Reviews

Unrequited by Jen Frederick

kimmylovestoread's review

4.0

I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Finn. I love Finn! In the previous books he was a bit of a mystery. We didn't know too much about him, so I was very excited to get his story. The man is HOT. Like panty melting hot. He is still mourning the death of his father and trying to keep the family business afloat.

Winter. Man, I felt bad for her. She was dealt a shit hand in life and her sister just made everything worse. God, I couldn't stand Ivy. That girl was the definition of selfish. But Winter did what she needed to do to survive her crappy life, even if it meant sacrificing her own happiness. It takes her a long

I loved Winter and Finn's relationship. From that night in the diner which lead to crazy, HOT sex, they had a great connection. And a lot of great sex. Like a lot. They just seemed to fit together. Finn let Winter believe that she could have a better life and Winter just made Finn a calmer person:

She was like a walking Zoloft. I needed her around me in regular doses. Take four hours of Winter Donovan before you go to bed at night and call me in the morning should be my prescription.

Like all of his friends before him, Finn fell HARD. And it was adorable to watch unfold. No two people deserve happiness more than these two. Luckily, when he needed advice the guys were there for him, even if their methods were a little strange (see excerpt below). And Winter had her coworkers to knock some sense into her when she needs it. I knew it was going to work out in the end, but the road there was a long and bumpy one.

(Sidenote: THAT COVER. THOSE ARMS. I want to bite those arms.)

I'm going to leave you with this because...well, just read it:

"You know the movie Love Actually?"

Sure, best Christmas movie ever." I didn't mind admitting to it. Adam and I watched it religiously every year, debating over the characters' actions. Did Mark, the videographer, violate the bro code for sharing the wedding video with his best friend's wife to declare his love? Yes, and we concluded that Mark made the video for the sole purpose of spanking his monkey. "Mark probably used a cum sock."

Noah spit out his coffee as he laughed. "Really? Not a tissue guy?"

"No way. He was clearly into mementos."

Noah set down his mug. "True or false, Karen should have left Harry."

I shrugged. That one hit close to home. "Karen was a saint, right? But maybe too selfless." My mind spun toward Winter.

"Can we at least agree that the only worthwhile couple were the sex doubles?"

"Yes." I reached out and slapped my palm against Noah's open hand.

"How about Sarah and Karl?"

"What about them?"

"Do you think Sarah is stupid for abandoning Karl for her brother every time?"

I could see where he was leading me now. "Ivy is not an institutionalized young man."

Noah kicked out his legs and reached down for his mug. "I always thought Karl could have been more supportive and waited for Sarah."

"Maybe Karl was done with being last."

Noah shrugged. "First, last. Are you keeping count?"

gerireads's review

4.0

Winter Donovan has been in love with Finn O'Malley ever since her sister introduced him as her boyfriend. For years Winter stood to the side as Ivy and Finn dated and later broke up after her sister fell deeper into the bottle and drugs after their parents death. Even then Winter stayed away except for that night.

Finn O'Malley have never worked for a girl's attention before or for the things in his life. On the outside, he's a guy who has all the opportunities in the world but seems just be cruising along, living below his potential, never had to fight for anything. Then everything changed for him.

Unrequited started off slow for me . Winter in particular has a lot of doubt about starting something with Finn because of their shared history. I am not one of those readers who find it icky to read about a hero having a relationship with the sister or the friend before getting together with the heroine. I find the complicated history between the characters a good source of tension in the story. I didn't agree with some of Winter's choices but her history coupled with the fact that it felt as though she was betraying her sister made her choices understandable.

But what made this book for me -- or should I say, who made this book for me was Finn O'Malley. His dedication to his family, his amorous pursuit of Winter made him a standout hero for me. He was so fine. Being a delicious dirty-talker didn't hurt either.

I liked how the characters changed and grew throughout the book. Winter took her sweet time opening herself up again to Finn. But I wasn't really upset with that because I also feel that Finn needed to show her that she's worth fighting for. Even Ivy didn't annoy me that much. It was actually Finn's mother who really tried my patience.

She didn't believe he could manage their business and went out of her way to sabotage his job? Ugh. And yet, when she saw Ivy, she was then all for giving people a chance.

I didn't get it.

Fortunately, those things didn't take away my enjoyment for the story and the characters. It was nice to see the other characters in the series make cameos in this book. And I am definitely looking forward to Adam's book. Either Adam or Tucker. I don't mind as long as they each get their own book. Make it happen, Jen!

ARC provided by the author via TRSOR in exchange for an honest review.

melinda's review

5.0

I love this authors books. I really enjoy the camaraderie between the guys in this series but I particularly loved the heroine here. Winter is complex and trying to do everything to keep her sister afloat and not drowning in her addiction. She's so conflicted in dating her sisters old boyfriend but the relationship is so good it's hard to resist. I loved Finn and Winter's relationship and the way it evolved. Plus Winter works in a tattoo parlor, I can't love that anymore.
And there is a wonderful serious discussion of Love Actually that may have made me love the book more than I was already!