*ARC courtesy of NetGalley*

Reading [b:Loving You Is Easy|22747255|Loving You Is Easy|Wendy S. Marcus|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1408965874s/22747255.jpg|42292137] was, I'm sorry to say, frustrating most of the time. Brooke and Shane are the least compatible couple ever!

To be honest, I didn't like Brooke or Shane that much even on their own. Shane, I didn't like at all, right from the start: he was an ass!! Brooke had her moments but mostly I wanted to shake her and slap her for all the time she forgave Shane when she shouldn't have. To make matters worse, there's a lot of senseless drama in the plot - Brooke's rape for example or all that mess with Charlotte's daughter - and a lot of useless characters that felt the need to say what they wanted even if not questioned about something. As I've already pointed out in other reviews, I'm not a fan of senseless drama in a book, most of all if all that drama won't be resolved in a satisfactory way. Unfortunately, that is the case in "Loving you is Easy" a book wherein nothing - nothing - is easy, definitively not Brooke & Shane's relationship.
Still, I'd like to thank the author for the chance of reading an arc of her book through NetGalley and I hope she appreciates my honest review.
( )

3.5 stars

****Full Review****

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

Through a mix-up, elementary school teacher Brooke has become the pen pal of from the wrong side of the tracks American soldier Shane. Brooke comes from wealth and privilege but not exactly a happy home giving her a sweetly naïve guarded outlook on life. Shane's experience has a more real world quality, he spent most of his high school years working, just managed to get his GED, has been a soldier since he turned eighteen, and is on his fourth tour of duty. Shane is tired, a little cynical, and prone to crabby angry outbursts. Through letter writing, emails, and skype Brook and Shane have established a solid friendship but even though Shane warned her not to, Brook wants more. When Shane gets injured and Brooke's life is falling apart around her, their relationship is tested and they both struggle to figure out just what they really mean to each other.

There were two sides to this book; one was a sugary sweetness which emanated from Brooke providing the lighter rainbows, puppies, and it will work out ok because of love. Everything is fine and dandy when Brooke and Shane are tenderly bantering and just want to make kissy noises but things get tense when real life issues come into play. This brings about the other side of the book a gritty and uneasy look at what four tours of duty in a warzone can do to a person brought on by Shane. These two sides clash as Brooke obstinately makes moves to help Shane when he expresses a strong desire for her not to, this in turn makes Shane resent and act out (not physically) towards Brooke hurting her with his words. There are generally times when Brooke seems to blindly act and take her Mother Theresa persona too far giving a faint feeling of distaste and leaving the reader to wonder if these two really are worlds apart. Shane is clearly dealing with PTSD issues and I actually appreciated how the author depicted the normalness of this, no big one time moments of flashbacks that everyone sees and the hero gets immediate help but small everyday occurrences that people brush off. I do wish since the author made this a big part of the story that Brooke and Shane would have talked about it and he would have agreed to seek counseling.

The story thread that lead to Brooke and Shane being forced together, a sexy picture she took for Shane ended up being put on Facebook then snowballed to a student saying his brother had sexual relations with Brooke, worked for the most part. It was a realistic circumstance but the author got a bit preachy at times about cyberbullying and the whole thing was wrapped up in such a way that it felt rushed and anticlimactic. It is also mentioned quite a lot that Brooke loves watching soldiers returning home videos on Youtube and the feelings it gives her, it all made me wonder if she truly is in love with Shane or with the idea of loving a soldier. The mixtures of secondary characters were supportive and engaging, Shane's sister Charlotte had a few over the top moments but Brooke's friend Neve and her relationship with Shane's friend Rory has me intrigued.

Largely this is a nice story about two people dealing with life issues and coming together, it's an easy read that is not too terribly emotionally investing. Is Brooke and Shane's relationship completely believable? Not sure, but this is fiction and we're here for the happy ending which Loving You Easy graciously provides.
( )

This is the first book I read by this author. Brooke and Shane were a good match together, I felt their relationship was honest and leaned more on the real side.. not so fairy-tale-ish. Brooke has some spunk to her and I loved it when she finally used it!

The wounded hero, plot isn't my favourite. That said, I enjoyed Shane's character and how he was honest with himself on his feelings toward Brooke and how when he wasn't having a pity party, his caring/fun side came through.

I really loved the letters written between the two lead characters.. I wished there was more of them. I also enjoyed the Neve, Brooke's best friend and hope she will be getting her own story. I will look for more from this author. I find her writing style allows me to easily get lost in the story. ( )

Brooke Ellstein: middle school math teacher, head of the "Support Our Troops" pen pal program, daughter of New York's future governor (if the election goes well)... overnight internet celebrity?

Let's back up.

As a New Jersey native, Shane Develen didn't qualify for New York's "Support Our Troops" pen pal program. But rather than leave him hanging, Brooke Ellstein began corresponding with him outside of the program. What started out as lighthearted letters turned into an unstoppable attraction on both sides. The one time that Brooke and Shane meet in person, she gives him a photo of her in lingerie, making him promise that he'll never show it to anyone else. All's well until she wakes up one morning to find the photo all over Facebook, with her students commenting on it and alleging inappropriate behavior. Was Shane involved? Did he break his promise? How will Brooke ever get herself out of this situation?

This book is a very sweet, very cheesy, very quick read. I think I spent, in total, maybe three hours on it. Unlike a lot of new adult novels, the conflicts are fairly realistic. (No murderous fathers, no crazy stalkers, no mob connections.) The characters are described as more or less normal -- no weird names, strange identifying features, or unrealistic jobs. This book would have been really easy to love (see what I did there) if the timeline had been better.

Oh, it's so cute! you think at the end. And then you realize... Brooke and Shane have been together for all of maybe three or four weeks? Granted, a lot happens in that time, but still. Weeks.

I accepted the connection between Shane and Brooke. It was clear that they had feelings for each other. I just wish that we'd gotten to see more of their letters to each other before they met in person. It would have made the rest of the book seem less rushed.

I also wish there'd been a touch less angst. (After all, I do automatically subtract a star if I can't handle the angst.) From the beginning, Shane thought he wasn't good enough for Brooke, and Brooke didn't want to subject Shane to the politics of her life. There were constant miscommunications, both accidental and deliberate. And, honestly, I couldn't understand why Brooke put up with half of what she did from the Develen family.

Overall, Loving You Is Easy was fine. I wouldn't turn down another book from the author, but I won't go searching one out, either.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the free copy!

[see more of my reviews at The Bibliophagist] ( )

Loved it! This is a truly great read. I found the story unique and fresh, and the characters of Shane and Brooke incredibly endearing. They meet through a pen pal program to support the troops. Although Shane makes it clear from the beginning he is not looking for a girlfriend, over the months of getting to know him Brooke can't help but lose her heart to him. Now to change his mind. Now he's back and through a series of horrid events, Brooke is in trouble and needs his help. Will he be able to resist her? I recommend you grab this book and find out. It's fantastic. ( )