Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

    Only $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

    Unavailable
    Stay with Me: A Novel
    Unavailable
    Stay with Me: A Novel
    Unavailable
    Stay with Me: A Novel
    Ebook392 pages7 hours

    Stay with Me: A Novel

    By Sandra Rodriguez Barron

    3.5/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this ebook

    “Stay With Me accomplishes all we might ask of a novel….It reminds readers what great pleasures and surprises are to be found inside such rare, fine, and atmospheric novels when we’re lucky enough to find them.”
    —Laura Kasischke, author of In a Perfect World

     

    Stay With Me by Sandra Rodriguez Barron is a gripping and deftly written novel about the meaning of family and the bonds that create one’s history. Provocative and character-rich, Stay With Me grippingly explores the mystery behind the pasts of five toddlers who were stranded on a boat and left drifting in the ocean, and the aftermath, many years later. Literary giant Isabel Allende has raved about this author’s work, saying, “Rodriguez Barron’s exuberant prose yields an immensely entertaining reading experience.”
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHarperCollins
    Release dateNov 30, 2010
    ISBN9780062030580
    Unavailable
    Stay with Me: A Novel
    Author

    Sandra Rodriguez Barron

    Sandra Rodriguez Barron is the author of The Heiress of Water, winner of the International Latino Book Award for debut fiction. The recipient of a Bread Loaf Fellowship and a National Association of Latino Arts and Culture Grant, she was born in Puerto Rico, lived in the Dominican Republic and El Salvador, and now lives with her family in Connecticut.

    Read more from Sandra Rodriguez Barron

    Related to Stay with Me

    Related ebooks

    Suspense For You

    View More
    View More

    Related podcast episodes

    Related articles

    • Article

      Cherie Jones

      Jan 7, 2021

      Cherie Jones
      3 min read

    • Article

      Her Dark Material

      Feb 7, 2021

      Paradise Beach, Barbados, in the 1980s. The powdery sand is the palest pink, the water is the regulation limpid blue, the coconut palms sway, but behind the tourist postcard lies another world, a mostly black world of poverty, violence and desperatio

      2 min read

    • Article

      Crime Book Of The MONTH

      Jul 21, 2021

      by Lesley Pearse (Penguin, RRP $37) “Neighbours, everybody needs good neighbours,” goes the slightly annoying theme song to the long-running Aussie soap. It’s a message the neighbours in this book seem to have missed. Young couple Nina and Conrad Bes

      1 min read

    • Article

      Under the Ackee Tree

      Jun 15, 2019

      If you’re the only son of uptown Kingston parents, then you will have options. You can take Daddy’s Datsun or Mummy’s new ’68 VW and fly past street urchins who sell bag juice and ackee at red lights down Hope Road to pick up Reyha or Sanya or Cherie

      27 min read

    • Article

      Troubled Water

      Jul 1, 2021

      Troubled Water
      7 min read

    • Article

      Bring Up The Bodies

      Mar 13, 2020

      Bring Up The Bodies
      9 min read

    • Article

      THE DOS & DON’TS OF Helping migrants at sea

      Jul 22, 2021

      Just before midnight, Tim Herbert-Smith was roused from his bunk. He was helping deliver Seren, an Ovni 395, from Leros in the eastern Mediterranean to Milford Haven. Earlier that day they had left Almeria heading for the Straits of Gibraltar. The sk

      8 min read

    • Article

      Out Of The Deep

      Jul 31, 2018

      Out Of The Deep
      13 min read

    • Article

      Alabama Reporter Discovers Possible Wreckage of the Clotilda, the Last Slave Ship to Reach US

      Jan 25, 2018

      Daylight faded quickly as Ben Raines' 22-foot boat, the Auriculatus, slid through the chilly waters of the Mobile-Tensaw River Delta. Normally, Jan. 2 would be a bad day for boating. It was 25 degrees in lower Alabama, thanks to the "bomb cyclone" we

      4 min read

    • Article

      A Turn For The Worse

      Jan 1, 2019

      A Turn For The Worse
      7 min read

    • Article

      What’s In The Water

      May 10, 2019

      What’s In The Water
      7 min read

    • Article

      Lost & Found

      Aug 31, 2015

      Lost & Found
      13 min read

    • Article

      WRECKommendations

      Jan 19, 2017

      Fatal Crossing: The Mysterious Disappearance of NWA Flight 2501 and the Quest for Answers Written by V.O. van Heest On the night of June 23, 1950, Northwest Orient Airlines Flight 2501, operating its daily transcontinental service between New York Ci

