At sixteen, Sammy had her sights set on track state finals and never paid much attention to the college guys who came to help her mom run their bed-and-breakfast. But that was before Brandon. He was young and strong and not that much older than Sammy. Brandon took the job to help pay for college. It sounded easy: live in the apartment above the garage, be the handyman and groundskeeper, and run … groundskeeper, and run off to the dorms in the fall. He didn’t count on finding a family.
He didn’t count on Sammy running away with his heart.
When tragedy strikes, Brandon has to make a choice. Be the big brother Sammy so desperately needs, or admit his feelings run much deeper.
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A enjoyable sweet well written feel good young love romance. This heartwarming storyline has angst, teenage drama, is a clean YA romance with a great twist. There is excellent character development with a smooth flowing bond from charming likeable characters. . The narrator does a wonderful job really making you feel and enjoy this great heartwarming story.
This is my second series by this author. It’s definitely got a different feel. It took me just a tad to adjust to it and the male character’s narration. After that (only a couple chapters) I was drawn into the running. I really enjoyed the development of these characters.
G-rated, family-drama, sports romance
Sammy’s mother owns and runs a bed-and-breakfast on a beautiful lake in Michigan, and the two of them live there all year round. Sammy’s passion is participating on her school’s track team, and she spends her free time during the summers running. Two twin girls the same age as Sammy are also on the track team. They are her friends, stay in training by running with her all year, and they also work as part-time maids at the inn. They are excellent runners, but not as good as Sammy, who is outstanding.
Sammy’s dad died 15 years ago, and her mother has mourned him ever since. Over the years, there have been many different teenage boys working for her mother during the summer, the inn’s high season, but Sammy has never paid much attention to any of them, until Brandon.
Brandon’s parents died in a car accident six months before, and his girlfriend callously dumped him soon after. Understandably, he’s depressed and alienated. He quickly becomes very close to Sammy’s kind, sweet mother, who is supportive and nurturing toward him. She allows him to live in the apartment above their garage while he works as their handyman and groundskeeper.
When they first meet, Sammy resents the fact that Brandon treats her like a child, which seems unfair to her, since they are very close in age. She’s just turned 17, he’s just turned 18, and he’s a rising freshman in college, while she’s a rising senior in high school. He hasn’t run since the previous fall when he was on the cross country team at his high school, and his spirits begin to rise when he starts training with Sammy and the twins for a 10K marathon.
Brandon and Sammy gradually become friends due to his closeness to her mother and their running together, but Sammy wants more from him than mere friendship. Will Brandon ever see her as anything more than a little sister?
This is a poignant, family drama, including both tragedy and romance. Its events occur across a full year in chronological time. I enjoyed the scenes of Sammy and Brandon’s running together very much. There are excellent subcharacters, each with a distinctive voice, especially Sammy’s wonderful mother.
This is a G-rated version of a classic, “slow-burn” romance. Its ending is a bit surprising, given the ages of the romantic protagonists, but well motivated and moving.
I rate this book as follows:
Heroine: 4 stars
Hero: 4 stars
Subcharacters: 4 stars
Romance Plot: 4 stars
Running Plot: 4 stars
Family Drama Plot: 4 stars
Writing: 4 stars
Overall: 4 stars