Review: Stay With Me by Elyssa Patrick

Release date: August 30, 2013
Author info: Website | Twitter | Facebook
Publisher: Self-published
Pages: 276
Format: Egalley
Source: Author provided through Netgalley
Buy the book: Barnes & Noble | Amazon

With one look, I’m his . . .

With one touch, he’s mine . . .

With one kiss, it changes everything between us . . .

I’ve been famous since I can remember. Singing, acting, dancing—I’ve done it all. The tabloids cover my every move, but I don’t want that anymore. I want to be normal, whatever that is.

When I leave Hollywood for college in Vermont, I’m on my own for the first time in my life. This is my chance to figure out who I am and what I want in life.

But it’s a lot harder than I expected. I can’t escape my image. Classes are difficult, and I’m struggling. And then there’s Caleb Fox.

Sexy, intriguing Caleb Fox.

Caleb is the one man who doesn’t want to use me. He breaks down my walls. He challenges me. He wants me. And I just don’t know if I can give him the same—or if he’ll stick around when he finds out my shameful secret that the tabloids haven’t managed to uncover.

Dating him is risky enough, but loving him could break me.

Normally, when I read new adult, I prefer the novel to focus more on the events of the story ahead of the romance. Stay With Me is not of that trend, and yet I found myself really enjoying the story. The romance is the center, yet it's such a sweet, giving, uncomplicated romance that I couldn't fault it for being the center of the story.

I really enjoyed exploring Hailey's life because it's a different place in fame than most novels show. She's attempting to leave the spotlight, tired of the world of the rich and famous, and wants to be a normal college student--rather than seeking the spotlight. Her reasons are completely understandable. In a time when she's trying to adjust to going to school for the first time in their life and avoiding any kind of drama possible, in pops Caleb Fox, eager to get to know her and be in her life. She tries to push him away, but he doesn't take no for an answer.

Like I said, the romance here is really sweet, and Caleb shows Hailey again and again that he wants truly wants to get to know her and doesn't care about her celebrity. Hailey has to learn how to let herself love and trust someone again. There's one bit of romantic drama, but it blows over quickly and easily. Normally, Hailey's worry leading up to something that is resolved so quickly would bother me, but it didn't here, since it felt in character for her to blow it out of proportion--and it really is a big deal; it just doesn't hurt their relationship.

It's nice to see Hailey come to understand that not all art is associated with fame and celebrity, as her life has shown her, and to discover things she's good at aside from acting and music. Her realizations come in part because of Caleb, but also because she's able to be away from outside influence. Everyone in her life encourages to search for her passion, rather than pushing her towards something.

Stay With Me is a sweet, romantic new adult novel that I really enjoyed. It's a quick read that will likely leave you happy. If you like new adult and romance, and don't mind the story focusing on that romance, maybe you should give this a try!

About the author:

Elyssa Patrick is a former high school English teacher who left the classroom to write contemporary romances and New Adult. She is currently hard at work on her next novel.