Tar Heel Bibliobabe

After I read and liked Picture Perfect, a standout NA book about insecurities about body image, I knew I needed the companion novel starring the best friend. True is, I enjoyed this one even more!Joey promised her father on his deathbed that she would follow in his footsteps by going to medical school. Skip to a couple years later and Joey is drowning in school work. She is not up to par on her grades, and she basically hates every second of it. When she takes an easy business class to boost her GPA, she gets stuck with a lazy partner for a semester project. Hawk is everything she should stay away from but everything she can’t stay away from. When the road to medical school gets to be too much for Joey, can Hawk help Joey realize she really needs is not what she is convinced she needs?It took me a while to warm up to Joey. She needed to be more confident in herself because she clearly did not enjoy the road that she was on, but I knew why she was so hesitant to change it. She promised her father on his deathbed, but I just think he would have wanted her to be happy, not miserable. When she finally realized it, I screamed in happiness and joy. I’m glad that Hawk was such a good and unexpected influence on her.At first glance, Hawk is a major bad boy who seems that he has a carefree attitude towards school, among other things. But that’s not who Hawk is. He’s had a rough life and has lost a lot of people along the way, and he’s doing all he can to keep it together. He works hard to support his sister and himself, and it’s impressive of him to even go to school. In my opinion, he gives Joey the best gift of all: how to relax and do what you love.I was so happy to see Cat and Nate make a reappearance and they’re happier than ever. I severely disliked Joey’s mother. She didn’t seem to be proud of her daughter who works harder than all of her other children combined. Hawk’s sister, Olivia, was definitely rough around the edges, but I think it is because of the hardships she’s endured in her early years. She was one of my favorite characters. Maybe she’ll get her own book? *nudge, nudge* *wink, wink*This plot was basically about self-discovering, but I could’ve used a smidgen more action. Not much, but definitely some more. I wanted to be in Hawk’s head, especially during some crucial scenes, but I loved the writing. I felt Joey’s indecision the whole time, and it was really rough. The romance was scorching and adorable. They were two completely different people who started off wanting different things in life, and they’re really volatile together. But they have the sweetest moments that made me go awwwwww. For basically the whole book. And Thomas can sure write very smexy scenes.I’m really hoping there is another companion novel to the great NA series. Goodness, will I ever tire of these amazing books?Favorite Swoon-worthy Quote: All of a sudden, his fists loosened, his fingers working their way out of my half-tangled strands to brush down my neck, then grip my shoulders and tug my body upward so that we stood face-to-face. His fingers brushed lightly down my check, and he kissed me so tenderly, his lips clinging to mine, so slow to break away that I thought my heart would break.Rating: 4/5 Tar Heels!See more reviews at www.tarheelbibliobabe.blogspot.com! :)