She’s my little sister’s best friend. And exactly who I should NOT be spending a summer with…The last time I saw Elle, she was a child. A Harry Potter-obsessed 13-year-old with a penchant for fan fiction and following me around. Six years later she’s on my doorstep. The braces are gone. The “Team Gryffindor” t-shirt’s been replaced with a bikini the size of my index finger. And I can’t get her … And I can’t get her out of my head, no matter how hard I try.
Except she’s still the girl I’m not allowed to have, the center of a secret I hope she never learns.
Resisting what I feel for Elle Grayson is the only way to protect my family. But am I willing to break both our hearts in the process?
*This is a completely rewritten and re-edited version of Bloom. It is now dual point-of-view, and there are major changes to plot.
more
I absolutely loved this angsty forbidden romance!! I was completely obsessed as soon as I started reading it!!
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own
The overall writing was good. The main characters were difficult to like. I went back and forth on them. They both needed to grow up a bit. The main side characters needed personality transplants. It’s not Waking Olivia but all in all it is a decent book. I am giving this one 3.5 stars. If you like best friends sister with a bit of frustrating frenemies to lovers, this may be the book for you. Give it a read.
This is the second book I have read by Elizabeth O’Roark and after reading ‘Waking Oliva’ I knew I had to read whatever else I could get my hands on from Elizabeth!! This book was a great read! I loved the push and pull from James and Elle! I felt like I could just feel the sexual tension. I will say, I absolutely could NOT stand Ginny and I wish Elle would have stood up for herself more regarding her so called friend. Ginny was too easily manipulated to ever be a good friend of Elle’s. She was obviously very jealous and the minute she found another girl that jealous and insecure about Elle she jumped on attacked her so called best friend. I wanted Elle just go off and smack the crap out of her!
I really wanted to like this book so much more than I did. I thought it started off super slow and then it was like watching a yo-yo until almost the end. Elle, girl I get you loved him (James) and have but I hated that she put up with his crap. I felt she was a punching bag to everyone in the house even her suppose best friend. James, I did like him in the very end, he needed to grow up. She was acting more like an adult than he was and her being so young was such a big issue. Ahh, poor Elle just needed someone in her corner and not even her parents cared. My heart went out to her.
DNF…started skimming at 54%. EVERYBODY wants Elle. Obsessively, apparently. James is just pitiful. Ginny is quite possibly the worst friend ever and a huge hypocrite to boot. And Elle’s father all of a sudden CARES what happens to her at the end?? What a hot mess of a book.
This story had my heart the moment I started reading it. Elle is a 19 year old, naive girl whose family has never really been around. When the papers find out her boss seems to think more of her as then an intern, she escapes to the beach house of her childhood best friend. Elle doesn’t want the spotlight. She just wants independence from her messed up family. There is one good thing about the beach house, and that is her best friend’s older brother, James. She has had a crush on James since she was young, but will he ever see her as more?
I was emotionally invested in Elle and all the hardships she is going through. When she was feeling okay about herself, I was so happy! But when she was feeling outcasted, ignored and lost, my heart hurt for her. She is the kind of character that you want to see succeed and get all the of things that she deserves. James is definitely the older guy we have all had a crush on and wish it could be more. For most of the book, I was pretty mad at her best friend, Ginny, because she doesn’t act like much of a best friend. I think this book also shows that our parents/adults can be just as screwed up as we are.
Thank you to Elizabeth O’Roark and Happily Eva Insta for letting me read and honestly review this book!
Elle is a college student who finds herself lost in the middle of a personal/family crisis who is spending summer with her best friend. While she is a little bit naive, she’s easy to like. James is her best friend’s brother who is in the middle of his own personal crisis. He also knows that Elle is the one girl he should avoid, but can he avoid her or is the attraction too great? I immediately felt an attachment to Elle and James, and found myself sucked into this book. I did not put this book down once I started reading it. I did feel like the writing was rushed, and that some additional detail and plot development would have been an excellent edition. Overall, I don’t think you can go wrong with this book.
Reviewed by: Lauren L.
4,5 stars
I received an ARC of this book and this is my voluntarily, honest review of it.
‘No one but us’ is a bit special because it isn’t a totally ‘new’ book. No, it’s a ‘new’ version of the story ‘Bloom’. The writer decided to rewrite that story. I must confess that I haven’t read the book ‘Bloom’ so I can’t compare the two stories with each other. I can only tell you what I think of ‘No one but us’.
‘No one but us’ is a new adult story, a genre that I really enjoy reading. And I must say that I liked this story very much.
