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3.9 AVERAGE
3.9 AVERAGE
inspiring
lighthearted
slow-paced
hopeful
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
N/A
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
emotional
lighthearted
reflective
sad
medium-paced
emotional
funny
hopeful
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Tripp Hollis may just be the ultimate book boyfriend. I said what I said. This man adores the air that Magnolia breathes. I have never read a man like it. He has total respect for her boundaries while pledging his entire existence to making sure that Magnolia is safe, happy and healthy. He is genuinely happy to say, “Okay, sure, I respect that you are not my girlfriend but I am your boyfriend. You do you. I’ll be here, being your boyfriend, if anybody asks.” I’m flabbergasted by him.
Anyway, onto the book! My main critique for Stay With Me is that it isn’t long enough. I need more! I’m desperate for it! I am overjoyed that we got so much pre-pregnancy story. Having learned about Magnolia’s pregnancy at the end of Here With Me, I thought we might just jump straight into it, maybe with a couple of flashbacks to her ONS with Travis and maybe she had one with Tripp too. To learn that they full-on DATED?! For a MONTH?! And to live that with them?! Oh, we were so spoiled. Thank you, Brooke Montgomery.
I loved everything about this story. Magnolia is hilarious. I wish she was my best friend. Her ambition is killer, and her authenticity is admirable. Maybe I wish I was her actually. I’d have liked to have had a little bit more detail about her background, just to experience it, but I still feel like I understand her as a person enough to completely fall into this story.
Tripp is, as mentioned, a God amongst men. If I could bring a fictional character to life to fall in love with me, it would be him. He’s hilarious, thoughtful, considerate, and incredibly down bad. Look up the phrase ‘down bad’ on Urban Dictionary and it’s just Tripp Hollis’ face. An icon.
Landen deserves a shoutout for being a great best friend and an excellent brother. He toys the line of respect and mischief so perfectly, and is the ideal person to have on your side. I can’t wait to see him get his happy ending.
Once again, Brooke Montgomery gave us a nice amount of drama to break away from being a fully romance-heavy novel and it was such an interesting shift from the small-town, ranch life we’re used to from Sugarland Creek. I’d loved to have known more about the outcome (trying not to give away any spoilers!) as it felt like it wrapped up pretty quickly, but I am glad that the outcome we did get allowed everybody a safe ending (it feels wrong to say ‘happy ending’ in a circumstance like this, because it’s very bittersweet).
I’d have loved to have seen more of Magnolia’s pregnancy throughout the book. Some of the time jumps were a bit too far for me, and I feel like I missed the day-to-day yearning that would have inevitably come from both her and Tripp. That’s why my main critique is that the book is too short. Honestly, I’d probably happily read a 1,000-page book if we got a summary of each week. I’m so engrossed in their love story!
A really wonderful book.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Drug use, Gun violence, Toxic relationship, Grief, Car accident, Pregnancy, Sexual harassment
Minor: Animal death, Death, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Vomit, Stalking, Gaslighting, Alcohol, Sexual harassment
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
funny
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
emotional
funny
hopeful
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This book had me in my feels my heart literally clinched. Right out of the gate crying in the prologue. Then more throughout the book. Tripp is everything and Magnolia with her sassy self is so relatable. I don’t want to give too much of the story away but I found this such a great story and loved that everything didn’t happen in the first half of the book but took its time. Tropes you’ll find in this book are in no particular order- brothers best friend, accidental pregnancy (not MMCs), MMC grief/guilt, FMC business owner, cowboy, small town.
adventurous
lighthearted
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
dark
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes