Review: Close to Me - Monica Murphy

Review: Close to Me - Book #1 The Callahans - Monica Murphy - February 2020

I decided to read this book yesterday as it had been a while since I had read a Monica Murphy and the blurb was calling out to me as I was in the mood for something with an angsty kick. As I got reading it, I was enjoying it right up till I read that the main female character's dad was Drew Callahan and her mum was Fable. That made me feel really excited, that I ended up texting my friend about it and OMG'd as I loved the characters of Drew and Fable and their love story and was so awesome to see that they were still happily in love and married and have four children Autumn, Jake, Ava and Beck. I loved too that despite their own family dynamics, the pair became amazing parents and you could tell that Monica had written them like that as the love was rising up from the pages. Close to Me starts with Autumn in her first year of high school where she is approached by Ben, he asks her out and her hopes are dashed as Asher Davis tells her it was all part of a bet. That was their first meet and then continuing right through to their senior year we read as Autumn and Ash have this love/hate extreme friendship going on. That is until their last year when Autumn breaks up with her boyfriend Ben - yes, she ended up with him and Ash ends up moving in with the Callahans. With the pair living under the same roof, tensions of love/hate are definitely going to rise and we start to read a toxic yet somehow intense love rollercoaster between Ash and Autumn. Is this pair destined to be together or will their stubbornness and awkwardness towards each other get in the way as they seem to bring out the worst in one another? I have to admit the Autumn/ Ash relationship reminded me of Drew and Fable's and look how they turned out, so maybe there is hope still left for Ash and Autumn. Find out in Book #1 of The Callahans series by Monica Murphy.