Book Review: All Of You by Christina Lee

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All Of You

By:  Christina Lee

Release Date:  Sept. 17, 2013

Publisher:  Intermix (Penguin)

Source:  Publisher

GR's Summary:

The way the author has reversed the roles in terms of the experienced vs. innocence trope turns the classic model on its head, making it new and oh-so compelling."--New York Times bestselling author JASINDA WILDER

"Bennett stole my heart! If you like hot, sweet, sexy, caring good guys, he'll claim yours too."-- NYT and USA Today Bestselling Author LAUREN BLAKELY

"A one-sitting read simply because I could not put it down. This is one New Adult you don’t want to miss."--NYT and USA Today bestselling author A. L. JACKSON

Five words to describe this book (and you'll get this once you read it): Hot, sweet, emotional, page-turner, awesome.--NYT and USA Today bestselling author MONICA MURPHY


****
Avery has just met her hot upstairs neighbor. He's irresistible. Tattooed. And a virgin.

Nursing student Avery Michaels wants nothing to do with dating—she's perfectly happy single. Privy to too many of her mother's bad decisions and even worse taste in boyfriends, all Avery can handle is a string of uncomplicated hookups whenever the mood strikes.

When she meets smoking hot tattoo artist Bennett, she wants him—for just one night. But he won't accept a no-strings-attached arrangement. He lives by a straight-laced code of values based on his own troubled upbringing.

Bennett sees something special in Avery and he wants more from her. Way more. As Avery wrestles with her emotions for Bennett, danger and tragedy force them to open up to each other. And Avery must face the terrifying realization that she wants more from him, too.

So she needs to make a choice—let Bennett go or finally let him in.

My Thoughts:

All of You was a very fast-paced, entertaining, story!  It was told from the perspective of the main character, Avery.  She attends college, and is getting a degree to be a R.N.  In the meanwhile, she works at a convalescent home so she can pay the bills.  Avery is emotionally detached from men.  She has had many one night stands, has a "friend with benefits," and isn't looking for a serious relationship.  She doesn't want to be like her mother, who is always frequenting the bars looking for the next man to bring home, and have a relationship with.  The only male that she is close to is her eighteen year old brother, Adam, who still lives at home with their mom.  Her best friends are Ella, and Rachel.  One night when the three of them attend a frat party, Avery spots Bennett.  She thinks he is absolutely gorgeous, and does everything to try and get his attention, but he doesn't appear to notice her.

The next day, Avery is shocked to run into Bennett when he is moving in to her apartment building.  The two quickly become friends when someone tries to break in to Avery's apartment, and Bennett chases them off.  Avery and Bennett start spending a lot of time together watching movies, eating takeout, and going places together.  There is a strong physical attraction and chemistry between the two of them.  Avery is anxious to get in Bennett's pants.  However, Bennett let's Avery know that he is a virgin.  He doesn't plan on having sex with someone until he falls in love and is in a serious relationship.  Avery gets frustrated because she doesn't want a relationship, but the more she's around Bennett, the more she starts to fall for him and she doesn't want anyone else.

I loved the cast of characters in All of You.  Avery was very broken, came from a dysfunctional home life and had been betrayed by her own mother.  She was closed off, didn't trust men, wanted to be independent, and never need to rely on a man for her happiness or livelihood.  Bennett also came from a dysfunctional home life, and his mother was a lot like Avery's mother, but he dealt with things in a more positive manner.  He had learned responsibility at a young age and looked out for all of his siblings.  Bennett was an art major, worked at a Tattoo Parlor, and loved to sketch.  I loved his character.  He was very deep, loved poetry, and his tattoo's and sketches had deep meaning behind them.  Mrs. Jackson was my favorite secondary character.  She was both elderly and sickly, and lived at the convalescent home that Avery worked at.  She was like a surrogate grandmother to Avery.  I loved the wisdom that she shared with Avery, and thought it was adorable that her and her husband adored each other after forty years of marriage.  I didn't care for Avery's friend Kim.  She came across as heartless, crass, and annoyed me.  I loved Avery's best friend Ella though, and thought that she was a great friend to Avery, with the honesty, compassion, and advice that she offered.  The conversations between the three girls bothered me, as they always addressed each other in derogatory terms, and I speak from experience when I say most girls don't talk to their friends that way.

All Of You had many life lessons in it.  However, the biggest lesson that stood out to me was that it's important to open up, and risk getting hurt, because the reward of real love is much greater than the risk.  I can't believe that Christina Lee is a debut author.  Her story was well-polished, drew me in completely, and didn't let me go the entire time.  I look forward to reading, Ella's Story, Before You Break, next!

My Rating:

I give All Of You  by Christina Lee 4 Stars Filled with Poetry, Art, Life Lessons, A Slow Burning Passion, and Love.  Read this story if you're looking for a New Adult Contemporary Romance that is unique, doesn't fall in to the usual cliches, has strong desire, temptation, and great love scenes!  You will enjoy Avery and Bennett's story, and be rooting for these two to fall in love, and make it last.  You will also experience anger towards certain characters, heartbreak over another, and the painful burdens that both Avery and Bennet have to shoulder.  All of You was a great balance of friendship, passion, love, life lessons, suspense, and angst.  Read this story if you're looking for a passionate story that is not part of the norm.  Fans of Monica Murphy's One Week Girlfriend Series will enjoy, All Of You.

My Favorite Quotes:

"This boy had gathered the pieces of my heart that had been scattered in the wind and tucked them in the safe pocket of his hand.  And now it was time to treat his heart with the same gentleness."  (eARC, Loc. 2261)

~Avery

"Before he fell asleep that night, Bennett mumbled my name over and over.  I felt my heart unfurling, smoothing out, blossoming-into an unblemished kind of love."  (eARC, Loc. 2311)

~Avery

"And for the first time in years, I felt a flicker of joy.  Incandescent.  Radiating inside me and through me.  His fingers reached for my face, and he kissed me slow and melting, his tongue tangling with mine in a way that felt so private.  So profound.  So right."  (eARC, Loc. 2437)

~Avery

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About the Author:

Mother, wife, reader, dreamer. Christina lives near Cleveland with her two favorite guys. She's addicted to lip gloss and salted caramel everything.

New Adult/Young Adult author. NA Contemporary Romance, ALL OF YOU, releases September with Penguin. BEFORE YOU BREAK in 2014. Repped by Sara Megibow. 

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