Book Review: Sharing You

Sharing You (Sharing You #1)

By: Molly McAdams

Published By: William Morrow

Publication Date: July 1, 2014

Page Count: 336

Buy it at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or IndieBound

Source: ARC Kindly Provided by Publisher via Edelweiss

Audience: New Adult/Adult - Contemporary Romance

I am a Molly McAdams fangirl. I seriously will read anything she writes. To quote Hazel from The Fault In Our Stars, "I'd read [her] grocery list." I wasn't as excited about this one as her previous works for one major reason: I knew going in that adultery would play a dominant role in the plot. I have a serious problem with cheating; I don't understand it and I don't condone it. I get it if you're unhappy in your relationship, but sever ties and then move on. I decided to suspend my thoughts on the issue and give this one a chance because of my deep love of all things McAdams.

I found that I did enjoy the two main characters, Kamryn and Brody, and their complicated relationship. I didn't agree with a lot of their decisions, but I could understand their predicament. Brody's marriage is anything but happy and his wife, Olivia, is ridiculous. I intensely disliked Olivia; I didn't understand her motivations. In spite of not liking Olivia and loving Kamryn, I felt like Brody should have made more of an effort to dissolve his marriage before forming any sort of relationship with Kamryn. I know that real life is messy, but the back and forth between Brody and Olivia was a bit much. My biggest complaint with the novel was that there was too much repetition: Brody can't stay away from Kamryn, guilt ensues, Olivia calls and begs Brody to come home, Brody tells Olivia he is unhappy, Olivia has a crazy outburst so Brody will stay - rinse and repeat. This progression of events happened multiple times throughout the novel and I just found myself wanting things to move along to something different. 

With all of that being said, I did enjoy the last few chapters immensely. I love that McAdams' novels are character centered. You learn the ins and outs of these fictional beings until they seem like they could walk off the page and into your living room. I wasn't a fan of every element of the plot of Sharing You, but I did love most of the characters. 

I also have come to expect amazing, strong friendships in a McAdams novel. The friendship between Kinlee and Kamryn might be my favorite out of all the BFFs in McAdams world. These two truly connect; they are an excellent model for how a friendship should operate. In addition, I enjoyed the relationship between Jace and Brody - particularly toward the end. In some ways, these relationships were stronger than the romance aspects in this one.

All in all, I enjoyed Sharing You, but not as much as some of the other McAdam's titles. I would still recommend this one to fans of McAdam's previous work and those looking for a non-traditional romance. 

One Last Gripe: I had trouble landing on a rating for this one. I debated between 3.5 and 4, but decided my frustration with the repetitive elements warranted the 3.5. On a side note (this had no bearing on the rating), I loathe this cover.

My Favorite Thing About This Book: I liked watching Kamryn evolve; it was nice to see her stand up for herself and her goals.

First Sentence: The sound of three familiar, masculine laughs stopped my retreat to my room, and I quietly tiptoed back toward the study.

Favorite Character: Kamryn

Least Favorite Character: Olivia

Summary:

Twenty-three year old, Kamryn Cunningham has left all she’s ever known and moved to a small town where no one knows her name, who her parents are, or her social status in the horseracing world. Months after opening her own bakery and evading attempts of being set up by her new best friend, she meets Brody. Kamryn fights the instant pull between them because there’s a detail she can’t dismiss. Brody’s married.

To say that twenty-six year old, Brody Saco has had a rough marriage would be an understatement. After marrying his pregnant girlfriend, he spends the next six years in a relationship filled with hatred, manipulation and guilt involving a tragedy that happened five years earlier. When he keeps running into his sister-in-law’s best friend, Kamryn, he can’t ignore that she makes him feel more with just one look than his wife ever has; and soon he can’t continue fight his feelings for her.

When staying apart proves to be too difficult, Brody and Kamryn enter a relationship full of stolen moments and nights that end too soon while they wait for Brody to file for divorce. But the guilt that comes with their relationship may prove to be too much for Kamryn, and Brody might not be strong enough to face the tragedy from his past in order to leave his conniving wife.