If Only by AJ Pine

If Only, by AJ Pine, makes its debut on March 24, 2014 as part of Macmillan's Entangled Embrace imprint.

Sometimes it takes crossing an ocean to figure out where you belong.

College student Jordan Brooks is finally taking her friend Sam's advice: look for Mr. Right Now instead of Mr. Right. As she heads off to Aberdeen, Scotland for a year of studying abroad, she promises herself that she will take chances. She will meet new guys. She will meet Mr. Right Now.

But Jordan doesn't expect to meet him on the train to Aberdeen.

Handsome, charming Griffin is also studying abroad. Even on the train, girls practically throw themselves at him, but Griffin doesn't want any of them. He only wants Jordan.

And then there's Noah.

One minute they're trapped on the train in between malfunctioning doors; the next they're sharing the most passionate kiss of their lives.

Who will Jordan choose? And who is the girl that met Noah at the train station?

With the choice suddenly out of her hands, Jordan chooses Griffin, knowing that their safe, fun relationship can end at any time. Noah stays with his girlfriend, wanting Jordan from afar. Despite the fact that they can't be together, Jordan wonders if Noah, Mr. Right, isn't what she wants after all.

MY THOUGHTS:
I thoroughly enjoyed this light romance. The book's description plays up the fact that Jordan hasn't had sex in two years as if it's an important plot point, but it really isn't. This isn't a book about sex; it's ultimately a book about love.

The plot was well-constructed and the main characters leapt off the page. Literature by William Shakespeare and EM Forster weaved deftly throughout, adding stronger undertones to the story than you find in a typical cookie-cutter romance.

My only complaint is that the college-aged angsty banter between Jordan and Noah was a little much at times, but overall, I highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys romance, young adult and new adult genres.

TOTAL RATING: 50 pts for reading + 37 pts = 87% = Almost 4 stars
Plot: 8/10
Characters: 7/10
Setting: 8/10
Pacing: 7/10
Writing Style: 7/10

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
AJ Pine writes stories to break readers' hearts, but don't worry--she'll mend those hearts with a happily ever after...maybe. The first book she wrote was YA, but now she's two-timing her first love with NA. She's always in the middle of reading two to three books, adores online shopping (everything from groceries to shoes), and she still loves vampires, whether it's Eric Northman or the Salvatore brothers. When she's not writing, AJ is sneaking off to her day job as a high school English teacher or hanging with her husband and kids in the Chicago burbs.