Series: Clayton Falls #1Genre: Contemporary New Adult
Publisher: Self-published
Publication Date: 9/23/12
Format: ebook
Pages: 260
Source: Received from author for review.
When you're lost, sometimes the only place you can go is home.I know that I've said it a lot lately, but I love "going home" stories. I love stories with the high school sweethearts, who've split up, tried to make their separate ways, and maybe (?) end up back together. That is why I was so excited to read book one in the Clayton Falls Series, Derailed.
Broken over the death of her fiancé, Molly leaves law school to return to her childhood home in North Carolina. Expecting to lay low until she can figure out what else to do with her life, she finds herself in the arms of her high school sweetheart, the boy who represents everything from the past she tried to leave behind.
Looking for an escape, she instead finds a way back to the girl she almost forgot existed and a future she never dreamed possible.
And I am so, so happy with what I got. Molly left town at eighteen, leaving her boyfriend Ben behind. A tragedy that she felt responsible for had her head in bad place, thinking that she wasn't good for those around her. She wanted a clean break. Another tragedy, which she also feels responsible for, sends her back home. And there she reconnects with her old friends, and Ben.
Ben was a treat. He loved Molly fiercely, and she left him brokenhearted. He wasn't perfect when they dated, but he was just a kid. When Molly comes home, she expects an icy reception from Ben; but what she gets is a matured version of her first love. And he's never stopped loving her.
Surprisingly, Derailed did not have a lot of angst. I was actually really happy with that. Since she's not in the best of places, I had expected Molly to be more angry, to push Ben away. She swore she wasn't staying in Clayton Falls, but it's immediately clear that she's not going anywhere. So the fact that the Derailed is more of a "coming to terms" story, in regards to the loss she's endured, and that this is a second chance at first love, made me really happy and was exactly what I was looking for in the book. It was less angst, less drama and that made for a Happy Andrea. The ending was so sweet and romantic, and I'll admit, I had a few tears in my eyes. Hold your surprise.
Book two in the Clayton Falls Series is Veer. It's about Gavin and Becca. I didn't really like Gavin at all in Derailed, but I'm hoping Ivy will change my mind about him. I did like what I learned of Becca. I'm always excited to read companion stories like this, and am so excited that Wrecked, about Ben's brother Jake, is coming!
Derailed was a great start to the Clayton Falls Series. I'm expecting good things from books two and three.
Favorite Quote:
"Why do you want me to fight with you so much?"
"Because it's easier that way. I like being mad at you." He shifted gears.
"Then don't feel bad for me."
"I won't. Because you know what? You are a lucky son of a bitch."
"You do realize I'm a girl, right?"
"You know what I mean." ~ Jake and Molly, 72%
Ben announced he was about to play his last audience started chanting for "Six Feet Under". My stomach clenched. He'd promised.
"Sorry, folks, we won't be playing that song anymore."
Boos followed.
"Don't you want to know why?" Ben asked with a grin.
A variety of answers came from the crowd, the most vocal being they didn't care.
"She's come back to me." Ben smiled right at me before starting in on another one of their songs. The crowd cheered. Evidently they did care. ~ 75%
"I know that life hasn't turned out exactly the way you wanted, and I can't change the past for you. But I can change your future, and you can change mine the way you changed my life right here so many years ago when we kissed for the first time."
You can purchase Derailed at:
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Smashwords
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