Blurb: Kincaid Breslin was the girl who was supposed to die first in the horror movie. In high school, it had been a running joke among her friends during their annual Halloween marathon of scary movies that she'd be the first character to run, screaming for her life.
She was the dance team captain. The girl with the superstar boyfriend. The non-virgin.
But when Kincaid's life had turned into an actual horror movie, she'd somehow managed to get out alive. Most of those friends hadn't. Real life horror didn't follow movie rules.
Review: Wow. I'm going to be singing the praises of the fourth book in this series until the cows come home. No joke. Every book in The Ones Who Got Away series has stolen my breath, but leave it to the best friends to lovers trope to really twist that knife (hell, best friends to lovers is like... my least favorite trope!)
But how often do bookish nerds get a chance to be the hero? No often enough, I say. Ash is everything. He's kind, and thoughtful, and romantic. Just an all around good guy, except for that deep dark secret he's hiding about their past. And Kincaid is so clueless about Ash's obvious feelings for her that's it's almost frustrating, but still stays just the right side of adorably oblivious. She's just a delightfully positive presence in the novel. And the chemistry between them is, of course, amazing. Their internal dialogues about each other, assuming the other person doesn't feel the same way, had me rolling on the floor laughing at the misunderstandings.
The best part about all the characters in this series, but especially in The One For You, is how dynamic they are. They're not perfect and they've made some pretty terrible mistakes, especially surrounding the school shooting from their past, but it makes them honest and real. You truly feel as though you're reading about someone's life, not just characters in a book.
All these books are must-reads. I just reread them all again and loved them just as much as the first time, if not even more now that I know each character's story and where they're coming from as I read. They're touching and emotional and heart-wrenching, but still find time for the heat and the humor. A perfect balance.
The One For You is out today, but remember to shop, when you can, at your local independent bookstores because supporting indie means supporting your community. Not sure where you local independent bookstore is? Check here. And if they don't have it, they'll order it! But if they scoff at you for reading romance, write them off and go somewhere else (some people are so pretentious).