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Wednesday, December 23, 2015

ARC Review: What If by A.J. Pine


What If is the second book in the If Only series from A.J. Pine, though each book is a standalone with interconnected characters. I was really glad that Griffin was getting his own story after the first book, and I have to say that I did enjoy this book more than the first. I have liked all the characters since the beginning of this series, but there were a few things that kept the first book from being one I loved. While I did have some frustrations here in What If, it was nowhere near what I experienced in If Only and I was so glad to see how things have progressed since the first book.

Griffin has always been the live in the moment type of guy, until he went and got feelings for a girl that was in love with someone else. Having returned home from his trip to Aberdeen, Scotland, Griffin is now set to follow his father's footsteps. Though Griffin would rather do something else with his life, his parents expect him to follow their carefully laid out plan. But when he meets Maggie, everything changes. Maggie is different than anyone he has ever met before, and she makes him want to be better person. But Maggie has a secret that could change their entire relationship, and she is afraid to tell Griffin. Can Maggie and Griffin truly let each other in and find their way together, or will their secrets keep them from having a chance at a future with one another? 

I have liked Griffin from the very beginning of this series, and I loved him here. We really got to dig deeper when it came to his character, and it was good to see beneath the surface with him. He was so much more that what we got to see in If Only, and I was surprised at just how much he had felt for Jordan. I felt like in If Only we really didn't get to see just how much he had been affected by how things happened with Jordan, and I had no idea that he had cared as much as he did. But Jordan wasn't the right person for him, and that was never more apparent than it was here when he met Maggie. Maggie and Griffin were so good for one another, and I loved them together. They were able to help each other and support one another, and I loved the connection that was there right from the start. Griffin and Maggie were able to be their true selves with one another, even if they weren't able to fully open up to one another at the beginning of their relationship. The more they spent time together though, the stronger their bond grew and I really felt like these two were perfect for each other. They had great chemistry and the attraction was obvious, but it was really about the emotional connection and bond these two had. 

Overall, I enjoyed this story a lot and I liked the characters. I really liked Griffin's sisters and those that were close to Maggie, especially her friend Miles. These secondary characters really added a lot to the story and I thought that they werea great support system for Maggie and Griffin. It was also good to see familiar faces here, and the progress that all of the Aberdeen crew had made was really good to see. I was frustrated a few times throughout this story with both Griffin and Maggie, but I really felt like most of that fell on Maggie. She needed to be honest with Griffin, and I really wish that she would have explained her situation with him. I didn't really care for the way it was all revealed, though his response was beyond sweet. If I hadn't already been in love with Griffin at that point, his actions there definitely would have sealed the deal. I recommend this book to fans of the NA genre, and if you have read If Only I think that this book is a must read! I am looking forward to reading the next book in this series, and it will be great to catch up with all these characters again.

**ARC Provided by Publisher**

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