Book Review: I Want It That Way by Ann Aguirre (@MsAnnAguirre)

I Want It That Way (2B Trilogy #1) by Ann Aguirre
Publication Date: August 26, 2014
Published: Harlequin
Source: Netgalley

My Rating:

Nadia Conrad has big dreams, and she's determined to make them come true—for her parents' sake as well as her own. But between maintaining her college scholarship and working at the local day care to support herself, she barely has time to think, let alone date. Then she moves into a new apartment and meets the taciturn yet irresistible guy in 1B….

Daniel Tyler has grown up too fast. Becoming a single dad at twenty turned his life upside down—and brought him heartache he can't risk again. Now, as he raises his four-year-old son while balancing a full-time construction management job and night classes, a social life is out of the question. The last thing he wants is for four noisy students to move into the apartment upstairs. But one night, Nadia's and Ty's paths cross, and soon they can't stay away from each other.

The timing is all wrong—but love happens when it happens. And you can't know what you truly need until you stand to lose it.

Thanks to Netgalley and Harlequin for providing me with a copy of this title in exchange for an honest review.

This was my first Ann Aguirre book, though, I have heard stupendous things about her writing and have multiple books of hers on my TBR.

I Want It That Way caught my attention with its catchy BSB title and promising cover, so naturally when I got approved for an advance copy I was stoked.

Nadia is a twenty-one year old, who has just moved into a new apartment with her life-long best friend and two others. She's got her life all planned out and is well on her way to becoming a teacher when in walks Ty, the guy downstairs.

From the first line this book kept me engaged. Up until the very last line I needed to know what was going to happen next. Nadia and Ty's story is atypical. He has a son, she's busy living up to the world's expectation. Who has time for love?

But that's the thing. There was love. Lots of it and really fast. The concept for this story is great and fits into the NA genre swimmingly. However, I didn't really understand what Nadia saw in Ty and vice versa, as there was no build up. It made both characters feel dull. They started meeting on the balcony at night to chat, but there was really no substance. I kept wondering if I missed something. Maybe a scene where these two connected.

Don't get me wrong, by the end of the story I was rooting for them. Friends with benefits scenarios never go as planned and theirs was no exception. While they had awkward sex and lacked chemistry, somewhere along the way Nadia convinced me that what she was feeling was real.

Characterizations for secondary characters were solid. I loved Angus, Max, Lauren, and even the late-comer Courtney. But especially Angus. Their stories, unfortunately, were more interesting than our protagonists. There seemed to be a few plot holes regarding them, however. I'm still not sure how Max got all bruised, and when Lauren said there was someone else, who was she talking about? Rob? Hopefully some of my unanswered questions will get answered in the second book of this series.

Overall, I liked I Want It That Way. Ty's son Sam was cute and their story believable. Things like that made the book for me. Hopefully in the next, which I will definitely be reading, we'll get more buildup from the leads. Aguirre's writing is fluid and sound, so I believe that now that she has her first NA book under her belt we'll see good things from her in this genre.