Wait for You: A Novel (Wait for You Series, 1)

***Review posted at The Eater of Books! blog***Wait For You by J. LynnBook One of the Wait For You seriesPublication Date: February 26, 2013Rating: 2 starsSource: Bought from Amazon***Let me just say that as a huge Jennifer L. Armentrout/J. Lynn fan, this review was extremely difficult for me to write, as I will say many times throughout the review***Summary (from Goodreads):Some things are worth waiting for...Traveling thousands of miles from home to enter college is the only way nineteen-year-old Avery Morgansten can escape what happened at the Halloween party five years ago--an event that forever changed her life. All she needs to do is make it to her classes on time, make sure the bracelet on her left wrist stays in place, not draw any attention to herself, and maybe--please God--make a few friends, because surely that would be a nice change of pace. The one thing she didn't need and never planned on was capturing the attention of the one guy who could shatter the precarious future she's building for herself.Some things are worth experiencing...Cameron Hamilton is six feet and three inches of swoon-worthy hotness, complete with a pair of striking blue eyes and a remarkable ability to make her want things she believed were irrevocably stolen from her. She knows she needs to stay away from him, but Cam is freaking everywhere, with his charm, his witty banter, and that damn dimple that's just so... so lickable. Getting involved with him is dangerous, but when ignoring the simmering tension that sparks whenever they are around each other becomes impossible, he brings out a side of her she never knew existed.Some things should never be kept quiet...But when Avery starts receiving threatening emails and phone calls forcing her to face a past she wants silenced, she has no other choice but to acknowledge that someone is refusing to allow her to let go of that night when everything changed. When the devastating truth comes out, will she resurface this time with one less scar? And can Cam be there to help her or will he be dragged down with her?And some things are worth fighting for...What I Liked:I really don't know what to say for this particular section. 2 stars is pretty low for someone who LOVES JLA's books, right? The Lux series, the Gamble Brothers series, a little bit of the Covenant series, a little of Cursed... I feel like I can call myself familiar with her books. Which makes this review extremely difficult to write. So let me say what I liked.Cam. Cam really "saved" this book for me. I like him a lot - how he thinks, how he handles Avery's shenanigans, how he acts. He's hot, he's incorrigible, he's arrogant, he's lovable. Yay, Cam.What I Did Not Like:Here I go.I am really, really tired of what many "New Adult" novels are all about. You know what irritates me? The "New Adult" contemporary romance novels - they are all different variations of the SAME basic themes. Beautiful Disaster by Jamie McGuire, Easy by Tammara Webber, My Favorite Mistake by Chelsea Cameron (to which I think Wait For You is most similar), The Vincent Boys by Abbi Glines, and Hopeless by Colleen Hoover are all examples of "New Adult" contemporary romance novels that I have read (I have read SO many more, but those most easily comes to mind. And to be clear, I have nothing against these books). All are about a girl who falls in lust and eventually, in love, with a fine, hot specimen of a male, they have sex, and they overcome some giant problem that either the hero or the heroine must deal with from her past (distant past or immediate past, whatever).I AM SO SICK OF THIS.It's the same thing, over and over! How can we create and label an entirely new genre, when half of the books labeled so are contemporary romance novels that follow the same pattern?So, is it fair of me to knock off so many stars for a book written AFTER I have read so many New Adult novels? Maybe, maybe not. But those books existed before Ms. Lynn wrote Wait For You. She may have seen the popularity of the genre, and may have decided to write her own New Adult novel, and self-publish it, like so many other popular New Adult authors did. I do not know her reasoning behnid self-publishing or writing this book. But I am confident that she knew about the popularity of the genre. It sucks to be the authors that come after the fact, but to me, if it's not original, then there is a good chance that I will be upset. Or angry. Or both.But I had other problems with this book, besides the basic design of it. For example, Avery. Oh my GOSH, I hate her so much. She is so annoying, so whiny, so needy, so everything I hope that I don't become in a year when I am her age. I get it, she had traumatic experiences five years ago. Really, I feel for her. Especially with what her parents did - the nerve! But she takes her bad experiences (I don't know how to phrase it without giving Avery's conflict away! But I bet, if you follow the trend of New Adult, you could figure out what her secret is. Because I did, just by reading the