Review Detail

Steph and Dani’s Review:

I was debating whether or not I should put up a review for this for a while, because it is NA, and Dani and I have a YA blog. Well, I loved this book so much that now I don’t care if some unsuspecting person picked it up, was scalded by the *ahem* love scenes, and kept on reading. This was just PERFECT! Cam is perfect. Avery’s story is perfect. The pacing is just right. Like this is the best adult genre novel Jen has ever written. I’ve read Gamble Brothers, but Wait For You is just--out there. Sitting on a throne, altar, tier, whatever. I know I’m biased because I’m in love with JLA’s books, but seriously this was just absolutely heart wrenching and amazing. It is a true gem in the New Adult genre! I wasn’t surprised at all when this hit #1 on the NYT Bestsellers list, because it deserved that position with every page and word written. I’m so proud of Jen, and she has never failed to amaze me!

Avery’s life has been like hell since that Halloween party 5 years ago. She decides to go to college far, far away from her Texas home to escape her past. I was so incredibly angry at her parents and all the people living in her small town. No one understood that she was NOT the one to blame on that horrible Halloween night! Her parents are pompous, narcissus freaks who will and did do anything to maintain their “unblemished” and “perfect” public image. They are terrible, irresponsible parents who left their poor daughter at home on Thanksgiving and Christmas while they traveled the world and went on fancy cruises. They are the epitome of bad parenting. Somehow, Avery managed to pull through this dark time of her life without the support of her family or friends. Another strong heroine.

And then....it happens. She meets the king of sexiness himself: Cam. They are undeniably attracted to each other the moment they collide on the way to Astronomy class. This is somewhat a “love at first sight” scenario, but JLA writes so artfully and paces everything so well, it worked. It wasn’t cheesy or stupid at all, unlike some other “insta-love” novels. I loved to laugh about Avery’s awkwardness around Cam when they first begin to know each other. I can’t count on my fingers how many times she blushed! This book completely reinforces JLA being a Queen of Awkward Situations :).

Cam is just perfect and just what Avery needs, as she will find. He is going to be her new outlet to the world, and eventually how she gets over her past. He will help make her social again, and edge out of the corner Avery has retreated into during her life. This was a perfect love story, where each person will be there to support the other and get through hard times. It wasn’t too fast either. While it did feel like they had an instant attraction, I wouldn’t call it love exactly. Jen paced it just right to make it feel real and believable, so kudos to her for that! I honestly hope that when I fall in love with someone it will be like this. Cam isn’t completely clean either, he is harboring his own secrets and “tarnished” past that Avery will have to help him come over too. This is such a sweet romance, because Avery doesn’t exactly feel ready for a relationship, but it is great watching her fall deeper and deeper in love with Cam despite what her mind tells her.

Jen has made me love turtles now, however random that may sound. Cam has this pet turtle named Rafael, and it is just the most random thing ever but hilarious in the book. This turtle is just too cute, and I’ve never even laid eyes on him before :).

This is a definite must read for any romance and JLA fan. I can’t tell you how excited I was to find out that she would be writing two sequels to Wait For You (#2 will be called Be With Me). I was a giggling mess, no doubt, and onlookers probably thought I was mentally unstable or something (and I’m not refuting that! xD). Cannot wait to see what Jen has in mind for the continuation of the story!