I’m going to catch some flak for this review, but let me say ahead of time: I get it, guys! I love Brittainy C. Cherry, too! She’s steadily become one of my favorite authors thanks to the emotion she infuses into every story. The first part of Landon & Shay was no exception.

 

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BLURB:
Shay Gable hated my guts, and I hated hers, too.

We went out of our way to avoid one another at all times. When she came my direction, I went the other. When we locked eyes, she’d turn and walk away.

All of that changed the day I was presented with a challenge. It started out as a stupid bet: make Shay fall in love with me before I fell in love with her first.

That was an easy bet for me to win.
I didn’t love, I hardly liked.

Yet slowly the game started to shift. Shay made me crave things I never knew I wanted.
Love.
Happiness.
Her.

The closer we grew, the more she challenged my darkness, and the parts I kept locked away.
The hurts.
The pains.
The truth.

The game between us became too real, our feelings intermixed, and the risks of hurting one another grew higher.

But you know what they say…
All’s fair in the game of love and war—especially the heartbreaks.

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I loved getting to know the characters in this highly anticipated book, as well as catching glimpses of characters I grew to love in Brittainy’s previous novel, Eleanor & Gray. Somehow though, I didn’t feel the connection to Landon and Shay that I hoped to and have experienced in all of Brittainy’s previous books. This may be due to the enemies-to-lovers trope at the helm of this novel, but I just didn’t feel that undying love that I expected. The story felt quite rushed in certain areas and drawn out and repetitive in others, as well.

My main issue with this novel was an overall unpolished feel to it. The words “overthink” and “therefore” were used with such frequency I couldn’t help but start a count of when they were used. This is simply a pet peeve of mine while reading. Though this was an ARC and will likely have some cleanup before publication, I don’t know if these issues will make the cut. This is where Indie books face difficulties their traditionally published counterparts do not, unfortunately.

Now for the good! I think this book conveys strong and important messages that many readers will relate to. The beautiful lines and quotes in this story are abundant, giving this a classic Brittainy Cherry feel. As always, I enjoy the compassion she’s able to weave into her stories and always come away feeling like there is some good left in the world. This author’s heart of gold shines through her writing. Despite my critical review, I am excited to check out Book 2 of this duet and see where the story kicks off on the timeline of Landon & Shay’s life. I have a feeling I will enjoy the post-high school setting quite a bit!

Rating: 3 stars

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