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chelseammg's review
4.0
This is a hard review to write without giving too much away, and trust me…there is a LOT to give away in this book!
Usually the second book in a trilogy is a lot of build-up to the climactic third and final book. Not the case in this trilogy! We learn a lot of secrets in this book. Mysteries are (mostly) solved and stories are revealed. There is a lot going on.
Being me starts off right where If I Were You left off. And it keeps going strong. If I Were You was a major cliffhanger, and Being Me thankfully addresses that early on.
Then we get to the good stuff. Chris and Sara. Throughout the entire book Chris is trying to be who he thinks Sara needs, and Sara is trying to get him to show her his true self.
Chris is naturally dominant/controlling/protective
Well then!
Unfortunately, Chris thinks that if he is who he naturally is with Sara, she will run away and he can't lose her. Chris isn't giving Sara enough credit to allow her to be strong for him.
You can feel the attraction, the need for each other that runs through them. Unfortunately, neither of them are communicating enough to get through to each other in a healthy way. They are both holding back pieces of themselves and those pieces can cut them apart if they don’t deal with them. We get closer to a healthy Chris and Sara in this book, but certainly not all the way. There are plenty of things that will need to be explored in book three, for sure! One thing they certainly have going for them is steam factor. Holy moly! Those two can steam up a room! I wouldn’t mind Chris pushing me up a tree, that’s for sure.
Along with the Chris/Sara story you have the Rebecca mystery. Sara still is searching for her and reading her journals to try to figure out what happened to her. I can’t talk about that part too much, it will give too much away. Just know that there are twists and turns ahead! When you think you have it all figured out, you don’t. Trust me.
If you enjoyed If I Were You, you will love Being Me. It’s a great series! Go get it!
***ARC courtesy of Gallery, Treshold, Pocket Books via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review***
Usually the second book in a trilogy is a lot of build-up to the climactic third and final book. Not the case in this trilogy! We learn a lot of secrets in this book. Mysteries are (mostly) solved and stories are revealed. There is a lot going on.
Being me starts off right where If I Were You left off. And it keeps going strong. If I Were You was a major cliffhanger, and Being Me thankfully addresses that early on.
Then we get to the good stuff. Chris and Sara. Throughout the entire book Chris is trying to be who he thinks Sara needs, and Sara is trying to get him to show her his true self.
"Let me love what you hate. Let me do that for you." - Sara
Chris is naturally dominant/controlling/protective
”I’m going to own you, body and soul I will bind you, I will fuck your ass. Your mouth. I will do what I want. And none of this even comes close to where I’ve been and where I will never take you.”
Well then!
Unfortunately, Chris thinks that if he is who he naturally is with Sara, she will run away and he can't lose her. Chris isn't giving Sara enough credit to allow her to be strong for him.
““It’s his imperfections that make him perfect.”
You can feel the attraction, the need for each other that runs through them. Unfortunately, neither of them are communicating enough to get through to each other in a healthy way. They are both holding back pieces of themselves and those pieces can cut them apart if they don’t deal with them. We get closer to a healthy Chris and Sara in this book, but certainly not all the way. There are plenty of things that will need to be explored in book three, for sure! One thing they certainly have going for them is steam factor. Holy moly! Those two can steam up a room! I wouldn’t mind Chris pushing me up a tree, that’s for sure.
Along with the Chris/Sara story you have the Rebecca mystery. Sara still is searching for her and reading her journals to try to figure out what happened to her. I can’t talk about that part too much, it will give too much away. Just know that there are twists and turns ahead! When you think you have it all figured out, you don’t. Trust me.
If you enjoyed If I Were You, you will love Being Me. It’s a great series! Go get it!
***ARC courtesy of Gallery, Treshold, Pocket Books via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review***
aboutthatstory's review against another edition
4.0
This book had a different vibe for me than If I Were You (book 1) did. The level of intensity was different but still really good. This one was more about emotion for me and the relationship of Sara and Chris.