      7 min read

    • Article

      Lost In The Pandemic

      Nov 20, 2020

      Lost In The Pandemic
      13 min read

    • Article

      Lost In The Pandemic

      Nov 20, 2020

      Lost In The Pandemic
      13 min read

    • Article

      Native Nevada

      Jun 6, 2023

      Native Nevada
      7 min read

    • Article

      Special Report

      Sep 8, 2022

      Special Report
      5 min read

    • Article

      The Texas Checkpoint That Forces Migrants Into Dangerous Terrain – And Death

      Sep 20, 2021

      Just off US highway 281, south of a spit of a town called Encino in Brooks county, there’s a cross made of wind-strewn flowers tied to a utility pole marking the spot where 10 undocumented migrants were killed last month when the speeding van carryin

      4 min read

    • Article

      Fault Line

      Mar 24, 2022

      Fault Line
      22 min read

    Reviews for Stay with Me

    3.5/5

    25 ratings24 reviews

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words

    • 2/5
      What starts from an interesting premise, five Dominican toddlers abandoned in the 1970's on a luxury boat in Puerto Rico after a hurricane get together 30 years later when one of them is terminally ill, gets bogged down in repetitious and obvious examples of the children (now adults) problems maintaining intimate relationships. Throw in a little guilt (over unrelated events) by the nun and other woman who facilitated the children's exit from the Dominican Republic and a few ancestral spirits. Basically this is a story of love and duty and family, but it feels like it will never end.Thanks to LTER program for an opportunity to read and review this book.
    • 4/5
      Overall, this story of 5 children found abandoned and their life-long connection to each other, was very interesting and captivating. Their unanswered questions of their beginnings affected each to different degrees. As the reader, I think there were still some parts of their past that were not covered fully or in depth. But I guess that's what a good book should do...leave you wanting more.
    • 4/5
      I enjoyed this book. It stuck with me even after I put it down and I could not wait to pick it up again. The story of the five abandoned toddlers really resonated with me because I myself have a 2 year old and I could not imagine abandoning her. So while reading the book I kept coming back to what had happened to them when they were toddlers.The book follows the 5 toddlers, now adults, after one of them, David, finds out he has terminal brain cancer. The diagnosis drives him to want to find out exactly what happened years ago and why his siblings and himself were abandoned on a boat in Puerto Rico.This book was a hypnotizing read. I was so caught up in wandering what was going to happen next. It was fast paced but not so much that I was on the edge of my seat the whole time. There was just enough mystery to keep me intrigued while still allowing other parts of the story to be told. Everything flowed together perfectly and I was never left confused or needing to reread a few pages to understand something. This book seems like the perfect beach read and I recommend it anyone who needs a book that balances intrigue and mystery perfectly with romance and drama.
    • 4/5
      Thirty years ago, five toddlers were found alone in a luxury boat tied up to a dock in Puerto Rico after a devastating hurricane. o one knew who they were or where they came from. Now adults, raised by different families but connected by a special bond, David, Taina, Holly, Adrian, and Raymond have always considered themselves siblings, even if their blood relations were unknown.I liked this story - I thought it was interesting and unique. I liked that it was told from different perspectives and in different periods of time. In a couple places, I felt like the style changed a little too abruptly - like there were two different authors writing the book. But I liked the characters - for the most part - and I liked getting to know them.
    • 4/5
      I enjoy this type of novel--getting to know an entire 'family' and the dynamics of their relationships. The background story is fairly unique--5 orphans abandoned, their parentage remaining unknown, but maintaining their close-knit 'family' regardless of shared genes. Each of the 5 children have their own issues to deal with, on top of the realization that 1 of them is dying. They battle with the dilemma of whether they should investigate their past or be happy with their naturally-formed family bond. They have lived 30+ years not knowing if there was any blood relation between them, will a DNA test change any of that? I truly enjoyed the read and getting to know the characters, leaving me wanting to continue following the family and see how they do in the future.
    • 4/5
      In "Stay With Me" Barron created a story that had everything. It has wonderfully written characters. Throughout the book, I felt myself growing closer to the "siblings" just because they were so well developed. The book made me laugh out loud a few times, as well as making me cry a few times as well. I has a little bit of trouble getting through the very beginning, but after those first few pages, I found it very difficult to put the book down. I highly recommend it to anyone.
    • 4/5
