Last Will and Testament by Dahlia Adler
Series: Radleigh
University #1
Published: December 9th,
2014
Publisher: Self-published
414 pages (eARC)
Genre: Contemporary New
Adult
Acquired this book: From
the author in exchange for an honest review
Warning: May contain spoilers
Lizzie Brandt was
valedictorian of her high school class, but at Radleigh University, all she's
acing are partying and hooking up with the wrong guys. But all that changes
when her parents are killed in a tragic accident, making her guardian to her
two younger brothers. To keep them out of foster care, she'll have to fix up
her image, her life, and her GPA—fast. Too bad the only person on campus she
can go to for help is her humorless, pedantic Byzantine History TA, Connor
Lawson, who isn't exactly Lizzie's biggest fan.
But Connor surprises her. Not only is he a great tutor, but he’s also a pretty great babysitter. And chauffeur. And listener. And he understands exactly what it’s like to be on your own before you're ready. Before long, Lizzie realizes having a responsible-adult type around has its perks... and that she'd like to do some rather irresponsible (but considerably adult) things with him as well. Good thing he's not the kind of guy who'd ever reciprocate.
Until he does.
Until they turn into far more than teacher and student.
Until the relationship that helped put their lives back together threatens everything they both have left.
In a nutshell:
Is Last Will and Testament for you?
Well…do you like:
1. A strong, kickass,
smart-mouthed, sassy, hilarious, honest heroine who says what’s on her mind, makes mistakes, but always picks herself up and carries on no matter how hard
things get?
2. A sexy, nerdy French
Canadian who appears crusty, but actually has a heart of gold? (And is willing
to take much-needed fashion advice?)
3. A romance that will
make you swoon, make you want to scream, and leave you needing a cold shower
(or six)?
4. A story that will make
you laugh, tear up, root for the characters, and sigh happily at the end?
Did you answer yes to all? I hope you did, because those things are all awesome and they're all in this book. So READ. THIS. BOOK. You
won’t regret it.
Last Will and Testament
is one of those books that
confirms my love of New Adult. With characters and a storyline that grip your
attention—and your heart—it’s impossible not to get invested and love this
book.
I loved Lizzie’s voice
from the very first page. She was funny, irreverent, and unapologetically
herself. She said what she thought, and she made mistakes. She was wonderfully
flawed and realistic, and I loved her for that. I laughed so hard at some of
the things she said and thought (especially the somewhat inappropriate things).
It was refreshing to come across a character like her who just said it like it
was. Her growth amazed me and made me so freaking proud, the way I would
be of a friend who was floundering but did their damnedest to keep
pushing, keep going, and do whatever it took to make it.
Then there was Connor. Oh
Connor. *sigh* Despite seeming surly and way too serious, he actually had a
heart of gold. He was such a good person. The way he helped Lizzie, the
way he was there for her and the things he did for her made me love him so
much. And I might be a little biased (okay, I totally am), but I loved
that Connor was Canadian. I also loved that there weren’t any annoying
stereotypes about Canada/Canadians, which in itself was refreshing. The first
time Connor swore in French, I laughed myself silly, because it really is such
a French Canadian Catholic thing to swear the way he did. It was endearing and
funny at the same time.
Lizzie and Connor seem
like such an unlikely couple, but I think that’s part of why they work so well
together. They balance each other out, and Connor is exactly the type of guy
Lizzie needs while she’s trying to keep her life together. He helps her, but
also gives her the encouragement and support she needs to be strong herself and
learn to be what her brothers need. I love how they both changed slowly into
better versions of themselves for each other. It was never one of those ‘I have
to do this or he won’t like me anymore’ type things, it was more like ‘he makes
me want to be a better person and I should do this for myself as much as for
him’. They had the type of love that makes you want to be a better person in
general, without giving up who you are or compromising your true self. It was beautiful.
Besides being funny and
realistic and heartfelt, this book is SEXY. Like super sexy, and I loved every
second of it. Lizzie was completely open about and comfortable with her sexuality.
She was like YAY SEX, which made me YAY LIZZIE. That was something else that
was refreshing about this book. A lot of people say there’s too much sex in NA,
but I think it’s all about the approach. If the sex is gratuitous or feels out of place, you might
wish there was a fast-forward button, but in a case like this, where it’s such
a positive thing, it’s welcome, at least for me. I wish there had been more
books like this when I was younger, because then maybe I wouldn’t have had the
narrow view of sex and pleasure I did when I was in my late teens/early
twenties.
If you’re looking for a
contemporary New Adult story that’s gripping, emotional, funny, sexy, and
swoony, with the right amount of tension (but low on the angst), and lots of
heart, I can’t recommend Last Will and Testament enough. This is one of my
favourite books of 2014, and is high on my list of favourite NAs.
Have
you read Last and Will and Testament? What did you think? If you haven't read it, do you plan to? Have you read Dahlia's YA debut Behind the Scenes? How do you feel about teacher-student books? What are some of your favourite NAs of 2014? Let's talk here or on Twitter!
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~Marie