Just the Way You Are

Rating:
Summary: Boring, boring, boring...
Review: I usually agree with Harriet Klausner on her reviews, but I'm sorry, I couldn't agree on this one. I found this book to be incredibly boring. It was the same thing chapter after chapter. Maybe I didn't find this book interesting because I'm such a huge fan of historical romance and I don't read contemperary romance much, but I have enjoyed Sandra Brown's and Nora Robert's contemperary romance. By the end of the book I was sick of Sam and Alli. The only character with any personality was Jimmy. Sorry...

Rating:
Summary: Passible romance, interesting concept
Review: I wish I could give this 3.5 stars because it really is an above average romance read. Freethy has a way with descriptions and her characters were believeable and sympathetic. The concept of the book--two sisters who believe they love the same man--was also intriguing.

The book flounders, however, in the plot resolution. The dramatic set up is strong: After 8 years of small town marriage, Alli Tucker has separated from her much loved husband Sam, because she's tired of having never heard the words, "I love you" come out of his mouth. She also believes Sam has never gotten over his adolescent love for her beautiful, super-model, globe-trotting older sister, Tessa, the woman Alli "stole" Sam from 8 years before.

When Alli and Tessa's grandmother suffers a stroke, Tessa returns to the small town she fled 8 years before and the dramatic conflict begins. Alli still desperately loves Sam but is no longer willing to be what she believes is "second place" in his heart. Tessa is hearing her biological clock ticking and is having regrets she didn't stay with Sam when she had the chance all those years before. Sam is torn between his familial commitment to Alli and their daughter Megan, the child conceived as a result of Alli's seduction of him 8 years before, and the memories of his unfulfilled love for the gorgeous Tessa.

Freethy deftly shows the confused and conflicted emotions of all three characters. Her portrayal of the deep feelings between Sam and Alli is particularly good, but the conflict went on too long. That's all the novel really was, a continuing play on this love triangle that had the characters saying the same things to each other over and over again. It's also obvious very early in the story what the outcome is going to be and who is going to end up with whom.

Even so, this is a well written and engaging read. It's the first Freethy I've read and I'm tempted to try another, hopefully with a bit more developed plot, based on this one's strengths.

Rating:
Summary: Packed with great emotion...
Review: If you're a Barbara Freethy fan, you are going to love this book, since I think it's her best yet. Very emotional and very satisfying, this story is about real people dealing with real issues. If you've not read Freethy, I would suggest you give this one a try, especially if you're looking for something fresh and genuine in romance.

Rating:
Summary: A very special contemporary romance
Review: In Tucker's Landing, Oregon, Allison Tucker knows she always loved her husband Sam even when he was her sister Tessa's boy friend. Years ago, when her sibling left town to become a supermodel, Alli made a bid for Sam, became pregnant, and they married. Although they clearly cherish their daughter Megan, Alli doubts Sam loves her as he never has said the word. Alli feels Sam's heart still belongs to Tessa.

Because she loves Sam so much, Alli decides it is time to give him back his freedom to pursue Tessa when her sister returns home to visit their ailing grandmother. Her dreams shattered, she separates from her beloved Sam, who begins pursuit of his first love.

JUST THE WAY YOU ARE is an engaging contemporary romance due to the likable lead characters that make up the triangle. They are human instead of a super villain with no redeeming qualities. Readers will feel empathy towards Alli even while hissing at Sam for his emotional confusion over what he wants in life. What truly makes Barbara Freethy's tale of second chances at love is that Tessa is a nice person, making the rivalry even more difficult for the sisters and Sam.

Harriet Klausner

Rating:
Summary: A wonderful story, uplifting and heartwarming!
Review: Just the Way You Are by Barbara Freethy Review by Barb Deane, Barb's All Romance Book Store

Avon author Barbara Freethy's November release is entitled Just the Way You Are. It is her seventh contemporary romance for Avon and definitely my favorite so far. Here's our review:

Allison and Tessa are sisters, only two years apart, whose parents were killed in an auto accident when they were still young. After the accident, the girls move to Tucker's Landing, a small town on the Oregon coast to live with their aunt Phoebe. And next door to Phoebe lives the town founders, including the proverbial boy-next-door, Sam Tucker.

