It’s release day for IF ONLY YOU HURT by Stefanie Castro!
Laney and Grant grew up together, and their lives were intertwined in a way that only made their love for each other blossom. The moment both see a future beyond friendship, tragedy strikes.
Laney James had her life on the right track. She grew up surrounded by love, and as the years passed, her best friend became her soulmate. Unfortunately, life had a different plan, and she didn’t realize the cataclysmic effect that would have on her future. In the span of a few minutes, Laney’s existence shifted into a shell of what it once was, and now she was left to cope and navigate down a path that consumed her with fear and the unknown.
Grant Stanley was always the carefree person who knew no matter what life handed him, he’d tackle it with his best friend nearby. What started as an innocent friendship blossomed into a love he never expected. His movements became centered around whatever outcome would lead to his love for Laney. The moment her life took a drastic turn, his heart had to shift with her. Laney was his everything until one day when she unearths a secret that might destroy the one relationship that meant the world to each of them.
This is a best friends-to-lovers story about heartache, love, and redemption. Laney now lived her adult life realizing the fragility of each moment; however, the pain crippled her ability to see past all she lost on that fateful day. Grant wanted love and she didn’t know how to embrace that.
If only he hurt…
I absolutely loved the If Only series! While I was sad to see it come to an end, I think Stefanie Castro saved the best for last with Grant and Laney’s story! Having read the two previous books, there were many breadcrumbs dropped about these two characters and their friends-with-benefits situationship hinted at. I was so excited to really dive into this book, and I thought that SC did a fantastic job exploring not only their friendship and romance but the nuances of grief, trauma and loss!
Laney survived the unthinkable. She has carried grief and trauma with her every day for the past 12 years. She became a shell of her former self, but Grant was there with every step of the way in her recovery. Steadfast, golden retriever, cinnamon roll Grant. I adored him. And I appreciated how we got to see how he handled the grief of losing their romance as well. These two were on the precipice of changing their relationship forever the day that Laney’s life changed forever, and it took a really long time for them to reclaim what they once had. Years! And while both of them dated in the interim, they each knew that the other was home. A safe place. But when they finally reconnect and move forward, will a secret Laney has been keeping all this time threaten to tear them apart for good?
This book was so well done, told through chapters set in the past and in the present. All three of the If Only books have an overlapping timeline, and it was really interesting to re-read previous scenes from the perspective of Grant and Laney. And I can’t thank the author enough for that lovely epilogue, set 10 years in the future, told from the perspective of the three husbands where we get to see where each of the couples (and their kids) are a decade from now!
I received an advanced copy and voluntarily left a review.
Sunny Shelly Reads 