Until Friday Night (The Field Party #1) by Abbi Glines

Hey Everyone!

I'm on a roll!  Third book in the last month!  Not bad for me!

I received some books from my amazing husband for my birthday on Monday.  I had had this one, and the three others he got me, on my Amazon wishlist; I add books once in a while usually to get myself when I want something to read.  He really is amazing!! 💖💖.

From Goodreads:

To everyone who knows him, West Ashby has always been that guy: the cocky, popular, way-too-handsome-for-his-own-good football god who led Lawton High to the state championships.  But while West may be Big Man on Campus on the outside, on the inside he's battling the grief that comes with watching his father slowly die of cancer.

Two years ago, Maggie Carleton's life fell apart when her father murdered her mother.  And after she told the police what happened, she stopped speaking and hasn't spoken since.  Even the move to Lawton, Alabama, couldn't draw Maggie back out.  So she stayed quiet, keeping her sorrow and her fractured heart hidden away.

As West's pain becomes too much to handle, he knows he needs to talk to someone about his father -- so in the dark shadows of a post-game party, he opens up to the one girl who he knows won't tell anyone else. 

West expected that talking about his dad would bring some relief, or at least a flood of emotions he couldn't control.  But he never expected the quiet new girl to reply, to reveal a pain even deeper than his own -- or for them to form a connection so strong that he couldn't ever let her go...

My Thoughts:

So....I have very mixed feelings about this book.  This is a book that I would have absolutely swooned over when I first started The Romance Bookie, almost 8 years ago.  To be fair, I was also 19 years old.  Having just turned 27 this past Monday, you could say I have grown quite a bit since that time.

I liked the premise of this story.  It was cute, sad, and made me smile throughout.  However, overall the book felt it was just...convenient.  The whole story seemed to be written to convenience the author.  When something came up in story, the author seemed to have it solved within five pages.  Everything seemed rushed, and at times very unrealistic.  This entire story takes place over about two months.

That being said, it was still a guilty pleasure book.  I read the 326 pages pretty quickly, and did want to know what was going to happen next throughout.  But I also always seemed to want more.

I know this is the author's story to tell, so remember this is just my own personal opinions.

But Maggie's character for instance.  Hasn't spoken in TWO YEARS! She witnessed the most horrible thing that anyone could ever witness, her mother being killed by her own father.  She hasn't spoken to anyone.  And because West is going through losing a parent too, she decides to just speak to him?  And within only having a couple of run-ins with him over like 48 hours??!!

West, poor sweet West.  He is going through something horrid himself.  Losing his father, right in front of him.  His hero.  It was tough to read.  I cried.  However, goodness is he controlling!  Like I said, the book spans over like two months, and nothing truly happens between Maggie and him until about half way through, and he already starts showing some pretty alarming controlling tendencies.  Which makes me wonder how that will play out over the time of their relationship.

I don't want to spoil anything for you, but overall, I just felt this book seemed REALLY rushed!  I wish it took place over like a year.  It was hard to imagine progress between Maggie and West's relationship, because there just wasn't enough time for that to happen.

Overall rating:

Let's say two and a half, because I liked the stories idea, and it kept me reading.  But I just was unsatisfied throughout.  The writing seems forced, the characters needed more explaining at times, and overall the whole story like needed way more time.

I have the other two books in the series too, and I am hoping to read them in the near future.  There is also a fourth book coming out next month.  The other books are the in point of view of other characters in the story.

The Romance Bookie :)