ARC Review: I’m sharing my review of a sequel book I was lucky enough to get an advanced copy for!
The Preston Brothers Series is a spin-off of the More Than Series
Other books in the series:
SERIESous’ Top Picks: Must Read Author
Series: Preston Brothers
This series is a spinoff of the More Than Series.
Author: Jay McLean
# of Books: 3 (Full Reading Order)
Book Order: Connected but Chronological Events
Complete?: Unsure
Genre: New Adult, Contemporary, Romance, Drama, Coming of Age
Heat Rating: warm
Point of View: First Person, Alternating
Publication Date: November 2016 – ongoing
Source & Format: Author–eARC
Read my review of the rest of the series HERE!
My Expectations?
I’ve been (im)patiently waiting for the announcement of Leo’s book ever since this series was announced. He’s such an enigma of a character yet he has been so vital to all the other brothers’ stories that I couldn’t wait to get inside his head. I had no idea what to expect but I knew it was going to be one heck of an emotional roller coaster ride!
What I Liked:
–Focus on Family–
When it comes to drama, I find a lot of books focus on the negatives when it comes to families. It feels like 9 time out of 10, one (if not both) of the leads comes from a “broken” home and finds a new “family” with a group of friends. And I get why lots of stories have those elements. Families aren’t perfect; they’re complicated and messy. It also provides great drama and motivations for character actions.
And while we have those messy family situations in this book, I also appreciated the sentiment that you only get one family and it’s what you do with it that counts. Learning to move on from the past and forgive for the future is an idea that I don’t often see in this genre. The idea of second chances here–and following through by showing that people can change is a refreshing aspect to this story.
–Great Twists–
Jay McLean never fails to impress with her story twists. Just when you think you have everything figured out, you get a curveball thrown at you that you really should have known was coming.
–We Start From the Beginning–
I think to really understand who Leo is or why he acts the way he does, you have to go back to his childhood and see the role he played in those early years. It just helps to round out his character and his motivations for the decisions he makes later in the book.
What I Didn’t Like:
–Sometimes You Felt the Extensive Length of The Book–
I subscribe to Jay McLean’s reader newsletter (obviously) and when she announced the release of Leo, she had mentioned this book could have easily been split into two novels to make a duet but opted to keep it one book. It is a long one but so is the journey of Leo so in some ways I’m glad it was all together. I do think some parts could have been a little condensed to keep the story moving at a consistent pace.
But I think part of the reason I struggled with the length is that this is a very emotional story so breaking it up would have probably saved me some heartache! It’s very bittersweet but a worthwhile experience.
Rating for Leo: 4/5
Lucas 5/5 | Logan 4.5/5 | Leo 4/5
Be prepared to feel all the feels! No one writes New Adult novels like Jay McLean!
Read if You Like: drama, emotional reads
Avoid if You: dislike high school based New Adult romances
- More Than This by Jay McLean (More Than Series #1)
- Keep Me Still by Casey Quinn (Keep Me Still Series #1)
- Rome by Jay Crownover (Marked Men Series #2)
Synopsis for Leo (from Goodreads):
One single summer changed them forever, and one moment of devastating silence destroyed it all.
Growing up with six siblings, Leo Preston has always struggled to find his voice.
While his brothers are loud, greedy, and somewhat obnoxious, Leo is forever the quiet one.
The thinker.
The listener.
He watches his life pass by as an outsider in his own world, absent and alone.
Lost.
Until he finds her.For Leo, Mia Kovács is like a prize, a gift wrapped in passion and devotion.
And she’s his—his very own secret he doesn’t have to share.
Together, they can overcome anything…
heartache and destruction, guilt and regret.Mia gives Leo everything he didn’t know he needed,
including her fragile heart.
The only thing she doesn’t give him…
are secrets of her own.
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