Review and Giveaway: I Want It That Way (2B Trilogy #1) by Ann Aguirre

 

Series: 2B Trilogy #1

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Publisher: Harlequin HQN

Publication Date: 8/26/14

Format: ARC

Pages: 352

Source: Publisher

Rating: 3 stars

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Nadia Conrad has big dreams, and she's determined to make them come true—for her parents' sake as well as her own. But between maintaining her college scholarship and working at the local day care to support herself, she barely has time to think, let alone date. Then she moves into a new apartment and meets the taciturn yet irresistible guy in 1B…. 

Daniel Tyler has grown up too fast. Becoming a single dad at twenty turned his life upside down—and brought him heartache he can't risk again. Now, as he raises his four-year-old son while balancing a full-time construction management job and night classes, a social life is out of the question. The last thing he wants is for four noisy students to move into the apartment upstairs. But one night, Nadia's and Ty's paths cross, and soon they can't stay away from each other. 

The timing is all wrong—but love happens when it happens. And you can't know what you truly need until you stand to lose it.

My Review

Okay, like almost everyone else, I was drawn to I Want it That Way because of
the title. Yep, I was a Backstreet Boys fan and I loved this song. And yes, I did sing it in my head every time I looked at the book and the entire time I was reading. FUN. As for the book, I did like it, but felt it was another that fell into the "Fine, Just Fine" category. It was good, but didn't truly grab my heart.
 

I was excited to have a single dad romantic lead in Ty. As a mom, the surest way to my heart is a dude who loves his kid and puts them first. How Ty became a single father was pretty interesting, explained a lot of his abandonment issues as well as his desire to remain single. I did feel he took this too far as far as his "rules" and life plan. I've known a lot of great single parents who didn't have these sorts of rules, but hey, it offers character growth, so I can't complain too much. . His hot-and-cold personality would not work for me, neither would having to convince someone to give me a chance, but that just may be that I'm a) extremely self-assured as to what I deserve in a relationship (and yes, I was this way at Nadia's age) and b) am too lazy to even consider trying to convince someone I am worthy of their love when they are against it.
 
 
I thought I Want It That Way was a good love story, very thoughtful and in-depth, character-wise. I liked both Nadia and Ty, their layered personalities, how well they communicated with each other, and the maturity both embodied. I like that the author expressed how exhausting Ty's life was, and that it did affect his relationship with Nadia. Nothing was glossed over in this book, in regards to the demands of Ty's and Nadia's responsibilities as working students. I just really liked these two together, talking and loving, and wishing for a way to be together. That was by far my favorite aspect to I Want It That Way.

As much as I liked it, there were parts that got to me and at times I felt annoyed. The length of the story was my biggest issue. It's not that I can't appreciate a big, beautiful book, as long as it's filled with plot. I felt that much of this book was filled with tedious details that I personally didn't need. I didn't need to know the specifics on how Nadia makes her mac and cheese casserole, or how many green shirts were in her closet. I also felt there was too much about Nadia's work at a preschool, and the education details in becoming a teacher. I admire an author who gives realism to their story, but if I accidentally wander into a conversation with an education student, I may hurt them. Especially if I hear the word "practicum" (ohmygod I just convulsed typing that word, I hate it so much).  There was also way too much about Nadia's roommates. It was fine to include them in her story, but I didn't need to hear about her roommates' love lives every time they entered the room. The story could've easily been chopped down by fifty pages, leaving out so many details that lost my attention.

You know what, I think I would have loved this story if it was written from Ty's point-of-view.

On the whole, I did like I Want It That Way. The prologue promises a much darker story than what's delivered, with an epilogue that touches back on that, with what felt like a "Gotcha!" message. It's not dark or twisty, or especially complicated, and it didn't need to be, so I have no idea why this was included.

The hype for this book is heavy, and I have no doubt it will deliver for most readers. It was fine, not spectacular, in my opinion.
 
 

Favorite Quotes

  A muscle flexed in his jaw and he closed his eyes for a few seconds, as if I'd stroked him in an unspeakably intimate place. My fingers curled against the urge to touch him, brush the bright hair away from his brow or test the gold bristles on his jaw. A rush of longing hammered at my composure, a visceral attraction unlike any I'd ever known. He rubbed his palm over his mouth, and I could've sworn he whispered something like, make it stop, I don't have time for this right now, but it was more of a breath or a sigh, and it could've been my imagination. 

  "Nadia..." There was a world of loneliness and longing in that tone.

  I knew it immediately; I wore it like a charm about my neck. "If you send me away today, I'll knock tomorrow. I'll say this again. And again. Until you're ready to believe me, and I don't care how long it takes. I do not fucking give up on the things that matter, and nobody's ever mattered to me more than you."

The 2B Trilogy

   

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 About Ann Aguirre 

Ann Aguirre is a New York Times & USA Today bestselling author with a degree in English Literature; before she began writing full time, she was a clown, a clerk, a voice actress, and a savior of stray kittens, not necessarily in that order. She grew up in a yellow house across from a cornfield, but now she lives in sunny Mexico with her husband, children, and various pets. She likes all kinds of books, emo music, action movies and Doctor Who. She writes all kind of fiction in multiple genres, both YA and for adults.

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