      In the aftermath of a hurricane, a luxury boat docks at an unused, unfinished marina in Puerto Rico. A blond woman and three Latino men slip off the boat unnoticed. When the boat is discovered by authorities, there are five babies and toddlers on board. The abandoned children are wearing beautiful clothing and look well cared for. An investigation is launched into the children's origins but no one ever comes forward to claim them. Each of them is eventually adopted into their own family but they retain a sense of family with each other, the Starfish Children, so named because of the faint green drawing of a starfish on each tiny hand. Despite the fact that they have no knowledge of their biological family and that they grew up in different families far apart, David, Taina, Holly, Adrian, and Raymond consider themselves siblings. So when David, now in his early thirties, is diagnosed with glioblastoma multiforme, an aggressive type of brain cancer, the group cannot say no to his desire that they all reunite at his ex-girlfriend Julia's family cottage on one of the Thimble Islands off the coast of Connecticut.What none of the others know is that David's tumor has started causing him to have flashbacks to the time before the hurricane and he wants them to dig into their past and finally know the truth about their origins. David wants to give each of them a solid history like the one that Julia, his ex-girlfriend and the woman he is determined to marry, has. Each of the Starfish Children has emotional baggage as a result of their unknown past and as David faces his own mortality, he needs to help everyone confront the demons. Taina is married to a stockbroker turned detective but her fear of intimacy is driving them towards a divorce regardless of how much her husband wants to save their marriage. Holly is married with three young boys but she can't stop the ache she feels at her lack of a daughter, especially one who looks like her rather than like her husband and red-headed sons. Adrian is a rising singing star who bounces from woman to woman, making certain that no one gets too close or too needy. Raymond is a cook who battles alcoholism and a rather lonely existence. David is a naturalist who loves the out of doors but who lost Julia after a six-year live-in relationship because he was unable to take the next step into marriage.As David fights against his cancer, he pulls his struggling siblings to his heart, counting on the fact that despite their issues with others, they have such a deep connection to each other that they will reunite for a week of enforced family togetherness in the magic that is Julia's family home. And he is partially right. As the distant and historical past swirls around them in the Griswold home, more than just a curiousity about their shared past comes to the fore and there are manifestations of the dysfunctions that populate all families.The narration is shared between characters and an omniscient narrator who focuses in turn on the different siblings in the course not only of the week in Connecticut but also through David's battle with cancer and on their home lives. This truly fills the novel with an ensemble cast. David and Julia, as the two characters most fully invested in David's care, are the most completely developed and central to the plot but each of the characters is individual, well-rounded, and real. The mystery of the origins of the siblings is interesting but not the only thing that drives the plot and keeps the reader turning the pages. Wanting to know if the siblings can maintain their family relationship in the face of the truth's potential and the devastation of David's prognosis is even more engaging. The last couple of chapters are simply beautifully written. Relationships, the family we make, the importance of history, and the power of love are all important themes here. This was a lovely read.
    • 3/5
      If the blurb for this book had been different, I might have enjoyed it more. Instead, it made me expect something the book was not particularly interested in delivering. "Thirty years ago, five toddlers were found alone in a luxury boat...after a devastating hurricane. No one knew who they were or where they came from." One of them gets cancer which triggers flashbacks of before they were found and he wants to figure out where they came from, so he gets them all together at his ex-girlfriend's house to figure it out. Now, from that information, I expected for the book to be a description of their investigation, with clues revealed along the way that prompt some kind of emotional catharsis. Instead, the narrative mainly focuses on David's diagnosis with cancer, his lame attempts to get his ex-girlfriend back, and everyone's messed-up intimacy issues. No real revelations come until the last 80 pages of the 369-page book; however, and it is only then that the book starts to get interesting. It isn't nearly compelling enough to make up for the time I spent slogging through the first three quarters, but I did read that last part in one sitting, and way, way past my bedtime as well. If you are a fan of emotional drama and family interactions, you might enjoy the whole thing, but if you are more interested in the mystery of the abandoned children, read the prologue and then skip to Part III.One other note: The book is written in the first person when told from David's perspective, but third person omniscient when focusing on anyone else. From a few of the errors in this ARC, I think the author had originally written the entire thing first person, but alternated narrators. The switching back and forth was probably too jarring, and it was a good call to switch to third, but I could also have done without David's inner musings as well. It doesn't make him any more of a sympathetic character and it's still pretty jarring.
    • 2/5
      I have never seen an advance copy of a book so rife with typos. I understand that it's an "uncorrected proof" but this book looked like it had never even been in the same room as an editor. I tried not to let that get in the way of the story however, as I assume that the typos, at the very least, will be corrected before the book is actually published. If not, perhaps Harper would like to hire me as a proofreader.Even trying to overlook the glaring mistakes in the text, I had a hard time with this book. I did find myself pulled into the story at some points, but overall I found this book to be trite (especially some of the dialogue) and poorly thought-out. The characters are flat and behave inconsistently and unrealistically. Add to that an ending that was far too neat, and this book was very disappointing.
