Stay With Me - Jenny Anastan (Translated by Elena Mancini)

This might surprise several of you, but Amazon Crossing is currently working to translate hundreds of best seller books from all over the world. I have been very fortunate to receive three books at this time and I really look forward to reading more. They're very easy to find, especially on Amazon and Goodreads, as the title (in either language) links to the others. I was a bit timid at first to read the books, I've seen some bad translations, but so far I am beyond impressed. Amazon Crossing did a really great job with these and I am happy to share them with you starting today and over the next month.

Rating: 3.5 Stars 
Published: Original October 2014, Translation October 2015
Many thanks to Netgalley and Amazon Crossing for providing this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Amazon Goodreads

Zoe got wrapped in the grey eyes and good feelings that Andrew gave her, but she'd told him she could do the no strings attached thing they had going on. Unfortunately, she'd fallen hard and Andrew went back to New York, never to be seen again. He left behind a piece of himself though and when he's back in town, set to be engaged to Zoe's family friend, he finds out how much he left behind. Zoe made a life for herself, but Andrew's return shakes it all up.

Zoe is a likable character, minus her attraction to big jerks and how much she hangs onto the past. I loved her role as a bakery owner and mother to Olivia, it all worked well with her sort-of innocence, her natural tendency to care for others, and how she always put her best foot forward even when inside she was struggling. She was easy to connect to and I really enjoyed the scenes with her friends. The smut to this story is done well, I liked reading the past as Zoe thought of it and how it was weaved in.

Andrew is terrible. I normally love my male characters to be dominating, but this was overwhelming. I mostly couldn't figure out why Zoe wasn't afraid of this guy and how she held onto feelings for him when they literally had nothing between them but sex. Of course, there's some twists thrown in there that makes it all turn out different and better. I just kept waiting for him to blow up and that's not a great feeling to get from a book. I do like how he was with Olivia and how he changed with Zoe. The change happened very quickly however and wasn't completely believable.

Overall, Stay With Me is a quick and easy read. It definitely falls in the New Adult category with some major smut. It's fun and good for when you're in the mood for a book, but don't have a lot of time.