ARC Review: Girl in Love by Caisey Quinn

Girl in Love

(Kylie Ryans #3)

Author: Caisey Quinn

Publication Date: February 2, 2014

Genre: New Adult

Source: eARC via author

~Synopsis~

She's living her dream...

Kylie Ryans is the biggest thing to come out of Nashville since, well, since Trace Corbin. With a hit album and a powerful label behind her, she appears to be the girl who has it all.

But appearances can be deceiving.

Fresh out of rehab, Trace Corbin is ready to take on the world. Just not the girl he walked away from. Because if there's one thing he knows for certain, it's that the people you love are the ones who have the power to destroy you.

As their worlds collide, they'll have to make the ultimate choice. Follow their dreams, or give it all up for love.

They say love conquers all, but for Kylie and Trace, it just might wreck everything they've worked for.

~Review~

This series holds a very special place in my heart and seeing it come to a close was bittersweet. While I was happy to finally end all the anxiety and angst, I was sad to say goodbye to Kylie and Trace. These two have been through the ringer, separately and together and no one deserves a happy ending more than they do.

The ending of Girl on Tour shattered me and I was so heartbroken for Kylie and slightly pissed at Trace for not giving her enough credit and hurting her. However, I was proud of him for loving her enough to realize he needed help to be a better man for Kyle. If only he had handled it differently. Sure would have saved them a lot of heartbreak and saved me from a lot of anxiety. Girl in Love starts out 9 months after Trace left Kylie and since then she's had a lot of success in her career. Unfortunately, she's so miserable that she can't really enjoy it. Despite what she tells everyone, she's still deeply in love with Trace Corbin and now that he's back, it's only a matter of time before she breaks.

Trace and Kylie have this real issue that makes me want to pull my hair out and scream. They don't COMMUNICATE!! If they would just sit down, talk to each other and lay their feelings out on the line, we could avoid all of the drama and angst. However, the book just wouldn't be that good if things were so easy. Caisey is incredible at building tension between these two characters and really reaching the audience's emotions. I've never been more invested in two characters and the outcome of their romance. Trace and Kylie have such a volatile relationship and the back and forth between happiness and heartache is enough to make anyone go crazy. Kylie is an expert and the whole "fake it til you make it" bit. The only problem is she isn't really "making it." She wants to pretend that she's over Trace and that his very presence doesn't affect her but I could see right through her and so could everybody else, even Trace. I was really glad that Trace didn't give up and that he decided to fight for Kylie. Finally, dude gets something right.

As always, there is incredible chemistry with Kyle and Trace and when their on tour together, that passion is so palpable. They both struggle with their feelings and make assumptions that keep them from coming together. Despite their bickering and tension, they are both there for each other when really needed and I loved that about them. They can always put aside their differences to support one another when the times get really tough. Once again, Darla pops up with terrible lies about Kylie and her father and I loved how supportive Trace was with her. Having her daddy's name drug through the mud is the most painful thing that can happen to Kylie and he knew how to get her through it. Likewise, Kylie knows how important Trace's sisters are to him and she really lends her support when a scary situation arises. We get our first interaction with Trace's mom and the way Kylie defended him was incredible. The moment these two found their way back to each other was a defining moment for the series. They broke each other's hearts and ran away from one another enough times that when they finally came together for good, it was epic.

Overall, I was very happy with the conclusion to Trace and Kylie's love story and Girl in Love was fantastic. If I had one complaint, it would be that I felt like the storyline involving Darla and her book was left a bit unresolved. However, it was such a small part of the bigger picture that it didn't change my feelings about this book in any way. The epilogue was the perfect ending and I was left with a warm heart and a smile on my face.

~IPOD Picks~

“Over You” by Miranda Lambert

“Easy” by Rascal Flats featuring Natasha Bedingfield

PURCHASE LINKS:

AMAZON | BARNES & NOBLE