    • 4/5
      Five children, under the age of four, are seemingly abandoned in a boat in Puerto Rico after a hurricane. After being found, though unidentified, each child is placed in a foster home and eventually adopted into separate homes. Thirty years later they reunite on a special vacation and explore issues of love, family, memories and personal histories.Are they related or not? Should they find out? Does it matter? The five already have a bond of family among themselves despite their having lived separate and very different lives growing up. They suspect they have different parentage, but have no real documented way of finding out. Will the knowledge they may not be related be an excuse for them to drift apart as they try to sort out their adult lives? Or will their unique past be stronger than the ties of blood?This is a beautifully written book with well developed characters. I found Barron’s style engaging – always pulling me forward. There is a variety of unlikely personalities interwoven in meaningful ways to form a complex story from beginning to end. The ending is complete, and despite some sadness, entirely satisfactory. “Memory, after all, is a place both the living and the dead can inhabit. Days overlap, laughter commingles, a bottle of scotch is passed around for a century. Memory is a trick whereby a sip of tea can be tasted by seven generations of women sitting in the same chair and drinking from the same cup at the same moment. And when each person’s light is released, it is witnessed, registered, learned from, honored.” Recommended.
    • 3/5
      After a devastating hurricne, five toddlers, three boys and two girls, are found in an abandoned boat in Puerto Rico. The children have no identifying information, and they can't talk yet. There is quite a bit of media attention, but no one comes forward to claim the young children, and they are eventually adopted by families in the United States. Their adoptive families do keep in touch, and the majority of the book deals with the orphaned toddlers' lives as adults. There are many good stories in this book. Too many. The book lacked focus. Also, I never warmed up to any of the characters; no real depth or development of them. I did enjoy the ending, finding out what led up to them being abandoned in that boat, and the death of one of the characters was beautifully written.
    • 4/5
      Sandra Rodriguez Barron deftly weaves a tale of five abandoned children in "Stay With Me". The author's gifted story telling and colorful characters keeps this story from feeling contrived. The result is a beautiful, original chronicle of individuals searching for permanence in a transient world.
    • 4/5
      I received this book as part of the LibraryThing Early Reviewers program. Stay With Me is the story of five children found in boat tied to a dock in Puerto Rico after a 1979 hurricane. We meet the children as now grown-ups in present day. The picture of their current lives and the story of how they came to be in that boat unfolds slowly and carefully telling a touching tale of how understanding our roots affects the course of our lives. When the five siblings gather all together for the first time they are brought together because one of the brothers, David, is diagnosed with a fatal brain tumor. This gathering starts them down the path to finding out their true roots and changes each of them.I highly recommend this book. It is a loving story that you just can't put down.
    • 3/5
      After a hurricane in 1979, five young children were found abandoned on a luxury boat tied up to a dock in Puerto Rico. They were adopted by separate families, but stayed connected and considered each other siblings, All were affected by their abandonment in their own ways. One of the five, David, was diagnosed with brain cancer and brought the five together for a stay in a summer home on a island off the coast of Connecticut. David wanted to start exploring what had happened to them thirty years before, even though he had strong opposition from some of the others. I enjoyed seeing the strong bond and love the five siblings had.
    • 5/5
      David, Adrain, Raymond, Taina and Holly. Five adults who have maintained a very close, familial relationship since 1979. It was then that in the aftermath of a hurricane, five children were found alone on a small boat. Each of the children, all of them under fiver years old, had a starfish drawn on their small hand. They were found after a telephone tip, and local bureaucracy took over. All five of the children found adoptive families and a variety f ways of life. They did, however keep in touch, and considered themselves siblings. When David was diagnosed with an aggressive form of cancer, they came together to support him. They learned that it was a wish of David's that they find out where they came from and if they were related in fact, not just in their hearts. He requested that they all take DNA tests to determine blood relationship, and to try to track down first the woman who called the tip of their arrival in to the police, and then who their birth parents really were. They were not all in agreement with this course of action. Most wanted to leave things as they were. But, knowing that David was unlikely to survive long, made their decision a complicated one. The journey of these five loving and devoted people is as compelling a story as any I have encountered. Fiction, yes.. but the characters are so rich and their lives so interesting and realistic, it is easy to believe that they are real. That their story a true one. Not only do I recommend this book, but I urge you to give yourself the gift of this story. I cannot imagine that anyone will regret the time spent with this wonderful group of individuals.
    • 3/5
      I waited for the release of this book for a long time and it pains me to say that it wasn't

