A Review – I'll Be There by Remy Marie

 

I'll Be There

by Remy Marie

A Review

I was fortunate enough to be gifted a copy of this book by the author, and while I can't remember exactly how the interaction leading to me receiving my copy came about, I do remember being incredibly excited to read it.

Unfortunately, it has taken me over a month to get around to reading it, and in that time, the book has been published (I was given a copy prior to publication) and I'm certain the author has wondered at least once whether I said I'd read it just to get a copy, or whether I was actually going to write a review!

I have left the waiting for long enough now, let me show you the book and we can get into the review!

Jasmine Phillips has always had her sights set high, and it seems like she has everything figured out. She has the grades, the looks, the money—and let’s not forget her perfect boyfriend. To anyone on the outside looking in, she has the perfect life. Little do they know, it’s not what it seems. Despite her stellar grades and top percentile MCAT score, her parents still aren’t happy. Jasmine’s surgeon parents want her to follow in their footsteps while she wants to pursue a career in pediatrics. However, this turns out to be the least of her worries. Her perfect, med student boyfriend is determined to ruin her future along with his own. When he lays his hands on her for the first time, Jasmine’s life is thrown into turmoil and Brock Givens seems to be the only one able to keep her life from spinning out of control.

Brock Givens might seem like an average dumb jock at a glance but to people who know him, he’s much more that. While a football star, he’s also smarter than most give him credit for and has a passion for more than just football, but that doesn’t mean he’s without issues of his own. Brock’s troubled past and childhood trauma are impacting his football career and threatening his future. Jasmine tries to be there for Brock as a friend but they seem to be getting closer and closer each day while denying there is anything more than friendship until their mutual need for comfort and support brings them closer than they anticipate.

Content Warning, contains scenes of domestic abuse, sexual assault, and racism.

Amazon UK • Amazon US

And now (finally) , my review!

I read this book in one day – that's how much this book will draw you in and not let you go! If you put it down, you'll find yourself picking it straight back up.

Jasmine Phillips seemingly has it all - supportive parents, a loving boyfriend, and a clear road forward to become a surgeon. But not everything is as it may seem, in any of the cases. Jasmine may appreciate her parents support, but with a dream to work in paediatrics, rather than to become a surgeon, she risks opposing what her parents want. However, as long as she has Trevor, her boyfriend, at her side, everything will be fine.

Brock Givens has come from a difficult background, with an abusive father and having had to work his way into and through college, without the support of wealthy parents to pay for his tuition. Everything in Brock’s life has been a struggle, until his new biology tutor explains things in a different way, and he starts to understand the subject. 

When Jasmine takes on the class of football players, she does not expect to find a friend in the quiet jock with a stutter, but it seems her and Brock have a connection that neither can deny. The only issue, is that Trevor is convinced there is more going on between them than meets the eye, and his relationship with Jasmine is already struggling. As Jasmine tries to make Trevor show her that the love between them is real, and that love really can survive through anything, Brock finds himself increasing infatuated with Jasmine.

This is not just a story of a jock and a nerd, falling in love despite all odds, it is a story of friendship, of finding the right people, those who belong in your life, and about not settling for less than you deserve.

Jasmine and Brock are both such easy characters to fall in love with. Jasmine is such a lovely person, always trying to do her best by everyone in her life. My heart felt for her as I read. She is so blinded by her love for Trevor, and so determined that he feels the same way, that the way he is acting is just a phase, just because of stress over studying and exams, that she can't see what those around her can – that her relationship is toxic, that Trevor isn't good for her, and that she's going to end up getting hurt. Jasmine loves so completely, and her belief in love is so strong, that she can't imagine Trevor, who has said that he loves her, could ever do anything to hurt her.

Brock isn't the classic book jock, overly confident but secretly a sweetheart. If anything, Brock is the opposite. He is shy, he doesn't talk much and he stays away from most people. But with Jasmine, it's different. She doesn't force him to talk, and understands him, even through the silence. Around Jasmine, Brock can open up, can become more confident, and can rely on her to never let him down. One thing in particular that I loved about Brock is that he never assumes – he asks Jasmine if he can hug her, if he can do certain things, instead of simply doing so. He doesn't assume that she will be okay with it, and makes sure beforehand, ready to back off if needs be. He is what can only be described as the perfect gentleman, and we certainly need more people like Brock in the real world.

While both Brock and Jasmine have other friends, they slowly seem to adopt the other's friends as their own, making their small groups into a family. I adored both Brock and Jasmine, and through everything they face, they know that the other will always be there for them. Even in the world we are living in today, there is a divide between people with different skin colours, and Brock and Jasmine see this firsthand, with the way Brock is treated differently from Trevor in certain scenarios, even though Brock is wonderful and Trevor is despicable (I honestly hated him with all my heart by the end of the book). There is a difference between good and bad, and this book shows that, while also proving that there is no difference between different skin colours, and nor should there be.

This book will take you along a rollercoaster of different emotions, and while some of the ride may be emotionally unpleasant, and make you hate characters (one in particular) and potentially make you cry, it is a rollercoaster that will also make you laugh, and smile, and you will inevitably get back on the rollercoaster when you are done, and read it all over again. Plus, there are some steamy scenes, and you don't want to miss out on that!

And done!

Once again, I'm sorry it took me so long to get to this review! Considering how quickly I devoured the book, and wrote the review on the same day, I'm sure I could have actually done this review much sooner. No harm done, it's here now!

If you like romances, with a bit of sport thrown in here and there, this book is the one you have to read! If not, I'm sure you know someone who would appreciate a copy!

That's all for now...

Bye!