From the moment they met, Sam and Tessa are best friends, inseparable and in love. Unfortunately, Allison also falls in love with Sam from the moment she sees him and is constantly chasing after Tessa and Sam, trying to keep up and fit in. The fact that beautiful Tessa is stunningly beautiful and begins a modeling career at an early age doesn't help Allie's increasing feelings of inferiority.

When Sam and Tessa were twenty, he intended to propose at Christmas. Tessa, however, takes a modeling job over the holidays and doesn't go home to Tucker's Landing. So, when a drunken Sam falls in bed with Allie and makes a baby, Tessa is crushed and furious with them both. When Sam tells her he is marrying Allie, Tessa leaves town and doesn't return until Aunt Phoebe has a stroke, nine years later.

However, when Tessa gets to town, she learns that Sam is back living in his parents' old house next to Phoebe, because Allie has kicked him out and asked for a divorce. No longer willing to live with a man who doesn't even tell her that he loves her, but only married her because she was pregnant, Allie cannot get past her feelings of playing second fiddle to Tessa. And with super model Tessa back in town and in Sam's arms, tempers flare and accusations fly.

Barbara Freethy has crafted a beautiful and emotionally satisfying story in Just the Way You Are. I was immediately drawn into these people's lives and was unwilling to let them go until I had finished the story. The secondary characters are compelling and perfectly compliment the emotional attachment and age-old pain that Sam and Allie have to deal with in order to decide what to do with their future. I cannot recommend this book enough - it is a lovely story that will touch your heart.

Rating:
Summary: Just The Way You Are
Review: Just The Way You Are is a great read! It's a wonderful story about love and family. Sam, Alli and Tessa are terrific characters and are so real I felt like I really knew them and understood them. Their story of love and betrayal and second chances is poignant and heartwarming. I particularly enjoyed the relationship between the two sisters and the story of the pearls that brings them together. This is one of those books you keep thinking about after you turn the last page. It's a definite keeper!

Rating:
Summary: The Title Says It All!
Review: Picture two young girls orphaned at a young age. Tessa, the oldest is the beauty of the family, the one who seems to have it all. Alli, the youngest, always seems to have her nose pushed to the window, wanting to fit in and have what Tessa possess. Alli constantly fights to keep up with her sister. The one thing Tessa has that Alli wants is the love of Sam, the boy next door. Alli struggles to find ways to make Sam notice her. Years pass, Tessa and Sam stay together in their own world until one night Tessa makes the choice of accepting a modeling assignment instead of coming home on Christmas break to be with Sam. Sam gets drunk, Alli sees her chance and makes her move. She ends up pregnant and Sam marries her out of responsibility to the baby.

Fast-forward ten years. Alli has left Sam. She is tired of fighting for Sam's love. Never, in ten years of marriage, has Sam told her that he loves her. She realizes Sam has stayed with her because of their daughter, Megan. Alli finally realizes you can't force someone to love you, and she wants to be loved for herself. Then tragedy strikes. Her grandmother, Phoebe, the strong woman who raised Alli and Tessa suffers a massive stroke. Tessa returns home after being gone for ten years. Neither woman wants to see the other and rehash old wounds. Now three people have to confront the past and decide what the future holds for them.

Just the Way You Are by Barbara Freethy has received glowing reviews on this site. While I enjoyed the book, I found myself becoming disgusted with Tessa and Alli at times for their selfishness and quite frankly felt they needed a good kick in the seat of their pants. Then I found myself caught up in this beautiful story of two people trying to save a marriage that started for all the wrong reasons, but was now worth saving for all the right reasons.