Elle Grayson can’t remember a time that she wasn’t in love with her best friend’s brother James. As a child he was always there when she needed someone. The last time that she saw him she was 14 years old. Now, 5 years later they will see each other again and will even be spending the summer together in a house. Will James finally see her as more than a friend? Elle really hope so but sadly the situation isn’t as simple as that. Family and the outside world are creating trouble for Elle and James. Is it really worth so much to be together or is it better for everyone to let things go and just be friends?
I really liked both characters. James was a good guy who has always been protective of Elle and Elle was a sweet girl. You really felt the attraction between them both but also the guilt, the doubts and the loneliness. I really felt sorry for Elle, this story really shows that it can’t be easy to grow up as an only child of famous parents, parents who are more busy with their own life and success than that they care about their child. I found it special that even after everything she had seen during her childhood, Elle still had that innocent in her. This story really shows how much influence parents can have on their child life.
The story is told from both POV’s. I was grateful for that because this way I could understand James feelings better. There was some drama in the story but nothing too much or too dark. For me it had the perfect mix of everything.
The one thing that I did miss at the end (but maybe that’s just me) is an epilogue. I would have loved to see how they were doing after a few years together. But I’m really hoping that the writer decides to write a book about James his sister Ginny and his best friend Max and maybe that way we get to see more of Elle and James too?!? I really hope so!
‘No one but us’ was a great book and I enjoyed it very much.
Slow burn romance with so much back and forth by the Hero that it almost gave me whiplash. I loved Elle, the heroine. She was the daughter of celebrities who were so self-involved that Elle was frequently forgotten completely, but somehow she still seemed down-to-earth. Elle was really easy to root for because-other than trying to get James to notice her-she didn’t have hidden agendas, what you saw was what you got. James, on the other hand, was at war with himself and was constantly acting one way while feeling another because his family’s expectations conflicted with what he actually wanted. They way Elizabeth O’Roark used both their viewpoints kept me from becoming completely exasperated with James’ indecisiveness since I was better able to understand why he acted the way he did during his chapters, but I still wanted him to “man up” earlier than he did. Finally, I enjoyed the way the secondary characters were fleshed out. There were some characters that I loved and some I couldn’t stand, but most of the secondary characters, including Elle and James’ family members and housemate Max, were very distinct characters whose actions made sense and whose inclusion helped move the story along.
This story was so addicting. I had a hard time putting it down to sleep because I wanted to know what was going to happen next. This author kept me on the edge of my seat waiting to see what would happen between these two characters. Angst and sexual tension drive this story, but we also have a little mystery, a small age gap, family drama, a bit of the forbidden, stalking, behavioral health issues and ex boy/girl friends.
Elle has been friends with Ginny since childhood and James is her older brother. Heck, James babysat the two munchkins and watched over them while they all grew up and explored life. But now they’re all grown up and little Elle doesn’t look the same as she did when she was younger which comes to his attention the minutes she steps in the door of the beach house their staying at for the summer. She’s 19 and ready to start college and flaunting a body James wasn’t expecting.
Elle is trying to make the best of her life with a mom and dad that are spoiled stars constantly in the lime-light. One a TV personality and the other a famous model. But these parents have been neglectful of Elle her entire life and now that she looks like the spitting image of her mother, she also has her mother’s drama following her. Everybody just assumes Elle will be just like her mom, but that’s far from the truth.
James is trying to fill the spot his parents want him to. Expected to become a lawyer and take over the family business, James has finally admitted it is not what he wants for his future. But going against the family is very hard and it turns out that resisting Elle is just as hard.
This couple exploded on the pages, even when they were both resisting their fate as a couple. I felt all their tension trying to resist and giving in. James felt Elle was still too young, being 19 and he resisted her at every step, until he couldn’t anymore. They had to work through a lot of issues to be together and a secret that needed to be told about their two families. I will admit I wanted to shake some sense into Elle at times myself.
Definitely a keeper and a story you don’t want to miss. This would be a wonderful beach read. I sure hope we get to hear more on Ginny and Max in the future. There is a story waiting to be told, for sure!
I want to say first off I LOVED Waking Olivia. So much so I’ve done an Amazon Giveaway of the book in a FB group.
I was expecting something similar. A STRONG heroine. What I got was a very weak one. VERY weak. I get the ‘fell in love with my best friend’s brother’ when they are kids and still hold a candle to him. But she was so mind numbingly a push over it was wrong. Not that all leading females need to be strong, but she just was walked all over by EVERYONE the entire book. Said “best friend”, boss, parents, leading male, his ex, new boss. EVERY.ONE! It was so frustrating.