      worth the wait.... I have loved every other book in the series, but this one fell short.


      Calla has lived a hard life. Her appearance is flawed and her mental state is as well. She hides her past from everyone at school, but when things become tough she is forced to return home to a whirlwind of danger, confusion, and love.



      When she goes to her mom's bar and runs face to face with Jax her heart is all kinds of conflicted. She instantly puts her guard up and tries to piece together how this hot, young guy has taken over. As the days pass Jax forces his way into Calla's business. He protects her and eventually she falls for him. Together they face scary situations and work towards building an intimate relationship.



      Overall the storyline was intriguing, but I couldn't connect to the characters... Every time I started to feel for Calla she did something to make me think again. She made poor decisions and some of the scenes were just not believable.



      I wish I could have enjoyed this one, but it just wasn't for me. I highly recommend the others though....

    • 5/5
      4.5 StarsThis was not my favorite so far, but I still loved it. I just never really bought into the relationship between Calla and Jax like I did with previous characters. Jax was still a great guy though. If you love a romance with good guys, this series is so far for you. I did like the positive male roles in this story including the Uncle. It is rare to see males in a postive light sometimes in book series, so this was a nice add in.The previous characters were also thrown in, but I almost wish they were not. Hear me out! I love them, but I feel they were just there to be there. So many serious things were happening, and they were just chilling at the bar or a hotel room. There is no way they would have been that calm around these events unfolding. I did like seeing and hearing about them, but I wish it was done in a different way.The whole story you are set up to really be mad at Calla's Mom. However; the part at the end with her Mom was heartbreaking. This does have triggers for drugs, drug abuse, and violence.It may sound like I did not like this based on the review, but I really did. I just wanted to show why it was a little less than a 5 star for me. Overall, still loving the series!
    • 2/5
      First, I have to say, I love JLA's books. Her Lux series is one of my all time romance scifi favorites. Thats why its painful to say the story on this one fell flat. But...but....I know. Its JLA. How did that happen?It was almost like it was written too fast and made up for by cliched tropes and plot devices. Too many stereotypes (bimbo blonde dancers, hot guys/siblings everywhere you turn, soap opera drug lords) and some really hokey turns of phrase. (totes ma goat?). The writing seemed very young for 20-somethings.The main character, Calla, came across as smart and independent. She was in nursing school and had a life plan, but she made some odd choices. Secure your finances girl. Quit letting things just happen to you!Not to say it wasnt entertaining albeit, not quite believable either. Like I mentioned, the dialog was young for new adult, which for me was indicative of the story being written too fast.I do enjoy her scifi or even paranormal stories but this one wasnt her best. Didnt hate it but didnt love it. Regardless, it wont put me off reading her by any means...and you may find yourself in agreement with the majority of other readers who really loved this story.
    • 4/5
      Jax...wow. He's Jase and Cam combined. It was really good. A little predictable but I liked it a lot.
    • 5/5
      I wasn't expecting to love this book as much as I did. I enjoyed Wait For You, the first book in this series, but didn't love it, and for some reason decided to skip Be With Me, the second book in this series. But something about the Stay With Me synopsis appealed to me and I wanted to give it a chance. And I'm so glad I did. I loved it. So Stay With Me can definitely be read as a standalone. While the other two couples make some appearances, having read their stories prior is not a necessity, though you may want to check out their stories later. But if you have read them before, you'll love their appearances.As for Stay With Me, we are introduced into Calla's world, the life and the upbringing she hasn't shared even with her closest friends. But circumstances beyond her control (aka, her mom stealing from her) force her home to deal with not only her mom's situation, but also the life she left behind years ago. And once she's home she meets the sexy bartender at her mom's bar, Jax. When the severity of her situation comes to light, Jax thrusts himself into Calla's life, whether she likes it or not. And the suspense and craziness of Calla's new situation weaves an exciting path that had me glued until the end.I found