Series: Good Girls Don't

I received this book for free from Sophia Bleu in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Twenty-one year-old Jillian Nichols only has one rule when it comes to boys: catch and release. Boy-catching isn't just a game for Jillian and her friends, it's a lifestyle. After all, boys might be good for a dance or a drink and certainly a little under-cover action of the scandalous variety, but expect much else and you're bound for heart ache.

So when her best friends and fellow boy catchers start dropping like flies junior year, Jillian is determined to keep boys in her bedroom and out of her heart. Until she meets Liam McAvoy, the kind of guy that sticks around to make waffles and who can't—or perhaps won't—take a hint.

Study abroad student Liam doesn't want to be another notch on Jillian's bedpost. Actually he has much more interesting ideas for Jillian and her bedposts, but his student visa's set expiration date means he can't promise her forever. That doesn't mean he's going to walk away from the challenge of discovering why Jillian is hell-bent at keeping people at a distance.

Before long, neither is sure who is catching who—or if they're playing for keeps. Jillian knows one thing though: falling in love will not only break the only rule of boy-catching, it could also break her heart.

What could be better than a Scottish guy who makes mean waffles? (hint: nothing!)

Catching Liam has everything I look for in a contemporary: well developed, realistic, and likeable characters, a romance that takes your breath away, friendship dynamics that bring tears to your eyes, and a few rough patches to give the story a bit of an edge.

Even though this book does remain a lighthearted read, it still grabs at your emotions, especially when it involves Jillian’s condition. Jillian has been dealt a rough hand where she’s dealing with a medical diagnosis with which she hasn’t come to terms, yet. Not only does this add depth to the story and its characters, it reminds us to live life to the fullest. It’s an illness that, for no specific reason, has always haunted me; I just find it so heartbreaking to have to live with knowing what’s in store. We don’t find out what exactly Jillian’s illness is until the second part of the book, but we see hints of it from the beginning and if you’ve watched as much medical drama television as I it’s fairly easy to make the conclusion. Regardless, when it came to the actual revelation I still felt a pang in my heart for her. It made it all real, you know?

With her catch and release dating style, Jillian is not used to having a boy trying to stay caught. It goes against everything she trained herself to be after her diagnosis. Jillian’s personality, at first, feels a little.. cold. Or stubborn. She doesn’t see the point of Liam sticking around since 1) her body is broken and 2) he’s leaving the country in a few months. While I’m not always able to sympathize with such types, I completely understood where she was coming from; she knows what loving her would entail in the long run, and that broke my heart even further. I know I would feel the exact same way in her shoes. Throughout the book she grows into a stronger person, realizing she doesn’t have to go through it alone which I admired. As for Liam, he’s a character I fell for hard. He’s adorable in his relentlessness in getting Jillian to give him a chance. He’s sweet, he’s down to earth, he’s funny, and did I say he was Scottish? Even though I would have liked to know more about him aside from his future plans, I still became completely enamored. *Sigh* if only we could all be a fictional MC for a day!

Jillian and Liam aside, what I loved most in this novel are the relationships between Jillian and the secondary characters; they are all well explored, meaningful, and full of the realities of college life. For starters, Jillian has two great best friends, both of whom are quirky with fun personalities, but Jess is the one who stood out for me. This girl is an incredible person with an immense heart. A couple of scenes even brought tears to my eyes from seeing just how amazing a friend she truly is. Furthermore, Jillian’s relationship with her mother is also a key factor in this book. Tara is all hard edges with a tough shell to crack, but after all is said and done you can see through this animosity between them.

All in all, Catching Liam is romantic, sexy, full of friendship and vibrant personalities. It’s a book with plenty of charm, and I did say he was Scottish, right? With an accent? Yeah, and that!

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