Hold On to Me

Title: Hold On to Me
Author: Lucia Franco
Publication Date: June 2, 2015

*Synopsis*

John Jackson.

He’s a sweet talking Georgia boy, rough around the edges with an irresistible smile. John sets his sights on the new girl, determined to show her what his small town is about. But she isn’t as accepting as he thought and she rejects him at every turn.

The beauty and boldness of Alyssa Winters stirs John’s blood. She quickly works her way under his skin and becomes a constant in his life – his best friend, his other half. As the attraction between the two friends grows, John wants more.

She pushes, he pulls.

When one reckless night of fun wreaks havoc on John, Alyssa risks it all to ease his pain, giving him the one thing he desires most...her. But John’s sadness runs too deep, the damage, irreparable.

He runs, she falls.

John must work to prove himself. Despite everything, Alyssa is the one person he doesn't want to live without. The stakes are high, and he’s willing to bet it all. Even if it means he’s left to suffer alone.

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This book left me so confused. Did I enjoy it? Did I hate it? Would I recommend it?

I finished reading it many days ago, and I still can't wrap my head around it. But let's go for stages..

Alyssa just moved to Georgia. She's a city girl, Georgia is not exactly the place where she expected to live. She has moved a lot with her mom and because of this, she has never had close friends. But soon after her arrival, she meets John and his friends and they all easily become friends. But Alyssa and John soon acknowledges that they are more than just friends.. Will Alyssa be able to trust him? Will she open up her heart? 

The plot: When I read the blurb of this book, I knew I had to read it. It sounded like an emotional one and with that pretty cover, how could I miss out on it?

However, I wish this story would have taken another turn of events. Some situations felt too forced to me and it felt like too many events were thrown in this story. In my opinion, the story could have been developed without them (for me, of course).

There were so many heartbreaking events in this book. Sometimes it was so hard for me to keep reading because my heart couldn't take it.

The characters: Well..I have mixed feelings about the protagonists in the story.

I couldn't understand the majority of John's actions and he acted like a jerk far too many times, but I liked him in the last part of the book.

I didn't like Alyssa at the beginning, she seemed kind of snob..But at some point I felt so bad for her because of everything she was going through, she really had so much on her shoulders. I could understand her decisions and fears and I was constantly hoping for things to get better for her. But in the end, she started to act annoying again..

I couldn't understand Ben's presence in this book and I wish things with him would have been developed another way. I honestly didn't see the story go there..The side of the story regarding him felt forced to me.

There are two other characters in this book that I loved and that made me both cry and smile.. but I don't want to give away anything and spoil things for you.

The ending: this book really got so much better (for me) in the last part and I was really happy with how things ended. 

I'm glad that I kept reading, because even though some parts bummed me, I realized that the characters actually grew on me. 

This book got SO MANY positive reviews so please, give it a chance and don't mind my review. Perhaps you'll be able to see this story from another light and you'll love it!

Arc kindly provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.