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Publication date: May 4th, 2013
Pages: 241
Synopsis:
Jillian had a plan: celebrate the end of her first year of college with an amazing summer full of beaches, barbeques, and bonfires. When her mom insists she needs a summer job, and her boyfriend spends more time with his band than with her, Jillian's plans go down the drain.
Grant had a plan: finish his Masters, get a great job at Google, and get the hell out of Georgia. He might be giving up some of the fun of his youth, but he knows his all work and no play method would be worth it when his dreams came true.
But things never go according to plan.
When temptation brings them together and tragedy tears them apart, Jillian and Grant will be forced to choose: fight for their dreams, or fight for each other.
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Review:
I received an e-copy of this book from the publishers at NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I have really developed a love affair with books of the New Adult genre. I find them to be a great middle ground for the raunchiness of erotica or adult romance and the demure and more reserved love stories of young adult. When going through NetGalley's new stock of books and researching them a bit on Goodreads, I found this little gem by Sarah M. Ross. I have a few of her books that I acquired from Amazon as Freebies but I had not yet read anything by Ross. Since I have been on a streak with reading new authors I hadn't really read before, I decided to add Ross to my slowly growing list in hopes that I may be able to add her to another list: my favorite authors list.
Inhale, Exhale opens with Jillian taking a job at Allegro, an advertising firm with a bustling sales department. She was hired in the call center to field calls and transfer them to the appropriate person requested (much like a receptionist). The problem is, Jillian is seriously technologically challenged. Where most girls who are almost twenty have cell phones and electronics permanently attached to their bodies 24/7, Jillian is much more happy with the spoken word than the texted, tweeted, or typed. As a linguistics major, she was looking forward to having some down time between semesters, but her mother decided she need a summer job instead. With her slow immersion into the world of technology, it is no surprise that the IT department gets a run for their money. Enter Grant.
Grant has a plan that leaves no room for romance or even a social life. He is determined to keep his head down until he completes his Masters and leaves the sweltering heat of Georgia for the tranquil seas of California. His dream is to work for Google and that dream is almost within reach. He doesn't have time to answer the desperate calls of a lost new girl with chronic computer issues. Until he lays eyes on said girl. Then all his dreams seem a bit empty. He is determined that Jillian will be his. Even with the knowledge of her having a boyfriend and his desire to respect that, he can't seem to keep away.
Now Jillian and Grant are forced to fight their brewing emotions in hope of keeping their dreams alive. Jillian wishes to continue her degree and marry her boyfriend of four years sans the hunky IT worker. Grant hopes to move forward in his career with no distractions, including the pretty girl in the cubicle across the way. Can the two continue to deny their attraction for each other?
Yet another book that seems to have dragged me in and hooked me from the start. I really had no love for Jillian's boyfriend from the very start and it only got worse as the story progressed. I was team Grant all the way and found myself grinding my teeth much like Grant's character every time the protagonists tried to keep their romance from blossoming.
I had a bit of a hard time with Grant's ambition causing him to become socially stunted. Even with his determination I couldn't understand why he couldn't have a social life or a love interest too. I understand he really wants that job at Google, but can he not focus on school and spend time with friends? Maybe it's because I too am an incredibly ambitious college student who also has a love life and friends, that makes it difficult for me to grasp. It was my only issue. And it was a tiny sesame seed sized issue. Barely worth mentioning... barely.
Inhale, Exhale is a dramatic and devastatingly heartwarming tale the likes of which does great pride to the New Adult Contemporary Romance genre.