Now onto him. What an asshat. The main thing keeping them apart is FIVE YEARS. F.I.V.E. That is NOTHING. He makes it seem like there is an over 10 yr difference and even if there were, they are both of legal age. He’s an asshole to her 95% of the time. He has zero redeeming qualities, she too for that matter expect for her looks which is focused on 100% of the time. I’m not a fan of looks being the only reason a couple is together and that was what this was, b/c neither are all that likeable.
So again UGH. This could have been a fabulous love story, but instead I wanted to shake every single one of the characters. Well maybe NOT Max. He seemed to be the only sane one in the whole story.
~I volunteered to read an advance copy
I truly did not care for any of the characters in this book other than Max. Everyone one else was a hot mess. I felt for Elle because of her parents but she was a complete doormat where James was concerned. James irritated me with how he went on and on about their age difference. If she was 16 yes it would have been a big deal but the girl is 19… he was more I immature than she was half the time. Don’t get me started on Ginny. That girl has issues. Max was the only one I really liked. At least he was honest about who he was.
If you are an angst lover, like myself, Bloom is a book that is right up your alley! The first half of the book, I was in angst heaven. It was a slow build that picked up and delivered a memorable story…and left me wanting more! Bloom also incorporated one of my favorite tropes; best friend’s brother. I never had a brother growing up so maybe that’s why I like this type of story so much 😉 The story was also one that I hadn’t read before. Elle needs to “lay low” from a scandal, so she heads to her best friend’s beach house. She spends the summer trying to escape the unfair assumptions people make of her because of who her family is and how they have behaved in the past. James has always been a knight in shining armor in her eyes, and when she sees him, those feelings only intensify. He spends his summer fighting the pull he has towards Elle, and portrays a myriad of behaviors around her that leaves her figuratively dizzy. He was not a character that I instantly welcomed, but I warmed up to him as the story progressed. One quote that stood out to me as I read was “things don’t bloom because they’re told it’s the correct time. They bloom because the conditions are right,” and it pretty much summed up the story as a whole <3
I found Elle and James’ story to be surprisingly emotional. More so on Elle’s end given all she has to deal with throughout her childhood and now this summer. Its everything you’d expect a best friends brother romance to be with extra drama thrown in. She’s fighting the scandal that is surrounding her and her family plus the stigma of being promiscuous and a homewrecker that was started by her mother. Everyone wants to assume like mother, like daughter but Elle is nothing like her ‘desperately clinging to her glory days’ mother. And he is desperately trying not to fall for Elle for so many reasons, including his mother’s strange but strong dislike for Elle and her family. There was some predictability given the type of romance but it still kept me guessing enough that I had to know what was going to happen next, how it was all going to play out. I really grew attached to Elle. I admire her strength and resilience through all the drama and everything else shes had to deal with. This was a well written story that left us with a great setup for more. Hopefully we will see a follow up in the future. I’d love to see more from this particular group of characters.
Elle Grayson has been in love with her best friend’s older brother, James, since she was a little girl. Growing up as the daughter of a famous TV personality and a supermodel, she didn’t receive the attention and unconditional love from them. She found comfort with her best friend Ginny and James. James has always been her protector and he always felt bad for her when her parents never showed up to award shows, or when her mom forgot to pick her up from school. He’s always seen her as a little sister, until she waltzes into his beach house to stay for the summer. At 19 years old, she has matured into a beautiful young woman and James, 6 years her senior, has finally noticed that she’s no longer a little girl.
Needing to get away from a media scandal involving her boss, Elle decides to take up Ginny’s offer to stay at her beach house for the summer. Not having seen James for years, Elle decides that now is the time to show James she’s all grown up. With both of their ex’s still in the picture and a hidden past involving both sets of parents, will James pursue Elle or fight his feelings?
I felt bad for Elle because she is craving any kind of attention from her parents. She seems to be a burden to them, even as a young child. James acted like a real jerk throughout most of the book – Elle was confused most of the time by his behavior towards her. She didn’t need any more people in her life abandoning and dismissing her, which is what he does most of the time. Even though he was the older one, he acted and behaved like an immature child. And I wasn’t a fan of Ginny. I’m not sure I would want to be associated with someone who did the things Ginny did to Elle. I really liked Max, James’ best friend. A fun, flirtatious, laid-back guy, he was the one who was the most mature out of the group. I enjoyed the dual POV’s. A good read with drama from family members and ex’s. Looking forward to reading her next book!
