As Good As New by Jennifer Dawson Pages: 320
Series: Something New #4
Genres: Contemporary Romance
Goodreads
He was the high school hottie. She was the teacher’s pet. But in private, none of that mattered...
At the tender age of six, Penelope Watkins fell for her best friend’s brother, Evan Donovan, future hunk. By the time they were teenagers, they were having heart-to-hearts…and hot and heavy top secret make-out sessions. All that changed when Evan’s father suddenly died. Abruptly, Penelope lost him to grief—and to his true love: football. But now an injury had ended Evan's NFL career. The notorious bad boy was in a depression no one could penetrate, except maybe the one woman who still knew him best—and still wanted him most…
Penelope is the last person Evan wants to witness the wreck he’s become. So when she shows up at his door he’s less than welcoming—even though the sight of her brings back the same old rush of desire. As a teenager, the emotions overwhelmed him. Now, when he wanted to be overwhelmed, Penelope wasn’t playing. She was telling the golden boy it was time to man up. It may have taken a concussion for Evan to realize it, but that’s exactly what he wants to do—starting with her…
As Good As New
Jennifer Dawson
Oh here we go…the manwhore trope! And shocker? He’s a professional athlete! I am tiring of this trope because its so over done. However, I really like Penelope. She is bad ass! She was crushed by Evan when they were teenagers and she still pines for him. Second change isn’t usually a trope I enjoy either. I mean, you screwed up once, I would be harboring some serious trepidation towards that person. Anyway, she is also the COO of a company and all around awesome! Evan sustains a career ending injury and promptly becomes a total basket case. Pen has to give him the ‘get your shit together’ speech and he listens to her and realizes he having trouble keeping his feelings for her hidden like he has for years.
While I was initially turned off by the trope of this book, it was a good read. I enjoyed the authors style and I really liked Penelope. She is the type of girl I would like in real life: normal. She knows her crush on Evan is ridiculous and she shouldn’t still like him, but she also knows that turning off feelings isn’t that simple. Penelope became a very relatable character because she wasn’t perfect. She was determined though!
- POV: 3rd
- Tears: No
- Trope: Football, Famous, Second Chance
- Triggers: None
- Cliffhanger: No
- HEA: View Spoiler »
Sports romances like Hawke by Sawyer Bennett, Heat of the Moment by Katie Rose, Under the Spotlight by Kate Willoughby…then you will probably like As Good as New!
Jennifer Dawson is the author of the popular Something New series, spicy, small town romance released with Kensington, and pens the dark and edgy contemporary romance series Undone.
Jennifer Dawson grew up in the suburbs of Chicago and graduated from DePaul University with a degree in psychology. She met her husband at the public library while they were studying. To this day she still maintains she was NOT checking him out. Now, over twenty years later, they’re married and living in a suburb right outside of Chicago with two awesome kids and a crazy dog.
Despite going through a light FM, poem writing phase in high school, Jennifer never grew up wanting to be a writer (she had more practical aspirations of being an international super spy). Then one day, suffering from boredom and disgruntled with a book she’d been reading, she decided to put pen to paper. The rest, as they say, is history.
These days Jennifer can be found sitting behind her computer, writing her next novel, chasing after her kids, keeping an ever watchful eye on her ever growing to-do list, and NOT checking out her husband.
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