Review: The dreaded high school reunion turns out to be not so bad!
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 09 14, 2013
"He dated just about every swoony girl who crossed his path in high school, including me, but you were the only one he ever fought for."--Jilly to PaytonWhat does the guy who was super popular, athletic, and a girl-magnet have in common with the girl who was geeky, friendless, and super brainy back in high school?  Well, neither one of them wants to be standing there in the gymnasium during their ten year reunion.  Both are trying to escape their high school reputations, and neither expect that the event they were both dreading on attending will turn out to be...not that bad.  In fact, the oh-so-dreaded event will allow these two opposites to recognize that what the other felt in high school was much more than their tutor/tutee relationship.I loved this book!  Ugh, high school is such an awkward time for everyone, and I liked hearing two different sides of the popular spectrum.  First, we have Wiley, who was a hormonal teen and serial dater with the title of "Most Likely to be Slapped with a Paternity Suit."  Still living in his small town as a lawyer, it's not easy to escape his past and let people know that he's grown-up.  Then, we have gifted Payton.  If it's not hard enough skipping a grade in school, try skipping three!  Nick-named Baby Brain, poor Payton went through so much emotional trauma for being so smart and young compared to her class mates!  Now a doctor in Houston-away from the small town she would rather never step in again-she's only stopping by the reunion to face those past demons since she's in the area for a medical conference anyway.The characterization is fantastic, and in the end, I feel like I know Payton and Wiley and can understand why they did what they did-both back in high school and in the present.  I loved how Ms. Gail let us have peeks into the past by having the two of them talk about an event so we can hear both sides of the story and see the reactions in the present.  There were several events like this, which was fun since we could see how their past relationship grew while not overwhelming the overall story with in-depth flashbacks.  Given their history and the present day chemistry, it's so much fun and believable how they would fall in love.There is humor, especially with the effects of gossip in a small town, and I found myself smiling while reading more than a few times.  There are some sex scenes, and with the word choices they're definitely written as lovemaking scenes as opposed to graphic/raunchy sex scenes.  I would still label this as medium-heat and for 17+ (there are also a few curse words thrown in but not many).  Overall, it's a sweet and sexy romance, and I was really rooting for Wiley and Payton throughout the story.  There is also a mystery that Wiley is entangled in that plays a big part in affecting their relationship progress.  I'm definitely recommending this to anyone who enjoys romance!  This is a 5 out of 5 for me!(Originally posted on my blog; I received a copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.)