I voluntarily read an advanced reader copy.
Elizabeth is a new author to me. Going in I didn’t realise it was a previous book she has added to and re-edited, so I don’t know what was different from the previous book but I loved No One But Us’. The title is very fitting for the story.
I read it within a couple of days not being able to put it down!!! Don’t hesitate to read it!
I can’t wait to read other books from this this author!!
This was a hard one to review. I’m normally a fan of best friend’s brother romance, but I had a harder time with No One But Us.
Elle has had a crush on her best friend’s older brother for years. After a disaster left her without her summer internship, she decided to spend the summer with Ginny at their summer home. Ginny’s brother, a law student, also happens to be there. The crush is still there, and it isn’t one-sided.
Elle was a fairly weak character to me. She allowed most everyone to walk all over her and really didn’t stick up for herself. Jason, well, I wasn’t a fan of how he treated Elle through most of the book. The writing style was good, and I did like Ginny.
I have read other books by Elizabeth O’Roark, and while this wasn’t my favorite, I have enjoyed her others, and will continue to read her books. And while this wasn’t my cup of tea, there are many who will love this, especially those who enjoy the best friend’s brother trope.
I was a little apprehensive before reading Elizabeth O’Roark’s No One But Us . A lot excited, sure, but apprehensive too. I had read Bloom, Elizabeth’s second book, and the book description sounded suspiciously like Bloom’s. No One But Us appeared to have the same premise, the same characters, the same general story line: Elle, a nineteen year old intern, is involved in a scandal. At her friend’s insistence, she joins Ginny, her 25 year old brother, James, and their roommate Max at the beach. Elle has always had a crush on James, a crush that quickly develops into lust and love, but James, burdened by family secrets and guilt about the six year age difference, desperately tries to stay away from her. I had liked Bloom a great deal, had loved the characters, and thought the book just right just as it was. I thought Elizabeth should leave it at that. I did not need to be nervous. No One But Us is just as good, if not better than Bloom. The chemistry between James and Elle is intense, Max is witty and insightful, Ryan, Elle’s ex boyfriend, appealing. There is manipulation and jealousy, unfair judging, self involved parents, all the elements for a very satisfactory, emotion-stirring book. I loved that the book is well written. The characters are articulate and intelligent, which is a relief. Just because the book is a romance- and it is, a great romance- doesn’t mean that a book can’t be well written. So many romances aren’t. If you haven’t read Bloom, definitely read No One But Us. And if you have read Bloom, well, read No One But Us. There are a lot of similarities- in fact, entire passages are identical or near identical- but still, No One But Us is worth reading (as are all of Elizabeth’s books!). It is really great!
I really loved this book and characters . It was fun and exciting. Elle is going through so much while James is facing is own set of obstacles. When together though it feels like things aren’t as bad as they seem. They really are a great match! Oh and heck yes to Max, he’s the friend everyone loves. From the very begining I was addicted to these characters.
The ending wasn’t what I was hoping for. Just seemed that there was a lot left unsaid. I’m not sure what’s next but I’m hoping for more of all these characters.
When Elle’s life falls apart, her best friend, Ginny, tells her to come and spend the summer with her at the beach. When Ginny says her older brother James will be there, too, Elle is raring to go. He’s the guy she’s had a crush on her entire life, so of course she wants to spend the summer near him.
James’ jaw drops when gawky, skinny little Elle, his little sister’s best friend, appears at their beach house, and she’s no little girl any longer. She doesn’t even look 19, though; she looks like a hot, model-like woman. Now he has to spend the summer not only babysitting his sister and her friend, but he also has to try not to notice how beautiful and adult she is. Yikes.
I read Elizabeth’s foreword about this being a re-worked version of one of her earlier books that she thought was flawed, Bloom, which I had wanted to read back in the day, but never got around to doing so, but since I never read Bloom, I didn’t have any preconceived notions about No One But Us. I’m glad I never read Bloom, because I ended up really liking No One But Us. Yes it’s New Adult, but it’s really well-written, and most of the characters, aside from Elle’s friend Ginny and James’ friend Max, seem much more mature than the typical characters in New Adult fiction. It’s also really engaging and rife with sexual tension and secrets galore. About the only thing that knocked this down a star is that there’s no epilogue. The last chapter gives us a HFN ending, but it’s not far into their future enough for my tastes. I like epilogues to be set years ahead, with the characters happily together, maybe married with some kiddos running around. Aside from that tiny thing, though, I thought No One But Us was a great New Adult romance.