Ever since the one time Andie Weber threw caution to the wind - and paid the price for it - she’s learned that it’s safer and smarter to live life playing by the rules. Now she’s got a great apartment, a steady job, and a wonderful boyfriend in Colin; he’s sweet, stable, and essentially perfect – except maybe for the fact that his best friend is Chase.
Chase McGuire lives his carefree, unstructured life strictly for himself. Dripping sarcasm and oozing wit, he refuses to censor his feelings or opinions for anyone, making no apologies for either and wearing his abrasiveness like a badge of honor. No one has ever gotten under Andie’s skin the way Chase does – and vice versa.
So when Andie and Chase find themselves forced to take a two-day road trip together, they are already dreading an inevitable all-out war. But as the trip progresses, and the undeniable friction that has always defined their relationship slowly begins to wear away their preconceived notions of each other, Andie and Chase discover they both have a lot to learn about life, courage, happiness, and the age-old battle between logic and love.
Chase McGuire lives his carefree, unstructured life strictly for himself. Dripping sarcasm and oozing wit, he refuses to censor his feelings or opinions for anyone, making no apologies for either and wearing his abrasiveness like a badge of honor. No one has ever gotten under Andie’s skin the way Chase does – and vice versa.
So when Andie and Chase find themselves forced to take a two-day road trip together, they are already dreading an inevitable all-out war. But as the trip progresses, and the undeniable friction that has always defined their relationship slowly begins to wear away their preconceived notions of each other, Andie and Chase discover they both have a lot to learn about life, courage, happiness, and the age-old battle between logic and love.
BUY: AMAZON
Priscilla Glenn, are you inside my head? I can’t believe how much I could relate to this book!
This book had all of the elements that I love in a good book. My favorite type of books to read are the self-discovery and slow character building romances. Not to mention a good road trip! I love a good road trip! I am ecstatic to be able to say that Emancipating Andie is now on that favorite list right beside The Edge of Never, The Sea of Tranquility, and Hopeless. I didn’t expect it to blow me away like it did, but, man, was I pleasantly surprised.
In my opinion, slow character building romances are the best kinds of stories. I prefer the slow burn feel as opposed to the in-your-face approach. I always feel like I get more emotionally attached and wrapped up in the characters when the story builds gradually. The key to this to make sure it pulls this off without letting me get bored. Priscilla Glenn did just that! I adored Andie and Chase. She managed angst without having annoying characters that made annoying decisions. Such a beautiful read.
So, the story starts when Andie is about to go on a second date with her soon-to-be boyfriend, Colin. They go to a party and that's when Andie accidentally gets herself locked in a wine cellar with Chase. She judges Chase immediately and decides that she doesn't like him. When she did that, I got a little worried. I didn't understand what her problem was, because he seemed nice enough to me. I thought for sure she was going to drive me crazy throughout the book with irrational decisions. I was wrong! She turned out to be a solid female character. The writing allowed us to get inside her head a little bit to see where she was coming from. She always wanted to take the safe route due to something that happened to her in the past. Also, her think-with-your-head-not-your-heart-mother was no help!
"Love with your head, and you'll be safe."
WORST. ADVICE. EVER.
Anyways, she gets out of the wine cellar. Life goes on. Andie falls into a safe and passionless relationship with Colin. The story picks up seventeen months later in Chapter 2. One of Colin's friends is getting married and Andie and Chase end up traveling together to the wedding. On the trip together, Chase helps bring Andie out of her shell and she begins to show him the real her. He gets her to do things she would normally never do.
"What makes you happy might not make that woman over there happy. But human beings have a terrible habit of thinking they know what's best for each other."
It becomes obvious about halfway through the trip that these two have a pretty intense connection with each other. Neither of them know what to do about it though because neither of them want to hurt Colin. Without giving anything away, Andie and Chase are forced to face their feelings after their trip. Their main obstacle is Colin. I loved the way that played out. The story could have easily taken a more rotten route in that regard, and I was pleased with the way it unraveled. It's not a cakewalk though.
"I don't want you to act like an asshole....And I don't want to be happy that you're here right now... And I don't want to love the way you smell....And I don't want to feel this way when you hold me...And I don't want to be with you anymore...Did you hear me? I don't want to be with you anymore."
I just loved these two together. Chase had my heart beating of my chest with his charm. Their scenes together towards the end....sigh....so good! This is a story where you see love grow from the ground up. You see Andie blossom and really find herself. She always knew who she was, but she was afraid to show it. It was nice to see her let go, but grab a hold of life at the same time. This is WAY UP there on my favorites list.
"No plan. No itinerary. Just you and me."
5 Stars
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