To Be With You by T.J. O’Shea

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


I wish I could have taken a couple of days off work and just lock myself away to binge read this book. Tori and Leah were damn near perfect and believable. Going to point out right now that the past week has been emotionally rough for me and my family so I’m guessing that put me in a sensitive mood that might influence my perception of To Be With You. That being said, I loved this book so hard.

TJ O’Shea blew me away with her debut, Beyond the Blue, so I was excited to read this one. Yeah, I know it came out at the end of last year but it got lost in my reader until recently. Perhaps it was the universe saving it for when I would appreciate it the most? But for whatever reason, I found the book again and couldn’t stop reading. I skipped TV time with my wife (which she didn’t mind because it mean she got control over the remote) and I pushed bedtime to the limit with trying to get just a few more pages done.

I know I’ve compared other authors to Susan X Meagher before because of their ability to grab me and make me believe in the characters and situations while having no trace of the author being present. Authors like Meagher who can write a long book and make me wish there were still more words coming don’t happen often. But TJ O’Shea is at the top of my list right now for writing a beautifully angst, yet funny, book that has loads of character development, flawed but lovely folks, evil folks (well, one really) who may still find their way, glorious families, and just so damn much love. Oh this book.

There were some devastatingly sad portions – at least to me in my current emotional state – that literally had my chest tight and a lump in my throat. But then there were running jokes that had me laughing out loud. To Be With You covered all my bases for a second-chance romance (my favorite kind) and as soon as I was done reading it, I immediately put it in my “Reread for a Mental Hug” collection. I wish it never ended but I know I can revisit with my newest friends any time I need to.

Thank you so much to Bella Books and NetGalley for the chance to fall in love with this book.



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