ARC Review: How (Not) to Fall in Love by Lisa Brown Roberts

How (Not) to Fall in Love 
by Lisa Brown Roberts
Released Date: February 3rd 2015 by Entangled: Teen
Pages: 352
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance
View/Purchase: Goodreads, Amazon, B&N
Author's Links: Goodreads, Website, Twitter, Facebook

Seventeen-year-old Darcy Covington never had to worry about money or where her next shopping spree was coming from. Even her dog ate gourmet. Then one day, Darcy’s car is repossessed from the parking lot of her elite private school. As her father’s business hit the skids, Dad didn't just skip town, he bailed on his family.

Fortunately, Darcy’s uncle owns a thrift shop where she can hide out from the world. There’s also Lucas, the wickedly hot fix-it guy she can’t stop crushing on, even if she’s not sure they’ll ever get out of the friend zone. 

But it’s here among the colorful characters of her uncle’s world that Darcy begins to see something more in herself...if she has the courage to follow it.
(Synopsis taken from Goodreads)

My Review:

How (Not) to Fall in Love is a coming-of-age story of a girl that found her true self in the least likely of places. 

Darcy Covington has it all, money, a famous father, and a mother who enjoys the richness that money can buy. But that soon changes the minute her famous father disappears from their lives. No one seems to know where he is, and his company is going bankrupt. Not knowing what to do, she faces the backlash of the media, and the stares of her classmates. It all seems to be falling apart for Darcy, and her mom. She wants her dad back, and with the company taking everything away, she needs to find a way to make money in order to support herself, and her mom. But help comes when she least expects it the minute her uncle, Charlie, offers his help. As a thrift shop owner, Charlie, does not have a lot of money, and that is one of the reasons why his brother, Darcy's dad, completely ignored him for years. Yet, Charlie's personality is one that offers comfort, and laughter to Darcy that she questions why her dad prevented her from seeing her uncle all this time. 

As she starts to spend more time with Charlie, Darcy meets Lucas, a rather charming and handsome guy that works for her uncle. Not wanting to deal with anything that can distract her from finding her dad, she tries her best to stay away from Lucas, but she soon realizes that Lucas might not want to stay away from her after all. There are secrets that they both have, as well as things in common, and the more time they spend together, the more Darcy starts to learn about herself and what's truly important in live. 

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book, the character development was on point! I liked how Darcy and Lucas's relationship took its own time to development without feeling forced at all. They both had to face challenges, but everything is well wrapped at the end. I did, however, had an issue with just how fast the ending was. It felt a bit rushed right at the end, I really would have liked to see a little bit more of Darcy's relationship with Lucas. Needless to say, everything else in the book worked for me. The story is well-written, and the characters are relatable. The story as a whole felt real, and that's what kept me from stop reading it. Now the characters do have their distinct personalities, Lucas is sweet, handsome, and helpful. He is one of those characters that I would love to meet in real life, and his little sister, Pickles, is hilarious. I love the interaction that they have, it shows just how much he truly cares for those around him. On the other hand, Darcy is not stuck up by any means, maybe a little bit in the begging when she gets her car taken away and she is worried more about the embarrassment that has caused her. But she does change over time, she learns to be brave, and accept her new life. She doesn't give up, and at the end, she proves that she is willing to do anything to keep her family together. Overall, I highly suggest reading this book, it will not disappoint. :)

***ARC provided by Entangled: Teen in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.***

My Rating: 4.5/5

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