TITLE – Love Me Back
AUTHOR – Michelle Lynn
GENRE – New Adult Romance
GOODREADS - http://tiny.cc/1l150w
HOSTED BY – Love Between the Sheets
SYNOPSIS –
Growing up in small town Belcrest, Maddy Jennings thought she was destined to be with her childhood love Trent Basso. Their friendship blossomed into love as they weaved in and out of each other’s lives, from school aged to young adulthood. During her complicated path with Trent, another love interest seems to be her constant. The problem is the other love interest is Trent’s older brother. Trent’s brother is bound to keep a promise to him even if it means keeping his distance from Maddy, but it doesn’t stop him from being a friend she can count on.
When Maddy returns to her hometown after two years for her brother’s wedding, she will have to face not only Trent but his brother as well. As the two Basso brothers fight to win her heart, she struggles to forgive her mom and accept her apology, in order to mend their relationship?
She must decide to either forfeit her happiness or tear a family apart.
Review
4 stars
Love Me Back is a coming of age romance. It is a love triangle that involves Maddy and the boys next door. Maddy, Trent and Gabe all come back home to Belcrest for her older brother’s Jack’s wedding. He schedules a week packed with activities for the wedding party, forcing Maddy to spend time with the two boys who have her heart. This story jumps between the present tense and the past, giving a history of the rolls each of them have played in her life.
Jack and Maddy had a broken home life growing up and spent a lot of time at the Basso’s house. Jack is best friends with Doug, Trent and Gabe’s older brother. Trent is Maddy’s age and Gabe is three years older. Mr. and Mrs. Basso were like parents to Maddy and the boys like brothers. As they got older, Maddy and Trent started to develop feelings for one another just as her parents decided to move away for her Dad’s new job and to work on their marriage. Three years and one divorce later Maddy returns to Belcrest with her mother and she and Trent quickly become the “Romeo and Juliette” of their small town.
Trent is the boy Maddy has loved since she was six years old. They have broken up and gotten back together quite a few times throughout the years but their friendship has always remained strong. He was the boy she shared all of her firsts with. Trent has always been the one to break them up for one reason or another and while he dates and sleeps around, he still believes Maddy to be “his girl” and that he will someday marry her. Maddy loves Trent and is always there when he needs her but starts to realize that she can’t count on him to be there when she needs him. People change. Trent is now a soccer star and it has gone to his head. He never puts her above his career or his desires.
Gabe hates the way his brother treats Maddy. Trent breaks up with her when they go to college and he steps in to help pull Maddy out of her depression. They spend a lot of time together and both start to have feelings for each other. After a trip home for the holidays where his mother notices their closeness and tells him to back off; he makes a promise to his brother to leave her alone. Gabe pulls away and Maddy is left with a broken heart. When Maddy suffers a terrible loss, once again it is Gabe who is there to comfort her while Trent is too busy with his career.
Things are very awkward when they are all pushed together for the wedding festivities. Maddy left Trent a year ago and is determined not to fall back into anything romantic with him. Trent wants to use this opportunity to get her back. Gabe still loves Maddy and wants to be with her despite the promise he made to his brother or the fact that his mother does not approve. On top of her boy troubles; Maddy’s mother is trying to rebuild their broken relationship, while she is haunted with memories of her traumatic experience the last time she was at her mom’s house.
Mrs. Basso is upset with Maddy and tells her she needs to make a choice and stop breaking her family apart. Gabe and Trent have not spoken in 2 years because of their feelings for her. Maddy is torn between her childhood Romeo and the man who has become her rock. She is determined to mend their family, even if it means leaving them both.
I loved the flashbacks and getting to know these characters as children, adolescents, and finally adults. It really helps you to understand the feelings Maddy has for both of these men and why they love her so much. Trent and Gabe both pissed me off in different ways but then so did Maddy. They don’t intend to hurt each other but they are young, naïve, and at times selfish. The character development was fantastic and even the supporting characters will work their way into your heart. I love books that draw me in emotionally and this book did that. These characters frustrated me at times and equally had me an emotional bawling mess others. It is more than a love triangle. This book is also about a little girl desperate for her mother’s love and attention. It’s a story of tragic loss, beautiful friendships, love, and forgiveness. Michelle Lynn covers a large time span and so many issues in this one book; and she does it all without it feeling rushed or incomplete. Love Me Back is a great book!
*Review by Heather
BUY LINKS –
Smashwords - https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/333505
Amazon US - http://www.amazon.com/Love-Me-Back-ebook/dp/B00CGTWC0O/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1375413896&sr=8-1&keywords=love+me+back+michelle+lynn
Amazon UK - http://www.amazon.co.uk/Love-Me-Back-ebook/dp/B00CGTWC0O/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1375413931&sr=1-1&keywords=love+me+back
Barnes & Noble - http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/love-me-back-michelle-lynn/1115197462?ean=2940016551449
Kobo - http://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/love-me-back-1
ABOUT THE AUTHOR -
Michelle Lynn has always been a reader, but her passion has become a full-blown addiction since her husband bought her a Kindle for Mother's Day. She's pretty sure that he regrets this on a regular basis. Especially when she has it propped up next to the stove while she cooks, which often results in a burnt dinner. Or when he loses sleep because the glow from the screen wakes him up when he rolls over at three in the morning. He does agree, however, that she uses this gift more than any other he has ever gotten her. She joking counters that, because of some of the steamy novels she reads, he also benefits more from this gift than any other he has gotten her. ;)
Michelle moved around the Midwest most of her life, transferring from school to school before settling down in the outskirts of Chicago ten years ago, where she now resides with her husband and two kids. She developed a love of reading at a young age, which helped lay the foundation for her passion to write. With the encouragement of her family, she finally sat down and wrote one of the many stories that have been floating around in her head. When she isn’t reading or writing, she can be found playing with her kids, talking to her mom on the phone, or hanging out with her family and friends. But after chasing around twin preschoolers all day, she always cherishes her relaxation time after putting the kids to bed.
Author Social Media Links:
Website: http://www.michellelynnbooks.com
FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Michelle-Lynn/413280762102448
Twitter: https://twitter.com/michellelynnbks
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7065829.Michelle_Lynn
Thank you for participating in the blog tour! You're review is great and well-written :)
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