Review: When It's Least Expected by Heather Van Fleet

 
When It's Least Expected

Perfect Timing #1

by Heather Van Fleet

Mature YA Romance

Published April 23, 2013

by No Boundaries Press

*Ebook obtained directly from the author in exchange for an honest review*

Synopsis:

Moving on after a tragedy can be impossible – especially when you’ve been dealing with those tragedies for over two years. But it’s her senior year, and Harley Anderson is more than ready to do just that, even though the skeletons in her closet can’t exactly be hidden.

Enter Mason Daniel, the egotistical, sexy, surfer boy from California – a boy with his own hidden demons, and even bigger secret agenda.

Mason isn’t right for Harley. He knows this better than anyone. He’s the epitome of a runner–a guy who takes what he can get, only to split a short while later. But he can’t deny the emotions that Harley brings out of him, so he’s going to break his rules for once.

He should have known what it would lead to… Two kindred souls – both lost and then found. Will they fail, once again, in their search for contentment and happiness, or will they finally find true love, when it’s least expected?

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About Heather:

Heather Van Fleet currently resides in northern Illinois, with her three daughters, Kelsey, Emma, and Isabella, and her fabulous hubby (and high school sweetheart) Chris, with whom she’s been blissfully married to now for ten plus years. She’s a stay at home mom by day, and an avid and completely obsessive writer and reader by night.

Connect With Heather:  Website    Facebook    Twitter 

My Review:

This was such a cute, emotional read... yes, those two words "cute" and "emotional" seem like they should never be used in the same sentence. But that's how I felt when reading. 

I say "cute" because you have absolutely precious characters fumbling through a relationship. But it's definitely emotional because they're both extremely damaged individuals. I sighed, giggled, cringed, teared up, smiled, got angry.... all throughout this novel. 

Harley is a great character - she seems fun but she's also dealing with dark internal struggles because the guilt over her brother losing his leg in an accident eats her up inside. That's not all though - throw in the ex who ended his life... and you've got an emotional mess. She struggles on a day to day basis with anxiety and everything that comes along with it. 

Mason, again, is a great character. I loved this boy. He was my absolutely favorite piece to the entire novel. I love reading from his POV. He's like Harley - fun guy but constantly deals with the fact that he harbors so much guilt over his father's death. He has a rocky relationship with his mom but his rock seems to be his little sister Maisy. That girlie could have her own novel - she's such a stinking cutie pie but, again, is stuck in the middle of her mom's mood swings, her brother's guilt trip, and then the mean girls at school who act like skanks. Maisy & Mason are forced to move with their mom away from the sandy beaches and waves of the Cali coast over to... Nebraska... Now I live in the country. There's a cow pasture right across the road from me and a field behind me. Trust me when I say that moving from the beach to the country - well that would really bite... LoL

All of these characters seem like they grew up too fast emotionally. It makes me sad that they had to deal with such dark issues so early in life when they should've been focused on having fun and living life as teens.

Mason's attraction to Harley makes me smile. From the instant he saw her rear digging around under the bleachers for her key ring, he's hooked. He wants to know more about her... but that feeling throws him off guard because, well, he's Mason! He doesn't DO the girlfriend thing. Ha. 

So, the characters, if you haven't noticed already by my constant chatter, are great. Loved them. 

The plot moves pretty smoothly. There were a few places that were a tiny bit slow but nothing major. I like the plot sequence & I adored how Harley ended up making the jump towards the end of the novel. The Epilogue = priceless. I'm so glad that Heather added that part!! Love it! 

The copy that I have, I think, is an ARC so there are several places where the editing could use some improvements - but again, I think that it's because it's an advanced copy. That's to be expected so definitely not a negative tidbit as far as the novel goes. 

Alrighty... so overall... I'd definitely give this novel a 4 star rating because it was really a great read. I was attached to the characters, I enjoyed the plot, I liked the outcome. If this was a series (I know it's Perfect Timing #1 - but I don't know if #2 and so on will be about these same characters or if they'll introduce others), I'd definitely pick up book 2 as soon as I could simply because I enjoy these characters so much. 

Overall Rating: 4 Stars

Cover Rating: 4 Stars

Characters: 5 Stars

Plot: 4 Stars

Climax: 4 Stars

Ending: 5 Stars