Review: Be prepared to be hungry....
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 01 11, 2013
I am a fan of Nicole Williams' Crash and Clash, so I didn't hesitate to pick this one up soon after it was published.  Anyone who has read and enjoyed her previous work will not be disappointed!I want to start off by saying this book has one of the best opening scenes.  It's a meet-cute that involves skinny dipping and that's all I will say about that.  You'll need to read it for yourself for more!  The story follows Elle, a very sheltered good-girl who is practically engaged to the town's golden boy, as she meets and falls for bad-boy transient smoke jumper, Cole.I really liked Elle.  I think a lot of young women will relate to her, as she struggles to find a voice and to make her own choices.  She's on the verge of becoming an adult and is learning that going down the prescribed path may not be the right thing for her.  A lot of us have been in her shoes and I was pleased to see she breaks out of the mold by the end, AND is praised for it.  That turning point in life is something that really interests me and Williams does a nice job capturing the associated emotions.There are two love interests here and Williams also does a nice job of showing how someone can in fact be attracted to two people at the same time, in different ways.  Logan, the supposedly perfect guy Elle is promised to, is a little boring for my tastes, a little safe, and Elle realizes this over the course of the novel.  Cole is more exciting and magnetic and challenges Elle to make the changes she craves in her life.  I have a fundamental problem with the subject of cheating and it is always hard for me to cheer for the cheating couple, even if they're totally right for each other.  I also had a hard time with some of the conversations Cole has with Elle.  He is at times downright harsh and my sensitive little heart had difficulty reading it.  But, he was also a well-rounded and honorable guy, for the most part, and clearly a much better match for Elle than Logan could ever hope to be.  The scene where Elle figures out how Logan really feels about her, why he wants to marry her, is very poignant and I think also illustrative of where a lot of young women are with their partners as they leave high school or college or any other major milestone.The romance is well done as always and I liked learning about smoke-jumping, which this east coast girl knows nothing about.  Williams delivers another great read and I'd recommend it to fans of New Adult and contemporary Young Adult romances.Oh, and be prepared to be very hungry while reading.  It would be in your best interest to locate the nearest restaurant that serves crepes!4/5