If Only

If Only is A.J. Pine's debut NA novel.

Sometimes it takes crossing an ocean to figure out where you belong.

It's been two years since twenty-year-old Jordan had a boyfriend- which means it's been forever since she, well, you know.  But now she's off to spend her junior year in Aberdeen, Scotland, the perfect place to stop waiting for Mr. Right and just enjoy Mr. Right Now.

Sexy, sweet (and possible player) Griffin may be her perfect no-strings-attached match.  He's fun, gorgeous, and makes her laugh.  So why can't she stop thinking about Noah who, minutes after being trapped together out the train's loo, kisses Jordan like she's never been kissed before? Never mind his impossible blue eyes, his weathered, annotated copy of The Great Gatsby (total English-major porn).. oh, and his girlfriend.

Jordan knows everything this year has an expiration date. Aberdeen is supposed to be about fun rather than waiting for life to happen.  But E.M. Forster, Shakespeare, and mistletoe on Valentine's Day make her reconsider what love is and how far she's willing to go for the right guy.

The Breakdown:
1. I've had this book on my Kindle for like a month, since I won it in a contest from the Artsy Reader Girl along with some awesome swag from the book. I have been dying to read it, but I had a ton of my holds at the library come withing a week, and had to put of reading it until I got through those first. I just have to say that Pine starts out with quite the opening.  The train scene was intense, and wonderful, and had me falling in love with Jordan and Noah before evening getting to know them. It is an amazing connection between them right there, that it breaks my heart a little to watch them fight it for so long.

2. I love that as much as Jordan tries to be a right now girl with Griffin, in the end she really is a forever kind of girl. She struggles so much with it, but I am so glad to see her accept that it is who she is in the end. Being a forever kind of girl myself, I find her very relatable, plus her love of books and fictional boyfriends.

3. How can a girl not end up falling for Noah. The man carries around dog eared, annotated copy of his favorite book. While Gatsby may not be my book of choice for classic American lit, I do love a man with a love of reading.

4. Pine has possibly given me a new favorite quote: "I'm suddenly aware that my lack of success in the male/female relationship department might have something to do with my preference for boys made from words." I am pretty sure Pine just summed up my entire love life with that one line.

5. I am one that enjoys the slow burn build up to a relationship, and Noah and Jordan certainly qualify for that. They take their sweet time coming together, but the reward is pretty fantastic.

To Read or Not to Read:
Read

Currently Reading:
The Girl from the Well
by Rin Chupeco