‘Don’t act so shocked that i’d trade you in for a set of bulging biceps, a rock-hard chest, and washboard abs okay?’’ Charlotte shrugs. ‘’I can’t even be mad….’’

'Tell me I love you' is about FMC Brynn and MMC Jace. Brynn goes to college after a dark period to make a fresh start. However, she is not alone... Jace, her twin brother's best friend and star football player is also attending the same college. Brynn her twin brother has asked Jace if he will keep an eye on her, and Jace then commits to that with one hundred percent. Sometimes even a little too protective. When Brynn's new roommate is seen with drugs, Jace does some kind of a innocent proposal to Brynn.... One she can't refuse, but with dire consequences.

The story is told from two perspectives; Brynn's and Jace's. Thus, you get a different view of the story each time. I love how the bond between the two progresses as you get deeper into the story. In addition, I thought the author did a great job of articulating the bond between brother and sister on paper. Although Teagan (twin brother) could also be quite overprotective, at the same time you could see the bond that siblings can have; the teasing, but also the loving. I could also laugh immensely at Brynn's friends. I loved it!

There is a good build-up to the story. In the beginning it is still completely innocent, but as the story progresses more and more happens in terms of drama, humor and suspense. Although it is not a smutty story, there are some sweet (innocent) scenes in it. Also, you slowly read toward Brynn's secret, the one she tried to run away from by going to a completely different college than her friends and brother. I didn't see the reveal of the culprit coming, though, so the author did a good job of keeping that hidden!

'Tell me you love me' is a story where rivals turn into lovers. It's a cute, innocent but incredibly fun story about a 'forbidden' love that turns into more and where young adults try to find their own voice. Definitely highly recommended!1 Tara LaPierre128

Holy crap she just throws these twist out of nowhere! 1 funkelbunt.liest66 Shelved as 'stopped-reading'

I was super excited to be on the ARC team for this book and was really really torn about how to rate it.
In the end I didn’t even finish it and decided not to rate it for multiple reasons.

When I rate a book 4 or 5 stars it’s a recommendation for other readers to pick up the book. When I rate it 3 it’s only average in writing or plot and with 1 or 2 stars for me it’s a book very poorly written, having big plot holes or a very unsatisfying development/ending.

‘Tell Me You Love Me’ doesn’t fit any of these categories for me and I actually feel it’s mostly my own fault.
I’ve read the ‘Lake Prep Series’ by Gracie Graham and ‘More Than A Number’ and all five books were clean, sweet and mostly innocent. They are set in High School but I actually expected ‘Tell Me You Love Me’ to follow the same patterns, just with characters a year or two older and I don’t feel that going to College should make such an impact on views about relationships and physical intimacy, so I really really expected something different and since I’m probably considered a prude by modern standards I really really didn’t feel comfortable reading this book.

But I don’t think I should rate it as is, since a book doesn’t have to represent my personal views and values and I honestly would have DNFed much earlier if this hadn’t been an ARC and I wouldn’t have loved the other five books by the author I’ve read. (And I usually don’t rate DNFs.)

I decided to stop reading at 70% because of a very explicit scene and I just knew it wouldn’t get better for me, since the whole book already made me uncomfortable.

So it’s safe to say I didn’t enjoy the book at all. I love Gracie Graham’s writing style, that much hasn’t changed, but apart from the explicit content in this book I also disd the male MC. VERY MUCH.
Jace is just so shallow and vulgar, I have no words. It’s everything coming out of his mouth is sexist and objectifying, but of course we should overlook that because he is so hot…

Speaking of my third arm… “How the hell am I supposed to bring chicks back to my place with her there, huh? I highly doubt she’s gonna be comfortable with that shit.” “So you have to keep it in your pants a while longer. It’s worth it.” Is it though? Me sexually deprived with Brynn at my disposal, feels dangerous. playing with fire.

Brynn crosses her arms and her chest swells. My gaze darts to the milky flesh and my dick takes that moment to make his appearance.

I really really don’t know why there are girls and women falling for guys him, I certainly wouldn’t and I don’t think he is charming at all. He’s smarmy and obnoxious with stalker tendencies. He also assumes that every guy thinks him which just shows that his friends aren’t any better or less superficial.

“Can you trust your roommate not to slip his dick in her?”

I’ve spent more hours in a locker room over the years than I’d care to admit, and there’s one thing I know for certain: we’re all a bunch of horny assholes. Despite giving her a hard time, Brynn is too good for all of us. So, I might as well be up front about the fact she’s a no-fly zone. Plenty of other runways where they can land their planes.

I know people use this kind of language, but I never d it. Whether coming from real people or fictional ones, I always thought this way of speaking was repulsive.

Brynn starts to think there’s more to him at one point but I don't see it. You’re not deep or insightful only because you have indifferent parents or some other kind of messed up childhood.
We are supposed to believe he is a reformed player, but he definitely isn’t. I would bet my most beloved books he wouldn’t have been interested in Brynn if she wasn’t so hot as well.

If Gracie would have made her female MC less attractive, maybe even that much that his equally shallow football buddies would have made fun of her and he would have started to see behind the looks of a person, that there are more important aspects to a person than outward appearances, THEN I could have seen something in him, a change of heart maybe or the rare understanding that looks aren’t everything.

But in this book they are (at least in the first 70%) and while I could relate to Brynn more and even d her a little bit, she sadly is surrounding herself with very superficial girlfriends who think that if a guy is hot, of course you should sleep with him, no questions asked.

... and I swear I see hearts in her eyes. “If you’re talking about him [Jace], then all bets are off. Some things can be sacrificed.”

“Jace is sex on a stick, and you expect us to believe you stayed at his place the last two nights and nothing happened?”

I think I already made it clear I have different moral standards concerning physical intimacy, but to think that all it takes to be a great sex partner a guy has to be tall and muscular… This is just wrong and I hate that Brynn chose these two girls as her friends and thinks she has to make up for “lost experiences” instead of thinking maybe her traumatic experience in High School kept her from making the same mistakes most other teenagers make. No, she just does the same a few years later…

News flash - being “normal” or having a “normal” High School / College experience doesn’t say anything about its quality. Having an unusual experience can sometimes be very wise. So in my opinion Brynn could have chosen a much different approach.

Even if I haven’t read the last 30% of the book I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t have d either of them more. (Yes, Jace takes care of Brynn when she’s sick. So sweet… Shouldn’t this be expected? Shouldn’t it go without saying to take care of people who are sick when you’re the only one around? And more importantly - would he have taken care of her if he wasn’t totally into her? Would he have taken care of his friend and roommate Chris or maybe an ‘ugly chick’ who shared his place? I don’t think so and I don’t think these chapters make him a genuine person.)

So I’m starting to rant and it’s pretty obvious I neither d the characters nor how the story developed and what messages it sends (Just hook up with random people, all it matters is that they’re hot. If you develop feelings even better, if not - no harm done.) and I was really disappointed because I enjoyed Gracie Graham’s YA books a lot.

I’m really sorry that I couldn’t provide a good rating, but this is my honest opinion so I think not rating the book because of my mistake of expecting a clean and sweet romance is the fair thing to do.
If you don’t mind extremely superficial characters and foul language, this could be your book. If you do, pick up Gracie Graham’s other books, they are way more wholesome.

* I received an ARC and am leaving this review voluntarily.
GGmom99

Jace & Cupcake
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