‘I’LL BE YOURS,’ BY JENNY B. JONES: A FIVE STAR STUNNER FOR THE KEEPER SHELF

One of my most favorite authors (ever) is Jenny B. Jones. I discovered her particular brand of bookish happiness when she was signed with Thomas Nelson (Harper Collins) and now, after many years away from the author-ing gig, she returns with a select few novels published in the Indie world. I’ll Be Yours is her latest, and by Jove, it’s not one to be missed.  

STORY: Harper O’Malley has scars of the physical and emotional variety. Her adoptive family is her rock since bringing her home at age nine; they love and accept her. Now, as a teenager, her safe place is about to shatter her into a million pieces. Her father, the man she admires so, becomes the center of a scandal when he’s found out to be having an affair. As the football coach for a prestigious college program, Coach O’Malley’s social life is cause for immediate dismissal and Harper’s withdrawal from her father and the rest of her family which includes, mom Cristy and brothers Michael and Cole.

I’ll Be Yours, by Jenny B. Jones | Book Review

Despite the emotional upheaval, Harper finds herself relying on high school football star Ridley Estes. Perceived as the local “bad boy,” Harper keeps her distance from him, only it turns out in order to obtain the scholarship he needs, Ridley needs a tutor and Harper needs lessons in how to snag her dream boy’s attention. Whether she likes it or not, Harper is about to discover so much more about Ridley… and in the end, his reputation just might prove her wrong.

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Ah, contemporary bliss. Let me count the ways I love you, dear Story. There are so many, knowing where to begin isn’t so much the challenge as knowing where to end. Typical to a Jones novel, she liberally sprinkles the book with darling humor that make you laugh-out-loud because the particular brand of happy she consistently spreads is that one bright spot of sunshine a reader chases. Coupled with this is a deep, poignant story I didn’t expect because I went into this novel “blind.” I knew it had something to do with football, there’d be romance and its cover bore the name of Jenny B. Jones. That’s all I need.  

I think God speaks to us all differently, and I heard him first in the music.” – Jenny B. Jones

The heroine Harper (who, by the way has a great name) isn’t the average contemporary YA leading lady. No, Harper has a messy past, a past that leaves her guarded and careful. She doesn’t welcome forms of physical affection, and struggles with ways of connecting with the boy she crushes on (a boy who needs three names just to “contain all the wonder” of him). This is where Ridley’s particular set of skills come in handy and with it, a series of events are set in motion that will rework Harper’s heart.  

If you’re looking for something to compare this to, it does remind me of the adaptation of The DUFF. Not to slight this novel, while the surface is similar (a boy helping a girl capture the interest of her crush), this is where the similarities stop. I’ll Be Yours is about forgiveness, and the healing that leads to forgiveness. It’s about a boy and a girl discovering who they are as they step up and into a new phase of this crazy thing called life. Though the final chapter completes this story with grace, I admire that there is also an open-ended quality to it allowing the reader to assume what they will, but enjoy the warmth the conclusion wraps us up in. 

About the Book:

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Author: Jenny B. Jones
Publisher: Sweet Pea Productions (Indie Published)
Source: Author
Publication Date: 2016
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Genre: Fiction; Contemporary Romance, Contemporary YA
Rating: ★★★★★

Sincere thanks to the author Jenny, and Rel for providing a complimentary copy of this book for reviewing purposes.