Do you love to laugh and fall in love? Then you'll definitely love this book! Check out the excerpt, playlist, and giveaway! You'll love Gemma and Chase!
Book Title: Not You It's Me
Author: Julie Johnson
Genre: New Adult Contemporary
Release Date: July 7, 2015
Hosted by: Book Enthusiast Promotions
Synopsis
She’s known it since third grade, when her first crush blew a spitball into her hair, and a decade-long string of bad dates, boring sex, and abysmal morning-afters has done nothing to improve her prospects.
But when a random radio call-in contest lands her courtside tickets to the hottest playoff game of the season, Gemma’s luck may finally be on the upswing — even if it doesn’t exactly seem like it when the dreaded jumbotron kiss-cam lands on her and her date, who’s too busy ignoring her to notice…
Chase Croft doesn’t date.
Despite ample opportunity as Boston’s most eligible bachelor, the reformed bad-boy would rather put his energy into taking over the family business than weed through a world of gold-diggers to find an honest woman.
But when the beautiful girl in the seat next to him becomes a courtside spectacle at the hands of her loser boyfriend, he can’t help but step in and save the day.
One kiss. Two strangers. No strings attached.
The only problem is, Chase is used to getting whatever he wants. And after kissing Gemma once, he knows one thing…
He wants more.
Excerpt
I’m a freaking ant beneath a microscope.
The crowd starts to titter — oh, honey, look at that poor girl, her boyfriend hasn’t even noticed — and I’m getting a little desperate, so I swallow hard, throw back my shoulders, and sneak a glance at Ralph. He’s still on his phone, the bastard, totally unaware that we’ve become the central act at the kiss-cam circus. Forcing a smile to cover my deep mortification, I elbow him sharply in the side, but he just bats me away with a hand and a glare before returning to his phone call.
I groan.
The crowd explodes with laughter.
I try to smile too, like I’m in on the joke, but it’s wobbly — I can feel it trembling on my lips — and I begin to wonder if the man behind the camera is some kind of sociopath, because frankly, the fact that he’s still filming right now — while surely entertaining for everyone who, you know, isn’t me — is pure evil.
I look up at the camera and shrug my shoulders, hoping the yes-my-boyfriend-is-in-fact-a-total-asshole expression translates to the crowd. I think I succeed, since the laughter gets even louder, but suddenly I’m distracted by the wall of man blocking my view of the jumbotron.
Green Eyes is out of his seat.
His eyes are on mine, and he’s reaching for my hand.
The crowd is going wild and my brain is short-circuiting, but apparently my hand doesn’t need executive functions to tell it what to do, because it’s lifting from my lap and slipping into his.
Before I can form a single thought, he’s pulling me out of my chair.
Sliding one arm around my waist.
Slipping one hand behind my neck.
His eyes never leave mine as he leans in, bending me backward over his arm in a full-on, movie-star dip, and the only thought in my head is ohmigod, there’s no way he’s going to kiss me right now, but then even that disappears when his lips move closer and my mind blanks entirely.
Because he’s kissing me.
And it’s good.
No, actually, it’s great.
It’s not the soft, sympathetic, pity-kiss you’d expect in a situation like this.
It’s a full on, invade-your-senses, shatter-your-world, boil-your-blood kiss. With tongue.
For a moment, I’m so stunned, I just hang there limply… but then my brain catches up to my body and I realize that the hottest freaking man I’ve ever seen is kissing me like I’ve never, ever been kissed before, and that I might never be kissed like this again for the rest of my whole pathetic life, so I damn well better enjoy it while it lasts.
Without another thought, my arms twine around his neck, my mouth opens under his, and I’m returning his kiss without hesitation, with abandon. He feels my response and a low growl vibrates from his throat — for as second, I think he’s angry, but I quickly realize it’s a good growl, when he pulls me tighter to him, so I’m fully plastered against the hard plane of his body. Thoughts long-chased from my mind, I don’t even try to think of reasons this is a bad idea. I melt into him like my limbs are made of water.
It’s easily the best kiss of my life, which doesn’t make any sense at all, because I don’t even know the man whose lips are devouring mine — hard, hot, with just the right amount of teeth and tongue to make things interesting.
