Book Review & Tour Giveaway: Letting Go

Letting Go (Thatch #1)

By: Molly McAdams

Published By: William Morrow

Publication Date: November 4, 2014

Page Count: 416

Buy it at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or IndieBound

Source: ARC Kindly Provided by Publisher via Edelweiss

Audience: New Adult/Adult - Contemporary

I love Molly McAdams. Get this book. Read it now. Review over.

I seriously feel like that is all I should have to say when reviewing a McAdams' novel, but I also don't mind waxing rhapsodic on all the things I loved about this particular novel. I can only hope that since this is the first book set in Thatch and I know there is at least one more that McAdams will tell the stories of many characters in this small Washington state town. I loved that this one had a stronger sense of place than some of the other McAdams novels. Small town life has always been something I gravitate to in fiction so I enjoyed learning the ins and outs of Thatch and its residents. I cannot think of anything better than an entire town populated with the stories of Molly McAdams. It makes my fangirl heart flutter.

The story opens days before Grey is supposed to marry her childhood sweetheart, Ben. The two have been inseparable since their first kiss at age thirteen. Grey can't wait for her happily ever after with the love of her life to begin, but tragedy strikes before she can walk down the aisle. Ben dies unexpectedly from a rare heart condition that nobody realized he had. Instead of spending her life with Ben, Grey must learn to visualize a different future for herself. The opening chapters of the novel were difficult to read and Grey's depression and grief saturate the exposition. I had to appreciate that McAdams front loaded the heartbreak this time. She is the master of swooping in and terrorizing my emotions. That isn't to say that she doesn't mess with your heart and mind in this one - she does - it was just a different sort of tension.

The romance in this one (because McAdams is also the master of hot kisses and delicious guys) might be one of my favorites. I still harken back to From Ashes and Taking Chances as my all time McAdams' favorites, but this one is a close second place. I loved Grey - even when she was mopey and consumed by her grief and guilt. I also loved Jagger - he's the bad boy sort with a heart of gold. His devotion and friendship with Grey make him cut from the same cloth as Gage, Chase, and Brandon. Jagger's devotion to Grey transcended time and circumstances. He didn't run and he didn't let his anger and stubbornness intervene. For once, the two characters in the novel didn't actively sabotage their own happiness. It has bumps - some HUGE bumps - but I liked that ultimately Grey and Jagger are a team. Everything they do is to protect the other, but they often solve their problems together. They are stronger as a united front. I think in some ways Grey and Jagger show that McAdams characters are evolving. They aren't the headstrong and passionate youths of her earlier novels. This novel as a result felt more adult than new adult to me. 

I also have to praise McAdams for the twists and turns she smacked me with closer to the end of this one. I never saw them coming. Seriously, there were a few that caused me mouth to drop open. I looked like some kind of large mouth bass as I kept frantically reading and craving a happy ending.

In spite of my love for this novel and all things Molly McAdams, I couldn't give this one a five. There were some moments that irked me. For example, someone keeps terrorizing Grey and even breaks into Jagger's warehouse. There is no mention of changing locks until several chapters later. I kept wondering why they weren't doing that earlier. There were little moments like this one that irritated me, but like a mosquito, they were soon squashed and left no overall lasting effects on my overall enjoyment of the novel. These minor vexations did result in a 4.5 rating just to reflect that I didn't find every aspect to be perfectly pleasing in every way.

One Last Gripe: I was frustrated that Jagger's need to protect Grey caused her so many issues with his mother.

Favorite Thing About This Book: The friendship between Grey and Jagger - best friends often make for the best relationships (I also am partial to this sort of romance since I married my best friend)

First Sentence: "Then over there is where the girls and I will be waiting before the ceremony starts," I said, pointing to the all-season tent standing just off to the side.

Favorite Character: Jagger

Least Favorite Character: Leann

Summary:

Grey and Ben fell in love at thirteen and believed they’d be together forever. But three days before their wedding, the twenty-year-old groom-to-be suddenly died from an unknown heart condition, destroying his would-be-bride’s world. If it hadn’t been for their best friend, Jagger, Grey never would have made it through those last two years to graduation. He’s the only one who understands her pain, the only one who knows what it’s like to force yourself to keep moving when your dreams are shattered. Jagger swears he’ll always be there for her, but no one has ever been able to hold on to him. He’s not the kind of guy to settle down.

It’s true that no one has ever been able to keep Jagger—because he’s only ever belonged to Grey. While everyone else worries over Grey’s fragility, he’s the only one who sees her strength. Yet as much as he wants Grey, he knows her heart will always be with Ben. Still they can’t deny the heat that is growing between them—a passion that soon becomes too hot to handle. But admitting their feelings for each other means they’ve got to face the past. Is being together what Ben would have wanted . . . or a betrayal of his memory that will eventually destroy them both?

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