Review: Superb...the story..the writer...Def Caleb!!! *****
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 05 19, 2014
*STRONGLY ADVISE YOU TO READ CHANGING COURSE BEFORE YOU READ STOLEN COURSE* I fell for Caleb in CC and I want you to fall just like me! You have to get his background so you can fully enjoy his story.*SPOILERS FROM CHANGING COURSE MAY BE INCLUDED IN THIS REVIEW*I must tell you how overly excited I was for Caleb's story. Changing Course is already in my top fave list for this year and just knowing the Caleb history from CC,I knew this would be sitting right next to it. I know a lot of times that first book is killer awesome and come time for the sequel or next in the series it's lost somewhere between the words. I'm here to tell you that this is not the case.  Aly has given a extremely breathtaking awesome follow up to her first novel.It was all that and MORE....fun, flirty, heartfelt, it had me laughing, swooning, feeling sad, sorry, blissful and......From Caleb's history in CC I knew that Stolen Course would be a hard one to handle.  He lost his heart when Manda died. It broke his heart. He loved Manda with everything he was.  They were terrible on paper but perfect together in real life. They were a spitfire couple together. They argued and fought, hard and good. But their fights were love pats.  They were good fights, fights that led to making up. Fights that made them unbreakable.It's been almost five years and Manda Baker still owns my heart. And then, I was robbed.I hate this --- headstone, and not just because it has the date signifying the end of her life. I hate it because it says 'Manda Baker.' No matter how many times I see it, it burns.Loosing her broke him, his heart gone, his head full of their memories. Now, even though Caleb feels like he's lost his life with Manda gone he isn't a poor pitiful me type of guy.  We are use to seeing broken characters not facing the world, living as an empty shell. This isn't Caleb.  Yes, he may be heartbroken but he still gets up, he still interacts with his friends and even flopping from warm body to warm body.... He's living the best he knows how.  Watching his best friend find his happiness after that tragic night. He isn't looking for more.  Or something that will stick. He looks for now, today-just for the moment.Until Emma. The instant they meet you literally see the sparks fly, bouncing off between them. Emma is so flipping perfect and I want to be her when I grow up!!  She talks without thinking and the things she says is hysterical. I loved Jesse in CC and thought I had a girl crush on her but now that I've come to know Emma, these two girls are neck in neck in that race."So nice to meet you, Mr. Pleasant. Do you have a name to match your warm and fuzzy personality?"The back and forth banter they have is electric. They easily fall in to the friend category with the ease of their conversation. They don't tip toe around the situation they are in.  After all Emma's sister, Sarah is to blame for Caleb's loss (this he swears to) and Emma wants to man up and be there for her sister.You know what I loved? As a reader we read so many books that at some point they have repetitive plots but with Stolen Course- yes the plot is a normal one...loss, finding love again, opening yourself up again, but what was so refreshing was that even under the stress of their meeting they knew there was something there and they didn't act like young 20 something's and skated around it and try to hide it. They gave in, without question and gave it a try. There wasn't an instant love attachment but there was instant chemistry. I loved that neither of them really questioned what they felt, they knew it was something and they didn't try to push it off and ignore it. They both decide to see where it may go.Until.Until the reason why they met pushes between them and one person can't get past that large hump. You think this story is just about two people, but the third character in their triangle is the most important.  She is the hard edge of the triangle. Caleb blames Sarah for that horrible night and while Sarah is trying to hardest to become human again Caleb is still her worst fan. Emma will always love Sarah, she is her sister. But what happens when Caleb can't get past his hate for Sarah. An explosion happens.  BOOM. This was so hard to read because dang it, I felt so much for both.  I saw Caleb's side, I understood his reasoning for continuing to blame Sarah.  The words that they shared at a particular scene killed me. I knew there was bound to be a blow up but I was hoping it was just a little firecracker I could step on and not get burned.  Yeah, this soooo did not happen."Love me more than you hate her."This story turned out to be more than I thought I was going to get. There are so many things I want to take with fluttery heart eyes and things that I want to spit fire at.  When things seemed good a flip of the page the ball is dropped again and I'm struck in awe....again and again and again! But, everything- everything is and could be true in real life. The things that Caleb has to deal with is heartbreaking but I'm so glad Emma is strong enough, powerful enough, and loves him more than enough to help him in any way he needs it.It was such a thrill to see Caleb and Emma struggle and learn and love.  I adored their story. The twist and turns and al the good and bad in-between.  I could seriously re-read it right now!!!!5 Stars...easily