“Rewrite gripped me from the start and never let me go.” Award-winning and Bestselling author, K.K. AllenRewrite is a STANDALONE novel.Once upon a time, a girl loved a boy and he loved her back. They lived happily ever after. But our story was never that simple. I loved Josh with all I had, right until the day he left. Now, all these years later, he was back—and wanting me the way I’d always … wanting me the way I’d always longed for him. Except now, I belonged to someone else. Someone who never left me the way Josh had. I figured that was the end of our story. I couldn’t alter the past.
I didn’t want to rewrite my future.
Brianna was always more than my best friend. She was the shining light in my black hole of an existence, and I loved her with every cell and bone in my body. I wasn’t good enough for her, though—more the villain than the hero in our fairy tale. When I had to leave, I vowed to come back a better man—for her. But when I finally did return, she wasn’t waiting for me anymore. She had someone new, her very own Prince Charming. Did that mean our story was over? I couldn’t change our past.
It was time to rewrite our ending.
more
This is the best book that Stephanie Rose has written! And that is not something that is easy for me to admit, since my heart belongs to a guy in another one of her books (shameless plug for Evan in Only Me…). But there is something about the connection and relationship that Brianna and Josh share that just pulled me in!
Josh and Bri were introduced originally in a short story (also called Rewrite), but Stephanie Rose developed their story into a full-length novel. They had been best friends since Kindergarten. Josh didn’t have the easiest of upbringings, and made some bad choices, which led to them being separated for about ten years. And then Josh returns, causing some difficult choices for Brianna to have to make.
The writing was superb, as usual, and the characters were well-developed and people I want to be friends with. There were some twists and turns in the plot that I hadn’t expected, and that kept me on my toes. I loved this book! It is most definitely a reread for me, and certainly high on my list of recommendations!
I absolutely loved this story from Stephanie Rose. Her prose is poetic and she delivers all the feels with Josh and Brianna!
January 9th, 2018: I finally finished this amazing book! This was the perfect read for me after reading so much Angst & emotional reads! I heard so much hype about this book & let me tell you, it 100% lived up to that! I truly fell in love with Josh & Brianna! She was so lucky to have someone as amazing as him in her life! I loved the way he called her cupcake! In the end, their story ended up exactly how it should!
Josh and Brianna have been best friends since they were 5 years old. When Josh leaves their senior year, Bri is heartbroken. When he returns 10 years later, things are complicated. He is back to claim the girl he has always loved, but she has a boyfriend. Their story is written in first person from a dual POV.
I will be honest: second chance and love triangle are some of my least favorite tropes. I really was not sure about this book, but I love the author and I gave it a shot. I am impressed. Josh and Bri have a history that makes their friendship, and eventually their love relationship so much deeper. It is that history that allows them to get through some difficult moments. Their road is not easy, but the love they have for each other is undeniable. They have physical chemistry that produces some steamy moments in the book. I absolutely love the way they are connected to each other on a soul level. I appreciate the way the author handles Bri’s relationship with her boyfriend, Scott. The reader is aware of the bad fit for Bri (without making him out as a bad guy), aware of Bri’s guilt about her feelings for Josh, and her struggle to do the right thing. I am happy they Bri and Josh are not intimate while she is still with Scott, though they definitely straddle the line of cheating. I love that they both have friend support systems in place for the hard times. They have a lot of things thrown at them to get to their happily ever after and that made their story feel very real to life for me. The characters exhibit personal growth but grow together and I loved that.
This was an okay story for me. I liked it, but unfortunately, I didn’t love it. A lot of people did though, so if this sounds good to you, definitely read it! It could be a case of “it’s not you, it’s me.”
Many things in this story I did enjoy. I loved to see how/when they met. It was sweet and easy to see why they connected.
But I didn’t care for the way Josh handled some situations. And the same goes for Brianna. And I believe because of that, is why I couldn’t get pulled into this story emotionally.
If this would’ve ended at around 60-ish%, I might’ve been happier.
This was a new-to-me author and I do enjoy her writing style. I’ll definitely be reading more of her books.
**I thought the narrators of the audiobook did a good job.
Brianna and Josh were always best friends. Brianna fell in love with Josh but she never told him.
I love friends to lovers romance.
