The Boy I Grew Up With by Tijan
My rating: 4.5 of 5 stars

“He’d been “mine” in some form or another almost my whole life. To say our trek together had been one with upheavals, peaks, climaxes, and downfalls—that’d just be an understatement.”

“I’m crew, and that’ll never change. And you’re in danger because you’re the woman I love. I’m sorry, I am. But that’ll never change either. I’ll never love someone like I love you. Don’t ask me to try.”

As unbelievable as it may seem for me to tell you this, but Tijan is a New-to-me-Author. Of course, I have heard of her, but the opportunity to read and review her work in the past just has not presented itself to me. I keep a tight blogging schedule and rarely get to just read whatever I want. That said, I was given the opportunity to include The Boy I Grew Up With on my blog and now I am completely KICKING myself for missing out on the sheer awesomeness of Tijan’s words!!! The Boy I Grew Up With is an incredible second chance romance. Its unique, sweet, and sexy. The story revolves around Heather and Channing, lifelong friends and lovers who’ve spent years breaking up and getting back together.

“Heather kept thinking it was her choice to accept me and be with me, or not. But it wasn’t that simple. We were intertwined. There was no me without her. No her without me, so to do what I needed to do, I was going to rip us both apart.”

“I spent the first part of my life trying to catch you. I’ve spent the last part trying to walk away.”

The Boy I Grew Up With was a very heartfelt romance. Tijan’s writing is compelling and I was thoroughly entertained with the entire book. I felt incredible invested in the characters and their HEA. Also, I loved the dual perspectives as I always do—something about getting into a character’s innermost thoughts just really sells a romance for me. In The Boy I Grew Up With, Channing’s perspective particularly gutted me over and over again. And while I loved Heather, I was head-over-heels for Channing. His protective side, his sheer sexiness and the whit that his character introduced is what totally put this book over the top for me. Where I expected Channing to be the protector based on his upbringing and his role in the Crew, I wasn’t expecting Heather to be every bit as fierce. Yet she was. And you have to appreciate a female protagonist who is smart, loyal, sassy and spunky. Heather took no shit off anyone even when it endangered her own safety. The romance was well laid out and very easy to follow. Additionally, while it is my understanding that readers of Tijan’s Fallen Crest High series have encountered Heather and Channing and their relationship in previous books, you can read The Boy I Grew Up With as a standalone without feeling like you are missing critical parts of the story. Heather and Channing’s romance spans a lifetime, starting when they were just kids and continuing through devastating hardships that would have destroyed any lasting chance at a happily ever after for most couples. Yet, Heather and Channing persevere despite the angst. Their relationship is sweet and sexy. As intense and angsty as the story was, I wouldn’t change anything about it. I highly recommend The Boy I Grew Up With and cannot wait until I have another opportunity to read Tijan’s work.

Excerpt:   “This was our pattern, around and around. One long fucking circle. Something bad happened. I walked. She walked. One of us walked, and the other let ‘em. We’d go our separate ways, start missing each other, and get back together. It was a goddamn cycle that had to stop. Somehow. …the other part of the cycle. I would hurt, or she would hurt, and the other would come. I was a selfish asshole. If I was hurting, sometimes I didn’t have the strength to keep her away. I did that time. She thought I’d cheated, and I let her. That was the first time I let her go.”

Purchase Links:

Amazon US

Amazon UK