The first half really delved into that relationship, their exploration together, and how much they needed each other. Sara made me crazy sometimes. She seemed strong but had serious insecure moments, she's was also back and forth on her resolve to be independent from Chris. Sara had a secret and even though it was horrible to learn, I didn't think it was that huge, not enough for her to think it would end a relationship. I really liked Chris in this, he just wanted to protect her and make sure she was taken care of. He’s sweet and sexy, but very controlling. Chris has some serious demons and there is a scene that really shows how messed up and dark he can be (totally held my breath!).
Chris and Sara have a tremendous amount of heat together. There are several erotic scenes (more so than book one) and more of the pleasure/pain issues are touched upon. Chris is powerful, dominating, and commanding, and Sara craves it even though she hates to admit it.
I have to say, I loved Mark in this. He intrigues the heck out of me! In book one I wanted to slap him but this book seemed to show a slightly different side of him and I just wanted to know more. He had some sweet, caring moments. At the end, his nicer moments with Sara made sense to me. He has his own torment he deals with and we learn why. It made him more real to me, not someone who is just all dominance and power, but someone who is more human and flawed.
The last 25% was all drama, drama, drama and I couldn't put the book down. There is closure about Rebecca but questions about Ella and Chris still remain. The book ends without a major cliffhanger, it’s more of an opening for the third book where we learn Chris’ deep dark secrets.
Drama, intensity, passion, and love - this story had it all!
The first half really delved into that relationship, their exploration together, and how much they needed each other. Sara made me crazy sometimes. She seemed strong but had serious insecure moments, she's was also back and forth on her resolve to be independent from Chris. Sara had a secret and even though it was horrible to learn, I didn't think it was that huge, not enough for her to think it would end a relationship. I really liked Chris in this, he just wanted to protect her and make sure she was taken care of. He’s sweet and sexy, but very controlling. Chris has some serious demons and there is a scene that really shows how messed up and dark he can be (totally held my breath!).
Chris and Sara have a tremendous amount of heat together. There are several erotic scenes (more so than book one) and more of the pleasure/pain issues are touched upon. Chris is powerful, dominating, and commanding, and Sara craves it even though she hates to admit it.
I have to say, I loved Mark in this. He intrigues the heck out of me! In book one I wanted to slap him but this book seemed to show a slightly different side of him and I just wanted to know more. He had some sweet, caring moments. At the end, his nicer moments with Sara made sense to me. He has his own torment he deals with and we learn why. It made him more real to me, not someone who is just all dominance and power, but someone who is more human and flawed.
The last 25% was all drama, drama, drama and I couldn't put the book down. There is closure about Rebecca but questions about Ella and Chris still remain. The book ends without a major cliffhanger, it’s more of an opening for the third book where we learn Chris’ deep dark secrets.
Drama, intensity, passion, and love - this story had it all!
legz02's review
3.0
While Being Me picked up exactly where If I Were You ended (with a gigantic cliffhanger), I felt like the mystery aspect of the novel wasn't thoroughly explored by LRJ and the outcome of the novel (which, sadly was expected) was a little too rushed. At the end, the reader is still left with so many questions about the how and why of it all. This was a little disappointing for me. I don't know if maybe LRJ was a little too ambitious with trying to write an erotic mystery. Maybe just sticking to one or the other might have been a bit more successful.
What I will say though is that I want a Chris Merit for myself...please and thank you. I don't care if he's utterly fucked up. His hotness just oozes and sizzles off the pages. *Fans self*.
Somewhere between 3.5 & 3.75 for me.
What I will say though is that I want a Chris Merit for myself...please and thank you. I don't care if he's utterly fucked up. His hotness just oozes and sizzles off the pages. *Fans self*.
Somewhere between 3.5 & 3.75 for me.
isabelisalright's review
5.0
Original Review
Ever fall in love with a series? I'm in love with the Inside Out Trilogy. I honestly can't get enough of it so did Being Me satisfy my cravings for this series?