I can hear the crowd going crazy, twenty-thousand people screaming at the top of their lungs, but somehow the sound of my own heartbeat is drowning them out. The kiss goes on for way, way longer than it should, but I don’t worry about that, or anything else for that matter, because there’s no room in my head for worries about my dickwad soon-to-be-ex-boyfriend or the crowd or the cameras.
Not when every mental faculty is consumed by Green Eyes and his perfect freaking kiss.
Playlist
You Should Know Where I’m Coming From – Banks
Treacherous – Taylor Swift
Beneath Your Beautiful – Labrinth
American Girl – Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers
Stay With Me – Sam Smith
Gotta Have You – The Weepies
The Way I Am – Ingrid Michaelson
Lay Me Down – Sam Smith
Love Me Like You Do – Ellie Goulding
If You Leave – Nada Surf
The Writer – Ellie Goulding
You Are In Love – Taylor Swift
Thinking Out Loud – Ed Sheeran
Treacherous – Taylor Swift
Beneath Your Beautiful – Labrinth
American Girl – Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers
Stay With Me – Sam Smith
Gotta Have You – The Weepies
The Way I Am – Ingrid Michaelson
Lay Me Down – Sam Smith
Love Me Like You Do – Ellie Goulding
If You Leave – Nada Surf
The Writer – Ellie Goulding
You Are In Love – Taylor Swift
Thinking Out Loud – Ed Sheeran
Review
★★★★★ stars
I'm a huge fan of Julie Johnson's writing. I feel like she's one of the undiscovered diamonds of the writing world. Her books are entertaining, funny, emotional, and just overall a great read. Each one has been different in content, and I'm so glad to see that trend continue with Not You It's Me. The only thing that hasn't changed from one book to the next is the consistency with which she writes and captures my attention.
When I first started reading this book, I initially felt it was going to be a typical romance featuring a billionaire. Here's what I thought would happen because I've read quite a few. Man and woman meet, they're smitten with one another, they immediately fall into bed, then deal with their emotional baggage, and finally float off into the sunset on a yacht. Well I should've known this book would be different. After all, Julie wrote it, and she hasn't written anything "typical" yet!
I loved Gemma and Chase. I could totally relate to Gemma's character. She's trying to find her place in the world and what she wants. All of her friends are settling down and she's thinking she wants to do the same. She's a little clumsy, but she's a go-getter. She'll go after what she wants, sometimes without thinking things all the way through. I really liked Chase too. Yes he was hot and swoon worthy, but it was obvious he cared for Gemma, no matter how brief their interaction. He was honorable and charming. It was also clear he hadn't had the easiest time growing up, even if he did have a silver spoon in his mouth. I liked how he was willing to do whatever to keep her safe. He's an alpha, but he's not shoving that down her throat. The two of them had some amazing chemistry. The kiss they shared that sparked something between them is proof of that. I liked how believable their relationship was. It might have developed quickly, but it didn't feel that way.
I think what I loved most about this book was the mixture of laughter, romance, and the twists. I never knew what was going to happen next, and I loved it! It made for such a wonderful reading experience. I couldn't put this book down and I was often laughing aloud or putting my hand over my racing heart. There's so much more that makes this book amazing beyond Gemma and Chase. I loved Gemma's mother and her advice for her daughter. I both laughed my heart out at it and mentally cringed while picturing my mother doing the same. I absolutely loved Gemma's friends. Those two were hilarious! I loved how they supported Gemma unconditionally.
Julie Johnson has really done a wonderful job with this book. My review in all honestly in no way does it justice. The magic of Julie's masterful story telling skills can only be experienced by reading one of them. If you're looking for a great beach read this summer, something to make you laugh and lift your spirits, or just a great story, this book is for you. I can not wait to see what great story Julie writes next!
*Thank you to the author for providing a copy in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own and I was not compensated for them in any manner.*
About the Author
Julie Johnson is a twenty-something Boston native suffering from an extreme case of Peter Pan Syndrome and an obsession with fictional characters. When she's not writing, Julie can most often be found daydreaming, drinking too much coffee, striving to conquer her Netflix queue, or stalking Goodreads for new books to add to her ever-growing TBR list. You can find Julie on Facebook, or contact her on her website www.juliejohnsonbooks.com. Sometimes, when she can figure out how Twitter works, she tweets from @AuthorJulie.
Social Media Links for Julie
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