This story proves you can't hold on to the past, you have to move forward. It also makes a strong point for accepting someone "just the way you are."

Rating:
Summary: The Title Says It All!
Review: Picture two young girls orphaned at a young age. Tessa, the oldest is the beauty of the family, the one who seems to have it all. Alli, the youngest, always seems to have her nose pushed to the window, wanting to fit in and have what Tessa possess. Alli constantly fights to keep up with her sister. The one thing Tessa has that Alli wants is the love of Sam, the boy next door. Alli struggles to find ways to make Sam notice her. Years pass, Tessa and Sam stay together in their own world until one night Tessa makes the choice of accepting a modeling assignment instead of coming home on Christmas break to be with Sam. Sam gets drunk, Alli sees her chance and makes her move. She ends up pregnant and Sam marries her out of responsibility to the baby.

Fast-forward ten years. Alli has left Sam. She is tired of fighting for Sam's love. Never, in ten years of marriage, has Sam told her that he loves her. She realizes Sam has stayed with her because of their daughter, Megan. Alli finally realizes you can't force someone to love you, and she wants to be loved for herself. Then tragedy strikes. Her grandmother, Phoebe, the strong woman who raised Alli and Tessa suffers a massive stroke. Tessa returns home after being gone for ten years. Neither woman wants to see the other and rehash old wounds. Now three people have to confront the past and decide what the future holds for them.

Just the Way You Are by Barbara Freethy has received glowing reviews on this site. While I enjoyed the book, I found myself becoming disgusted with Tessa and Alli at times for their selfishness and quite frankly felt they needed a good kick in the seat of their pants. Then I found myself caught up in this beautiful story of two people trying to save a marriage that started for all the wrong reasons, but was now worth saving for all the right reasons.

This story proves you can't hold on to the past, you have to move forward. It also makes a strong point for accepting someone "just the way you are."

Rating:
Summary: Serious novel about relationships
Review: Romance readers put up with a Lot: too much mystery, too much suspense, too much historical detail - all we really want is a novel about people and their romantic relationships! Barbara Freethy delivers this beautifully in Just the Way You Are. It has as its basic premise 2 very competitive sisters who loved the same boy as teenagers. Tessa, the blonde beauty, dumped Sam Tucker and went on to become a supermodel. Younger sister, Allie, jumped in when Sam was most vulnerable, got herself pregnant and married the man of her dreams. Now it's 9 years later and Allie is sick of wondering if the reason Sam has never told her he loves her is because he is still in love with Tessa. A family emergency brings all 3 together to sort out their lives and feelings. See??? This is an ideal set-up to portray Allie's jealosy and insecurity; Sam's indecision and weakness and Tessa's own unfinished emotions. Daughter Megan features prominently in the mix (Good! most romance readers love kids in the story.) and the whole book is about resolving these 3 peoples' tension and moving on with life. Wonderful!! Who could ask for more?? Barbara Freethy gives romance readers exactly what we want and we walk away very satisfied. Obviously highly recommended.

Rating:
Summary: Worth spending a few bucks on...
Review: The best romance novels are the ones that do not follow formula (at least in every aspect). Barbara Freethy has always been good at making her characters a little more realistic and a little less cookie-cutter. It is a great relief to find someone who does. This story is very well done. None of the characters is a saint, all have insecurities and doubts, and each is very flawed. Sam does treat his wife badly-he doesn't appreciate her and blames her for his life turning out different than he had planned. He sees himself as a martyr. He and Tessa are still holding a torch for one another. And Alli doesn't take it like a grown-up. She acts like a real person would to the same situation: angry, bitter and hurt (not just hurt). She doesn't just walk off to let Sam be happy-she goes about making it miserable about it. I really like this about her. Its probably what I would do...because she isn't perfect. The book works well, most of the tears were shed for the sisters relationship-not Alli and Sam's... but theres was well drawn, too. You won't be disappointed.