Excerpt + Giveaway + Review: "Back to You" by Kristen Granata

Happy release day to "Back to You" by Kristen Granata! This story is a follow up to last year's "Hating the Boss," which I adored, so I have very much been looking forward to reading it. Even though it is technically the second book in a series, it is a complete standalone, so anyone who has not yet read the previous book will not feel lost by starting here.

My full review of "Back to You" is included at the end of this post, but in short, I highly recommend this sweet, charming story. It is laugh out loud funny, heartwarming, and heartbreaking in equal measure, and I had a difficult time putting it down once I started reading.

For a chance to win a signed paperback copy of "Back to You" and some swag courtesy of the author, Kristen Granata, click here! (Giveaway closes on February 20.)

About "Back to You"

They say you never forget your first love. Clearly, they haven’t tried hard enough. I’ve spent five years forgetting about Christopher Hastings.

His gentle touch? A distant memory.

Those gorgeous hazel eyes? Long gone.

The sparks that flew when we kissed? Wiped from my mind.

Now my life is going exactly the way I want it to. I landed a teaching job at my old elementary school. I’m happy again. Everything’s perfect.

Imagine my surprise when I find out my school’s gym teacher is none other than Christopher Hastings.

Cue panic attack.

But it doesn’t matter how good he fills out those basketball shorts—I’ve moved on. At least that’s what I keep telling myself. If only my heart would get the memo.

They say you never forget your first love, and it looks like Christopher is determined to make sure I never forget mine.

Read an Excerpt from "Back to You"

Have you ever forced a smile so hard that it actually hurt?

I think I just pulled a muscle in my face.

Either that or I’m having a stroke. That would give me a good excuse to exit this conversation. Sorry, I’m having a stroke. I have to go.

“And then I was like, wait ... is this gluten free? Because I’m gluten intolerant.”

What’s this girl’s name again? My eyes glazed over five minutes ago, yet she continues blabbering on:

“And he was like, “No, ma’am.” And I was like, did he just call me ma’am? And then I was like, “I want to speak to your manager.””

Is it Jessica? Or Jamie?

“I mean, how prudent can you be? Can you believe that?”

Maybe it doesn’t start with a J at all...

“Uhm, hello? Are you even listening to me?”

Shit. I’ve been caught. I clear my throat. “I’m not sure prudent is the right word.”

Nameless Girl cocks her blond head to the side. “What?”

“You said: How prudent can you be? But that word doesn’t make sense in that sentence.”

Her vacant eyes blink back at me.

So I continue to dig my hole deeper. “Prudent means practical, sensible. I think you meant to say insensitive.”

Blink, blink.

I lift my half-empty cup of beer to my lips and take a swig. I guess it could be half-full, if you’re one of those types. But that’s not how I see things. Guess I’m more prudent.

My roommate, Damon, claps me on the back. “Hey, man. The pool table’s open. Let’s go.”

I don’t play pool, but he’s clearly on a search and rescue mission. A damn fine wingman, that friend of mine.

I push my cheeks up, straining through another smile. “I’m going to play pool. It was nice talking to you …” Jordana? Jody? Ah, fuck it. Who really cares what her name is?

She scoffs and rolls her eyes. “Yeah, thanks for the vocabulary lesson.”

Damon chokes out a laugh as he ushers me toward the pool table. “Dude, that girl was a sure thing. Tell me you didn’t get all nerdy on her.”

I shrug before gulping down the rest of my beer. “I don’t see what the big deal is. I would want someone to tell me if I used a word incorrectly in a sentence.”

He shakes his head. “People don’t come to these parties to talk about school. They come here to get fucked up and not think about school.”

“But a conversation shouldn’t be physically painful. Her voice was like nails on a chalkboard. I’m pretty sure she used the word like over twelve times within one minute.”

Damon leans against the table, leveling me with a look. “That’s your problem: You were trying to talk to her. You’re supposed to smile and nod, let her run her mouth about whatever she wants. After a few minutes, you ask her if she wants to get out of here. Then, you take her back to your place and fuck her.” He spreads his arms out wide. “Have I taught you nothing in the past year?”

I’m quiet as I set my cup down on the edge of the table. It’s not socially acceptable for a guy to tell another guy that he’s tired of the one-night stands and meaningless conversations. I want to get laid, trust me. But what’s wrong with having an interesting conversation with a girl before I fuck her? Why can’t I enjoy her company, fully-clothed, as much as when we’re naked? Is that too much to ask?

That’s the real foreplay. Getting into a girl’s mind before getting into her pants. If I can’t stand talking to her, what’s going to make me want to fuck her? Stupidity is a major boner killer.

My Review

"Back to You" by Kristen Granata was a fantastic follow up to her previous book, "Hating the Boss." Both are completely standalone stories, but I love that the timelines overlapped and Raegan and Jaxon, the main characters from the first book, made cameo appearances here in book #2. I also enjoyed gaining a new perspective on events I remembered from the previous story (especially the dodgeball game!).

The main characters of "Back to You," Chris and Michelle, were very likeable and relatable, and their families added a lot of humor and heart to the story as well. I particularly enjoyed Chris's relationship with his nephew Aiden. He was such a great kid, and I'm sure much of that was because of the example Chris set for him. Michelle's relationship with her father and brothers was a lot of fun too. The way they looked out for each other was quite endearing, and I appreciated how easily they accepted Chris and Aiden into the fold. 

The story itself was sweet, charming, and gave me all the feels. There were certainly funny moments, but it was also heartwarming and heartbreaking at times. Michelle and Chris had some tough issues to tackle before they could find their way to back to each other, but I think their relationship developed at a nice pace. I was happy that Michelle didn't forgive Chris's past behavior too easily, but made him explain himself and explained why his choices hurt her in return. Even though I completely understood why he chose to leave school to take care of Aiden, Michelle was absolutely correct in that Chris could have handled things with her better back then. Fortunately, everything worked out for them in the end!

Overall, I loved "Back to You" and can't wait to see what Ms. Granata publishes next.

*ARC provided by the author. All opinions expressed are my own.