Review: 4.5 stars awesome stars
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 01 7, 2014
Always Been Mine is Carina Adams' debut novel and she did a fantastic job with it.  It was one of those books that I could not put down and thought about for days after.  I even found myself re-reading some of my favorite parts, which included Matty of course.  I absolutely loved that man but I'll get to him in a second.Josephine and Matty have been best friends for the past ten years or so.  He is the best friend that any woman can ask or hope for.  When Joe finds her marriage completely falling apart Matty is there to help pick up the pieces.  Joe's relationship with her husband has never really been perfect.  All though in the very beginning most people would have thought it was.  They never fought and seemed so in love.  But at some point their marriage began to crumble.  And right now Josephine is living in a hotel room away from her husband wondering where to go from here.  She is trying to deal with her husband's infidelity and the feelings that she still has for him and how to move on from it all.  Then there is Matty, her best friend, her confidant, the man who is always there for her.  And as always Matty is right there to help her with her current crisis.Matty and Joe have such an amazing bond and friendship but to some people they may be a little too close for comfort.  To an outsider looking in you would think that they were the ones that were in love and married.  Matty has a girlfriend who Joes is not a fan of and vice versa.  But when things start to become a little complicated with his relationship, Matty and Joe find themselves closer to crossing that line of friendship.  Joe wants it, but Matty is afraid of what they will lose if they cross it.  Is there friendship worth risking it all for love?I absolutely loved Matty.  He is hot and sexy, caring, sweet and very protective of Joe.  I think you can sense early on how much he loves her but was never able to have her.  So her friendship was the next best thing and something that he treasured.  In my opinion his actions alone, especially in one specific situation, spoke volumes about how much he loved her.  He has a past and secrets that he is keeping but it doesn't make you love him any less.  I loved Joe and at times I felt so bad for her.  For the treatment she received from her husband as well as from one other character who shall remain nameless, only because I don't want to spoil anything for you.  I adored her and Matty together and wanted nothing more than for these two to end up together an happy.Matty and Joes finally have a chance to be together but not everything in life is that simple. There are many obstacles in their way.  They both have exes that are not happy with their relationship, then there are secrets and insecurities that also come into play.  Always Been Mine has it all; drama, angst, heartbreaking moments, an ex bitch that I wanted to slap on more than one occasion, and that moment when I had knots in my stomach and I found myself shaking my head, yelling at my Ipad, "No, No, please don't go there."  This was a fantastic read and I cannot wait for the next one.  The ending was perfect and I felt true to the story.  This is not a cliffhanger but there are some questions left unanswered and the door has been left open for more of Matty and Joe, which I am very excited about.