Before reading The Possibility of Us by Lisa Burstein I had no idea that this book was a continuation of Ben and Cassie's story from the Pretty Amy Series and the book Dear Cassie. I went into this one thinking it was a standalone book and even though it can be read as one, I felt like I had missed their whole back-story and it turns out that I had. I would definitely recommend that if you are going to read this story that you start at the beginning so that you see what led these characters to this point, and see everything that they had been through. I think that I might have enjoyed this story more had I known about the previous books and read them before this one.
When Cassie's friend tells her that their counselor from their wilderness program died, Cassie agrees with Laura that they should make the trip to pay their respects. She goes along under the assumption that her ex won't be there. But when they arrive, Cassie finds out that not only has Laura convinced Ben to come, but that they have been in contact the entire time that Cassie and Ben have been apart. With both of them there, they quickly realize that the feelings and attraction are still there between them. But so is the anger and pain from the way that they split up. Ben is still able to get to Cassie in a way no one else ever has, and Cassie is still the only one that Ben wants despite her breaking his heart. Can they figure out their problems and a solution in their short time together, or will they end up heartbroken all over again?
I liked Ben. He was a good guy and he was pretty great. I honestly couldn't see why he was so interested in Cassie though. She was really irritating and a complete bitch. She was pretty abrasive, and tended to lash out at everyone around her even her so called best friend. I just didn't really get why he was so in love with her, and I honestly didn't get why she was the way she was. She had made a choice that affected her life, but at the same time it was something she had done. I just didn't see why it was fair of her to treat others that way when she was upset over something that she had done to herself. I also didn't really care for the fact that she was constantly cursing and using the F word. I am no against bad words and I say plenty myself, but it almost seemed as though she was trying to see if she could say as many as humanly possible and used them to get a reaction out of others. It was just weird, and didn't seem believable. I thought that Ben and Cassie might have had some chemistry together, but honestly I wasn't really feeling their connection to one another or the supposed love that they felt. Maybe if I had read the previous book I would have felt differently, but it seemed like these two got over everything super quickly and hadn't really done anything to resolve their problems except share a few things with each other.
I also felt like this book was a bit corny, and a lot of the dialogue came off as cheesy. The descriptions and way things were done were just a bit too over the top for my taste, and frankly with their age group seemed to be a bit unreal. I just wasn't buying that people their age would be talking like they were or thinking the same thoughts. Overall, I think I just couldn't connect with this one and that might have been due to not reading the first book. But honestly I think that this story just wasn't for me. The whole thing was sort of lackluster for me, and there wasn't anything new or exciting about this one. I might go back and read the previous books at some point to see if that changes anything for me, but after reading this one I am honestly not sure if I will. I recommend that if you are thinking of giving this one a try that you start with at least Dear Cassie, but you might want to start all the way at the beginning with Pretty Amy.
**ARC Provided by Entangled Publishing**
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Lisa Burstein is a tea seller by day and a writer by night. She received her MFA in Creative Writing from the Inland Northwest Center for Writers at Eastern Washington University. She is the author of Pretty Amy, The Next Forever, Dear Cassie and Sneaking Candy. She lives in Portland, Oregon with her very patient husband, a neurotic dog and two cats.
Lisa Burstein is a tea seller by day and a writer by night. She received her MFA in Creative Writing from the Inland Northwest Center for Writers at Eastern Washington University and is glad to finally have it be worth more than the paper it was printed on. She lives in Portland, Oregon with her very patient husband, a neurotic dog and two cats. 