synopsis), and she use them as excuses to whine and complain and moan about things when someone tries to care about her, and distances herself from someone when she knows that she herself wants that person to be close to her on some level.Are you kidding? Does this happen? Are teenagers that shallow nowadays? I'm almost legal, and I can tell you now, NO teenager or "New Adult" or whatever, acts like that. And I know some people who have had bad pasts. Basically, I hated Avery, and this book is in first-person point-of-view. So, if you hate the heroine, you hate her line of thought, what she does, why she does things... the book goes downhill pretty fast. That could be why I like Cam so much. He stuck up for himself more than once. Good for you, dude.There really wasn't a plot to this book. She goes to a college far, far away to run far, far away from her problems. She meets the guy. They have a snarky, witty, bantering relationship that grows over time. The heroine is constantly remembering her past. They eventually have sex (it's closer to the end in this book - just saying). The heroine's problem is resolved. The end.BORING.I know some people say, it's not the destination, it's the journey, or whatever, but the journey was really boring, and the destination was like "Duh! I saw that coming since page one!". Ugh.And one last thing - are JLA's heroine's all starting to follow the same patterns? Same with the heroes? Except, I like Katy from the Lux series A LOT. Avery is particularly bad. But they are all "snarky" and "witty" in some way, which isn't bad, it just makes them all blend into each other. Same with the heroes. There really aren't that many characteristics in terms of personality that distinguish the heroes.Well, actually, I have one more thing. There were grammar and spelling errors. YES, I notice these things, it's kind of programmed into my brain. And I get it - JLA self-published this book. But I feel like I didn't expect so many random errors from a successful, published author, especially since I am very sure she had alpha and beta readers. Grammar and spelling mistakes are easy things to fix!Would I Recommend It:Yes, totally, if you are a New Adult fan. But if you're like me, and want to see some more originality in the New Adult genre... then, not so much. And if you are a Jennifer L. Armentrout/J. Lynn fan, go for it! I know I know that this book will do very well, especially since JLA was already established in the book world, and I will continue to read her books, but this one is easily my least favorite of her books.Rating:2 stars. The rating was hard for me to determine, because while I absolutely LOVE Jennifer L. Armentrout and her books, I hated this book. Or strongly disliked, whatever you want to call it. This review was extremely difficult for me to write, but I have to say my part.

For the love of all things Cam, this book deserves more than 5 stars!J. Lynn has done it again. She's written another fabulous story and given me another character of hers to fall in love with. Let me back up and say, I'm not a huge New Adult fan. I've not been impressed with really any of the books I've read so far, but this book totally blew me away. Not that I was surprised by that, because I love Jennifer/J. Lynn's writing style. She has this knack for writing these incredible relatable characters and well when it comes to her Adult and New Adult books, incredibly hot character chemistry. What I was not excepting to find in Wait For You was Cam! This is one character that I wish could walk right out of the pages, and not for all the reasons you're thinking *coughs* He really is the kind of guy you wish you had as a friend, and well something more. I loved him for how he treats Avery.Avery is a character that intrigued me. She is so broken, and it's heartbreaking to see her try to pick up the pieces and carry on, but she does. In the beginning it was obvious that something horrible happened to her, to make her act the way she does. Okay, really horrible doesn't even begin to describe what she dwelt with. The more the story went on, the more I wanted to get to know her, and find out what happened. I wanted to try and help her. Seriously, this girl needed someone to give her what she's never really had, love, companionship and someone to rely on. Enter Cam, the say it how it is, hot soccer star that everyone and their friend drools over. Cam isn't just hot body and no brain. This guy is in a league all his own. Like me, he too was on a mission to get to know Avery, but on a much different level.When it comes to Cam and Avery, that just say these two have some serious hot character chemistry. They can both dish it to each other, and really get each other going. I loved how stubborn, and feisty Avery is, especially when it comes to Cam. She has her guard up, and with good reason, but man, Cam sure knows how to make her slowly but surly put it down, at least for him. The thing I had an issue with is even after things happen between Cam and Avery, she still does something that to me, really irked