Title: Be with Me

Author: Jennifer L. Armentrout

Pub. Date: February 4, 2014

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Teresa Hamilton is having a rough year—she’s in love with her big brother’s best friend, but he hasn’t spoken to her since they shared a truly amazing, mind-blowing, change-your-life kiss. She got out of a terrible relationship. And now an injury is threatening to end her dance career for good. It’s time for Plan B – college. And maybe a chance to convince Jase that what they have together is real.

Jase Winstead has a huge secret that he’s not telling anyone. Especially not his best friend’s incredibly beautiful sister. Even though he and Teresa shared the hottest kiss of his life, he knows that his responsibilities must take priority. He certainly doesn’t have time for a relationship. But it doesn’t help that all he can think about kissing the one girl who could ruin everything for him.

As they’re thrown together more and more, Jase and Tess can’t keep denying their feelings for each other. But a familiar danger looms and tragedy strikes. As the campus recovers, the star-crossed couple must decide what they’re willing to risk to be together, and what they’re willing to lose if they’re not…

This will be a mini spoiler free review.

I can’t believe it’s been 6 years since I first read this book – so I was overdue for a reread. 2020 has been the year of reread JLA books, so it’s only fitting. Like the first time I read this book, it’s still not my favorite in this series. Don’t get me wrong, it’s still good, it’s still enjoyable and Jen sucks you in – I just don’t find myself as invested in the story.

Compared to Wait for You or even the next book Stay with Me, it just feels lack luster. The “mystery” so to speak, it’s that shocking in my opinion and it’s dropped really early on. This book just doesn’t have the same nearly “life or death” situation that the first or the third have.

Okay, I guess that’s not entirely true, but it just doesn’t feel as prominent.

As for Jase’s secret, i.e. the reveal of the book – I remembered it from the first time I read it, and therefore I knew how the book was going to play out. For this not being my favorite book in the series, I remembered a lot from it.

Jase and Teresa are cute, and I really like them together, but I think one of the things that makes me not love this book as much as the others is the fact that it’s never really questioned that they’ll end up together. Unlike Cam and Avery, or even Jax and Calla, Jase and Teresa are basically endgame before the book even begins. I’m not complaining. Even with this not being my favorite JLA book, she makes me fall for Jase and Teresa, she had me reading…inhaling this book in one sitting.

I don’t really have much to say about this book, other than it’s good, and if you’re going to dive into this series, you should definitely read this. I love how all these books exist in the same world and the characters are all friends and show up in the other books. That’s one of my favorite things about this series. Other than the drool worthy guys, the somewhat heart wrenching backstories for characters, I love that we get to see characters from the other books in each subsequent one. It’s like your favorites aren’t gone and you still get to keep up with their lives.

I definitely recommend checking out this series if you haven’t yet. Jen is the master at writing a good, bingeable book with sexy af love interests.