*** NO SPOILERS ***
**Please be cautious of the second half of this review if you have not read any of the other books in this series. There may be spoilers for previous books in the second half.**
***If you've never read Kelsie Rae's books, or haven't read the first generation series, this part is for you***
I know this series isn't on KU. I can already feel the pressure of people trying to decide whether or not it's worth taking a chance on it or not. I feel you. I'm usually a 'not' girl. Why chance something I might not enjoy when there's so many books on KU already?
I'm here to tell you that if you love romance or books that pull you in and make you feel, it's gonna blow you away. It's going to be worth it. Kelsie Rae is probably the ONLY author I ever recommend to people that ISN'T on KU. (I'm in a lot of Facebook reading groups.)
HER BOOKS ARE WORTH IT.
I can not say it loud enough.
This series is top-tier. I would recommend it to anyone, whether or not you've read the Don't Let Me series prior to starting this one. I believe that you could pick up the Little Things Series without starting the first generation series and still love every second of it. Do I think it would hit as hard? Obviously not. You've grown close to all these characters, the universe, their dynamics, their personalities. You get a lot from reading the First Gen series that you might otherwise miss out on by just starting with The Little Things series, but it's still going to be an incredible journey. This series will be worth it. No matter where you start. I can promise you that.
Kelsie Rae started with the Don't Let Me series and built an actual empire. I have read so many books and nothing, I mean NOTHING, is like this series.
The community and found family that is sprinkled into these books are literal magic. I've never felt so attached to fictional characters the way that I do with these families. You laugh with them, you cry with them, you root for them, and sometimes you even want to punch them. Above all else, you'll fall in love with every single character. Every. Single. One.
I don't know exactly how these series are classified, but if you DO NOT read sports romances, and the idea interests you but also scares you... these books are a great place to start. There isn't a ton of sports scenes, and the lingo is minimal. They are more of romance with a side of sports, and I feel like that is a less intimidating place to start for newcomers.
For seasoned sports readers, this may be a little lax on the sports playing, but I feel like there is such a good balance of real life to sports. You get behind the scenes interactions with fundraisers, coaches, and team parties.
Now, I do not give spoilers for THIS book anywhere, but if you haven't read any of the other books in the series, there may be spoilers for previous books in the next part of my review. Please only read the next part if that is okay with you.
***To everyone that has read all of the Don't Let Me Series and all the previous The Little Things books***
Listen. This is the book I was waiting on. Since the last book of the Don't Let Me series, this is the couple I COULD NOT wait for.
The way Rory never wanted anyone but Jax? The way Jax was the oddball. The oldest, the one with a different mom, the overthinker. He was ahead of everyone else in age and years, so we got less of him in the other books. He was mysterious. Except for one little thing... Rory was always with him. Always his shadow. The best part was that it was never a negative to him. She wasn't some annoying little tot on his heels because he actually cared. He always enjoyed it, until that night. Despise it being a few books ago, that night loomed over everything else in my mind. I NEEDED to know. I hate to even admit that I had a hard time picking up Tatum's book because all I wanted Rory's book. (I finally did and had no regrets. So freaking good.)
I'm just trying to say that this book... it was all I wanted. I'd waited so.damn.long for it. In fact, I waited so long that I was worried I'd overthought it, and I'd end up disappointed by the reality.
I wasn't.
Kelsie Rae delivered. A thousand times over.
It was everything I wanted and then some.
The tension.
The angst.
THE SPICE.
The overthinking, the OCD, the sprinkle of past and future, the absolutely devastating reality of life without someone that they care about, and the overwhelming sense of acceptance.
I'm conflicted. Are Jax and Rore my favorite? I honestly think so. (Sorry, Mav and Opie.)
But I love ALL of these characters so much that it makes my heart ache. I was never ready for the end of this series. I don't think I ever would've been.
If you've grown to love all the characters as much as I have... this was it. The perfect ending.
You get closure for all the main characters and a final goodbye that fills your heart with love and hope for these people we've grown attached to. It's not often that I walk away from a series knowing that I'll miss fictional characters. In fact, this may be the first time I've ever felt it this strongly.
Every second of this book was edged with hope and laced with desire. Every second of this book was brimming with cautious Jax and anxious Squeaks. It was all the things I hoped for them and then some. It was everything. Just... EVERYTHING.