Where You Are (Between The Lines #2)

This review really only needs two words: Graham Douglas.

I fell in love with Graham Douglas in the first book of this series, which is quite different than this sequel, but nothing could've prepared me for the awesome that he IS in this book. While not perfect, Graham is a fantastic example of selfless love and loyalty and his back story will break your heart. The choice he made is so incredible and unheard of, I found myself wondering what the world would look like if more guys followed his lead.

I really enjoyed seeing the relationship between Graham and Emma build and how they handled all that was thrown their way. Reid and Brooke got on my nerves (they way they were meant too) and the hostility between them is palpable. All of these characters learn important lessons about love, friendship, honesty and what's really important in life.

I thoroughly enjoy Tammara Webber's writing style and her stories suck me in and hold my attention right up to the last page. They're both entertaining and thought provoking and she handles the "delicate" scenes with class.

To be honest, Where You Are completely blew me away. I mean, don't get me wrong, I knew it was going to be good. What I wasn't expecting was how it was so overwhelmingly different from its predecessor, Between The Lines, yet still managed to make me fall in love with it just as much as the other - but for completely different reasons. Usually, when you have a great book that you absolutely fall in love with, its sequel won't quite live up to the high expectations. At least, that's what I've always thought.. until now.

In Where You Are, we're dealing with the same four main characters that we were introduced to in Between The Lines. However, where BTL was more fast-paced when it came to the relationships because it dealt more with the newness of relationships mixed with partying and the world of movie-making, WYA slams on the brakes and takes us to a new place - one where a relationship is blossoming so everything is slowed down for discovery and all of the fun (and some more serious) things that come along with committing to someone. You'd think that after being on such a high from the pace in the first book, the pace of the second would bring you down and possibly bore you. You know what? Maybe it would... with another book and another author. However, Tammara's writing style — adding to the fact that the story is about the two characters that we fell in love with in the first novel along with an unexpected alliance of chaos — makes it so there is never a dull moment.

You really get a great first-hand look at a relationship that is truly starting from the ground up with Emma and Graham, which was given a great foundation of friendship that was built upon in the first book. You witness a lot of the little moments (long-distance Skype dates, small get-aways during promotion for their film School Pride, etc) which might seem boring to some, but seemed absolutely endearing to me because these are all of the real details that entail dating long-distance and learning about someone you care about.

Of course, relationships aren't always perfect and there are sometimes snags that come along — which, in the case of Emma and Graham's story is Reid and Brooke. Once vicious enemies, Brooke and Reid start a shaky alliance with one another to try to get the happy couple to separate, thinking that if they do then Graham would go to Brooke (who has decided that she's in love with him) and this would give Reid another chance with Emma. When I approached this part of the story, I hesitated. I thought for sure that this was going to go horribly awry and I wasn't going to get the happily-ever-after that I wanted so desperately for these two. However, I was hit with a few curve balls that wasn't expected but wasn't NOT welcomed. Given the circumstances and how everything turned out, I was surprised with how the characters dealt with their conflicts. Reid and Brooke both surprised me in both pleasant and not-so-pleasant ways.

I know all of this sounds a little vague but I don't want to completely ruin the story for anyone. Like I said from the beginning, this story is much different from the first book but still just as good. I may actually chance saying that it's better.. even with all of the ups and downs your emotions go through with the characters throughout the story. Everything about this book is fantastic.. then again, I never doubted it because it comes from a fantastic author.