Review: Ask Me to Stay

Ask Me to Stay by Terri Osburn
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I have read and loved all of Terri Osburn's previous novels, so I was thrilled to be chosen to review an ARC of her latest, "Ask Me to Stay." This book was just as well-written as all of Osburn's previous efforts, though I must admit that it took me a bit longer than usual to get into it. I would describe the romance as a "slow burn," which I usually enjoy, but this time it almost seemed like there was a genuine dislike underlying the main characters' relationship at first. Once Kendall and Liza got over their initial dislike and started to realize their attraction for one another, I found myself relaxing into the story and it was tough to put the book down.

The secondary plot involving Ray's desire to tell his life story, and for Liza to write a book about it, was quite engaging, though I was able to guess the "twist" pretty early on thanks to the clues that were dropped along the way. I still enjoyed reading along and trying to figure out how everything would be revealed, plus Ray himself was a pretty interesting character. While it may have been difficult for his loved ones to understand why he did what he did, his love for his family seemed clear to me, and overall, I found him to be a pretty likeable guy. Sometimes good people find themselves in bad situations, and maybe that's what happened to Ray here.

The other secondary characters, particularly the residents of Haven Island including Francine, Aadi, and Larimore, were also charming and added a lot of depth to the story. As I read, I found myself hoping that Larimore would get a story of his own in the future. Fingers crossed, maybe we'll have the chance to revisit Haven Island at some point!

*ARC provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

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