Loved it
This book was recommended to me when I needed a story with a twist to complete a challenge…i didn’t read it then, but I am so darned glad I finally got around to it. When you start, it probably seems like your usual…girl meets boy, boy stands up for her, girl feeds boy and they lived happily ever after. Josh does what he needs to protect Bri so she can have a real life…even if it is without him. Somewhere about midway, you sigh in relief…until you decide that throwing your kindle out the window is a great idea…what the what? And then…and then…let’s throw another one in there just for fun. I loved every single minute of it!
I enjoyed this friends to lovers, second chance romance. Good girl, bad boy. Instant childhood friends turned into longing and desire denied because he knew he wasn’t good enough and when he found himself in trouble he walked away.
Years later he’s back to claim what’s his but she’s not free and that’s not acceptable to him. Their connection, their love is undeniable. It’s inevitable. But when obstacles are thrown in their path, fears erupt but together they really can have it all. They can write their own story.
* A review copy was provided by the author in exchange for an honest review *
~ 4.5 Cupcake Stars ~
Stephanie Rose has managed to give us another amazing read!!! Her books are always so emotionally charged and swoon worthy. Rewrite was no exception.
Rewrite is a friends to lovers story and one that will absolutely melt your heart (and your panties ;)) but it will also have you yelling, crying, and falling in love. This is a love story that extends over a long period of time. As usual I loved the writing and pace of the story. She writes with such feeling and emotion you can feel everything her characters are feeling as well. I think that it helps with the books being written in Dual POV. You truly get the thoughts and feeling from both characters. This book is written primarily in the present time, but she does add in some of the past throughout the story to help us understand Josh and Brianna’s full story.
I also loved that she kept us on our feet. Yes some of the storyline is predictable, but just when you are getting comfortable….BOOM, she shocks you with something you don’t see coming. I think that helps with the emotional draw of this book. I will say there is one aspect of the storyline I wasn’t to thrilled about, because I don’t like reading about it in the books I choose, and that is why I didn’t give this book a full 5 stars. I don’t want to say what it is because it may not bother some people and I don’t want to tarnish other readers enjoyment. Now that is not to say I didn’t thoroughly LOVE this book, just thought that little blip could’ve been left out.
In this book we follow the journey of Josh and Brianna. They are childhood friends and have grown up together. But over the years they tended to slip away from each other, or I should Josh grew apart. And that broke my heart to watch. But i understand why Josh did what he did when they were younger. Now fast forward 10 years and Josh is back and ready to tell Brianna his true feelings. Although things are never that easy. Their story is filled with angst, drama, but a whole lot of love. Brianna and Josh go through a lot of ups and downs, but they only made their love and bond stronger. This story truly made me believe that love and friendship can last a lifetime.
I would whole heartedly recommend this book to anyone who is a fan of Stephanie Rose, or if you love a great friends to lovers story. This one will sweep you off your feet. Pick this up and get lost in Josh and Brianna’s world for a while, you won’t be sorry!!!!
I absolutely loved this friends to lovers romance! It begins with Brianna’s best friend Josh leaving for boot camp because of some trouble. She was heartbroken when he told her to forget him and move on. Josh was her protector and best friend since kindergarten. How could she move on from the love of her life? They did keep in touch by writing letters and she was always so excited on the day a letter would arrive. Brianna continued living her life believing she would never see Josh again. Brianna met Scott in college and they have been dating for years. Now after ten long years, Josh is back to start a new life and to claim what should have always been his. I loved Brianna so much, she was strong, loyal and caring. She could see past the beautiful troubled boy to see who Josh truly was. Josh is so sexy, witty and determined. They were great together and their chemistry was so hot. But it wasn’t an easy reunion, with so much wasted time. I am a huge fan of flashback storytelling and Ms Rose sinuously took us from past to present unraveling Josh and Bri’s epic love story. I loved everything about this sweet, moving, sexy story and can’t recommend it highly enough!
5 ’Cupcake’ Stars
Well, with Think Twice, Stephanie Rose’s written herself into my heart. So I decided I’d totally read all of her books, even if it’s the last think I do on this planet. And I just realized how much I’ve been missing from my life. Because Stephanie Rose’s words are true treasure. Her stories are nothing like you’ve ever read before. With Rewrite, she brought us an unforgettable, totally refreshing second chance/ friends-to-lovers novel with full of twists and turns. And that’s what I needed. Guess Stephanie is totally stuck with me from now. *shrug*
Josh and Brianna’s story is written in the stars. But no one said the journey toward their HEA is going to be an easy one. No, this path is full of bumps and turns, but they’re afraid to fight. And what a fight they had! But damn, I adored every minute of this book.
