Review: Real World by Amy Jo Cousins (Bend or Break #5)


Note: This ARC was provided by Samhain Publishing via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

It's been five years since Tom Worthington and Reese Anders met and fell in love, overcoming whatever obstacles came their way, both as individuals and as a couple. They've received their degrees from Carlisle College and are now out in the real world dealing with real world problems, one of which happens to be the upcoming release from prison of Tom's father. Tom's gone back to dealing with his anxieties on his own, keeping things secret from the one person he shouldn't. Reese feels the difference in Tom and wants to ease his burdens but it's difficult to get Tom to open up and make him realize he is no longer on his own.

But Reese has his own secret that he ends up keeping from Tom, one that comes in the form of his attractive British boss. The last thing their relationship needs is yet another complication, but with distractions from work, Tom's father, and everything else going on around them, it seems the only place where everything is running smoothly is in their bedroom. Soon enough, Tom and Reese will have to come to certain realizations and make adult decisions in order to get things back on track and move forward together. With the holidays coming up, it's time to make it one Christmas neither of them will ever forget.

My name is Jennifer Valencia and I am a self-confessed Tom Worthington and Reese Anders fangirl. From the time I first encountered these two in Off Campus, I've been obsessing over them and can you imagine how tickled I was that they're back in the spotlight with this holiday novella?! Real World is the fifth and latest addition to the Bend or Break series of books from one of my newest favorite authors, Amy Jo Cousins. This story takes place five years after the events in the series starter, so we have Tom and Reese living together in Boston but still forced to face stressful issues that were ever-present way back in college.

If Tom and Reese were trying to make a go of their relationship when they were still students and dealing with how to be open about their love for each other, here they're confronted by challenges to a relationship that's matured over the years. It's easy for Tom to fall back on his old ways of trying to shoulder all his worries and anxieties on his own, and like back then, it poses a threat to the his peace of mind and, in turn, that of Reese. I love how everyone--Reese, Cash Carmichael, Steph Tyler, Denny Winslow, and Rafi Castro--come together in a show of solidarity and prove that Tom is never really alone.

This book is shorter than the rest of the books in the series but it's such a perfect addition to the series, especially since Tom and Reese's love story is the kind that definitely needs the kind of happily-ever-after that will make fans swoon. And swoon I did, and heck, I even got a bit teary-eyed at one point. Maybe I'm biased because I so love Tom and Reese, but I'm also the kind of reader who's objective enough to know when a story is either good or bad based on what's on the pages and how it all made me feel. I can't guarantee this'll hold me off until the next BoB book, but for now, I'm content. Five stars for Real World. ♥

Date Read: 22 November 2015

Learn more about Amy Jo Cousins.

Purchase Real World on Samhain PublishingAmazon | B&N | Kobo.

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