Review: Anticipating Spring by Lora Richardson (#YA #NewRelease)

ANTICIPATING SPRING
Lora Richardson
Publication date: March 23, 2020
Genres: Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Format: eARC
Source: Author
4 Stars

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Note: At the time of this post, Anticipating Spring is free on Kindle Unlimited or available for purchase for just $0.99! Grab your copy now and experience this heartwarming story for yourself!

S Y N O P S I S

Joe Hudson broke my heart. The last thing I want is to be trapped with him at basketball camp.

Coaching a skills camp for little kids was supposed to be a fun way to say goodbye to my high school basketball career. A bridge between my old life and new beginnings. But coaching with the guy who broke my heart last summer?

That was not the plan.

But there he is, across the gym. He hasn't even said anything yet, and already I’m remembering the way my name sounds on his lips. As he comes closer, old feelings are stirred up and all I can think of is the way he used to hold me.

No.

Joe is my past—a very painful and heart-wrenching past. He will never be allowed to hold my heart again. But we’ll be stuck together day after day, so we have to figure out a way to play nice. And I have to figure out a way to keep him from getting under my skin. 

M Y   T H O U G H T S

Anticipating Spring is the fourth and final book in Richardson’s Unexpected Love series and it was bittersweet to say goodbye to all the characters I’ve come to know and love. Here, the focus is on Maggie and Joe. Readers already familiar with the series know Joe as Greta’s older brother, and Maggie was mentioned several times in the first book, particularly after their break-up. Their relationship was sometimes hinted at so I was excited to finally get their story.

"I've missed you, Maggie. You were good for me, even if I wasn't good for you."
I pressed a hand to my chest, trying to contain the ache. "You were good for me, Joe. I mean it. We were good for each other, even if things didn't work out."

Maggie and Joe met at a time when he was vulnerable and struggling. Over the years they connected here and there, slowly forming a friendship of sorts, before finally starting a relationship. When the story begins it’s been about a year since their break-up and now Maggie finds that she and Joe will be coaching a summer basketball camp together. She’s determined to make the most of it but the truth is she still has feelings for Joe and so much about their relationship and break-up feels unresolved. At the same time, Maggie is also dealing with feelings of uncertainty about leaving for college at the end of summer as well as the declining health of her beloved grandmother who lives with her family.

Maggie was such a truly likable character. She was family-focused, a good daughter and a good friend. I loved her openness and her willingness to share what was on her mind and really give of herself. Unfortunately, it was her total openness and Joe’s emotional distance that eventually drove a wedge between them. I loved watching as they tiptoed around each other and finally talked about their break-up. It opened the door to a renewed friendship… and maybe more.

"Maggie? I hope you don't have any regrets about us."
"Joe, I have a million regrets about us."
He blinked, taken aback. "But it's me who messed up. You were perfect."

Anticipating Spring was told almost completely from Maggie’s point of view but there were short chapters from Joe’s perspective. I adored those. Being in Joe’s head, understanding his thought process, and realizing how he really felt about Maggie was priceless. Lora Richardson has created another sweet, heartwarming, small town romance that gave me all the good feelings (the road trip was the best!) and left me with a smile on my face. I may be saying goodbye to these characters and this series, but I’m already looking forward to what Richardson delivers next.

Note: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the author. This does not impact my opinion of the book or the content of this review. I received no compensation and my review is voluntary.

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ABOUT LORA RICHARDSON:

As a child, Lora lived on a pig farm. She spent time swimming in the creek with snakes, playing in the hayloft, and tapping out stories on her mother's typewriter. These days she lives in a small city in Indiana with her high-school-sweetheart-husband and their two children. She spends her time reading, writing, and hanging out with her people. She still has pigs, though now they are of the guinea variety.

You can find Lora here: * FACEBOOK * TWITTER * GOODREADS * INSTAGRAM *