Review: Come as You Are by Lauren Blakely
Note: This ARC was provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.
Once again, we exist on two planes. We seem to slip back and forth in time like we did when we visited the subway station. Like we exist here as Flynn and Sabrina, and we exist in the past as Angel and Duke.
I dance, though I shouldn't.
I sway, thought it's risky.
I look into his eyes, though that only makes me want him more. Wanting is such a painful emotion. It aches and throbs and hurts even as it asks for more of the torture. More of the things that I can't have. A real chance with this man. A real date. A real love.
Today is the day I read what has now become my favorite Lauren Blakely-penned romance. Yup, I'm talking about romance as a whole, making Come as You Are my top Blakely read for now. Of course I have to qualify that statement because with an author like Blakely, discovering a new book to take the top spot isn't all that improbable. But let's focus our attention on the novel that's taken a firm hold of my heart and has me wishing that everyone could be like the naughty Angel that is Sabrina Granger and find their very own dirty Duke in the form of Flynn Parker. If Flynn sounds the least bit familiar, it's because he's the twin brother to Dylan of Stud Finder, which was released in September of last year. Now, he gets his shot an a happily-ever-after with Sabrina.
Thirty-year-old Flynn Parker is used to people coming up to him pitching their ideas in hopes that he'll invest. He's even received pitches for dates and marriage, but Flynn's learned to be even warier of those, having learned that too many envision nothing more than the figure they believe is on his bank statements. When he meets twenty-eight-year-old Sabrina Granger at a masquerade party, both their faces are half-hidden and they don't exchange any personal information about each other. What they do share is an unforgettable intimate encounter in a library, and just like what was on those shelves, it was a moment in time for their own history books. He gets her number because once isn't enough for either the Angel or her Duke, but what happens when Sabrina turns out to be a reporter assigned to interview Flynn and lines simply can no longer be crossed?
This book had this unexpected mix of math, science, and technology and romance, quotes, and history that had me surprised and swoony. Flynn and Sabrina were two individuals who were absolutely made for each other, but even though they click from the get-go, they're faced with a seemingly insurmountable hurdle in the form of an article that Sabrina is tasked to write. Now, that may seem like such a minor thing, but that article could very well lead to a permanent position at a prestigious publication, and if it's one thing that Sabrina needs, it's a well-paying job in the field hat she loves. It would mean being able to continue supporting her beloved younger brother as well as taking care of the usual bills. I loved getting to know Sabrina as much as I did Flynn, and trust me when I say there's far more depth in these main characters than I've read in some time. This dirty Cinderella and her equally dirty Prince Charming have easily become my new favorite fictional couple.
There's a great deal of romance in the book, and I'm not just talking about the interactions between Flynn and Sabrina. This isn't the first time New York City has been used as a backdrop in a story, but Lauren Blakely has taken it a step further by making the city that never sleeps a living, breathing part of Flynn and Sabrina's romance. I could almost imagine the various places they visited and picture the treasures that they would come across and wonder what it would be like if I could experience it for myself. From the setting to the exchanges between our main characters--exchanges that would range from playful and flirty banter to far more thoughtful and emotional revelations and discussions--Come as You Are is a standalone romance that I now think of as a modern classic. Would it be considered wishful thinking for me to hope that this be made into a movie because of both how picturesque Blakely was able to make everything seem and how a tale this lovely and remarkable deserves to be brought to life? Come as You Are is an all-time favorite that I highly recommend. Five-plus stars. ♥
Thirty-year-old Flynn Parker is used to people coming up to him pitching their ideas in hopes that he'll invest. He's even received pitches for dates and marriage, but Flynn's learned to be even warier of those, having learned that too many envision nothing more than the figure they believe is on his bank statements. When he meets twenty-eight-year-old Sabrina Granger at a masquerade party, both their faces are half-hidden and they don't exchange any personal information about each other. What they do share is an unforgettable intimate encounter in a library, and just like what was on those shelves, it was a moment in time for their own history books. He gets her number because once isn't enough for either the Angel or her Duke, but what happens when Sabrina turns out to be a reporter assigned to interview Flynn and lines simply can no longer be crossed?
This book had this unexpected mix of math, science, and technology and romance, quotes, and history that had me surprised and swoony. Flynn and Sabrina were two individuals who were absolutely made for each other, but even though they click from the get-go, they're faced with a seemingly insurmountable hurdle in the form of an article that Sabrina is tasked to write. Now, that may seem like such a minor thing, but that article could very well lead to a permanent position at a prestigious publication, and if it's one thing that Sabrina needs, it's a well-paying job in the field hat she loves. It would mean being able to continue supporting her beloved younger brother as well as taking care of the usual bills. I loved getting to know Sabrina as much as I did Flynn, and trust me when I say there's far more depth in these main characters than I've read in some time. This dirty Cinderella and her equally dirty Prince Charming have easily become my new favorite fictional couple.
There's a great deal of romance in the book, and I'm not just talking about the interactions between Flynn and Sabrina. This isn't the first time New York City has been used as a backdrop in a story, but Lauren Blakely has taken it a step further by making the city that never sleeps a living, breathing part of Flynn and Sabrina's romance. I could almost imagine the various places they visited and picture the treasures that they would come across and wonder what it would be like if I could experience it for myself. From the setting to the exchanges between our main characters--exchanges that would range from playful and flirty banter to far more thoughtful and emotional revelations and discussions--Come as You Are is a standalone romance that I now think of as a modern classic. Would it be considered wishful thinking for me to hope that this be made into a movie because of both how picturesque Blakely was able to make everything seem and how a tale this lovely and remarkable deserves to be brought to life? Come as You Are is an all-time favorite that I highly recommend. Five-plus stars. ♥
Release Date: 16 April 2018
Date Read: 15 April 2018
Learn more about Lauren Blakely.
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