This story is full of surprises. And that’s what I NEED in a romance novel, to make me believe. And I do believe now. That’s why Rewrite is a top read for me. It’s anything but cliché or predictable.
I highly recommend this book, but be come prepared – Rewrite is addictive!
This is only the second book I’ve read by Stephanie Rose but the rest have moved to the top of my TBR and I’ve added another author to my list of faves!!
Brianna and Josh have been best friends since kindergarten but life got in the way of that friendship blossoming into more. When Josh returns home to finally put things right with Bri, the road is not as clear as he was expecting it to be. The obstacles for Bri and Josh were many but the solid friendship that they have made every single one seem conquerable.
I laughed and cried and felt pretty much every single emotion in between over the course of this story. I didn’t want to put it down but I never wanted it to end. This is an absolute must read for everyone!!
Stephanie Rose is the Queen of second chance romances! No one can pull you in with such endearing characters and then gut punch you right when you get comfortable the way that Stephanie can. Every one of her books is heartfelt, emotional, and beautifully honest. Rewrite is no exception.
This childhood friends to lovers story hooked me from the start and I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough to find out what happened next. The connection between Josh and Brianna is undeniable and you will mourn right along side them for the well intentioned, but heartbreaking decisions that kept them apart.
“I loved him from the deepest part of my soul, but in silence.”
Told in dual point of view, in both the past and present, readers are slowly able to piece together Josh and Brianna’s painful history. There will be times that you laugh at their easy going and playful banter, but also times when your heart will ache for all the missed moments and what ifs. The longing and yearning is palpable and you won’t be able to stop yourself from rooting for these two to find their way back to each other.
“I loved you then. I love you now.
I loved you all the years in between.”
The heavier moments are balanced perfectly with plenty of swoon and steam, as well as fantastic secondary characters like Josh and Bri’s other best friend, Reid. He brought some much needed levity to the more emotional scenes and was the best friend we all hope for, providing clarity and support in the most critical of times. There are some twists that I didn’t see coming that really almost tore my heart out, but it’s in these moments that we see our characters really shine. You definitely don’t want to miss this incredible story of first loves and second chances!
*I voluntarily read an advance reader copy of this book*
Rewrite is a sweet soul-touching story about true love that can stand against time, distance, and complications of life. I flew through Josh and Brianna’s story and was enraptured by Josh’s fight to get back the girl he has loved his entire life. In true Stephanie Rose fashion, she made me laugh and cry throughout Rewrite and enjoy every single moment of it.
I voluntarily received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Rewrite is a wonderful friends to lovers/second chance romance. My goodness! I swooned throughout this entire heartwarming story. Josh and Brianna are fabulous as friends and even more so as lovers. I loved how I was introduced to them when they first met when they were in the same kindergarten class. It sets the tone of story beautifully and I was immediately intrigued. With both of them and how their story would evolve.
I enjoyed how involved they were in each other’s lives when they were kids. They truly were best friends and it hurt me how they slowly started to drift away from one another mainly because of the choices Josh made. Throughout it all Brianna remained loyal and supportive. How they remained in contact with each other throughout their years apart was sweet and it will continue to play a huge part in their lives especially with them finding their way back to one another.
Brianna is a strong woman who loves with all her heart. That never wavered one second. Not when they were kids or when her and Josh’s were apart. When Josh reappears Brianna has to question herself and her feelings. What does she want? Josh knows what he wants and that’s his best friend and the love of his life back. He was incredible in his pursuit to get Brianna back. He wooed, swooned and groveled and I loved every minute of it cause Brianna was definitely struggling. With his charms, delicious inked arms and her own emotions.
Of course there’s a twist and I actually enjoyed it cause it added more layers and growth to Josh and Brianna. It also solidified how strong they were together when facing obstacles in their lives. They are a unit and can overcome anything as long as they’ve each other.
Rewrite delivers flawlessly when it comes to romance and a little angst. Definitely a must read for readers who love friends to lovers stories cause Rewrite has it all. Beautiful and flawless prose and a strong and well developed story.
5 BadAssDirtyCupcakeStars
Is it possible to rewrite the ending to your story? Stephanie Rose approaches this question head on in Rewrite, a beautiful story about best friends that after years apart come back together in an epic way.
