1-click now and meet Nolan and Brooklyn! I hope his lip ring is going to drive you as crazy as it does Brooklyn. ;)
Title: Six Years
Author: Stephanie Witter
Book Cover: Jo Raven
Release Day: June 9th
Category and genre: New Adult Contemporary Romance
Novel length: over 100,000 words. Standalone.
They hadn’t seen each other in six years.
She’d always had a crush on him.
He'd only ever seen her like a little sister.
And now...he’s back.
Brooklyn
I thought that he was a part of a distant past. I thought I didn’t feel anything for him now, but I was not so sure anymore. Having him back in my life, for however long it was, was making me see things differently. So many things had changed in the last six years and somehow I’d lost myself and forgotten all about my dreams.
My home life was still a mess, my personal life was nothing to boast about and when I see how successful he is, how everything he’d always wanted came true, I couldn't help but feel lacking in a lot of ways. But he’s back and he needed me. I knew I was the only one who understood that part of his life, the only one he’s willing to share it with. My heart is still beating too hard and too fast for him and this time around, I was as much an adult as he was.
Having a six year age gap didn't mean shit.
Nolan
Being back in Riverdale was harder than I thought. I’d turned my back on that life, but there had always been that one girl in my head. Little B. Now she’s nothing like the twelve year old girl I’d last seen. She’s a young woman, gorgeous and sexy. I couldn't stay away. There’s something drawing me to her and it goes beyond my need to reconnect with her, to have her back in my life and fill the hollow part of my chest. But I couldn't forget the little girl she had been; I shouldn’t forget the little girl she used to be.
Growing up with a junkie mother and nobody else, my neighbor, Brooklyn, had been my only happy place. I had taken care of her, and when I had left, I had to leave behind a huge part of me. I couldn't do it again. I needed her. Once again, she’s the only person I want in my life, but I wasn’t sure if it was for all the right reasons.
Were there too many obstacles in the way?
Contemporary Romance standalone novel for readers over 18.
I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Growing up, Brooklyn and Nolan were neighbors and the best of friends. It didn't matter that they were 6 years apart in age and Brooklyn was just 9 years old when they met. They both came from broken homes and despite the age difference, they understood each other. And over the course of 3 years, the two of them become each other's support system. On the surface it really is a brother/sister relationship, but Brooklyn's feelings start to become more. There are a few glimpses of something more from Nolan, but nothing ever comes of it. The two continue to be close until Nolan leaves for college and then they don't see or speak to each other for 6 years.
At the beginning of every chapter we get a different scene from Little B and Big No's past. These scenes were necessary because they gave a lot insight into their relationship. We see how they meet and how they both instantly felt a bond. We see how the two of them supported each other when they needed it. Nolan's mom was an addict which left him on his own, while Brooklyn's parents were mourning the death of her sister, a sister she never knew. They became each other's family. So to say that Brooklyn was heartbroken when Nolan left is a understatement. Not to mention that he never even told her he was leaving, he just left her a note. (That actually made ME really mad at him.)
Six years after he leaves for college, Nolan returns home to see his dying mother. It's a trip he doesn't want to take, but once he is there, one of the first things he does is find Brooklyn. And what he finds is a very grown up Little B. The two start spending time together and Brooklyn realizes that her feelings for Nolan have never gone away. And now that she is getting to know him as a grown man, those feelings are only getting stronger. Nolan is experiencing the same kind of thing with Brooklyn, but he is not ready to deal with it.
As much as I loved this story, I found it to be very frustrating at times. I didn't agree with the way he handled certain aspects of his life and it made me mad. Nolan could not make up his mind about what he wanted and felt that he led Brooklyn on. He had a hard time getting over the fact that Brooklyn was all grown up and more than once he used that as an excuse for his bonehead actions. I just kept thinking "GET OVER IT!! You two are meant to be together!!!!!"
There is a lot more to his book than just Nolan and Brooklyn's romance. The secondary story is about the relationship between Nolan and his mother. She is at the end stages of her life and while she doesn't really expect Nolan to forgive her, she does want the chance to apologize to him. Brooklyn, despite hating the woman while growing up, becomes her ally and it is mostly because of Brooklyn that Nolan does finally clear the air (kind of) with his mother.
Besides love, I think the overall theme in this book is forgiveness: Nolan forgiving his mother. Brooklyn trying to understand and forgive her parents for the way they have always treated her. And most of all, Brooklyn forgiving Nolan for leaving the way he did. This is an emotional read and I found myself crying multiple times (i.e. see below).
There is a moment towards the end of the book that showed just how much Little B meant to Big No, even if he didn't actually show it. It made me cry like a baby and showed just how strong their bond was and strengthened the idea that they were meant for each other. And if anyone deserved a happily ever after, it is these two.
