Montag, 24. August 2015

Deal Breakers (Dealing with Love #01) - Laura Lee

Title: Deal Breakers (Dealing with Love #01)
Author: Laura Lee
Rating: 3 - 3.5/5

Thanks to NetGalley and LAN Fiction LLC for letting me receive a digital copy of this book before the official release date.
Devyn has life all mapped out. She just needs to accomplish one more thing before graduating college and becoming a full-fledged adult—lose her virginity. And who better to assist her than her best friend, Riley?

Riley is the self-proclaimed king of fling. His college years have been filled with meaningless hookups until the one night that ruined him for all other women. The one night he spends with his best friend, Devyn. Right before he screws it all up.

Balls to the wall, baby!

Now five years later, Riley is determined to atone for his mistakes and prove that he can be the man that Devyn deserves. Little does he know that Devyn’s been keeping a secret from him all these years. A big secret. Now he has to figure out how to win back the only girl he’s ever loved while navigating the pitfalls of her unexpected revelation.

I seem to rate so many books with this 3 - 3.5 rating, it's crazy. But decisions aren't my best friends, if that helps explaining it. And most of the time, it's just that a simple three seems so low, I don't want the author to think I hated her/his book.

Normally, I'm not into books that describe the charcters' pasts and the present, meaning the then and now. Sure, I use these terms, too, but the thing is... I haven't read a lot of good books, using that style. However, I had no problem reading Deal Breakers. More like the opposite - I enjoyed this book so much.

In the beginning, you find out about Riley's crush on Devyn and how they meet. It reminded me of one of my favourite shows Greek, so I was hooked right from the start. Then you read about the developement of their relationship, which is always a friends-only thing. Until right before their college graduation. Devyn and Riley make a deal - Devyn loses her virginity to Riley in order to finally turn in her V-card and they'll both move on - no strings attached. Cliché? Probably, but so enjoyable!

The then part ends at a critical point that will leave you stunned (but not surprised, to be honest) and the now part catches up five years later. Riley and Devyn both grew up, learned lessons about life. What I forgot to mention is that they lost touch right after their deal. Riley moved to Boston and Devyn's life got a bit more complicated than that.

Weird coincidences and circumstances have them meeting each other again and that's when everything turns upside down. Riley finds out about a secret Devyn has kept from everyone. She's also with Jackson now, her current boyfriend. That's not what Riley had hoped when he first got to find out about Devyn's presence. One thing is for sure: Their paths will always be connected by a crossroad from now on.

Does that give too much away? I don't think so. Gah, I really liked this book and I didn't think I would, which makes this so much more exciting to me. Deal Breakers isn't a novel that's too long. You'll find yourself reading it without realizing how far you get by the end of your reading time. It's just so easy to follow and understand the characters, their intentions and their motives. The conversations didn't feel forced and though there are a lot of conversations, I didn't feel overwhelmed by them. They fit perfectly into the scenes.

Though I'm not that interested in Brody and Rainey's story, I think I'll read it. But I am very excited for Drew (Devyn's brother) and Charlotte's story, having no idea who Charlotte is yet. I recommend Deal Breakers to anyone who is looking for a light read about boy-girl-friendship through college and wants to know what happens after ways part.