Review: Back To You by Priscilla Glen

Back to You by Priscilla Glen
Publisher: CreateSpace Publishing (10.20.12)

   

When Lauren Monroe first laid eyes on Michael Delaney back in high school, she had every reason to stay away from him; within minutes of their first encounter, his volatile actions confirmed his notorious reputation. But Lauren saw something in him that caused her to question his bad-boy persona, and against her better judgment, she took a chance. She had no way of knowing that the unlikely friendship they formed would become so important to her. Or that it would end so painfully. Eight years later, when Lauren begins her new job at Learn and Grow Day Care, Michael is the last person she expects to see. Refusing to revisit the hurt and confusion of their past, Lauren vows to keep her distance from him. But staying away from Michael proves to be more difficult than she thought, despite her lingering grief and her instincts for self-preservation. As Lauren and Michael recall the friendship that changed them forever and the events that tore them apart, will they finally be able to heal? Or will the ghosts of Michael’s past prove to be too much to overcome?

Review:

WoW! Let me first catch my breath before I start my review....Ok, I think I can go on now. 

Back To You is a wonderfully written friends-to-lovers story. With unrequited love, forgiveness and the need to love someone so much that it consumes you.  I was literally tearing up and at times crying every other chapter.  I say 'every other chapter' because that's how we learn about the history of our two main characters Michael and Lauren.  I enjoyed the way Priscilla Glen alternated between the past and the present...it felt realistic and the emotion was palpable as a result.  I could clearly relate with Lauren's need to want to just love Michael and take away his pain, I also admired the fact that she never tried to change him or even fix him.  She just wanted to love him.  Believe me, I wanted to hug him a time or two myself! For all the pain and anger that surrounded Michael he never came off as a jerk to me. I understood his pain and his anger and I definitely shared the mutual hatred for his mother with Lauren.   I'm not going to go into detail about his past because I really want you to pick up this book and read it.  What I will say is the writing was good, the characters were very real, the storyline is definitely believable and as a whole it's utterly captivating! Priscilla Glen's writing draws you in and the story holds you until the very last page.  Yes, I'm gushing because it's THAT GOOD!!

If you're a fan of romance and happily-ever-after you really need to pick up this book!! 

*this book was provided by the author for my honest review*
Bookshelf Rating:

Here are a couple of passages I really liked:

"But honestly? What women need?" Dean paused to take a sip of his coffee. "Actions. Not words. Sorry doesn't mean shit, begging doesn't mean shit, and promises don't meant shit."

"That night with you," he said, kissing across her collarbone. "Nothing compared to it. Nothing ever came close." "I know," she breathed. And she did. Because they hadn't done anything but kiss, and she could already feel it. The thing that was missing with every other man. The thing that made her heart come alive in her chest and her body thrum with emotion and her soul feel like it was home.

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Priscilla Glenn lives in New York with her husband and three children. She has been teaching English Language Arts at the middle and high school levels for the past eleven years while moonlighting as a writer, mommy, coach, student, and professional laundry-doer.
If you catch her when she's feeling sophisticated, she'll tell you her favorite things are great books and good wine. In the moments in between, she'll admit her love for anything Ben and Jerry's, UFC fights, and Robert Pattinson.