Until Now
Not Yet #2
Laura Ward
Genre: New Adult
Release Date: May 23, 2016

Focus.
Dean Goldsmith is Indiana University’s star quarterback, and his dreams are about to come true. His undefeated season means he has a legitimate shot at the NFL. If he stays focused. Football comes first.

College senior, Grace Yeates, is determined to defy the odds. She is months away from graduating with a business degree, something no one thought she would be able to pull off. All she has to do is focus on her number one priority. Family comes first.

Distraction.
Dean has no time for distractions, but when a gorgeous, snarky, redheaded waitress refuses to tell him her name, he can’t seem to focus on anything else.

Grace knows she can’t let herself get caught up in a guy, particularly a man-whore like Dean, no matter how charming or sexy. She has two hearts to look out for now and no room for a Dean-sized distraction.

Complications.
Everyone in Dean’s life agrees that Grace is the kind of complication his career doesn’t need. Grace knows that Dean is the kind of risk her heart shouldn’t want.

But what if the last person you think you need, the one you shouldn’t want, becomes the one you can’t live without? Can their biggest distraction actually be the focus they were missing all along?

This book defies quite a few of the New Adult standards that we find in the genre today. And that fact makes this book wonderful! Until Now is a story of something deeper. I liked the first in the series because Laura took something that had been done before in the genre and put a different spin on the tale, allowing the reader to get a new and emotional side to something many have seen before. So naturally, I was excited to see where she was going with this story.

Until Now was a surprise. This may spoil something for you if you did not already know but I don’t know how to review this book without pointing out one thing. Grace is a single mother. THIS fact made the story. So often when you read books of teenage pregnancy and the consequences and realities you get a story that is heavy and harsh, filled with negativity. Here we have a strong and capable female lead who fights for the life she wants for her and her son, overcoming the crushing odds and making it all work. Granted there is an extreme amount of sacrifice and hard work but this woman is one to admire. Her drive and devotion is beautiful. 

Enter Dean. This man has swag for days and a future that is taking him places. He originally pursues Grace due to her obvious refusal to be wowed but then it deepens into something more. Dean is the character that transforms in this book. He matures and it is so great to watch. I loved how he went from being the over confident and arrogant jock with everything going for him to a man determined to claim responsibility. In the beginning I felt the hesitation of Grace and it was definitely warranted. But as the book progresses, their story becomes something beautiful and solid. 

Laura Ward’s stories continue to couple emotion and heartfelt drama into a tale that is something that makes you look at a worn out story in a new and fresh way. This book was great and I am excited to read more in the Not Yet series!