Shy bookstore owner Jane Finch grew up hiding in the margins of her own life while her vibrant, adventure-loving sister, Samantha, dominated every plotline. She’s made peace with it, unlike Sam’s business partner, Caleb, who’s always nudging Jane to go after what she really wants. Why should she care what blunt, brash Caleb thinks? They’ve never had much in common, except for Sam.

After tragedy strikes, they don’t even have that.

Caleb can’t quite remember when Sam’s little sister stopped being like a surrogate sibling to him and became just…Jane. She’s the most intriguing woman he’s ever met, and so much sexier and stronger than she thinks. On the emotional journey to honor Sam’s memory, the spark they’ve tried to deny becomes an inferno. This journey was meant to be an ending, but will they discover an unexpected new beginning? ( )

dnf.
don't have time to read another 'tall'n'dark' and 'shy librarian' book ( )

Perfect. Prime books live up to their name. In an ideal universe , I would want the same ( )

Caleb is a handsome cowboy and Sam's best friend, Sam is the sassy and energetic adventurer, and Jane, Jane is Sam's little sister and resident Plain Jane book owner. Jane has accepted her role, accepted that she's different than her sister, and accepted that her life is most exciting when she's living in a book. She's found a certain kind of happiness, a happiness that works for her, but it's shaken up by Caleb's visit and request. She's adamant about not joining them on a hike, not even for Sam's birthday, but when an unexpected accident occurs Jane finds that the most she can do is just get by. Caleb makes it his mission to bring the old Jane back and spark some of Sam's energy inside of her while he's at it. He joins her on a trip that's as crazy as they come, but together they find out that saying goodbye could also help them start anew.

"'Now, if you were going to imagine the perfeact man for yourself, what would he be like?'
The perfect man."

Talk about a book to get you over your reading slump! I have read so many great books this year and I've tried a lot of new authors, but I've been getting discouraged by what is out there. The stories are all the same and so predictable, so I sort of put off reading Tell Me by Abigail Strom for quite a while. I've filled my time with suspense books and other various activities, but something about this cover, this blurb, sucked me in. It turns out, this was just the right book for me. It's romantic, it's sweet, it's got quite a bit of angst, and it breathes life into the sibling's best friend trope that was growing so old.

"Feeling and sesnation swept through her. Her whole body felt like a frozen limb coming back to life, the blood tingling and smarting as it returned."

I really enjoyed Jane, she's my sort of bookworm. Caleb, on the other hand, is your greatest cowboy fantasy wrapped in a boy. They shouldn't make sense, in fact they really don't make sense, but they work. They each have flaws and great losses to work through, something that only friends who trust one another can work through together. I loved that most of the book focused on their friendship and how Sam is the glue that really holds them together. I really appreciate the focus on sibling jealousy, the natural rivalry that comes with it, and the love that really overpowers it all. It's a unique story and it feels like a true story and not just a bit of fiction. I found myself laughing at them, crying at other times, and really hoping they get the happy ending each so deserves. It's heart wrenching and emotional, but wrapped in a sweet, romantic bow that any sweet romance fan will love. The weight of this novel is the only downside, I really hadn't expected to cry, but ended up appreciating the direction Abigail Strom took the story in. Plus, these two have so much chemistry that it's obvious from the start that they are meant to be.

"His heart squeezed in his chest. You are different. You are special."

Tell Me may feature a simple storyline, but Abigail Strom effectively brings it to life like a movie. The characters are well developed, the book features a really great tie-in of Anne of Green Gables (only my favorite book as a child), and the characters share dynamic interactions and fantastic dialogue. If you're a fan of friends-to-lovers and sibling's best friend romances, Tell Me is a book to check out. ( )

I was a little worried that this book wouldn't have enough time to deal with the pretty weighty issues that it promised to contain--the grief of losing a loved one, the guilt associated with often resenting that same loved one, and two people who really do seem to be pretty opposite finding a way to work things out together--because 1) it wasn't that long and 2) the losing of the loved one doesn't happen until about 1/3 of the way in. How could everything that needs to be done realistically get done in just a few hours of reading?

The answer is by skipping ahead in time, which the author does a few times. Don't worry--though it is a bit disconcerting, ultimately actually ends up working fairly well. Unless my extreme fondness for Anne of Green Gables stepped in, blinding me to all other issues (confession here: I have an Anne hat hanging on my wall at home, with attached red braids and all...and yes, I've worn it--for crazy hat day at school, but still...)

This is entirely possible, I'll be the first to admit.

Still, this was a very sweet book that had me tearing up more than once (sad tears a few times, OMG happy ones at the end) with lovable characters from a new-to-me author that I will absolutely be reading more from in the future.

Rating: 4 stars / B

I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book. ( )