ARC Review: If I Stay by Tamara Morgan

If I Stay is the first book that I have ever read by Tamara Morgan, but I had heard great things about her work. I was really excited to read this one, and the blurb sounded really good. I have to admit that while this story was cute and had some likable characters, I just wasn't really able to ever connect with either the characters or the story. This one was a good read, but I found my attention wandering and as soon as I would put the book down it was forgotten.

Amy Sanders has gone back home to Ransom Creek to be a Nanny for the Montgomerys. Her mother held the position before her, but her health has caused her to not be able to handle the job anymore. Working there is Ryan Lucas a former Hollywood stunt driver, now the chauffeur and car care-taker for the Montgomerys. Amy and Ryan feel a connection between them, but Amy has always been drawn to Jake Montgomery. Now that Amy is starting to feel closer to Ryan though, Jake shows up and seems to really notice Amy for the first time. Ryan is biding his time and hoping to get back to Hollywood and the job he loves, but will his connection to Amy be enough to keep him in Ransom Creek? And will Amy choose the guy she grew up having a crush on, or the hardworking guy that she feels a connection to?

I thought that Ryan and Amy were both likable characters. They each had some great qualities and were entertaining. I guess I just felt detached from them the entire story though. I just wasn't ever able to feel fully invested in them and I wasn't ever able to connect with them at all. I thought that they were good people and deserved to be happy, but honestly I didn't really care what happened to them. I also felt like the love triangle angle wasn't ever really a factor. Jake was pretty much a total jerk most of them time, and he was just too confident and cocky. He never did anything to redeem himself at all, and I honestly thought that he had no connection with Amy at all. It was always about Amy and Ryan.

I felt like this story was sort of hard to get into, and to me it didn't really seem to have a beginning. It almost seemed like the reader was dropped into the story in the middle, and that we had been missing something. I'm not really sure why this one gave me that feeling, but I just felt like I should have known about these characters and the story more than I did. This book wasn't a bad book at all, I just think it wasn't for me. I liked the characters, and I thought that the premise of the story was a good one. I think that fans of contemporary romance stories might want to give this one a shot. I just personally wasn't able to enjoy this one as much as I had been expecting and hoping for. The story was nice though, and I think readers will enjoy Ryan and Amy's story.

**ARC Provided by Publisher**

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