Book Review: Stay With Me

Synopsis:

At 21, Calla hasn’t done a lot of things. She’s never been kissed, never seen the ocean, never gone to an amusement park. But growing up, she witnessed some things no child ever should. She still carries the physical and emotional scars of living with a strung-out mother, Mona—secrets she keeps from everyone, including her close circle of college friends.

But the safe cocoon Calla has carefully built is shattered when she discovers her mom has stolen her college money and run up a huge credit card debt in her name. Now, Calla has to go back to the small town she thought she'd left behind and clean up her mom’s mess again. Of course, when she arrives at her mother’s bar, Mona is nowhere to be found. Instead, six feet of hotness named Jackson James is pouring drinks and keeping the place humming.

Sexy and intense, Jax is in Calla’s business from the moment they meet, giving her a job and helping her search for Mona. And the way he looks at her makes it clear he wants to get horizontal . . . and maybe something more. Before Calla can let him get close, though, she’s got to deal with the pain of the past—and some very bad guys out to mess her up if she doesn’t give them her mom.

Stay With Me is quite possibly my favorite of JLA’s New Adult books. The plot is complex and compelling, the characters deep and interesting, and you just can’t stop reading once you hit the end of chapter one.

I really enjoyed Calla and Jax’s story; it’s intense, emotional, sexy, dangerous…there are guns involved, hilarious strippers, loveable cops…scary drug lords…there are even scenes led by the “Hot Guy Brigade” (AKA Cam, Jase and Ollie). All your favorite characters are here from the previous books, along with Calla and Jax and some new fun faces. JLA’s trademark wit and sarcasm is all over this book. I would probably say this is the most intense of the series because of the plot (a lot of dangerous outside action affecting our characters rather than just internal struggles) and that’s saying something.

Calla has a lot of emotional baggage (welcome to the New Adult genre) and Jax is more than willing to wade right into her mess. It’s pretty adorable. And Jax, of course, is incredibly awesome. Though he has his own baggage as well. Thank goodness for a conflict that wasn’t so much about how can we keep these two apart, but more about how we can make them grow together. I think it makes for a much more interesting relationship story.

A certain couple that I was not expecting makes a cameo appearance as well. (Don’t get too excited, it’s not Katy and Daemon).

JLA is so consistent, and Stay With Me is no exception. Every book of hers I’ve read is so solidly written; she knows exactly who her characters are, and she does an amazing job of writing distinct voices for all of them.

If you like New Adult, you’d be an idiot not to pick this up.

Warning: This is NEW ADULT, so here there be sex and language aplenty. Just so you aren’t surprised when you start reading.

What you should read next: Foreplay by Sophie Jordan