Nash is about to head to college on a baseball scholarship when a senior prank goes wrong. His punishment is community service for the local youth club, where he is assigned to teach music—a punishment that turns out to be life-changing (in a good way).
Cassidy is Nash’s OurSpace pen pal (are people still called pen pals if they communicate solely through social media messaging, and using a handle rather than their actual names?). She’s a couple of years younger than Nash, and is pursuing a music career at the behest of her pushy mother.
The two hide behind the anonymity of social media to share their true selves, and I loved the way the author brought them together online while they lived their separate lives.
But when OurSpace goes the way of MySpace, their friendship effectively ends because they have no other sway of contacting each other—they haven’t even shared their real names.
That, of course, can’t be the end of the story …
The two meet in real life a few years later when they both earn a spot on a reality TV show searching out America’s next country music star. Of course, the reader knows who they are, but they don’t … (and that would potentially be a spoiler if it wasn’t included in the book description).
Anyway, that gives the story plenty of forward tension as we wait for Nash and Cassidy to discover what we already know.
The story takes place over longer time scale than most novels—years, rather than weeks or months—but that fits with the story, given their ages when the story started. It fit the characters and the story, and anything faster would have felt wrong.
I loved this story.
I loved the slow burn of the romance. I loved the longer timescale, and the way it gave readers the chance to watch Nash and Cassidy grow and mature, and turned what could have been an average young adult romance into a more powerful story.
Wrapped Up In You is the second book in a series. I haven’t read the first (Fall When You’re Ready) but didn’t think I missed anything.
Thanks to the author and NetGalley for providing a free ebook for review.
About Jennifer Carr
Having always enjoyed books, writing, and daydreaming, Jennifer wanted to know what it would feel like to combine the three and write a book. Once she started writing, everything changed. Within a matter of months, she had multiple projects started and found a love for writing in a way she never knew was possible.
Married to her childhood best friend and the mom of a creative daughter, Jennifer enjoys the quiet life on their farm in Alabama, baking, and reading romance novels.
Find Jennifer Carr online at:
About Wrapped Up In You
Nash Montgomery is always up for a good time. But when a senior prank goes too far, his baseball scholarship is put at risk, threatening the future everyone expects him to follow. The consequences earn him community service at a local youth center where he discovers a passion that defies the path he thought had been laid out for him.
Cassidy is a talented musician trapped under the weight of her mother’s ambitious dreams for her. Desperate to carve out her own identity, she struggles to find her voice amidst the noise of others’ expectations.
Their worlds collide in Nashville when both earn a spot on Real American Country, a new reality TV competition for aspiring country stars. As they navigate the pressures of the spotlight, they’ll have to decide if they’re chasing their own dreams—or someone else’s. And along the way, they’ll discover that getting wrapped up in the right person can bring out the best in themselves.
Wrapped Up in You is a heartwarming tale about breaking free from the expectations of others, finding love, and discovering that the best path is the one you create for yourself.
Carla Laureano is the RITA® Award-winning author of contemporary inspirational romance and Celtic fantasy (as C.E. Laureano). A graduate of Pepperdine University, she worked as a sales and marketing executive for nearly a decade before leaving corporate life behind to write fiction full-time. She currently lives in Denver with her husband and two sons, where she writes during the day and cooks things at night.
Rachel Magee writes rom-coms and women’s fiction with relatable characters, witty dialogue, and plenty of happily-ever-afters. Her stories are usually set in fun, sunny locations where she doesn’t mind spending lots of time ‘researching’. When she’s not out scouting the setting of her next book, you can find her at home in The Woodlands, Texas with her amazing husband and their two adventurous kids.
Emily Dana Botrous lives in San Diego, California with her husband and their four children. She lived in 10 states before she settled on the West Coast where she plans to stay for awhile. She started writing short stories at age 10 and studied English in college. The only thing she enjoys more than writing is motherhood.
