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Laney Walker is basically a tomboy while she grows up with her best friend Evan. Then, one day he finally gets through to her. She realizes that she is an extremely lucky girl to have grown up with the hottest, sweetest guy ever. Well, she didn’t realize it on her own, it took the formerly mentioned hot guy kissing her to realize it. So, then they go off in this perfect romantic world for a little while where Laney and I swoon over Evan every five seconds. I was off crying to Steph about how Evan and Laney’s relationship solidified my forever alone status only about 50 pages into the book. That’s how much I loved Evan. But, of course, they have to be separated. For college. My heart was already hurting because I knew the la-la land parts were over. Time for the pain and drama.
Couple nights after being on campus, Laney’s new roommate, Bennett convinces her to do a Hall Crawl. Cue Dane. Hot damn, I already knew Dane would be trouble with those model looks and the way Laney was so drawn to him. Basically, he kinda forces himself into her life in the best way possible. Actually, him along with Tate, his brother, and Sawyer, Tate’s roommate, somehow integrate themselves into Laney’s life. By the end of the book, all the boys, Bennett, and Laney are their own little family. I love all the boys. I wasn’t really sure about Dane, but I mean come on, he’s mysterious, badass, passionate, and hot. I gave in even though I felt just as inexplicably guilty as Laney about the whole thing. I say inexplicably guilty because her and Evan aren’t technically in a relationship anymore, since she broke it off to spare excessive pain. That’s the thing about this book though, I felt every emotion that Laney felt. I have a lot in common with her, and when I finally ever do move out I hope I find a little niche where I belong just like she did minus all the hot guy drama. Maybe. But, seriously, I felt really connected to Laney. We’re both very guarded and we’re both at turning points in our lives. I understood all the decisions she made, and I think I would have the same mature thoughts if I was in her shoes.
The best part about this book? Well, second best part really since the first is the two sexy men fighting for Laney. The second best part of this book is that it switches points of view between Laney, Evan, and Dane. I loveddd that. It made the choice between the two all the worse because we get to witness firsthand their undying love for Laney. I wouldn’t want to be her. All three of the characters have been through so much pain even outside this love triangle. So, I really want things to work out for each of them; they definitely deserve it. Next, this book can get funny. I was definitely giggly throughout it. Don’t ask why. And lastly, I love going on this journey of Laney’s self-discovery. She stops being oblivious to the world and she gets to live. I was happy for her. I couldn’t get enough of this book. It hooked me from the very beginning. I feel like I’ve warned you enough about how emotional it gets, and I’m pretty unemotional to tell you the truth. Now, there are lots of debates about this ending. Yes, the ending that killed me. Some say it’s a cliffhanger and others don’t. I can’t spoil anything. The best way to explain it is that Laney does make a decision in the end. I will not say whether or not I agreed with it. BUT, the part that killed me is what happened and what will happen to the guy she didn’t choose, which was the cliffhanger part to me. Thank goodness for sequels; and, of course S.E. Hall’s geniusness. Dying for the next one…
Interview with S.E. Hall
S.E. Hall: This is a story I originally did not plan to tell, but found that the few I have shared it with are so receiving, that I will go ahead. My oldest daughter suffered an extreme loss, so I started a journal, because my daughter wasn’t ready to talk, and I had to get some feelings out. One day, she asked to read the journal, and laughed at how many of her smart mouth retorts I found funny, smiled at how much I admired her strength. She made the comment, “man, you make me sound so cool. I’d make a great character in all those books you read,”…and an idea was born. Laney is not exactly like my daughter, obviously there are scenes I had to come up with all my own, but there are many similarities.
Romance Addict-Tricia: When you started writing the story did you already know who she was going to end up with? Or did you find out as you went along like Laney did? I honestly didn’t; the story really did start to write itself.
S.E. Hall: I had the beginning mapped out exactly, but the rest evolved.
Romance Addict-Tricia: Were any of the events or characters in Emerge inspired by any of your real-life experiences or friends?
S.E. Hall: Yes, again, Laney is very similar to my oldest daughter, and so many of the other characters were written with someone in mind; Evan, Dane, Parker and Zach are all loosely based on someone in our lives, maybe just how they look, or something I’ve heard them say, or the friend they are to my daughter…but yes, there’s definite inspiration.
Romance Addict-Tricia: I have to ask, what is your favorite Disney movie?
S.E. Hall: Oh gosh, VERY tough one. If you’re making me pick just one, I’ll go with The Little Mermaid.
Romance Addict-Tricia: So, when you say that the sequel is going to be Evan’s story, does that mean it’ll be solely from his point of view? Or will it be from multiple points of views like in Emerge? *fingers crossed for multiple POVs*
S.E. Hall: There will be multiple POVs in Book 2; definitely three, if not four…I’m still debating.
Romance Addict-Tricia: Do you have a target date for the sequel?
S.E. Hall: Oct 1
Romance Addict-Tricia: Do you plan on writing anything outside of Laney, Evan, and Dane’s world?
S.E. Hall: Book 3 will be Sawyer’s book, and I do have two other, unrelated books almost done as well, both NA genre as well.
Romance Addict-Tricia: As an indie author who seemingly came out of the blue, but yet totally blew me away, do you have any advice to any other aspiring authors?
S.E. Hall: Oh wow, thank you! My advice is- overwrite. Write every day, anything you can, then go back and change, take out, shorten, etc. Do not taper yourself in the beginning, let it all flow. It is very hard to add good stuff, simple to take away.
Romance Addict-Tricia: Last question, any books you’ve read recently that you would recommend to try to get over my Emerge book hangover of course. Trick question ☺
S.E. Hall: I read so much, and there’s so many…I will say, I recommend Inevitable by Angela Graham, which I had the honor of being her Critique Partner on, for anyone who enjoys a true, slow buildup romance. My other all-time favorites are My Favorite Mistake, a NA romance that gets me every time and The Neighbor From Hell series, so sexy and hilarious! I love good humor with my hot, so I have to throw in Wallbanger and Tangled. Honestly, I rewrote this ten times because I has so many ☺ but we’ll stick with this.
Romance Addict-Tricia: Thank you so much for the interview! We hope to see you on the blog again! Keep us updated :)
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Thank you very much for your very generous giveaway.
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