Not Made to Last

De: Jay McLean

Narrado por: Josie Vargas, Tyler Darby

Two simple words hold the truth of our love: wait and hope.

Olivia

Rhys Garrett—recent high school graduate, ex-captain of the basketball team, and my brother's rival both on and off the court.

Oh, and he's also the guy I just hit with my truck.

Awesome.

To be fair, he had it coming.

Why else was he dressed in all black, in the middle of the night, if not to hide out amongst the darkness?

Rhys

I wasn't looking where I was going or what was around me. I didn't even see the headlights. Just felt the impact. And I thought, as strange as it was, that getting hit by a car may be the best thing that could've happened to me.

Until I opened my eyes…

…and she told me her name.

Some might call it fate, destiny, kismet…

A collision of souls.

One night.

One chance encounter.

The problem?

One night wasn't enough.

But the more time we spent together, the more truths came to light.

And soon, we'd discover that what we once thought was meant to be…

…is not made to last.

©2024 Jay McLean (P)2024 Podium Audio

Ohana - I love the found family trope

I really enjoyed this book! I knew I would like it when I heard the Lilo and Stitch reference.

The story immediately grabbed my attention when Olivia accidentally hit Rhys with her truck—talk about an opening! At the time, she had her 6-year-old brother in the truck with her, which added another layer to the scene.

Olivia (19) lives with her two brothers: Dominic, who is close to her age, and her younger brother, Oscar. With their parents and grandparents no longer in the picture, Olivia and Dominic have taken on the responsibility of raising their little brother.

There’s so much I could say about this book, but I don’t want to spoil anything. It’s packed with emotions, twists, and moments that stick with you.

One of my favorite elements was the found family trope, which was beautifully explored throughout the story.

An emotional, poignant, must-read book!

An emotional, poignant, must-read book! Jay McLean is elite and writes some of my favorite books of all time. If you haven't read her yet, you absolutely must. Now, on to the actual review…

If you’ve read the ‘Heartache and Hope’ duet, then you know and love Rhys. I was thrilled to see we were getting his story. Olivia and Rhys meet for the first time when she runs into him. Literally. She hits him with her truck. Don’t worry, he’s okay. But he’s stunned stupid by her. Though it’s the first time he meets Olivia, Olivia knows much more about Rhys.

We all know of and love the brother’s best friend troupe, but what about the brother’s enemy/rival troupe? This is done so well. I say that because you can’t help but love both Rhys and Dom (the brother). Because of this, Olivia knows it’s not the best idea to be spending time with Rhys. But she can’t seem to stay away from him.

Both Olivia and Rhys are dealing with things. Life is hard. Though on the outside, it seems easy for Rhys, most people don’t look deeper and see what is really going on with him. Olivia knows him better than most and sees past that fun-loving, easygoing facade he has for the world to see. She sees the real Rhys and loves him for who he is.

Jay writes the most lovable characters. They’re flawed and real, and I just want to hug them all. The family dynamic of this book was the most special thing. Honestly, both families. Rhys and Olivia’s. It brought me to tears and gave me all the feels. So emotional in the best way.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, Jay McLean’s words are magic. She is honestly the most underrated author out there. She has always been one of my favorites, since I read her first book and with each book she writes, it only solidifies that. Not Made to Last is one of those books that will stay with me. The romance is wonderful, but the family dynamic was my favorite part. Ohana means family. Do yourself a favor and pick this book up! You won’t regret it.