Say You'll Stay

"2/5: There was barely any emotions in this book and it was just so plain and frustrating. The people in Presley's (FL) hometown were so annoying and Presley was even more annoying. I didn't really feel that much chemistry and romance between Presley and Zachary (ML) either and felt like Presley was whiney and ungrateful to the people around her. I felt like I was reading a really basic written fanfic on Wattpad. Only thing I liked was the dual pov thing. "

"So there were a few things about this that kept this from being a good book for me. Throughout the book I felt like everything that was happening wasn't really realistic. Things moved so fast for what had happened.<br/><br/>Presley's husband didn't betray her in the way I had imagined. Instead, this story line about her husband is what makes the rest of it not work. At all. Maybe a few years down the line, but a few short months later? I don't buy it. I get that the author had to make it so the only possible outcome was for Presley to go back home to her parents. She tried to work the anger, sorrow and grieving all into a few short chapters. Reading Presley's inner dialogue about not being ready was getting old. Of course she wasn't ready. I think the first couple chapters had been a prologue with a good chunk of time between that and showing up at her parents, maybe this could have been better. The guilt, anger and sadness wouldn't have been such a deterrent for me, the reader, if it had time to lose it's sharp edge.<br/><br/>This whole thing with Zach leaving Presley behind. It's told like it was his choice to walk away and be done. That's not how it played out. It's how they both view it, as if he walked away without a care. However, Presley had options. Not any great options, but I think in the end, she walked away first. So after reading this little backstory, I started to cringe whenever it was mentioned that her two men left her. She did the leaving the first time. There were times I wanted to slap Zach upside the head so he would remind her she was the first to walk away.<br/><br/>The relationship didn't work for me. Sure, there could be a spark still there. But after everything that happened I couldn't imagine someone just jumping into something that fast. Presley and Todd were married some 16 or 17 years I'm guessing. From Presley's point of view, she did love him. A lot. I'm not sure 6 months is enough time <spoiler>after Todd commits suicide</spoiler> to jump into a relationship, even with the man who was the love of her life.<br/><br/>I think if certain things were changed in this, it would have worked much better. But everything together, this fell apart for me. Nothing was believable and the romance felt forced. The big secret felt like a stretch. The things I did like are not enough to move on to the next book."