me. Like it made me not like her character that much and I started to get really annoyed with to the point I kept reading the book because of Cam. But, something happens, and Avery finally grows up. She realizes a few things, that I won't say for the sake of spoilers, but she surprised when she finally took action and saw her errors. It's during this time I realized what a relatable character she is, and I couldn't help but like her a bit more.For the love of everything that's Cam! I rarely fan girl in my reviews, but I am going to fan girl over Cam's character, because he is my new favorite Jennifer/J. Lynn character. Those that know me, know that I'm not saying that lightly. I loved that Cam was a whole lot more than hotness on two legs. He is smart, he's honest, he doesn't sugar coat anything, and he goes after what he wants. He's also so stinkin' sweet, and respectable. Like, really, really respectable, and I couldn't help but fall in love with him. He treats Avery in such a way that not only had her and her friend's sighing, it left me sighing. Did I mention he bakes and can cook? I think I've started liking eggs again.... if you've read the book you'll know what I'm talking about.Cam is the kind of guy who patiently waits for the right moment to break down all of a Avery's barriers while slowly but surely sweeping her off her feet at the same time. While he's patiently waiting for her to open up to him, and let him in, he does all these little things that make him apart of Avery's life without making her feel like he's invading her life. Not only does this make her slowly, but surely realize Cam is someone she can rely on, trust and fall in love with, but it's exactly what Avery needed. See was I mean!?! Cam is that guy! That guy you wish you had at some point in your life, or you have now and hold onto him for dear life, because everything he does is for his girl.Now that I've rambled on about this book, let just say there are some fabulously written characters in this book who made me laugh, not that silent laugh, but a snort laugh and a loud laugh. Cam and Avery have some amazing friends and I loved feeling like I was getting a peek into their lives while reading Wait For You! This is one of those books that has it all. Friendships, love, hot character chemistry, plenty of humor, sweet moments, heart breaking moments, and moments that will leave you sighing. This book is so much more than just the hot chemistry and well yes the few sex scenes, which I will say were tastefully written. This book has it all, and it's one I'd recommend to mature readers who are looking for something outside of the YA shelves.

Avery is desperate to escape her past, and her neglectful parents, so she enrolls in college in West Virgina. Sweet and innocent, she's still struggling to deal with the events from five years ago that irrevocably changed her life forever.She literally bumps head-first into Cam Hamilton on Day 1, and they both feel an instant attraction. Initially weary of him, due to his player reputation, she comes to enjoy his company and has to fend off his near-daily requests to take her out. Cam was so sweet in the way he did this, and the protective manner he displayed towards Avery.It's very obvious what happened to her, but we don't hear the full story until the latter part of the book. We also find out that Cam is harboring his own secret, and he's scared that Avery will take off running for the hills when she finds out.The romance plays out like a lot of JLA romances - constant flirtations, near brushes, getting together and falling out etc, but ultimately they end up together and you can see how perfect they are for each other.The themes are quite dark in this novel, it's definitely not for young teens. I thought Jennifer handled the traumatic event that Avery experienced very delicately, and the emotions she experienced were very real. I could totally imagine how she would feel the way she felt, and her fear of intimacy was completely understandable. I loved how Cam was so patient, and so willing to wait for her until she was ready. Always willing to put her needs above his own. Her parents on the other hand, made me want to hurl.As usual I raced through this :)And I loved it. I've always felt that Jennifer writes romance so well, now I can add sex to the list.The only thing I didn't like was how Cam called Avery sweetheart all the time. Now this is kinda signature Jennifer. Daemon called Kat Kitten, Seth called Alex Angel etc. To me 'sweetheart' is something a sleazy old bloke says, not a hot young stud-muffin. It just felt so unnatural for Cam to call her this. It's my only gripe though, and it's really minor.Jennifer has been quoted as saying she writes books very quickly - I believe she wrote this in 20 days. I'm in awe of her talent. As a writer I wish I could deliver such quality so quickly. I'm holding out hope that she'll master the art of writing a book a day so that I constantly have a JLA book in my hand. That would be the stuff dreams are made of!! (Laughing at my own cheesiness!)

