Review: Awesome ending to an awesome trilogy!
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 12 2, 2013
Wow ... what a ride!!!  I read all three books in the "Remember When" trilogy in one weekend.  One. Weekend.  Kids and husband and dog be damned ... I wanted me some Trip and Layla!I was not sure of the first book because I am not a fan of reading "what if" stories and past loves.  However, when I found out via the second book (that I had put on my Wish List) that the first book was pretty much an intro to what was to come, I bought it and got sucked in.  Fast.  I read the first book in a few hours on a Friday.  At work.  With office door closed.  Ignoring deadlines.  And cracking up pretty much the entire time.  I love Layla and her friends, but I especially loved Trip.  Not in a weird, cougar way, but in a way that reminded me of high school and how my friends and I were a bunch of dorks and goobers and how we interacted with each other.  Loved his sense of humor and the interactions between him and Layla.  The first book ended, I bought the second one right away (screw the Wish List ... I wished to read it RIGHT NOW), and while I didn't enjoy it as much as the first book, I loved how the relationship between Trip and Layla progressed.  Most of all, I loved how it ended.  Yes, I usually hate, hate, HATE cliffhangers, but when you know there will be a cliffhanger going into the story - and you know the author will not disappoint you in resolving any conflict, based on how much you love her writing style already - you just WANT a lovely, heart-stopping, angsty cliffhanger to leave you sitting on the edge of your seat and screaming at the book, all while the dog cowers in the corner and the kids are hiding out with the neighbors.And now, the finale.  And what a finale it is.  I love how Trip and Layla just call BS on their troubled relationship in the past, from the very beginning, and there is very little rehashing of past conflicts.  Instead, they move on, and the entire book is about how they move on and how they come together and how they deal with their relationship, which was always a given.  I love being able to read an entire book about how two wonderful people work out issues, have fun, and learn to be part of a pair, without unnecessary angst and ridiculous situations.  The writing continues to be superb, the banter among all characters continues to be witty and clever, and the reader continues to be fully engaged in the lives of these individuals who have become almost real and life-like throughout the trilogy.This is probably the best trilogy that I've read, hands down, period, no doubt.  The reader is treated to excellent writing, a great story line, believable characters, excellent writing, some really hot sex scenes, a lovable-yet-still-alpha male protagonist, excellent writing, a funny and down-to-earth female protagonist, a group of fun and supportive friends, and a very satisfactory ending.  Oh, did I mention the writing?  IT ROCKS!!!  What a great series, and I hope to read more from this author ... possibly more about Trip and Layla?