Review: Evan + Laney + Dane + Laney = Evan & Whitley
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 10 5, 2013
I am not going lie, I was in total put my head between my knees shock at the end of Emerge. Telepathically, telling Evan that everything is going to be alright.A few deep breaths later, I dove into Embrace. Seeing Evan trying to start over was rough and tugged at my heart strings more than once. I was upset at Laney for not being woman enough to tell Evan how she really felt and the fact that she had Dane.  Yep, I said it.. Dane. Dane has so many swoon-worthy moments I stopped counting. Evan gave Dane a run for his money in Swoon-Worthy points.It's not surprising when Evan is hesitant to date given the fact that he just gave up everything for Laney. He feels like everyone is moving on while he is still "standing stagnant, the same carousing, partying, unattached, extremely sexy guy." Bahaha.... But really, your heart breaks for him. You can't help but want to pull him into your arms and tell him everything is going to be alright.While Evan is taking one day at a time trying to rebuild he goes against everyone and becomes a friend to Whitley. Yes, the same Whitley from the first book. I didn't care for her when she first appeared in Embrace strictly bases upon her from Emerge. But you can't help but feel bad for her with the way everyone treats her.Then surprisingly she grows on you and believe it or not she is totally likable. She's doesn't' come without issues. Her parents are hoity toity folks who use her like a trophy and don't talk to her unless they have to. She doesn't really know what the word family means.  While Whitley seems high maintenance and stuck up she is really sweet, funny in an air-headed kind of way and the chemistry between her and Evan is perfect."You don't have to be the happy, strong on all the time, Whit. Let me have a turn to hold you up."Evan and Whitley together balance each other out. Evan teaches Whitley about family and Whitley teaches Evan about love and letting go. Overtime Evan and Laney are able to bury the hatchet and become friends again but not without a few jabs here and there. Which makes the story that much more.What is great about this book is that you don't lose the characters from the first book. Dane and Laney are still very much a part of this story. Both Dane & Laney face their past, head on. Dane finally lets go of guilt he has from a friends accident. Laney reconnects with her mom in a totally touching story line that just about had me in tears.  Thanks to Laney, I realized that Disney really didn't do mom's in his story lines. Honestly, Laney knows more about Disney mothers than anyone I know.It is with my best whiny voice when I say.... I want to hang out with "the Crew." I found myself laughing more times than I could count at the banter between the entire group.I have to say that while I loved Evan, Laney, Dane and Whitley. Sawyer steals the show! He is a man-whore who always wants to play strip poker and has a caring side to him that makes you love him."I swear to God, Sawyer and his do-gooder ass could find the needle in the haystack. While blindfolded. In the dark."S. E. Hall is AH-MAZ-ING. Sometimes reading a book with differing POV's (female/male) can be a bit redundant but S. E. brought it all together. Nothing seemed forced and everything came across as effortless. The way she is able to bring each character to life and suck you into their story is fantastic. Well done! Well done!