Meet Me at Our Place

Arrowsmith High #3

by M.J. Ray

She thinks she has to be popular to be noticed, but her secret admirer will convince her otherwise. Harper craves to be accepted...to be popular. Her secret hobby wouldn't win her any popularity points either, so no one can find out what she loves to do to unwind. Edward, her best friend since she was little, tries to convince her she is loved anyway, even though he keeps his feelings for her to himself. A letter from a secret admirer gets her suspecting everyone, except the one closest to her. When Ed finds out she's never been kissed before, he can't resist to be the one to give her a coaching session, just as friends right? Will Edward get her to believe in herself before he loses her altogether? Meet Me at Our Place is the heartfelt third book in the Arrowsmith High series. If you like best friends falling in love, a heroine realizing her worth and swoony kisses, then you will love MJ Ray's Sweet YA Romance.

202 pages, Paperback

Published December 4, 2021

About the author

I live in the Northwest of England with my husband and two children.

In between working part time as a childminder, caring for my children and providing taxi duties I somehow find time to write. My ambition was always to write and I'm so happy that I'm finally getting a chance to do that.

I write YA sweet romance, where I get to create my dream man time and time again, and he gets to be different every time. I am lucky to have a real life perfect man at home that doesn't mind sharing me when I'm writing.

I hope you enjoy my books, as the ideas just keep coming there will be many more!

Reviews

[Phaedra · Rating 5 out of 5]

I cant stop with the series now these books are sooooo cutee🎀💞

[ella x · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5⭐

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.05/5
The romance was good but i just wanted to scream at the characters and tell them to stop being dumb and just get together. Teaching Harper to kiss WHAT??? AND THE FAKE DATE???? Very good but also they needed to stop arguing.

[Elaine · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was able to receive an Advanced Reader Copy in exchange for an honest review of Meet Me at Our Place. This is my first introduction to MJ Ray and therefore also the first in the Arrowsmith High series that I read. It was written as a stand alone story so no need to have read the previous two books beforehand. I really enjoyed the story - so much so that I finished it in a few days as I couldn't put it down. Fun characters, hijinks, good character development within this coming-to-age story. Great for young adults and adults who are young at heart. It reminded me of other young adult books and films like The Kissing Booth. All that to say, it was a quick and fun ride that is easy to read. Is it enjoyable enough that I have gone back in the series and have already started into book 1? Umm...yes, yes I have.

[Belladonna · Rating 3 out of 5]

It is a cute YA friends to lovers. I love how all the stories in the series are all different sub genres of romance. They all are so different. I recommend this series if you want a YA romance series.

[Leah · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was ok but I prefer the first book but looking forward to the next book in this series

[The Emersons]

Another one with the clean and wholesome label. Excited to see if this one pans out as well!

[Ier · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's cute

[Emily Pennington · Rating 5 out of 5]

Growing Up . . .

This reminded me of the truth of Harper and Edward’s dilemma. Teenagers have so much to deal with, hormones racing around, growth spurts, and the shifting of friendships. Not all of that goes smoothly. Change is hard for everyone, and more so when you are that young and becoming the person you will turn out to be.

The most uncomfortable part, in my opinion, is when you see someone who feels a strong need to be accepted and the changes they will make to fit in rather than face uncomfortable opposition. I personally was stubborn (sort of like “confident” if you don’t analyze it too much) and never cared about following the crowd. But I saw others struggle with that. No one likes to be left outside of the group of peers you want to belong to. The resulting desperation for acceptance is enough to make those around you squirm.

This story told all of this well. Harper and Edward had been best friends since they were four and she is having a rough time now trying to be a people-pleaser and make everyone her friend. Edward is at the stage of knowing that all she has to do is be herself. Will she reach that level of acceptance before her friendship with Edward becomes incompatible? There is truth in the saying that “you can’t please everyone”. Is being popular worth losing someone who matters the most? Or is it just a part of growing up?

[M.J. Ray · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hello Harper, I wanted to connect with you, and this was the easiest way I could think to do that. You see, I have a little crush on a certain beautiful girl around school - I'm not good with girls. It's taken me longer than it should have to pluck up the courage to send this email.
You are your own kind of beautiful. Inside and out.
I see you every day, so popular, so pretty, but there's more, I see the way you help people, the way you're there for your friends. I see you. Why can't everyone else see past the barrier like I can? Maybe they don't want to, or they're too tied up in their own lives. Who knows?
Sometimes you look so unhappy when you think no one is watching. Today in the lunch queue, I wanted to give you a hug, but that would have been so weird, right?
You are amazing. I wish you’d look my way.
Rookiewithgirls

Sitting on my bed, I read the email again and again. Who could this be from? He saw me at school today. I bite my lip as I run through the list of guys in my year that I know. I cant think of anyone that would do this.

[Cauliflower · Rating 3 out of 5]

Slightly better than the second one, with a decent look at human dynamics, why we do the things we do and don't even notice change has happened (or is long overdue)