Blog Tour - I Want It That Way by Ann Aguirre + Giveaway

Title: I Want It That Way (2B Trilogy #1)

Author: Ann Aguirre

Publisher: Harlequin HQN

Release Date: August 26, 2014

Source: ARC from Publisher

Buy the Book: Amazon / Book Depository / Indigo / B&N

Nadia Conrad has big dreams, and she’s determined to make them come true—for her parents’ sake as well as her own. But between maintaining her college scholarship and working at the local day care to support herself, she barely has time to think, let alone date. Then she moves into a new apartment and meets the taciturn yet irresistible guy in 1B…

Daniel Tyler has grown up too fast. Becoming a single dad at twenty turned his life upside down—and brought him heartache he can’t risk again. Now, as he raises his four-year-old son while balancing a full-time construction management job and night classes, a social life is out of the question. The last thing he wants is for four noisy students to move into the apartment upstairs. But one night, Nadia’s and Ty’s paths cross, and soon they can’t stay away from each other. 

The timing is all wrong—but love happens when it happens. And you can’t know what you truly need until you stand to lose it. 

“A tender, sweet, and sexy story about how life—and falling in love—can never be planned.”

—Jennifer L. Armentrout, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Wait for You

I’m always on the lookout for new New Adult stories. Sometimes they don’t always catch my attention, especially if it sounds like a different version of a story I’ve already read. But I’ll be honest and say that with Ann Aguirre’s I Want It That Way what convinced to read this book was that the title also happened to be the title of a Backstreet Boys song. And I’m happy to say that this story didn’t let me down.

Nadia has always been focused on achieving her goals. She’s the first person in her family to go to college and she’s determined to to be her best. Her academic scholarship, and her parents’ hopes and dreams, depend on it. She’s always been good about staying focused on what matters, but when she meets the guy who lives in the apartment below her, Nadia finds her attention wandering down the stairs. Ty knows better that to think about the girl who lives in the apartment above him. He has more than enough on his plate between work, night school and being a single dad to a four-year old. But she can’t help but think about what it would be like to get to know Nadia better, to spend time with her, to be a normal twenty-four-year-old guy for once. No matter how much they try to resist it, Nadia and Ty can’t seem to stay away from each other. They both know better, but they can’t help it.

First and foremost, I would like to absolve myself of any responsibility if a certain late 90s song gets stuck in your head because of this review, I am not sorry. Moving on. As a 90s child, I am all about the Backstreet Boys and I am not ashamed to admit it. So when I came across a book that shares a title with one of my favourite Backstreet Boys song ever, I was powerless—I had to read this book. I didn’t even need to really now what I Want It That Way was about, just the title was enough to get me reading. And read I did. In all honesty, I devoured this book. I just couldn’t seem to turn the pages fast enough (though in this case it was the page turn button on my Kindle). This story was engrossing. Like is often the case with a lot of the New Adult books I’ve read, the story isn’t anything exceptional but it’s just written in a way that keeps me reading. Every time I would find myself thinking “Okay, just one more page/chapter/whatever,” I would keep reading way beyond when I told myself I would stop. I just couldn’t help it. And, I mean, it doesn’t hurt that the romance was pretty hot. I was reading this on my commute to work, and there were definitely moments when I was hoping no one was reading over my shoulder because that could have been awkward. And obviously, a large part of what made me love the romance in I Want It That Way, so much was Nadia and Ty.

I connected with Nadia right away when I started reading. Her attitude toward school and her focus on her goals was something I could definitely relate to. Beyond that initial connection, I found myself liking Nadia more and more the further into the story I got. I loved seeing the different sides of her personality come out, depending on who she was with. The scenes with her interacting with children t the day care center where she works were adorable and warmed my heart. Nadia’s loyalty to her friends was also something I admired, and seeing her interact with her roommates always led to fun moments. And her chemistry with Ty leapt off the page. Granted things seemed to happen a little fast between them, I couldn’t help but enjoy those rare moments where Ty and Nadia just got to be themselves around each other. So it goest without saying that much like I really liked Nadia, I really liked Ty. It was refreshing to read about a guy in his early twenties who also happened to be a single father who was making it work. Reading the book, I had a lot of respect for Ty and all the sacrifices he made for the good of Sam. And speaking of Sam, he just stole the show. Anytime he made an appearance, I would find myself wishing the story was all about him (granted t that point this would no longer be NA). He was such an adorable little guy and I can totally understand why he charmed everyone he met. 

I really enjoyed Ann Aguirre’s I Want It That Way (and not just because of the title). It was a great New Adult story with characters likeable characters, some of which even wormed their way into my heart. If you’re looking for your next New Adult read, I would strongly recommend this one.

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