the combination and blending between Calla's situation with her mom and the budding relationship between Jax and Calla really well done. Honestly, when I saw the page count of this book, I was concerned that it would drag and be filled with unneeded moments, but it wasn't. And trust me, I looked. But it was all great and all necessary and I have no complaints. Taking this ride with Calla and Jax felt non-stop. I was never bored and felt the action and suspense was completely engaging all the way until the very end.Then there's the relationship between Calla and Jax. I liked the way their story progressed. I didn't love something Jax told Calla initially, but that was my only complaint. Because Jax is a great guy. Like really, really great! The thoughtfulness, the gentleness, the protectiveness, and the tenderness he shows Calla are beautiful and endearing. Even when he screws up, I love how he learns from that situation and becomes a better man. And I loved Calla. While I may not be able to relate to her very difficult background, I could still relate with her insecurities and lack of experience at her age. But I loved her personality and her drive and the way she also learned from her mistakes. Then put Calla and Jax together, and they make not only a great problem-solving team, but also a beautiful, tender, sweet and sexy couple. The way their story comes together is fantastic and I loved it to the very end.
    • 2/5
      Nursing student Calla Fritz has kept her tragic past a secret, but new circumstances force her to return to her home town to recover stolen money. There, she reluctantly comes under the spell of Jax, the former soldier who is running the bar owned by Calla's mother. If Calla ever hopes to recover her stolen money, she must confront the seedy underside of her upbringing. Meanwhile she has the chance to find love if only she is willing to face the scars that have defined her life.Having enjoyed one of Armentrout's paranormal romances, I was looking forward to this New Adult story, which is the fourth installment in her "Wait For Me" series. Though I hadn't read the prior books in the series, this didn't pose a problem. This particular book seems to be loosely enough tied to the others that it stand alone. I was very disappointed at this effort in almost every way. Though the premise is promising, the writing is terrible: annoyingly repetitive and distracting. It was a real slog to get through this book, especially knowing I had so many other quality romance novels waiting on my nightstand. Calla is an irritating protagonist, at age 21 unrealistically juvenile and sniveling. Jax's attraction to her - especially given how "perfect" he is - is kind of ridiculous. He could do much better with a whole lot less baggage. I didn't feel anything for either Calla or Jax. And even Armentrout's romantic scenes - the only halfway decent things about this book - got boring and repetitive.Maybe this a case of an author cashing in on her popularity. If so, I'll pass. Sadly, though I know Armentrout is capable of far better than this fare, this book was so bad I will likely avoid buying any more of her books.
    • 5/5
      Lovers of new adult titles will not want to miss Stay With Me, which is technically titled the third book in the Wait for You series. This was my first experience with J. Lynn, also knows as Jennifer L. Armentrout, and I absolutely loved it! It is worth noting that I had no trouble getting into this story even though I have not read the prior books in this series. Therefore, if you haven't yet had a chance to read the other books in this series, then don't let that stop you from enjoying this one. All that said, once you read this one, I have no doubt that you will want to go back and catch-up with the others. Calla has not had an easy upbringing. Now that she is 21, and attending college, she has goals that include becoming a nurse and making sure she doesn't become anything like her mess of a mother. She is well on her way, when the unfortunate happens and she discovers her mom has not only stolen her college money but also saddled her with a huge credit card bill. Faced with no choice, Calla is forced to go back to her small town to try and resolve her nightmare. To her surprise though, when she returns back home her mother is nowhere to be found but what she does find is Jackson James. Jax is sex on a stick, and he makes it clear from the very beginning that he is interested in Calla. Even offering her a job and help to find her mom. Calla hasn't had much experience with men though, and she definitely has some issues from the past that she will need to resolve before she can let Jax in. Moreover, she soon finds out she is not the only one looking for her mom, and if she doesn't find her soon, she is going to be in even more serious danger.I loved both the suspense and the romance of this book! It definitely held my attention throughout and kept me captivated and focused on finishing it. I can't wait to read more of the Wait For You series.