I'm rather emotionally drained and frankly exhausted as it's 1am and I've been reading this non stop for 6 hours! So I'll review after I've slept :)Ok, I've slept and ready to get this off my chest!I know when a romance has grabbed me when I'm reading huge portions of the book with a goofy grin on my face! The interaction between Cam and Avery was so cute and Cam really made me laugh sometimes with his comments, and his self assuredness. He was fantastic, a little bit too good to be true but hey it wouldn't be much worth reading romance if the heroes weren't desirable, right?I loved all the wooing, I loved how Cam treated her so gently but always with respect and tenderness. I could keep gushing!Avery was at times frustrating but I did understand her attitude and until the bracelet incident I think she handled Cam with integrity. Yes I'm sure she gave mixed signals but he knew what was going on. It was so obvious he knew all along which makes it all the more special that he did wait for her.This was a pretty emotional book at times. I'm on record as saying that I think a certain topic is rather overused in New Adult books and this book hasn't changed my mind on that. I do feel it was well dealt with in this case though and the focus was on Avery making a life and learning to trust and to love. Ultimately this was a love story and it was beautiful.As I've said, I read this in 6 hours straight, so I think that has to be an endorsement of how well the book flowed and the writing style grabbed me. The characters were so beautifully written. It did feel like it dragged at times, I wanted them to get on with it already, but well I was tired and as you can see I didn't mark it down.In summary, a great book for that emotional ride and for gushing over a beautiful romance!

Anything that J.Lynn aka Jennifer L. Armentrout writes, I'll read it. I don't care if it's a novella, a short story or a full book and I'll read it. She fast became one of my favourite authors and I'm hoping she'll continue knocking out fantastic books, like Wait for You.Wait for You is a New Adult story and you all know how popular these type of stories have become in the last year, and by the looks of it, there's hear to stay. I'm a huge fan of it but what I find it sometimes, they can be a tad predictable. However, true to Jen's previous books, her work could never be predictable.Avery and Cam were such an enjoyable duo to read about. Their relationship is feisty, funny and so very steamy! There's an undeniable attraction between them that slowly builds over time and causes so much tension. Cam really brings out the best in Avery, but unbeknown to Cam, Avery's hiding a dark past that really can threaten everything they've worked for. I also loved the secondary characters too and I'm eager to see more of Cam's sister in the companion novel.In all, Wait for You is a hot and sexy read with a cracking story line and fantastic characters - what more could you want? I loved it and I'd highly suggest you read it!

Given the amount of New Adult books I’ve devoured (and complained about at times) over the past year it seems odd that it’s taken me this long to finally read a J.Lynn book. Particularly since I own every single one of them and am a huge fan of her YA LUX series. A big part in my reluctance was probably my fear of being the black sheep as every single blogger friend I have seems to have fallen head over heels for her NA offerings but I needn’t have worried; WAIT FOR YOU was one of the most enjoyable New Adult books I’ve read and I loved every single page (and Cam was only half the reason!).WAIT FOR YOU tells the story of Avery; shy, sweet and running from tragedy, she needs a clean break and a few thousand miles from Texas is just enough distance to make her feel secure. Cast aside by her friends and experiencing the bitter sorrow of having a family that refuse to protect and support her after a horrific incident, Avery is used to hiding and trusting nobody. When a chance encounter with the gorgeous and kind Cameron Hamilton spurs Avery to open up and accept his offer of friendship, the chemistry that develops between them is equal parts thrilling and terrifying. Can Avery trust Cam enough to put the past behind her and reawaken her faith in people?WAIT FOR YOU was compulsive reading. I loved Avery immediately and connected with her character. Her insecurity and shyness never seemed overdone or eye-roll worthy as I’ve felt with other NA “heroines”, she was endearing and thoughtful. As her story progressed and we learned just how alone and abandoned she really was, how utterly horrid her family was and the truth about what happened five years previous my