ARC received in exchange for an honest review.

The following is a completely off the cuff, unfiltered review. Full review coming on my stop of the blog tour.

As if it were ever ANY question, Melissa Brown has proven once again why she is the queen of romance! I've read all of her books multiple times, and like a fine wine, she just gets better and better with age. Just when I think the next book cannot possibly be better than its predecessor, there she goes proving me wrong. This book will make you feel. Ooh how it will make you feel. MB writes women who while at a crossroads in their life, are so incredible headstrong and independent. She writes women that you can relate to, women you want to be friends with, and women who don't take crap from anyone! Women who are dealing with real life issues. While some of the issues may seem trivial compared to others, there can be no comparison when it comes to pain. Pain isn't a contest, and you have every right to feel the way you do. Despite all of this, Auden isn't afraid to go after what she wants.

Through Auden, we are able to go on an adventure of a lifetime. Some authors will write about a locale yet you feel like a spectator. Not MB! She doesn't just simply write about it, she grabs your passport and literally shoves you on the plane. You can taste the pizza in Italy, feel the breeze on your skin as you ride in the gondola, smell the pot as you walk through Amsterdam ;-) But most importantly, throughout this trip, she allows you to not only find yourself but fall in love.

On the outside, this may seem like a cliched romance. Girl goes to foreign country, falls in love, lives happily ever after. If you've ever read a MB book before, you know this simply just isn't the case. Once you scratch through the surface, the depth that lies beneath will have even the blackest of hearts melting. While I thought no character could EVER top Jason Kelly, Campbell has officially thrust himself upon the throne. And he plans to back down for NO ONE! I loved this character not simply because of who and what he was, but more-so of what he wasn't! What he wasn't: full of drama, full of insecurity, full of IT and himself, ashamed to say what was on his mind and how he was feeling, and afraid to call Auden on her bull crap. I loved how he saw through all her walls and said so. I loved how he seemed to know what she was thinking and feeling, sometimes even before she did. I loved the relationship he had with his family, always loyal. But mostly I loved the way he loved her.

It wouldn't be a MB book without a few twists and turns, but those just made the book even more delicious. There is one scene involving a trench coat that STILL has me rolling! I could go on and on about this book til the cows come home. I love the love. MB teaches us that it is never to late to chase your dreams and that sometimes you can't wait for your fairy tale, you have to go make it yourself! ( )