    • 2/5
      Full disclosure, this is my first Armentrout aka J. Lynn book. I’ve heard wonders about any number of her other works and I was excited to see what all the fuss was about. (I have a copy of Obsidian on my Kindle that I will get to eventually).And um…maybe this is the exception, but I don’t see what all the hype is about. (I’ll still give Obsidian a go though).I’ve read many other new adult books that honestly I enjoyed way better than Stay with Me. (and I can tell from the few snippets with Teresa and the other friend (you’d think the amount of times she fucking mentioned the “adorable couple” I’d remember her name. I don’t) that this series focuses on rape scenarios for some of these girls. That seems to be the first rule when writing a New Adult novel. Which is okay when it’s done right).Let’s start with Calla.Yes, she has scars covering a good part of her body, including one running along her face.And we can’t forget this, because she mentions it at least once per page. At least.I couldn’t stand her pity party. It was constant.If it wasn’t her scars, it was her bitch mom.Her mom.Okay. This woman is a picture perfect representation of why we should never do drugs, people. Not even once! Drugs make you choose them over everything else. And I get that it was the hold the drugs had over her that made her the way she was.But it wasn’t just the drugs that made Mona a terrible mother.It was her lack of mothering whatsoever. She mentions something about how her babies are gone and that is why she needs to stay high all the time. But she must forget that Calla is also her child. She went into this depression and grieved her other children while the one she still had needed a present mother.She needed to get her shit together to be Calla’s proper parent. But Mona, the classy bitch that she is, chose to ignore that. Chased after men and drugs. Just a piece of shit, in my opinion.And that’s why I hate her. Fucking druggies.Jax.He was sweet and understanding and a dude’s dude.But the little secrets he and Calla kept from each other were so petty. Oh, my god. You create more trouble for yourself when you hide shit. For fucks sake.He would over react and Calla would do the same and it was just so dramatic that I rolled my eyes a time or two.The secondary characters were probably my favorite.Clyde, Roxy, and Katie!I need back stories on them, please.I hate that I didn’t enjoy this as everyone else did. Maybe I will read the first two with Teresa and that other girl just to see if they redeem Stay with Me.Stay with Me made me laugh and cry and tugged at my heart strings. But it wasn’t anything special.
    • 4/5
      I wanted to read this because I love JLA and have enjoyed what I have read of her writing as J Lynn. The first two were consuming and I loved the romance and characters. I liked Calla and her voice right away. She was talking about being surrounded by the hot guy brigade: Cam, Jase, Brandon and Ollie. She is Theresa's friend and we got to see them all together for a bit before the bottom drops out of her life and she has to go back home to deal with her mom's mess and hope that she can get back to her life plan. Her mom is long gone by the time she gets there, but she did meet sexy bartender Jax. He flirted with her right away and while she is self conscious because of the scar on her face, she soon realizes that he sees past that. I loved their chemistry and the banter between them. He is such a protector and he hires her because she needs to make some money back, and we see how he tries to shield her from her mom's mistakes. I love seeing all of her firsts fulfilled and the promise of more with her and Jax. Though some of their arguments I can see both sides, but was a bit frustrated at how he went off about trust when there were some things that any person would get irritated about not just someone who doesn't know a lot about relationships. But overall, I really liked them together. There were surely some hot and sexy, steamy scenes in here, and it is so fun to get that perspective from a newbie to relationships much less kissing and more. The situation with her mom added some serious tension and I was good with how they wrapped it all up. I also loved seeing some reappearances of Theresa and Avery with their respective boy toys, um eye candy, urm amazingly awesome other halves. I also enjoyed the presence of Clyde, an older guy from the bar who is so kind to Calla, and has been in her life as a steady adult when not many others were found. He gave her good advice and took her under his wing. This one wrapped up well and I hope to see more glimpses of them in future books!Bottom Line: Another hit J Lynn book. Steamy romance, and great characters,