He always knew he would never be more than nothing. No job, no money, no future. Cole Pritchett had accepted the fact that he would always be the screw up and he was okay with it. Until he met her.
Here's the thing they quickly found out – sometimes we all need a little help escaping who we think we are.
Elizabeth Lee knows
that the way to my heart is a good country boy. And she seriously writes the
best country boys. It’s quite possible that Cole is my favorite so far. He’s all
kinds of rough around the edges, but he’s good and strong and just…country. This
book makes me nostalgic for the life I had and what my life would have been if I
hadn’t moved out of the backwoods. There’s something about beer and bonfires,
local dives, barns and lumber that is so – home – to me. And seriously,
Elizabeth Lee seems to just get that – she captures the Midwest so well it makes
me ecstatic.
Our heroine,
Whitney, was just a constant surprise. Considering she’s coming from a pampered
life in the city, I figured she’d be quiet and a little passive. I didn’t expect
her to be making all the first moves and to actually be the one who was more
explosive than Cole. She’s the kind of girl I wish I could be, because even
though she seems proper and composed, she has this whole badass side of her and
she goes after what she wants even when it scares her a little.
But back to
Cole…anybody watch Hart of Dixie? Because Cole is totally Wade. He seems
like one of those perpetual bachelor types who always sells himself short and
settles for less than he deserves. His ex-girlfriend is trashy and left Cole for
his brother, and really that's his experience with relationships. He's exactly
the kind of guy that girls love to think they'll be the one to smooth their
rough edges and prove they're worth something. Because if you're that person for
him, good lord is it amazing.
Of course, the
setting so alive in this book, it's wonderful. It's very clear these characters
are influenced by their surroundings. Whitney definitely has some country in her
that she didn't know about, because living with her mom and sister definitely
brings it screaming out of her. In my experience, when you grow up in a place
like this, you either leave or you stay. Which is fine, until you start forming
friendships and relationships, then you're either leaving someone behind or
letting someone go. This was one of the major issues that Cole and Whitney faced
and I think Elizabeth Lee handled it so well. I find myself attached to books
that handle storylines where two people are pulled in opposite directions and
how they handle that because that's a bit of a thing that has changed my life in
the past.
I love Elizabeth
Lee's books, mostly because they remind me of my favorite country songs, but
also because they're great stories and filled with characters I can really
connect with. Escaping Me is definitely winning because Cole is in it.
I love this one, you guys. I mean, Whitney's totally perfect for him, but I can
be Whitney for a while, right? Anyways, if you're looking for good New Adult
books, I recommend checking out this or Give Me Something or Shattered. I've loved them all and I can't wait to see what's next from
Elizabeth Lee.
