they kissed I had butterflies in my stomach. This rarely happens while I read. So Angie really worked magic here. And this unicorn reference! LOVE it!
““You realize, finding the perfect girl is like finding a Unicorn,” he says.” … “Finding a beautiful, smart, funny woman is the impossible trifecta. It’s extremely rare. So rare, it’s like finding a Unicorn.”
Another thing, why I couldn’t give 5 stars, even though I truly enjoyed and loved reading this book, is the abrupt ending. There are so many things that need to be sorted out and I was kind left in the open. I have still so many questions that I really hope there is going to be a second book. Both characters and the upcoming obstacles leave a lot of room for a further going story.
If Ever is beautiful, smart and feisty, a rare love story like the magical unicorn.
As a new reader to this author, it was an all around good book. I don’t read YA books but I was drawn in by the cover. I definitely couldn’t put it down. I really enjoyed reading about Chelsea and Tom. This book made me laugh, cry and more. The only downfall to this story is the ending. I was shocked at the way it ended. But all in all a great read.