Title: IF YOU STAY
Author: Courtney Cole
goodreads...
24-year old Pax Tate is an asshole.
Seriously.
He’s a tattooed, rock-hard bad-boy with a bad attitude to match.
But he’s got his reasons.
His mother died when Pax was seven, leaving a hole in his heart filled with
guilt although he doesn’t understand why. What he does know is that he and his
dad are left alone and with more issues than they can count.
As Pax grew up, he tried to be the kid his father always wanted; the
perfect golden boy, but it didn’t work. His dad couldn’t overcome his grief
long enough to notice and Pax couldn’t keep up the impossible perfect façade.
So he slipped far, far from it.
Now, he uses drugs and women to cope with the ugliness, the black void that
he doesn’t want to deal with. If he pretends that the emptiness isn’t there,
then it isn’t, right?
Wrong.
And it’s never more apparent than when he meets Mila.
Sweet, beautiful Mila Hill is the fresh air to his hardened frown, the
beauty to his ugly heart. He doesn’t know how to not hurt her, but he quickly
realizes that he’s got to figure it out because he needs her to breathe.
When memories of his mother’s death resurface from where he’s repressed
them for so long, Mila is there to catch him when the guilt starts making
sense. Mila is the one…the one who can save him from his broken troubled heart;
from his issues, from the emptiness.
But only if he can stop being an asshole long enough to allow it.
He knows that. And he’s working on it.
But is that enough to make her stay?
My take...
Mother of mercy! This is my first book to read by Cole and to say I loved
this book would be a total understatement. I knew when I read her fabulous
blurb for the story that I would have to read it. And then when I actually
started the opening chapter all I could think about was what did I just get
myself in to. All through the story I caught myself smiling one minute and
frantic the next. Cole really did take her characters on an emotional roller
coaster ride and we readers get to be front and center as well. Also keep in
mind this is not a YA read. I am not sure if her other books are YA or
not...but this one is most surely not.
It is always scary starting a book by an author that you have never read
before. They could write books that have a happy ending or they could be like
Nicolas Sparks…an author that has no qualms of killing off a beloved character.
And with this story that is focused around something so dark, there is no way
of knowing if the author wants to give her characters that happily ever after
that so many of us relish. Was there a happily ever after? Ha! Like I am going
to tell you.
When I started reading the book, the first scene kind of took me by
surprise. I don't know what I was expecting but it sure as heck wasn't THAT. It
definitely confirmed in my mind that yes...Pax is most definitely an a$$hole.
And unfortunately, long ago, I knew a few guys like him: money, looks, and a
habit. A habit of taking drugs and a habit of being an a$$hat. But Pax is also
a very broken human being. His life so far from normal, he’d have to use google
maps to find his way back. Yeah, he is that far gone.
And there is always that one girl that thinks they can change the bad boy
from his wicked ways. And more times than not, it is usually not the case. So
will Mila be able to be the one to change him...save him from his horrible drug
induced life style? Will she even want to be a part of his life once she sees
him at his absolute worst? Readers are going to fall in love with Mila the
minute she is introduced into the story. How could you not? She is so sweet and
so adorable; a girl with a great head on her shoulders. So what the heck is she
doing getting involved with Pax? Well for someone that has always gone down the
straight and narrow…I think maybe she was in need of a little danger. But when
you play with fire you are most likely gonna get burned.
IF YOU STAY is an absolutely brilliant read that immediately had me hooked
from the get go. I couldn’t read this book fast enough. This book devoured me
and I gladly let it. And once I was done I immediately had to reread the last
chapter one more time. I will definitely be stalking er, I mean looking into more of Cole's work. Her writing is just that great.
Looking for a fast paced read
that is full of epic goodness and one hot, schmexy bad boy? Oh boy, then you
want this book. Like now.
Fave Lines...
He is gorgeous, and flawed and sexy. And I have no idea what I am getting into.
***
Her eyes widen and she shakes her head. "Pax, no. It's not a good idea. I don't trust myself around you." Her words are completely garbled of course, but I can still make them out.
I startle and stare at her.
"You can't trust yourself around me?"
She shakes her head pathetically, then leans her head on the cool window glass.
"No. I can't let you break my heart. I don't have much left."
Tour Schedule...
February 11th
February 12th
RELEASE DAY LAUNCH
February 13th
February 14th
February 15th
February 16th
February 17th
February 18th
February 19th
February 20th
February 21st
February 22nd
Website: http://courtneycolewrites.com/
Author Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/#!/courtneycolewrites
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Court_Writes
Novel Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17032328-if-you-stay
Author Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/3112212.Courtney_Cole
I have already read If You Stay and it was a GREAT book! Love Pax❤!
ReplyDeleteI want to read If You Stay because I think the cover is hot and the blurb sounds like an interesting and different read.
ReplyDeleteMandy,
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for having me and for your awesome review!!!
Wonderful review. I loved this book. I have really loved everything she has written. You have got to read Confessions of an Alli Cat. It is absolutely hilarious. I really like her YA novels to.
ReplyDeleteI hadn't heard about this book until people started saying how good it was and how excited they were to read it. I checked out what it was all about, and it sounded really interesting!
ReplyDelete