[Book Review] Hold You Close - Melanie Harlow and Corrine Michaels

Judul: Hold You Close

Penulis: Melanie Harlow & Corrine Michaels

Genre: Adult Romance (21+)

Tebal: 270 halaman

Rilis: 20 Agustus 2018

Penerbit: Love & Olives Ink, LLC

Bahasa: Inggris

ISBN: 9781732371804

Harga: $14.99 (Paperback), Kindle Audiobook Free

Rate: ★★½

B l u r b :

Ian Chase broke my heart at seventeen, and I’ve spent the last eighteen years hating him for it.

He makes it easy, with his smart mouth and playboy lifestyle—which I unfortunately have to observe since he lives behind me. Every time I see him climbing out of his pool, practically naked and unreasonably sexy, my blood boils.

I’ve always loved to loathe him.

I never planned to need him.

*** 

London Parish is my little sister’s best friend, not that it stopped me from falling for her.

Our history is complicated. The only thing we have in common is being godparents to my sister’s three adorable kids—until our lives are changed in one tragic moment. 

Now we’re trying to raise the children we love, mourn an unthinkable loss, and fight an undeniable attraction.

My life is already upside-down, and the last thing I need is for old feelings to resurface. 

Because I’ll never be able to keep her, no matter how hard I try to hold her close.

P. S. Blurb copas dari Goodreads, sori nggak aku terjemahin.

♥

Tbh, I'm disappointed. This book is not like was I expected.
Yeah, I went here after I read Imperfect Match. And because I love the colab, I search for another book. Viola, I found this, but. . . .

Awal aku baca blurb, terus awal cerita, aku suka. Aku kan bisa dibilang bad boy slave. Yang ngebuat aku ilfil itu malah dua tokoh utamanya. It's not because they don't have feelings, I just ... feel weird.

*ambil napas*

Buku ini menceritakan tentang London yang suka sama Ian, kakak sahabatnya (Sabrina) sejak mereka masih sekolah. Nah, waktu London umur 17 tahun, Ian took her virginity and act. like a bastard. Lately I know he has a reason.

Setelah dewasa, mereka ketemu lagi, tetanggaan malah. Ditambah lagi Sabrina dan David (suaminya) meninggal karena kecelakaan pesawat. Mereka punya tiga orang anak; Chris, Morgan, dan Ruby. Dalam wasiatnya, Sabrina minta anak-anaknya diasuh oleh sang kakak alias Ian dan sahabatnya alias London.

Mulanya sulit bagi Ian dan London buat bekerja sama. Ian egois. Okelah dia punya bar yang selalu ramai, tapi London kan juga kerja. Cuma lama-lama mereka saling melunak meski itu Ian duluan yang nyosor. Sementara London yang masih cinta sama Ian otomatis termehek-mehek.

Sampai di sini aku udah muterin mata aja sumpah. Bagiku Ian itu semaunya sendiri dan London itu bego. Entah gimana hubungan seperti ini di mata orang lain, yang pasti di mataku WTF aja.

Lucunya, Ian kan punya alasan kenapa dia bersikap brengsek setelah bobok bareng London. Jadi Ian itu nggak mau karena dia, London mengorbankan mimpi-mimpinya. Fyi London ini pintar dan diterima di universitas yang oke, tapi mau dibatalkan karena dia pengin sama-sama Ian. Ini yang bikin Ian bersikap brengsek, biar London mau pergi dan nggak kehilangan mimpinya.

Di mana lucunya?

Well, katanya Ian nunggu London lulus baru mau ungkapin alasan sebenarnya. Tapi berhubung London udah marah, dia nggak mau ngomong sama Ian. Nah, ini dia lucunya (menurutku), masak butuh waktu sampai tujuh belas tahun kemudian buat Ian sadar kalau dia masih cinta sama London. Bahkan si Ian udah sampai nikah dan cerai lho. Weird aja sih bagiku. Cewek nggak gitu-gitu amat kali. Benci luarnya doang. Dan ... karakter London memang seperti itu, benci tapi termehek-mehek.

Kesimpulannya, ceritanya okelah, cara mendekatkan dua karakter utamanya agak unik, yaitu lewat kerja sama mengasuh anak-anaknya Sabrina. Aku cuma nggak klik aja sama dua karakter mereka—bagiku mereka enggak banget. Terus, mungkin ini juga karena aku berekspetasi terlalu tinggi aja, jatuhnya aku malah kecewa. Haha.

Q u o t e s :

Because hate is easier than love. If I hate him and he lets me down, I’m not left disappointed.

The thing about love is that it’s irrational and stupid.

"No matter where we live, this is hard."

"You know, a princess doesn’t need a prince to be happy."

"In fact, some of the greatest women we know don’t have a prince."

"Problems don’t go away just because you refuse to think about them. I shouldn’t have to tell you that."

I don’t want to. Because I know that the moment I take my hand off her is the moment I lose her forever. I’ll be more alone than I’ve ever been. And more miserable, because now I know how good we can be together.