Review: A beautiful story about choices and following your heart.
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 03 26, 2014
Original review can be found on Sizzling Hot YA BooksI started If Only one morning before I got out of bed. On a school day for my girls might I add. Now, if I had known what I was getting into when I dove into these pages, I probably would’ve NOT started it then. Why, you ask? Because due to the addiction that is Ms. Pine’s writing and story, my children were fifteen minutes late for school. In fact, I’ve got to admit that for the rest of the day and a half I took to read this book, my laundry wasn’t done, nor were the dishes…and my three year old went to preschool without her hair being brushed. I was so engrossed in Jordan’s tale, that I spent the rest of that day, and that night, and into the next morning, devouring this book until I was finished. I had to, you see. Because If Only was utterly fabulous.Jordan’s on a journey, not only to Scotland for the summer, but of self-discovery in a way as well. Two years she’s been relationship free, and she plans on sticking to that rule. But sometimes fate has a way of changing things for a person, and on one fated train ride, Jordan meets two guys who somehow decide her fate for her. One  boy steals her heart. One boy is exactly what she needs…for now.But what do you do when your heart battles your mind? When you want something you can’t have? How about when you’re terrified of wanting something you shouldn’t? That’s the case with Griffin and Noah.  Now, I’m not one for spoilers, and yes, in a way If Only does take on that of love triangle. But the love triangle is pivotal for Ms. Jordan and her journey. She’s’ got to figure out who she is, what she wants, and if that means loving on two guys–even an untouchable one–then that’s exactly what she’s got to do. Now… I may not have agreed with all of Jordan’s choices, but she was young and real and in the end, it was her life, not mine. Only Jordan alone could decide her fate.Question is, does she make the right choice in the end?I will admit, my heart broke about a million times over in this book. Why? Well, bottom line is, I didn’t like the guy Jordan decided to be with in the end. Gasp…I know. :(  I don’t want to tell you who she picked, because that takes away from the journey of Jordan that is If Only. But I will admit, I had to put my Kindle down for a few minutes just to catch my breath when her choice was ultimately made. To me, though, that’s what reading is all about. The breathless moments, the tears, the will they or won’t they do it questions. Sometimes, as a reader, I find myself so joined with a character, that I forget it’s fictional, that it’s not me living in those pages. And if that’s what you love in a story, then Ms. Pine will take you down that road with her debut novel, If Only. But dear God…I wish I’d been warned by how hard this book would hit me. :)Sure there’s angst, and tears, and those ultimate swoon worthy moments that you have to shut your eyes and hold on to, for fear the next chapter might steal it all away from you. But Ms. Pine is such a skillful story teller, that you can’t help but keep going, even if you are scared of how it will all end. Or heck, maybe you won’t scared be and you’ll be giddy and smiling and cheesy smiling in the end.I admire Ms. Pine for taking the road she did when it came to this book. Don’t get me wrong, many people will adore the guy she put Jordan with in the end. Too, many may not be. But such is fiction, and when the story is still so excellent, the end result doesn’t always matter. Crazy, right? Well, not to me. I am a reader…not a judger. :)Overall, I highly recommend If Only to fans of New Adult books. It’s got steam, it’s got sweetness, it’s got humor, and it’s got a timely love story that you won’t soon forget. Great writing, flawed characters that you can’t help but love. And a boy–or two in this case–that will definitely make your tummy churn in a good way. Take my advice, just a low woman on the reviewing totem pole of books…read If Only. It’s simply amazing.