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My Review
Growing up, Brooklyn and Nolan were neighbors and the best of friends. It didn't matter that they were 6 years apart in age and Brooklyn was just 9 years old when they met. They both came from broken homes and despite the age difference, they understood each other. And over the course of 3 years, the two of them become each other's support system. On the surface it really is a brother/sister relationship, but Brooklyn's feelings start to become more. There are a few glimpses of something more from Nolan, but nothing ever comes of it. The two continue to be close until Nolan leaves for college and then they don't see or speak to each other for 6 years.
At the beginning of every chapter we get a different scene from Little B and Big No's past. These scenes were necessary because they gave a lot insight into their relationship. We see how they meet and how they both instantly felt a bond. We see how the two of them supported each other when they needed it. Nolan's mom was an addict which left him on his own, while Brooklyn's parents were mourning the death of her sister, a sister she never knew. They became each other's family. So to say that Brooklyn was heartbroken when Nolan left is a understatement. Not to mention that he never even told her he was leaving, he just left her a note. (That actually made ME really mad at him.)
Six years after he leaves for college, Nolan returns home to see his dying mother. It's a trip he doesn't want to take, but once he is there, one of the first things he does is find Brooklyn. And what he finds is a very grown up Little B. The two start spending time together and Brooklyn realizes that her feelings for Nolan have never gone away. And now that she is getting to know him as a grown man, those feelings are only getting stronger. Nolan is experiencing the same kind of thing with Brooklyn, but he is not ready to deal with it.
As much as I loved this story, I found it to be very frustrating at times. I didn't agree with the way he handled certain aspects of his life and it made me mad. Nolan could not make up his mind about what he wanted and felt that he led Brooklyn on. He had a hard time getting over the fact that Brooklyn was all grown up and more than once he used that as an excuse for his bonehead actions. I just kept thinking "GET OVER IT!! You two are meant to be together!!!!!"
There is a lot more to his book than just Nolan and Brooklyn's romance. The secondary story is about the relationship between Nolan and his mother. She is at the end stages of her life and while she doesn't really expect Nolan to forgive her, she does want the chance to apologize to him. Brooklyn, despite hating the woman while growing up, becomes her ally and it is mostly because of Brooklyn that Nolan does finally clear the air (kind of) with his mother.
Besides love, I think the overall theme in this book is forgiveness: Nolan forgiving his mother. Brooklyn trying to understand and forgive her parents for the way they have always treated her. And most of all, Brooklyn forgiving Nolan for leaving the way he did. This is an emotional read and I found myself crying multiple times (i.e. see below).
There is a moment towards the end of the book that showed just how much Little B meant to Big No, even if he didn't actually show it. It made me cry like a baby and showed just how strong their bond was and strengthened the idea that they were meant for each other. And if anyone deserved a happily ever after, it is these two.
Excerpt
"I won’t push you away."
His Adam’s apple jumped once and a smile brightened his face. My eyes landed on his pierced lower lip and a wave of lust punched me low in my belly. I cleared my throat, feeling uncomfortable with the pictures my brain conjured.
He came closer, erasing the little space separating us. I could feel the washed away denim of his blue jeans and his firm thigh underneath against my bare leg. I wanted to close my eyes and revel in his presence, in the feel of his body against me, but I didn't. I kept my eyes open as he leaned into me and wrapped his arms around me. The lean muscles in his arms flexed, his bare and hot skin brushing mine. I felt naked in my tank top as his bare arms were doing things to me I never thought possible.
"Relax, Brooklyn. It's just me," he said in my ear, his thin lips and loop tracing the words against the sensitive skin of my ear. I never realized before how an ear could be so erogenous. I couldn't believe it. I was in Nolan's arms six years after he left. He was here, in my bedroom.
I took a deep breath and the smell of his clean clothes and the scent that was only him, assaulted me. I was taken back to six years ago, before I had to face the loneliness that was my life. Before I lost my best friend. But right now, I wanted to stay in his arms without thinking about his departure or the future. I wrapped my arms around his narrow waist and balled his t-shirt in my fists.
He relaxed against me and ran a hand up and down my back, avoiding the small of my back that was bared by my tank top which had ridden up. "It feels different," he said, pulling away. He nibbled on the loop in his lower lip.
I nodded and smiled weakly. Losing the heat and weight of his arms around me made me feel depressed. I missed that kind of attention, of touch. Mike and all the guys before him never hugged me just because they cared about me. If they hugged me it was with the purpose to have me naked minutes later and while I was all for it, it was also difficult when you had nobody to give you a real, warm hug. I’d forgotten what comfort felt like.
"It's different. We're both adults now."
Stephanie Witter is a French dreamer. She started learning English at three, and fell in love with the language. Always with a book, or two close by, she started reading in English when she couldn’t wait any longer for Harry Potter to be translated in French. After a while, reading wasn’t enough. She started writing Young Adult and New Adult Contemporary novels and PATCH UP is her first New Adult Contemporary novel.
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