Remember When :
Ever wonder how often Brad Pitt’s high school girlfriend must ponder jumping off a bridge? Ever think about the girl that had her hooks in George Clooney before he took off for TV stardom? How about Leonardo DiCaprio’s ex, or Johnny Depp’s first groupie, or any number of young women who got left behind when their boyfriends set off for greener pastures and eventually achieved unfathomable Hollywood fame?

My name is Layla Warren and I don’t need to wonder about any of those things. I already know. Because years before Trip Wiley could be seen on movie screens all over the world, he could be seen sitting in the desk behind me in my high school English class.

This was back in 1990, and I cite the year only to avoid dumbfounding you when references to big hair or stretch pants are mentioned. Although, come to think of it, I am from New Jersey, which may serve as explanation enough. We were teenagers then, way back in a time before anyone could even dream he’d turn into the Hollywood commodity that he is today.

In case you live under a rock and don’t know who Trip Wiley is, just know that these days, he’s the actor found at the top of every casting director’s wish list. He’s incredibly talented and insanely gorgeous, the combination of which has made him very rich, very famous and very desirable.

And not just to casting directors, either.

I can’t confirm any of the gossip from his early years out in Tinseltown, but based on what I knew of his life before he was famous, I can tell you that the idea of Girls-Throwing-Themselves-At-Trip is not a new concept.

I should know. I was one of them.

And my life hasn’t been the same since.

MY REVIEW
Can you ever recapture the thrill of your first love? T. Torrest has gifted us readers with a nostalgic, sweet, sexy and emotional story about two high schoolers trying to navigate the treacherous waters of first love. More than anything, Trip and Layla are great friends, but both are too young and perhaps inexperienced to move things forward in the romance department.

Trip has become one of my favorite book boyfriends. He is sweet, gorgeous, a little insecure and a little damaged. I absolutely devoured this nostalgic story about small-town life and loved all the swoon-worthy moments in this book. Trip is the new kid in school and Layla quickly befriends him. But she falls for him, and isn’t sure of his feelings for her. The story takes place during senior year of high school, so everyone is getting ready to go their own way, which adds to the overall poignant atmosphere of the book.

Remember When is a rich, funny, witty and beautiful look back at the feelings of our first true love. It is fast paced and filled with memorable characters. The final chapters of this book might contain one of my favorite scenes ever in a book. I am still thinking about it. I can’t properly explain all the feelings that the author evoked in me while reading this book, but thank goodness I could start Book 2 immediately after finishing! I did not want to leave Trip and Layla and you won’t either. One of my top books so far this year.

RW Buying Links:

Remember When Goodreads

Amazon UK
Barnes and Noble

Remember When 2
You know how sometimes, your high school crush grows up to be an insanely famous movie star? Okay, probably not. But I do. ~Layla Warren

Back in high school, Trip Wiley’s fan base only encompassed the denizens of the nothing little suburb of Norman, New Jersey. 

Ten years later, all that is about to change.

In the summer of 2000, Layla Warren is enjoying her career as a journalist in New York City (well, sort of), while Trip spends most of his time grabbing Hollywood by the balls. In the days before what will turn out to be his skyrocketing fame, they’ll find themselves confronted with some life-altering choices. 

Remember When 2 is the second story in an NA romance trilogy. It will bring you back to that exuberant and riotous time of life in your twenties when you struggled to figure out your place in the world and the person you were meant to be…

…and the person you were meant to be with.

MY REVIEW:
Remember When 2 takes place almost a decade after high school and everyone has gone their own way. Layla is a journalist and finds herself in a position to interview Trip, who has gone on to become a major Hollywood star. She has never forgotten Trip but assumes he has moved on with his life. In fact, she is engaged to a seemingly perfect guy.

“Trip Wilmington had been a gorgeous teenaged boy, no question. But Trip Wiley was a gorgeous young man exuding raw, unabashed sex at every turn.”

Even though so much time has passed, Trip and Layla pick up their easy friendship right away. They have a lot of shared history together and Trip feels comfortable in Layla’s presence. Their undeniable physical attraction is there, too, but will it be enough for both of them to face the truth about their feelings for each other?

The author kept me on the edge of my seat the entire time I was reading this book. Would Layla and Trip get a chance to correct their past actions? This is an absolutely amazing, witty and emotional book and I don’t want to give away any of the spectacular plot here. Suffice it to say my heart stopped a few times while reading, and I am not sure I can recover from the serious book hangover! This series has become one of my all-time favorites. Read it so you can fall in love with Trip and Layla, too!

RW 2 Buying Links:

RW2 Goodreads Link

Amazon UK

Barnes and Noble

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EXCLUSIVE EXCERPT of Remember When 3 – Part 10 of Chapter 2

He pulled back, not even trying to hide his pain, peering at me through a haze of tears. “Oh, God, Layla. Oh, God how I’ve missed you.”
My heart positively stopped, but even still, I tried to explain. “I didn’t even know… I never really thought…”
He shook his head, cutting off my words, trying to pull himself together. “No. We’re not doing this here. We’ll talk later, but right now, I just want to hold you.”
So I let him.
We held each other and we cried and there was no one outside the two of us, there, in that moment.

For part 9 of Chapter 2 please go to Book Addicts Not So Anonymous. Find the final part of Chapter 2 tomorrow at Rude Girl Book Blog