You're the One I Don't Want
by Carrie Aarons
Read it for FREE in KindleUnlimited!
Purchase in Paperback
Add the book to Goodreads
Love is weakness.
Which is why Annabelle Mills vowed a long time ago to never let it destruct her. A former pageant queen with a bite equally as lethal as her bark, she’s interning at her dream job on the set of the highest-rated home design show on television. Everything in Annabelle’s life, though it may be cold and isolated, is going exactly as she always planned.
Until her ex-high school sweetheart moves to town. The same boy that she cheated on, once upon a time, essentially breaking both of their hearts. But no one knows the full story, and being vulnerable enough to open up about it is not on Annabelle’s checklist.
Hate is fuel.
The kind that courses through Boone Graham’s veins and allows him to shut out everyone around him. As the hottest rookie on Austin’s professional baseball team, he should be spending his days hitting homeruns and signing jerseys. Except he’s seen dreams ripped right out from under those closest to him, leaving them with nothing.
Without a college degree, he’ll never take the risk of pursuing his real dream. But when he runs into the girl who took a mallet to his heart and stopped it beating, attending the same university might just be the biggest challenge he’s faced yet.
As the semester unfolds, the line between love and hate is blurred. And with the amount of baggage stacked between them, together is the last thing they want to be.
That’s the thing about hearts, though. They develop plans all on their own.
Review
4 Stars
Lovers can just as easily become enemies and in this second chance romance we see one couple defy the odds and become lovers once again. Annabelle Mills and Boone Graham don't have a pleasant high school romance history to tell their friends, they have a story about cheating and heartbreak and avoidance. College-aged now, both are successful in their own right, with Boone forecasted to join a MLB team in Texas and Anna's face gracing television screens in Hart & Home. Neither expects to see the other again, but life has other plans for the two. As they're forced to face one another repeatedly Anna and Boone find themselves throwing out harsh words and fighting the chemistry that still sparks between them. They're worn down quickly though and soon the two are as couple-y as ever, too bad old hurts don't die as quickly as new love begins.
"He'd held up the mirror straight to my face and shown me just how ugly I was."
I wasn't sure about You're the One I Don't Want, when I first started it Anna just rubbed me the wrong way. Carrie Aarons is one of my go-to's though, so I gave Anna a chance and she was indeed redeemed. Her attitude, her image, it's all a cover up, an armor to protect herself from being hurt further than she already has been. While some people cover up with shyness, Annabelle covers up with biting words, a snotty attitude, and the kind of confidence people dream of having. It's worked for her though, landing her a successful career with a promising future. Boone is the happy-go-lucky guy on the team, he's a great baseball player, is determined to finish school, and he loves a good hook up, no relationships for him. He's never really looked into why relationships aren't his thing, so it makes for a very entertaining story when he and Anna start down the path again. Each has to work through some hard stuff, the history between them is heavy and each holds family hurt close to their heart, allowing it to gloss over the truth of their love. I wish there had been more effort given by both parties to make the relationship the real deal, we get a lot of intimate scenes between them and a few dates, but the meaty stuff, the hard conversations, don't happen until things are rocky and it mad me sad that two successful adults didn't know how to form a successful relationship.
"We love each other more than we annoy each other. We love each other more than our mistakes."
You're the One I Don't Want features Carrie Aaron's sweet writing with a hint of her true-t0-life bluntness, and I say that in a good way. The characters are like real people, they're not glossed over, and it makes the events that happen between Anna and Boone realistic. This one is different than you might expect, but it's a hit in my book and I highly recommend it.
-------------------------
AUTHOR INFORMATION:
AUTHOR INFORMATION:
Author of romance novels such as Red Card and Privileged, Carrie Aarons writes books that are just as swoon-worthy as they are sarcastic. A former journalist, she prefers the stories she dreams up, and the yoga pant dress code, much better.
When she isn't writing, Carrie is busy binging reality TV, having a love/hate relationship with cardio, and trying not to burn dinner. She lives in the suburbs of New Jersey with her husband, daughter and dog.
FIND CARRIE AARONS:
Sign up for Carrie's Newsletter
Join Carrie's Street Team
Posts
Post a Comment