Love Story by Jennifer Echols (And Giveaway!)

Who: Jennifer Echols

What: Love Story

When: July 17th, 2011

Where: MTV Books

Why: Premise

How: For Review

For Erin Blackwell, majoring in creative writing at the New York City college of her dreams is more than a chance to fulfill her ambitions—it's her ticket away from the tragic memories that shadow her family's racehorse farm in Kentucky. But when she refuses to major in business and take over the farm herself someday, her grandmother gives Erin's college tuition and promised inheritance to their maddeningly handsome stable boy, Hunter Allen. Now Erin has to win an internship and work late nights at a local coffee shop to make her own dreams a reality. She should despise Hunter . . . so why does he sneak into her thoughts as the hero of her latest writing assignment?

Then, on the day she's sharing that assignment with her class, Hunter walks in. He's joining her class. And after he reads about himself in her story, her private fantasies about him must be painfully clear. She only hopes to persuade him not to reveal her secret to everyone else. But Hunter devises his own creative revenge, writing sexy stories that drive the whole class wild with curiosity and fill Erin's heart with longing. Now she's not just imagining what might have been. She's writing a whole new ending for her romance with Hunter . . . except this story could come true.

I gotta say: this was my first Echols book but it won't be my last!

Love Story is about a girl named Erin who moved from Kentucky to New York City, living her rich farm girl life behind to pursue what she really wanted to do, which was be a novelist instead of her grandma's dream of her running the farm when she graduates. But even though she tries really hard to leave that life behind, things start catching up to her. Things like a boy named Hunter, who worked as stable-hand and then proceeded to inherit her fortune, for example.

I loved the way the book alternated between real life and then the stories both of them wrote for their creative writing class. Everything flowed together perfectly, and I didn't feel like the short stories weighed the novel down. In fact, they were probably my favorite parts! I liked the way most of their fighting happened more subtly, through the stories they wrote and shared with the class.

Erin was a great narrator, and someone you can really relate too. All she wants to do is forget what happened in the past and try to get on with her life, but she can't seem to with all the things that happened to her before she left. I loved all the side characters, especially Summer and Manoher, and they weren't just background noise. And then comes Hunter. Now here, i'm a bit conflicted. I mean, I liked reading about Erin's relationship with Hunter. But towards the end of the book, Hunter as a person was not good for me. Erin was just way too unsure where his loyalties lied and I was sick of her finally seeing something in him and then it being ruined.

Overall, I definitely recommend this to anyone who loves contemporary or wants to give it a shot.

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About the author:
Jennifer Echols is the author of romantic dramas for MTV and romantic comedies for Pulse. She currently lives in Birmingham. Visit her on the web at www.jennifer-echols.com .

Giveaway:
Thanks to the lovely people at Big Honcho Media, I have TWO copies of Love Story for you to win!

• contests ends August 15th
• you must be 13 or older to enter
• contest is open to US/Canada
• fill out the form below to enter

Happy Reading!