Review: Stay With Me (With Me, #1) by Elyssa Patrick

(Blurb): With one look, I’m his . . .

With one touch, he’s mine . . .

With one kiss, it changes everything between us . . .

I’ve been famous since I can remember. Singing, acting, dancing—I’ve done it all. The tabloids cover my every move, but I don’t want that anymore. I want to be normal, whatever that is.

When I leave Hollywood for college in Vermont, I’m on my own for the first time in my life. This is my chance to figure out who I am and what I want in life.

But it’s a lot harder than I expected. I can’t escape my image. Classes are difficult, and I’m struggling. And then there’s Caleb Fox.

Sexy, intriguing Caleb Fox.

Caleb is the one man who doesn’t want to use me. He breaks down my walls. He challenges me. He wants me. And I just don’t know if I can give him the same—or if he’ll stick around when he finds out my shameful secret that the tabloids haven’t managed to uncover.

Dating him is risky enough, but loving him could break me.

Book Information:
Released: August 30th, 2013
Publisher: Elyssa Patrick
Length: 270 pages
Version: eBook, Kindle
Genre: Contemporary, Romance, Coming of Age, Music
Age Group: New Adult

Review:

Stay With Me was received via NetGalley as an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Stay With Me is what I would call a college aged coming of age story. Hailey is a celebrity who has spent her entire life thus far in front of a camera. Be it acting, singing, celebrity events - she was always pushed by her mother to take part in the Lime Life. So when she turns 18, she breaks away from her controlling mother and enrolls in college with hope that she can live a somewhat normal life.

What I liked
Hailey is a strong girl (adult). You can tell that she has spent the last 18 years living uncomfortably (aka in misery) because her mother has forced many unwanted things on her - all so that her mother could reap the benefits of fame. By not having a truly caring mother, Hailey has been emotionally damaged and that shows through in many ways. It's quite heart-breaking because you can easily relate her situation to real life child-celebrity situations, and you can't help but wonder who in real life is suffering like this...

I had my reservations about Caleb at first. As much as I wanted to trust him, I just could not fully trust that he was good for Hailey. Mostly because everyone else had played her for her status so I was just waiting for the  Heeeyyyy! Jokes on you, again!. But the more I read, the more I realized how good Hailey and Caleb were for each other. Hailey needed someone who could provide the love and support she never had growing up and Caleb needed a girl who was real around him.

What I didn't like
While I like college settings in books, I get tired of reading about floosy acting 18 year olds and frat parties. That seems to be the go to event when a book needs something important to happen in college. A frat party. I mean, I get it. There are many things that can act as catalysts at parties.

On that same note, I was  confused as to why the book started out at a party (and wound up at one many times) after Hailey talks about how much she's over being crowded and surrounded by a ton of people, and how she's over the party scene and celebrity craziness. Granted, she's no longer at celebrity events. It just seems silly that she'd want to go to frat parties to feel normal yet hide out on back decks so no one notices or talks to her...

I was also confused about the status of Hailey's celebrity friend. He just sort of popped up and his background was hinted about. Then he becomes semi-important later on in the book for a brief phone call. And that's it. He didn't really serve a purpose until the end and I think the book could have done without that character. That, or he could have been elaborated on a bit more.

I also didn't like that the conflicts weren't really resolved. Hailey complains about her mom, and there's plenty she could have done about her mom - (as she is now 18) - but she doesn't do anything other than agree to disagree.

Overall, Stay With Me is a nice college based romance that shows how finding that one person can really help change your life. The characters were likeable and the progression was good. I liked the book, but I think the overall story could have used a little more development.


Ratings:

Romance: Hot and steamy!
Character development: ***+
Plot Progression: ***+
Plot Development: ***

My Rating:






Amazon: 4.1
GoodReads: 3.87