Review: Where I Belong (Alabama Summer #1) by J. Daniels

Title: Where I Belong

Series: Alabama Summer #1
Author: J. Daniels
Publisher: J. Daniels
Published: June 27, 2014
Pages: 227
Genres: Contemporary, Romance
Source: Ebook

When Mia Corelli returns to Alabama for a summer of fun with her childhood best friend, Tessa, there's only one thing keeping her on edge. One person that she’d do anything to avoid.

Benjamin Kelly. World’s biggest dickhead.

Mia hates him with a fury and has no desire to ever see him again. When she decides to start her summer off with a bang and finally give away her v-card, she unknowingly hands it over to the one guy that excelled at making her life miserable, learning a valuable lesson in the process.

Always get the name of the guy you’re going home with.

Ben can’t get the girl he spent one night with out of his head. When she leaves him the next morning, he thinks he’ll never see her again. Until he sees her lounging by the pool with his sister.

Mia is determined to hate Ben, even though she can’t forget him.

Ben is determined to prove he’s not the same guy he used to be.

What happens when the one person you wish never existed becomes the one person you can’t imagine being without?

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MY REVIEW

I liked this book overall but I had a rough start with the beginning of the story. There were a few things that got under my skin that almost made me DNF the book completely but I am glad that I stayed with it and finished since I enjoyed it overall. I'll start off with the things that I didn't care for. 

The first thing that rubbed me the wrong way was the instalove. Yes, two main characters sleep with each other and then are completely enamored with each other after that point. There was no build-up of feeling at all. They just existed all of a sudden for no other reason than having spent an amazing night together in bed. Honestly, I don't think that there is any more to be said about it. Instalove is instalove. The second thing that bothered me is the fact that the two main characters knew each other nine years prior but for some unknown reason, neither one of them recognized the other in the slightest when they meet up in a bar for a one night stand. Mia's character moved away with her mother when she was 14 years old and Ben's character is only three years older than Mia. People's facial features don't typically change that drastically in the decade following high school. It seems so outlandish and improbable that neither of them recognized the other nine years later. It blows my mind. Especially because Ben's sister is Mia's best friend and Mia was constantly at their house when they were kids. That's not the type of person that you would forget. Adding to that, Ben bullied Mia so badly that she was afraid to visit her friend. That's someone that you remember. I just...gah...I can't even put into words how absurd that part of the story is. Almost infuriatingly so, at least for me. -sigh- Anyway, there's that. I was also bothered by the fact that, as mentioned previously, Ben bullied Mia mercilessly when they were kids and it really impacted her life. What bothered me is that is was hardly addressed and the author didn't even provide a good reason for it in the story. It was simply written off as being young and dumb. That didn't sit well with me. The last thing that I didn't care for was that Mia was a virgin when Ben and Mia have their one night stand. She all of a sudden feels the need to lose her virginity and decides to hook up with some random guy in a bar to do it. It just felt off. It didn't really mesh with her character as the reader gets to know her. It felt unnecessary and forced. If you can suspend belief and the improbability of these things then this book could work really well for you. 

With all that said, keep in mind that I liked the book overall. 

The characters were likable but could have used a little more development. The author does a great job of making the reader care about the characters but at the same time, the characters fell kind of flat. The reader certainly gets their motivations but their personalities are a little lacking. It feels like the bare bones of character development. Basically the reader can enjoy the story with what is presented but still yearns for more. With that said, I have to say that I did enjoy the side characters in this. They are involved with the story and the setup for the characters that star in the second book of the series was done well in this book. 

The plot was okay. There were certainly parts of the story that felt unnecessary but as a whole, I enjoyed the story. I just felt like Mia and Ben needed more time together to get to know each other before the feeling sprang up. The romance was far too forced and I could have done without the instalove. 

Overall, this was a story that I generally liked even though I had a love and hate relationship with certain aspects of the story. I don't regret reading it and I am actually looking forward to reading the next book in the series. 

THIS BOOK CONTRIBUTED TO THESE 2020 READING CHALLENGES

- Beat the Backlist Challenge
- Contemporary Romance Challenge
- Literary Escapes Challenge
- #startonyourownshelfathon Challenge

Check out my 2020 Challenge Page to see my progress!

I was close to DNFing this book in the beginning but I kept at it and I was glad that I did. Is there a book that you started off not liking but ended up liking in the end? What reasons do you usually have to DNF a book or not?