ARC Review: After Loving You by Ashelyn Drake

Ashelyn Drake is a new to me author. I loved the sound of this book though, so I had to take the chance on it. While this wasn't a horrible book, it definitely wasn't what I was expecting. 

Mia and Jared broke up before college, but two years later they find themselves thinking of one another. Though each of them are seeing different people, they can't seem to let go of the past. But as they find themselves being drawn to each other once more, they also must figure out if they belong together, or if it is time to move on. 

I have to admit that a lot of what I struggled with here was the characters. They felt really immature for me, and that was hard for me to connect with. I expected quite a bit of angst, and there was plenty. But there was so much push and pull that it just got old at times. I can't really get into it much without spoiling anything, so I won't go into specifics, but I did really like one character here. They were the bright spot for me and honestly I thought that they deserved better. 

My biggest issue was that this book was so misleading. I felt like it was a story about one thing, when in actuality it was something else entirely. I could have been on board with that, had I known that ahead of time. But I don't appreciate being led to believe one thing and then get something else entirely. I think part of it was done for shock value and it didn't feel entirely genuine, especially considering a lot of what happened here. So while this story had promise, overall this wasn't entirely for me. I think that there are other readers out there that will really enjoy this one though, so if it sounds like something you might like I recommend giving it a shot.

**ARC Provided by Inkslinger PR**

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ARC Review: Perfect for You by Ashelyn Drake

Perfect for You is the first book I have ever read by Ashelyn Drake, but I thought this book sounded really good. I occasionally like to torture myself with love triangles, and this one seemed to be right up my alley. Perfect for You is a young adult book, and the characters are in high school. I do think that this book can be enjoyed by readers of all ages though as long as you keep the age group in mind. I did find the characters to be childish and immature, but that is the age group and I honestly didn't think that it was anything out of the ordinary for how most teens act.

Meg Flannigan is a senior in High School, and enjoys spending her time with her best friend Gray, her boyfriend Ash, and playing tennis. She was humiliated as a sophomore when her then boyfriend Derrick dumped her for a freshman. Ever since, she has had a hard time trusting others. Even though things are good with Ash, she finds herself being drawn to her crush Noah who has started to notice her finally after two years of her crushing on him. When Noah makes it his mission to win Meg, problems begin to occur between her and Ash. To make matters worse, Liz a freshman cheerleader has set her sights on Ash and refuses to give up. As Meg finds herself torn between her boyfriend Ash and the charming and sweet Noah, she has to make a choice or risk losing both of them and ending up alone.

I really loved Ash. He was sweet and kind, and a lot more patient than I would have been. I do think he screwed up. He was blind when it came to Liz at first, and even after Meg filled him in he continued to allow her to think she had a shot because he liked the attention. But he didn't cross the line with her, and he really did love Meg. Meg drove me nuts at times, but I did like her. I felt her conflict between Noah and Ash, even if I didn't agree with her actions at all. She loved Ash and was happy to be with him, but she also had liked Noah for so long and he was such a good guy. I think that she let things with Noah go on for far too long though, and he was right in the fact that she didn't push him away or try very hard to stop things between them even when she knew it was wrong. But I thought that Ash and Meg were so great together, and I was rooting for those two from the start. I didn't like Noah though. He might come off as this great guy who really liked Meg, but at the same time he never made a move until after she was with someone else. Then he claimed to not be trying to break her up with Ash, but his actions spoke a completely different story. I really thought that despite his feelings for Meg, he was a wolf in sheep's clothing and I didn't care for how he acted at all. He wasn't a good guy deep down, and he really killed parts of this book for me.

Overall, I think that this was a good story. It was a quick and easy read, if a bit frustrating. The characters definitely acted their ages, and at times I really wanted to tell them all to grow up. They made horrible choices, thought of themselves above others, and reveled in attention they shouldn't have because it felt good. But honestly that is what being a teenager is all about. They were no different than any other teen I have ever known, and I think that they were written pretty realistically. My biggest complaint of this story was Noah though. I just didn't like him and thought that he was a complete fake. He was out to get whatever he wanted and didn't care who got hurt along the way. The worst part is that he didn't even really seem to actually care about Meg that deeply, and he seemed to just want her at the time and I think part of that was just the chase and wanting what he couldn't have. I think that I would have been able to relate to him much more if he wouldn't have been so selfish, and if I felt his feelings for Meg were genuine. I think that this story was one that a lot of people will enjoy, and it was a good book to slip in when you are looking for something to kill a few hours without being too heavy. I would read more from Ashelyn Drake in the future, and I did enjoy her writing style.

**ARC Provided by YA Bound Book Tours**

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