ARC Review: Trust in Me by J. Lynn

Pub. Date: October 22nd, 2013

Publisher: William Morrow Impulse

Ebook

237 pages

Synopsis from Goodreads:

It’s Wait for You as you’ve never seen it. Trust in Me lets you in on Cam’s side of the #1 New York Times Bestselling story.

Cameron Hamilton is used to getting what he wants, especially when it comes to women. But when Avery Morgansten comes crashing into his life – literally – he finally meets the one person who can resist his soulful baby blues. But Cam’s not ready to give up. He can’t get the feisty and intriguing girl out of his head.

Avery has secrets, secrets that keep her from admitting the feelings Cam knows she has for him. Will persistence (and some delicious homemade cookies) help him break down her barriers and gain her trust? Or will he be shut out of Avery's life, losing his first real shot at the kind of love that lasts forever?

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Before I start let me just say that I really liked Trust in Me. It holds the same perfect combination of cuteness, seriousness, and realism as Wait for Me held. That being said, I wasn’t completely blown away. I have a really hard time getting drawn in and investing in stories that are snippets/retellings/alterna-perspectives of novels I really loved because in a lot of ways they feel like a tease. We just have enough time to get back into the world and reconnect with the characters, before the story ends.

One of the (many) things I loved about Wait For Me was how J. Lynn did such an amazing job of really helping the reader know and understand what both Avery and Cam were feeling and thinking. I connected equally with both characters. Because I connected so much the first time around, I wasn’t as captivate by Trust in Me. I didn’t feel I needed a recapped version of their story from Cam’s perspective, because I felt I already knew Cam’s version. Had there been more new scenes between Cam and Avery, and less direct retelling, I think I would have liked Cam’s version more than Avery’s. The parts of Trust in Me that differentiated from Wait for Me were fantastic. Ollie was one of my favorite characters in Wait for Me and I loved getting to see more of the hilarious circus that is his and Cam’s friendship. Seeing more of Cam’s world outside of his relationship with Avery really helped you understand who Cam is outside of being part of Avery and Cam. But, the absolute best new content has to be the little crumbs dropped about the next novel in the series, Be With Me. I’m now even more excited for book two – which I truly didn’t think was possible.

Did I love Avery and Cam’s story and was I completely happy to be back in their world? Definitely. Would I have been over the moon in love with this novella with a little more new and a little less recap? Yes. J. Lynn’s writing, recap or not, is completely compelling, and her ability to make you connect to her characters is insane. In no way did my desire for more new content reflect the quality of Trust in Me as its own entity.

Rating 8/10

** I received a copy of the novel from the publisher to read and honestly review. I was in no way compensated.