REVIEW: 21 Stolen Kisses by Lauren Blakely

21 Stolen Kisses 
by Lauren Blakely
Release Date: May 26th 2015 by Bloomsbury Spark
Pages: 251
Genres: New Adult, Romance, Contemporary
Author's Links: Goodreads, Website, Twitter, Facebook
View/Purchase: Goodreads, Amazon, B&N

When I first met him I resisted. 
Like any forbidden love, I told myself he was a crush, and it would pass.
That was a lie. It never faded.

And I never expected he would fall for me just as hard. 

There were so many reasons that should have kept us apart, least of all, the decade that separated us. Growing up in New York City, I learned early on that love is a double-edged sword. Love broke up my parents, love took away my friends, and love — the big, intense, never-been-like-this-before love — landed me in therapy. Now I’m heading to college, and it’s time to give love a clean slate again. But, can I really start over when he’s still in my life Because the one man I’ve always wanted, is also the only guy I absolutely can’t have…And he wants me just as fiercely.

Can I settle for anything less than the love of my life?
(Synopsis taken from Goodreads)

My Review:

21 Stolen Kisses is a story about love and second chances.

After reading the synopsis I was intrigued, there was just something that pulled me in. Needless to say, I was happy to have gotten the chance to read an early copy of the book. The story follows a young girl, Kennedy, who is 17 at the time. She has grown up in New York City with her mom, a well known writer. Having grown up surrounded by her mother's agent and those that work for her, Kennedy never imagined herself falling for the very man that has helped her mom achieve success. After her father divorced her mom, she has had trouble trusting people, and after a series of events she ends up seeing a therapist. It is not after she starts to realize that she wants the relationship that she had with her mom's agent back that she discovers the secrets that those around her have hidden from her, especially her mother. There is a lot of guilt that she has hold on to, but thanks to her best friend, she discovers a way to make things right and find who she really is. Noah wasn't expecting to fall in love with one of his client's daughter, but he can't seem to stay away from Kennedy. Ever since she broke up with him, he has been devastated, yet he understand why she did it. With that in mind, he is willing to fight for her no matter what it takes to get her back.
I really liked the story, it was well written and the characters are relatable. Although I did have issues with how the story was set up, it went from past to present throughout the book that made it a bit confusing. The story itself starts a bit off, as readers we don't technically know who Kennedy is talking about right away. She is basically describing events, and how she meets the guy of her dreams, but we don't know his name until later. Throughout the book, we just see her reflecting on the past, and not so much on the present. I liked the overall story, there is definitely character development between Kennedy and Noah. They both grow as they experience the pain of heartache, and learn from their mistakes. There is chemistry between them, in several of flashbacks we find out how they started to grow closer and learn about their past relationship. Overall, I would recommend reading 21 Stolen Kisses, we get the romance, sweet scenes, and a great ending. :)

*ARC provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.*

My Rating: 

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