We resume right where we left off in the last book which means that terrible cliff hanger was resolved. THANK GOODNESS! We see a lot of plot movement in book two and development between characters. Most of the narrative actually revolves around revealing more about Chris and Sara in the best of ways. We knew Sara had something from her past haunting her and that is revealed in this book same goes for Chris. Which was essential for me to feel satisfied. Also you aren't left on such a big cliffhanger this time instead the ending is a major payoff to someone who is invested in this story.
The things I loved about this book are numerous so I'm going to try and keep it short. Obviously the huge character development stuff that happens between Chris and Sara was amazing. I also died laughing during some portions of the book including a gummi bear joke which put the biggest grin on my face. Another thing is I liked that this book took some of the focus off Rebecca and instead on development of the characters. Including characters that I think deserve more attention like Mark Compton. One reveal at the end left me with my mouth hanging open because I honestly did not expect it at all. Keeping me on my toes when reading this series is a huge plus.
Dislikes? I really dislike how finicky Sara can be as a character. I also don't get why she hide her secret so much I'm not sure I would have done the same in her shoes is all. I find some of the situations she gets into a little contrived but overall they end up adding to the story so I guess it's okay in the end.
Overall I have a hard time really knocking off anything for my dislikes in this book becuase I just love this series. Lisa Renee Jones really knows how to write a good series that keeps you wanting more and that is not an easy thing to do. 5/5 stars for me and I highly recommend it if you enjoyed the first book.
Ever fall in love with a series? I'm in love with the Inside Out Trilogy. I honestly can't get enough of it so did Being Me satisfy my cravings for this series?
We resume right where we left off in the last book which means that terrible cliff hanger was resolved. THANK GOODNESS! We see a lot of plot movement in book two and development between characters. Most of the narrative actually revolves around revealing more about Chris and Sara in the best of ways. We knew Sara had something from her past haunting her and that is revealed in this book same goes for Chris. Which was essential for me to feel satisfied. Also you aren't left on such a big cliffhanger this time instead the ending is a major payoff to someone who is invested in this story.
The things I loved about this book are numerous so I'm going to try and keep it short. Obviously the huge character development stuff that happens between Chris and Sara was amazing. I also died laughing during some portions of the book including a gummi bear joke which put the biggest grin on my face. Another thing is I liked that this book took some of the focus off Rebecca and instead on development of the characters. Including characters that I think deserve more attention like Mark Compton. One reveal at the end left me with my mouth hanging open because I honestly did not expect it at all. Keeping me on my toes when reading this series is a huge plus.
Dislikes? I really dislike how finicky Sara can be as a character. I also don't get why she hide her secret so much I'm not sure I would have done the same in her shoes is all. I find some of the situations she gets into a little contrived but overall they end up adding to the story so I guess it's okay in the end.
Overall I have a hard time really knocking off anything for my dislikes in this book becuase I just love this series. Lisa Renee Jones really knows how to write a good series that keeps you wanting more and that is not an easy thing to do. 5/5 stars for me and I highly recommend it if you enjoyed the first book.
cowmingo's review
4.0
Well I immediately bought the last book after finishing this one because I had to know. And I paid waaaaaaay more than the others but I don't care. Had to have it. Love Chris Merit. Mmm mmm good.
blklitmagic's review
4.0
I really like the story....
the only thing I will say is that I think the line of pleasure and pain and how Chris uses pain to cope though everyone uses coping mechanisms I think how BDSM is viewed in pop culture it's problematic because it's reinforcing the idea that people in BDSM are messed up. So I think if there was a stronger narrative of how BDSM is outside who these people are, and their circumstances I think it would be less harmful.
Other than that everything is riveting and meaningful.
the only thing I will say is that I think the line of pleasure and pain and how Chris uses pain to cope though everyone uses coping mechanisms I think how BDSM is viewed in pop culture it's problematic because it's reinforcing the idea that people in BDSM are messed up. So I think if there was a stronger narrative of how BDSM is outside who these people are, and their circumstances I think it would be less harmful.
Other than that everything is riveting and meaningful.
odet137's review
5.0
Omg, I loved this book more than the first one. I loved the suspence and mystery. Can't wait to see what book three will reveal.