What If It's Right

by JB Heller

There is nothing quick about this book other than the speed with which you will be desperate to get to the end to see how it all pans out.

There is the chance that the situation between the main characters may not be your thing and while that is perfectly acceptable, I hope that since you are reading the reviews you are at least considering giving it a chance because ei would say that the story is one that is cleverly worked and this is a relationship that is years in the making, it has a stronger platform than many conventional relationships and we don’t readily judge them. This is so much more than an illicit tryst.

The start of the book was a little slow, but I think it needed to be, it has a lot to lay out and a lot of dynamics to put into perspective. The connection between Victoria (Tory) and Finn, the events that weigh heavily on Finn as he grows up and the fact that Tory is the only person that really has been there for him from the very start. An age gap of 10 years means that she has cared for him through his formative teenage years and they are especially close, there is nothing that Tory wouldn’t do for Finn and that includes moving away to start afresh.

Moving was an easy fix but starting out means making new friends, and for Finn that brought Weston into his life. The connection between the two guys was fabulous, Weston was just what Finn needed, a funny guy whose demeanour meant that Finn could just be himself, even though Tory had her reservations about Weston and his sluttish behaviour!

As we watch the relationship between the guys grow we also see the fledgling flicker of something more from Weston, the hints, the intimations, the banter all gives away the fact that the way he feels for his friends “mom” is more than just platonic. He makes sure he is there when she needs help, he is willing to listen and boy was he patient…he knew exactly what he wanted and he was willing to play a waiting game to get it.

But when the time came, it was Tory that stepped up to help Weston, she knew that he had feelings for him but she was torn between acting on them or continuing to deny that she was on the same page, she wanted to see where what they had would go but there was a lot to lose, was she willing to take that risk?

I liked the conflict that the book brought to the fore, age is just a number but friendships can last a lifetime but they can also be broken in the blink of an eye, the situation between them was finally balanced and I liked that the author was respectful enough to give them the opportunity to work things out before hopping between the sheets.

This was a solid read, well written and engaging.