Brianna and Josh were best friends since kindergarten. Somewhere along the line, feelings grew on both sides, but neither acted on them. They were each other’s first loves though they never told the other. Josh joins the Army straight out of high school to get away from his problems. He makes it his mission to come back a better man, one that is worthy of Brianna. Brianna is heartbroken when Josh leaves, but slowly pulls her life together.
Now years later Josh is back and ready to claim what is his, Brianna. When he finds out she has moved on with someone else he needs to make a decision. He wants her to be happy and loved. But is that with him or her new man?
This was an astonishingly well-written story about finding a second chance with first love. Josh and Brianna are meant to be together from the beginning, but they let outside influences tear them apart. Their friendship was the building block that supported them through much of their lives. Even when they were apart while Josh was in the Army, that friendship never wavered. What I liked most was that no matter what happened they were friends first, everything else second. That is the foundation for a strong relationship.
I felt hugely sympathetic towards Brianna. The love of her life left her and when she has finally moved on from that heartache, he is back. Not only did he come back, he came back for her. No matter Josh loved her just as long as she has loved him; she was finally beginning to heal. She was so strong and caring. I don’t know that if I was in her shoes I could have maintained the boundaries of friendship as long as she did. Her ability to push her emotions to the side to be there for someone else makes her an amazing character. Hell, that would make her an amazing human being.
A beautifully told story of second chances and true love built through a steadfast friendship. Four marvelously rewritten stars.
I don’t know why I do this to myself, but I keep going back and rereading the last few lines of the last chapter and I can’t stop crying! But I don’t stop there, oh nooo…I have to go to the end of the epilogue and read that again as well! So I’m sitting here at work just a mess of emotions and tears, full of so much love for this book.
Childhood Friends~ Check
Second Chance Romance~ Check
Friends-to-Lovers~ Check
Check! Check! Check! 3 of my most favorite tropes in one beautiful, heartwrenching, love-affirming story makes for one happy Shannon. Throw in a damaged hero seeking redemption from the only girl he’s ever loved, and you have a total swoonfest on your hands.
If ever there were 2 people who deserved their fairytale ending, it was Josh and Brianna. From the time these 2 met as sweet little 5 year olds, through their tumultuos teen years, up until Josh’s reappearance and all that came after, there wasn’t a moment I wasn’t rooting for them to end up together. When you love someone as much as Josh and Brianna love each other, it doesn’t matter the time, the distance, the twists, turns, and heartache they face…there’s nothing in this world that could keep them apart.
Cue the tears falling once again…
So I kind of have to get my wits about me before I can figure out how to string a sentence together. You know when you start a book and you just have this feeling that it’s going to be more than you ever wanted it to be? Yea well I had that feeling. And it was even more then the even more I thought it was going to be! But coming from Stephanie Rose I shouldn’t be surprised. I don’t even read the synopsis anymore because I know her writing is amazing!! That being said let’s dive right into Brianna and Josh!
I first fell for Josh and Brianna in a Christmas anthology. When I found out they were going to be more I was over the moon excited! Best friends to lovers is one of my absolute favorite kind of love stories and I just couldn’t wait to see what was in store for these two! And boy was it a lot. But it’s their story and their journey. And be ready for some twists and turns! But ones that make the story exactly what it needs to be and makes Bri and Josh who they need to be! And one so beautiful that I can’t wait to go back again and again and again for more. One I will look back on and remember forever. One that is stuck right in my heart and holding on tight!
You see, I’d consider myself lucky to have the one person I’ve known my entire life end up being the love of my life. To know they were always there and would never ever leave. To know that no matter what they’d have your back. To be best friends, to be boyfriend/girlfriend, to who knows what else?!? Who wouldn’t want that? Because if you don’t you’re crazy! Add in some other good friends in Amanda and Reid and you’ve got a pretty damn good group of people! Oh and tattoos you may ask? Yes freaking please! Josh Falco just damn boy!!
What I’m saying is, this book has ruined me. Ruined me in a way that is the best possible feeling in the world. Once upon a time a little girl gave her sandwich to the little boy who came to her dense to a bully, and the rest is simply still writing itself. Josh and Brianna, Brianna and Josh. My heart is so absolutely full!
This book man this book… what can I say? It hit me right in the feels… josh and cupcake are just perfect for each other.. friends since they were little and their feelings grew up as they did.. circumstances kept them apart for 10 years, but when life gives you a second chance to rewrite your story.. do you take or do you let destiny rewrite it for you? Be prepared to swoon, laugh and cry within this pages… this author is known for giving you the feels and I think this is her best book out of all her books