Claire by Abigail Strom

Publication Date: April 26, 2016.

Publisher: Smashwords Edition.

Genres: New Adult, College, and Romance.

Rating: 

Selling points: Character growth, amazing romance, and the best friendships.

Purchase here: Amazon

Synopsis: It’s sophomore year, and Claire Stone has sworn off romance. She’s just gone through a breakup and she wants some time to find out who she is on her own. The only flaw in her plan is her friend (and hot quarterback) Will McKenna, who’s a walking temptation to forget all about her singlehood pledge.

Will has had a thing for Claire since freshman year. Now that they’re both single, he wants more from her than friendship. But Claire doesn’t want to be anyone’s girlfriend right now, and with football season underway, Will’s got issues of his own to deal with.

When an injury on the field changes everything, Will and Claire are driven apart. But when the two of them end up trapped together in a snowstorm, they’re forced to deal with each other again. Can they confront their feelings without ruining their friendship? Or will their friendship turn into something more?

Thank you Abigail Strom for my eARC of Claire. I received this ARC in exchange for an honest review; this does not affect my opinion. Any quotes mentioned below are taken from the ARC and are subject to change upon publication.

Claire by Abigail Strom is a book I thoroughly enjoyed. It was sweet, it was honest and it was more than just a plain and simple college romance. Why you may ask? Because the focus of this story isn’t romance, even if it is a love story. The story is about friendship and knowing who you are without having a guy (and a relationship) define you. It’s such a strong and powerful message. Yes, we feel lust, attraction, and love. However, we are so much more than that, women shouldn’t be defined by their men and I think it’s so great that Strom really puts this in the center of her story.

“Seriously, I think it’s great that you want to focus on yourself for a while. Your music and your classes and all that.”

And then something happened. As I spoke those words, I realized I actually meant them. I did think it was great. Claire was an awesome person, and she deserved a chance to realize it. Maybe if she spent some time focusing on herself, she’d see what I saw.

Her beauty. Her strength. Her talent.

Claire is the second book in the Hart University story but due to the fact that every book is about a new couple, I’d definitely say you can read them out-of-order. I wouldn’t recommend it though because Rikki, just like Claire, is a piece of magic in this world and it’s so lovely when you recognize the characters from the previous book. All the characters from Rikki all play a major part in this book as well, and that made the experience all that much better.

That brings me to another thing I love about Claire, and the Hart University series in general, the characters. Abigail Strom writes unapologetic and brutally honest characters in the sense that they’re awkward, confused and flawed just like the rest of us. I love it, I love it so much, and it makes me love these characters more than you could possibly imagine. Claire and Will both deal with a lot in this story, and it’s somewhat of a big fat mess but how they decide to deal with it and how much they learn about themselves and each other is just amazing to read.

“I turned to face him, too and we gazed at each other in a way that should have been embarrassing. But it wasn’t. I’ve never just looked at someone for so long without saying anything. It was like those moments outside in the snow. The silence between us felt like music, somehow – like the spaces between notes had come together to make a symphony.”

Claire by Abigail Strom is a story I love and one I will truly recommend to my friends as it is one of my favorite New Adult reads this year. With a strong sense of friendship, personal growth and a love story that builds up beautifully I have to say that Claire by Abigail Strom is a winner. If I were you I’d be getting this book right this second and never look back.