Review: For Forester by J. Nathan (For You #2)


Note: This ARC was provided by Weapenry Co-Op via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.


Feeling too awkward to look at him, I dropped my forehead onto his chest. “You didn’t even know me.”
“I knew your smile and your laugh. You just exuded happiness anytime you were around. I just wanted to be caught up in it. I wanted to feel it. Touch it. Touch you.” He gently lifted my face again. “I was paying attention all those years, Marin. And now that I know you, you’re everything I thought you’d be.”

Bestselling author J. Nathan follows up one of my favorite reads of the year with another winner. For Forester is the second novel in the For You series and those of you who have read For Finlay will recognize Trace Forester, Caden Brooks's roommate, teammate, and closest friend. Trace's story is a May-December tale of long-held teenage fantasies that are far outweighed by the reality of discovering true love and fighting for it in spite of the preconceived notions of others. Trace is nineteen-year-old college senior who has a more than promising future as a professional football player once he's drafted. When he's asked by his twenty-nine-year-old neighbor, newly separated Marin, if he could spare some time during his summer break to hang out with her young son in order to have some adult male influence, Trace easily agrees. He's grown up fantasizing about his gorgeous neighbor, and with them spending more time together, he gets to know the real Marin. From wanting each other to needing even more, is theirs a fling that'll finish by summer's end or is this just the beginning of forever for Forester and Marin?

There's a portion of the story in For Forester that overlaps with the events in For Finlay, but either of the books can be read independent of one another (though do yourselves a favor and read both in order because there are spoilers in book two about stuff in book one). The May-December angle in romances are hit and miss with me, but J. Nathan scored a touchdown with Trace and Marin's story. For the record, Marin (whose last name was never mentioned in the book) chose to seek a divorce from her husband when she caught him with another woman, but she was still married to him--yet separated--when she and Trace started their relationship. I know that's still considered cheating by a lot of people and that could be a hard limit for some. On my end, they were already separated and Marin had kicked him out of their house as well, so he broke their vows first. I know, I know--two wrongs don't make a right, yada, yada, yada. However, I live in a country where divorce isn't even an option and annulment is too expensive, takes way too long, and the dissolution of marriage isn't always guaranteed, so there.

There's a ten-year age difference between Trace and Marin, and I'm just glad that Trace came off as an actual soon-to-be twenty-year-old. There was a sense of maturity to him, but he also partied like someone his age and had the kind of idealism that you tend to associate with an individual who has yet to be hit by the realities of life beyond the comforts of their family and home and the security and rudiments of school. Marin's hesitation with regards to acting on her attraction to him--which was very much mutual--was perfectly understandable and while I understood why she made the choice that she did when her husband decided to be an even bigger jerk, I so wanted to give her a shake and tell her to not allow herself to be manipulated. Obviously, I wasn't a fan of Marin's husband, but the supporting character I disliked most was Trace's mother. She may have acted and reacted because she was protective of her son, but the way she went about protecting him and his future left a lot to be desired. With strong writing, a thoughtful story, and engaging characters, For Forester is a five-plus-starred favorite. ♥

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Read my reviews for the For You series:


For Finlay (book one) - five-plus stars - My Review

For Forester (book two) - five-plus stars - My Review (posted above)

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Release Date: 20 July 2017

Date Read: 18 July 2017

Learn more about J. Nathan.

Purchase For Forester on Amazon | B&N | iBooks | Kobo.

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