More Than This by Jay McLean
Series: More Than #1
Publication date: July 10th, 2013
Pages: 287
Synopsis (according to Goodreads):
When Mikayla imagined her prom night, she envisioned a fairytale evening full of romance. So when betrayal and tragedy come in quick succession, Mikayla is completely destroyed. Suddenly, everything she loved and everyone she relied on are tragically, irrevocably gone.
Jake, a handsome boy she just met, happens to witness her loss. With no one to turn to, Mikayla is forced to depend on this near stranger and his family, and he in turn is determined to take care of her. But Mikayla--thrust into adulthood with no one to guide her--is desperate to contain her grief and hide what she considers to be her weakness. Mikayla an Jake both want more, but despite their growing closeness and intense chemistry, she tries to keep her distance and protect her heart. As he does everything in his power to win her trust, Mikayla must choose between remaining alone and safe or letting love in.
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Review:
I received an e-copy of this book from the publishers on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I've found this fantastic feature on Goodreads that offers suggestions for books that are similar to others. So, on a whim I decided to let the suggestion fates choose my next book to read. I randomly went to a book I had loved and looked to see what books were listed as suggestions that I had for review. This was one of those gems. Low and behold, it was also the beginning book in a four book series! Well, if that doesn't drive me to try it out and see what I think, I don't know what else would!
Mikayla has an unimaginable tragic and emotionally wrecking prom night. She not only gets betrayed by two people she thought were her best friends and confidants but then she loses her entire family in a random act of violence in the same night. She is left with no clue how to survive without her family and the people she was closest too. The only saving grace is that Jake was there the night her world shifted and went to hell.
Jake noticed Mikayla the moment they entered the restaurant. He was inexplicably drawn to her and when her date turned out to be a class-A asshole, he was more than happy to take her unde rhis wing and try to save her night from ruin. Little did he know that he would start developing feelings for her that are stronger than he ever imagined. Jake's appearance in Mikayla's life could not have come at a better time and despite Mikayla's resistance to getting involved with him after everything that had happened in her life, their love may just be too strong to resist.
For the most part, I liked this book. I cried for Mikayla and her craptastic life. I was rooting for her to get together with Jake. However, there were parts where I felt that the story could have gone a different way and would have made the characters a little more believable. Small critique since the story was almost tragically flawless in its portrayal. I kept waiting for Jake to get tired of Mikayla's shenanigans and move on or at least try to since she was so steadfast to keep them from connecting fully. I would have liked a little more story behind Mikayla's family trauma instead of it just being mentioned in the beginning and end of the story. It would have made the story more than just a simple romance in the face of devastation.
Despite all this, More Than This was heart wrenching and tragic in a way that it could squeeze tears from stone easily.