heart broke for her. J. Lynn knows how to pack an emotional punch and does not hold back in this story.The development of her relationship with Cam was wonderful, I loved how it progressed over the months as Cam’s playfulness and warmth slowly broke down Avery’s barriers and she began to trust in him. I loved how he pushed her to take risks but never went too far, he may have asked her to dance but he was more than willing to let her lead only gently nudging her at times to ensure they always went in the right direction. There were so many swoon-worthy moments that made me melt, their banter, Cam’s Sunday morning breakfast dates with her, introducing her to Raphael (I dare you not to fall for him!), asking her out on dates at the most random times and the heart stopping moment when she finally said YES!If there’s one thing Jennifer does well it is writing sexual tension. There were times when I thought I was going to go crazy as Avery and Cam’s relationship took a more seductive turn. THE FEELS as Avery’s sexual feelings are reawakened after years of protecting herself as she succumbed to the long dormant passion was blisteringly hot and I confess I loved every minute of it!One of my favourite aspects of the book was the fabulous characterisation and development of Avery and Cam. I loved Avery’s growth throughout the book, JLA resists the urge to make her a “speshul snowflake”, she’s real, she stumbles awkwardly around social situations, and she makes mistakes and acknowledges her flaws and learns from them. Equally Cam for all his niceness and understanding is still allowed to express frustration at times when Avery pushes him too far, yet rather than resorting to the usual NA idiocy he acknowledges the work needed to make their relationship work and how exhausting at times it can be. I loved that aspect of reality rather than making the story all stars and rainbows and resorting to clichés.A novel about secrets and the pain people hide behind kind smiles, WAIT FOR YOU was everything I could want in a romance novel, memorable characters, tons of emotion, searing hot sexual chemistry and an addictive storyline; it is definitely one of my favourite NA novels in a long time.

OH. MY. SWEET. LORD. Wait For You is by far my favourite book by J.Lynn (Jennifer. L. Armentrout) so far!!! I am on a serious NEW ADULT kick right and this ticks all the boxes!! I love the story. If I had the time I would been able to read this in one sitting very easily. It was outstanding.There is no point me attempting to write my own description because I would end up giving away spoilers and the blurb above pretty much sums up everything you need to know about the story.Wait for You had me hooked from the first page!! I downloaded the sample on my kindle with then read one page and bought it. (Totally Broke my Project 10 Book) It was simply wonderful. J.Lynn has created such an fantastic story that you can't help falling in love. The main characters are believable, sweet and funny. Avery is adorable, she went through something horrible when she was only fourteen and she still hasn't fully gotten over it. But at 19 she wants to. She doesn't feel like she can trust anyone but then BAM!!! There is Cam. Oh how I swooned!!! He is so freaking hot and adorable and so full of himself that you can't help but fall for him. He adores Avery and together they are so cute. But like any good romance things aren't always plain sailing. Avery has a lot of issues and it stops her from fully Cam. You feel for her. I understood why she feels how she does.I just wanted to hug her but also I felt sorry for Cam, all he wants is for Avery to trust him.If you love you reads with some serious sexual tension and some very steamy scenes then Oh boy you are in for treat!! I blushed! I love when the books I read have sexual tension in them. I think it gives the story a little something extra. There is a build up and it just flows nicely along with the story. The author doesn't rush anything. Especially when dealing with the subject matter. We see how the main character slowly develops and really come into herself dealing with her past and trying to build her present and future.I did love every bit of this story. I loved that it is emotional, serious, sexy and funny. However, I have to knock it down a star because there are quite a few typos. Usually the odd one or two I don't even notice. Hell I am the queen of typos, I can re-read a review 10 times and still have typos but when it comes to a book it can put you off a little.Aside from the few typos the story itself is just WOW. I hope the author keeps writing New Adult because I need more!!! I am addicted and I need another fix!!!