More Than This

More Than, Book 1

By: Jay McLean

Narrated by: Jeremy York, Allison Lynnewood

Length: 7 hrs and 46 mins

Publisher's summary

When Mikayla imagined her prom night, she envisioned a fairy-tale evening full of romance. So when betrayal and tragedy come in quick succession, Mikayla is completely destroyed. Suddenly, everything she loved and everyone she relied on are tragically, irrevocably gone.

Jake, a handsome boy she just met, happens to witness her loss. With no one to turn to, Mikayla is forced to depend on this near stranger and his family, and he in turn is determined to take care of her. But Mikayla - thrust into adulthood with no one to guide her - is desperate to contain her grief and hide what she considers to be her weakness. Mikayla and Jake both want more, but despite their growing closeness and intense chemistry, she tries to keep her distance and protect her heart. As he does everything in his power to win her trust, Mikayla must choose between remaining alone and safe or letting love in.

©2015 Jay McLean (P)2014 Brilliance Audio, all rights reserved.

I loved this book!

This book was awesome! I love romance novels with a little bit of sex and drama. The actors were great too, but my only complaint is that Mikayla’s voice actress literally sounded like a robot most of the time. Like, I felt like I was having Siri read me a book. Not that much emotion in her voice. It was a great book though otherwise.

More than amazing

I truly loved this book. It took a tragedy and so much grief and struggling to find her way. But Jake was there from the start. Such a perfect couple. Jake never gave up on her and was so patient and supportive to her. Love at first sight... even in the face of tragedy.

Great book!

Honestly, Kayla drives me crazy at times. But I also see why she is that way. But in the end, the book is good. All characters are good and well thought out too. It is the beginning book of an amazing series!

Awesome books

I loved the whole story. enjoyed till the end . Ready to read the other book

well....ummm

Would you try another book from Jay McLean and/or Jeremy York and Allison Lynnewood ?

yes. I liked the narrators

Would you be willing to try another book from Jay McLean? Why or why not?

I would probably try another book. This one just didn't quite hit a climax for me or something. I found myself getting bored and even wanting to fast forward :(

What aspect of Jeremy York and Allison Lynnewood ’s performance would you have changed?

Allison lynnewood sounded a little more mature than a college girl to me for some reason but I loved them both and would listen to other audibles by them.

Was More Than This worth the listening time?

i'm on the fence. It wasn't awful, I just wasn't into it. I was scrolling for other books while I was listening to this one. It didn't keep my attention very well

Any additional comments?

well..... I won't be reading a second book to this :(

I don't know what it was about this book. I don't mind insta love but this was just a little off.

So much jealousy, and not the "good" kind....if that's even a thing. Too much It wasn't fun and flirty or anything like that. It started depressing ...and never really hit a climax from there

The love story was sweet but the i'm not good enough stuff I can't deal with. It gets annoying

A bit young but

Intriguing storyline and likeable characters made this youngish book more appealing for me. Narration was good and I will be reading next book.

Good story, but lots of swearing

I liked the story. It's pretty fast-paced, so you get into it quickly, but there was so much swearing and lot of f-bombs. The narrators were great story tellers, but I'm not sure If I will continue with this series if the language is the same in the subsequent books.

Great narrators for a YA/NA story

It only took me nearly 10 years to read it, but I more than a lot liked this one and cannot wait to read the rest of this series.
And the narrators for the two 18 year olds? They did a great job of portraying them!

Jake and Mikayla's story had me right from the beginning. Family, Prom, friends and out having fun for the big night. Until Mikayla witnesses something she'd rather not and has her life turned upside down. Or so she thinks. Because what ended up being huge for a high school girl ended up being the smallest thing of that night. Friends betrayals hurt, but when your family is taken from you? That's life changing. And then a stranger ultimately steps in and makes himself a home, a safe place for a girl he just met? That's what book boyfriends are made of! What can I say about Jake other than he is perfection. I can only wish I knew young men like that. He's kind of a big deal. ;) iykyk

There's a reason this book was highly recommended years ago, but no reason for me to put it off for so long. I felt this story hard and understood everything that Kayla was going through. The emotions and the gut punch right at the beginning sets the tone for the journey Ms McLean is about to take us on. The love Mikayla has for her family and the way they tease one another and love one another is very evident and I couldn't wait to see how their relationship was going to play out. But then after a night that she won't soon forget, Mikayla has to learn to trust again. To learn to love again and realizing that it wasn't going to get taken from her. The family and friends that rallied around her and loved her? I just couldn't imagine having the loss yet the support she does too. I just loved the journey, even through all the pain. I got kind of annoyed with some of the repetitive and immature dialogue, but then again, these kids were only 18. They had a lot to learn and WERE immature.
I also might have got a case of blue balls waiting for the two leads to finally connect, but that's neither here nor there. It was all about the pacing and learning how to accept what is in front of you.

If you haven't made the decision to read this book, I definitely suggest it. I cannot wait to read the rest of the series because each friend of Jake's was just *chef's kiss*. They balanced out the story and the characters. This story will have you crying, laughing and just enjoying it wholeheartedly.
But my favorite part that will stick with me is when Mikayla explains why Jake gets to call her Kayla, when everyone else calls her Mickey. Heart down!

Pick this book up and then join me in reading the rest of the series!

Amazing!

What an amazing, emotional, roller coaster read! I'm new to Jay McLean books and I'm happy I chose this series to start! She did an amazing job showing us the emotions Kayla went thru and how badly Jake wanted her. It wasn't all "teen hormones". It was about love and finding ones self while going thru tragedy. Can't wait to start the next book with Logan's story!

Great story and narration

Prom night turns into a nightmare for Mikayla Jones in more ways than one. Tragic circumstances leave her alone in the world and her only saving grace is the handsome stranger who shows her kindness on the worst night of her young life. Jake Andrews noticed Mikayla as soon as she walked into his world. He wanted her immediately and plans to do whatever is necessary to take care of her.

What I liked: This book was a nearly perfect read. The plot and pace are exceptional. It’s sexy and sweet, but also tragic and sad. It’s definitely not a feel good story, but I enjoyed it thoroughly. Jake Andrews is a perfect YA/NA hero. I utterly adored him. The epilogue and setup for future releases was an added bonus. I can’t wait to read more.

What didn’t work for me: My main issue is that Mikayla tended to grate on my nerves a bit. I vacillated between feeling her pain and hating her for being so immature and inconsiderate to Jake. I was able to empathize with her character, but I wanted her figure things a bit sooner than she did.

Audiobook review: This dual POV book is narrated by Jeremy York and Allison Lynnewood. I sped the narration up a bit(1.25x), but overall I enjoyed the audio version.
Overall, this novel is well executed. I was very impressed and look forward to reading more from Jay McLean very soon!