“What I didn’t expect was to fall in love with the broody football player. The boy who I wasn’t supposed to be with—but had somehow become my everything.”

 

Frayed, an all-new angst-filled standalone romance from Laura Pavlov, is available now!

 

Amazon  |  Amazon Worldwide  |  Paperback

 

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Blurb

My name is Adelaide Edington, and my life was mapped out for me before I even entered the world.

Who I’d date, where I’d attend college, what I’d be when I grew up.

But there comes a time in everyone’s life when they face a fork in the road.

Should I go left, or should I go right?

It didn’t matter as long as I didn’t remain stagnant any longer.

Jett Stone opened me up to a whole new world.

Reminding me that it was okay to find my own way.

I could have roots in Willow Springs and still spread my wings and fly.

What I didn’t expect was to fall in love with the broody football player.

The boy I’d known since kindergarten.

The boy who I wasn’t supposed to be with—but had somehow become my everything.

 

Add to Goodreads

 

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Review

“It’s okay if the edges fray a bit. That’s part of life.”

4.5 stars

This is such a beautiful book! An emotional YA coming-of-age story with a gorgeous romance, these characters stole my heart, and I adored their story!

This is the first book in the Willow Springs series, centred around a group of five girls who have grown up together in their small Texas town, and who are starting their senior year of high school, preparing to embrace all that life has to offer.

Adelaide Edington is the Mayor’s daughter, and is the quintessential good girl. Her life was mapped out for her before she was even born, and she has been following the plan as expected – even dating the son of her mother’s best friend as planned.

Jett Stone has lived in Willow Springs his whole life, but his life couldn’t be more different from Adelaide’s. The son of a single mother who has pretty much been shunned by the town, he is a gruff and broody, motorcycle-riding bad boy who enters illegal fights to make money to help his family. But he’s a good guy, and he’s working hard at school and playing football so he can get away from the town he hates so much and build a good life for him and his family.

Adelaide and Jett have known each other since they were children, but have never really travelled in the same circles. Senior year, and a surprisingly entertaining math nerd, bring them back into each other’s lives, and when Adelaide’s perfect world begins to crumble, Jett is there for her. They become friends and, with Jett, Adelaide beings to truly think about her life, about what she wants, and what she could possibly have. And suddenly her heartbreak becomes a turning point in her life, where she begins to discover who she is, and finds the strength to fight for what she wants.

I know what I want now.
And I’m ready to spread my wings and fly.

It’s a significant journey for Adelaide, and it’s real, emotional and very relatable. Her feelings of hope and excitement wrestle with her fear of letting down the people in her life, creating an emotional and realistic story, and I really felt for her and she makes her way through it all. She has some intense family issues to deal with, and she feels deeply, and I thought her story was beautifully written.

And through it all, Jett is there for her. It’s not something he does intentionally, it just happens. He wants out of town, and he doesn’t want to get involved with anybody or anything that is going to tie him to it. And then along comes Adelaide, completely upending his world, making him see things in a new light, and making him want something he’s never wanted before – a true connection with somebody, stability, a relationship – and it messes with him.

I was irritable about the whole situation. About how hanging out with Adelaide made me feel. Made me want things I had no business wanting. Yet, I couldn’t seem to stay away from her.

The feelings growing between them are honest, real and all-consuming. Neither of them can fight what they’re feeling, and they don’t want to, and we get this absolutely beautiful love story that completely captured my heart.

Now that I was discovering who I was, and what I wanted – I was learning to trust my instincts for the first time in my life.
And I wanted Jett.

I don’t know how it happened. But she was mine.
And nothing had ever felt more right.

I love YA romances. There’s this sense of wonder about them as two people fall in mad love for the first time, and Jett and Adelaide together are just magic. They are open with each other about everything, there’s no stupidness or game playing, there’s just this raw honesty and a need to be everything to each other, and it’s so beautiful to see.

“You’ve already got my heart, Ace. And you can take it with you wherever you go. I’m yours. Where you go to school doesn’t change that.”

It was more than love.
Jett Stone was…everything.

But things aren’t great for Adelaide at home. Not everybody is happy with her embracing her freedom and independence, and there are battles ahead for both her and Jett.

I was so blissed-out reading this book, but I also had this sense of dread, waiting for a big thing to happen, because I knew it couldn’t all be glorious love and friendship. There is some drama, and it brings the feels, but it makes absolute sense for the story, there is no unnecessary angst or stupid, it’s realistic, it continues Adelaide’s journey, and I loved the emotion it brings.

“It’s okay if the edges fray a bit. That’s part of life.”

Through it all, Adelaide’s girls are there. Supporting her, encouraging her, and living her life with her. This is an amazing friendship, these girls share everything, and though I was initially fearful that it would be a bit cheesy, these girls are sassy and spunky, and they have the type of friendships that everybody should have.

This is my first book by Laura Pavlov, and I loved her writing. This book is emotional, sweet, dramatic, uplifting, and gorgeously emotional. I loved Adelaide and Jett as characters, I feel like I really got to know them, and I loved their beautiful story.

She was mine.
Always had been.
Always would be.

I’m looking forward to continuing on with this series, and am really excited that the next book will be for Gigi and Gray, because an enemies-to-lovers/brother’s-best-friend romance sounds like so much fun. And the chemistry is already electric!

Loved this one. 4.5 stars!

An Advanced Review Copy was generously provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.

 

Willow Springs

 

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Excerpt

She leaned forward and kissed me. Her lips meeting mine, and I swore to fucking Christ this girl owned me in every way. Her fingers tangled in my hair, and I shifted her on my lap, so she was straddling me. Grinding up against me. I nearly came undone right there on the seat of my bike. I wanted to carry her over to the hammock, drop her down, and strip her bare. Show her how good I could make her feel. But I knew she’d been through a lot tonight, and it wasn’t the right time. My hands slipped beneath her sweater and I fucking loved the feel of her soft skin against my fingers. I teased her hard peaks through the lace of her bra with my thumbs and she gasped. Her head fell back as little pants escaped.

“Jett, I want you.”

My lips moved to her neck, kissing my way back up to her face. I kissed her cheeks, her nose, her eyelids, and stopped at her sweet mouth.

“You already have me.”

“You know what I mean,” she said, her voice raspy and full of need.

“Not tonight. Not after what you’ve been through. When I have you, it won’t be after pulling you into the middle of a shitshow, or after you went at it with your mom. But I will have you, Adelaide Edington. And I promise to rock your fucking world.”

She laughed and ran her fingers through my hair. “Oh, I have no doubt.”

“There’s no rush.”

She nodded. “Okay. I’m going to hold you to it.”

“I’m a man of my word.” I placed a chaste kiss on her lips before lifting her up and dropping her back down on the seat. I grabbed her helmet and placed it on her
head, buckling it beneath her chin. Her dark eyes never left mine.

“I know you are.”

I climbed on in front of her, and my dick raged against my zipper just like it always did. I laughed. Chivalry had never been something I’d thought about. But when it
came to this girl—I wanted to do everything right.

 

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About Laura

Laura Pavlov writes sweet and sexy contemporary romance that will make you both laugh and cry. She is happily married to her college sweetheart, mom to two awesome almost grown kids, and dog-whisperer to a couple of crazy Yorkies. Laura resides in Las Vegas where she is living her own happily ever after.

 

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