REVIEW: "Before Hadley" by J. Nathan (New Adult, Contemporary Romance)

BEFORE HADLEY by J. Nathan
	Publisher: J. Nathan (self-published) Genre: New Adult, Romance Publication Date: March 14th 2016
Other Books by J. Nathan
Description from Publisher:
What's worse than a cocky new guy at school? A cocky new guy with a killer body and the attention of the entire female student body. Hadley can tell the minute she lays eyes on Caynan that he's someone to avoid. He may have looks and charm, but he's also got heartbreak written all over his pretty face. Unfortunately for Hadley, Caynan has his sights set on her. She's the one girl who doesn't want him. The one girl who's turned off by his charm. The one girl who challenges him like no other. And, though she couldn't possibly know the truth about him, she seems to be the one girl who really sees him. But with Caynan, things aren't at all what they seem. His secrets have secrets and everything out of his mouth straddles the line between truth and fiction. He knows better than to get involved with anyone, especially with his time limited in the new town, but he just can't seem to get Hadley out of his mind. Too bad for him, secrets never remain secrets for long.
My Rating:	Heat Rating:
My Musings:
Wow. This book completely surprised me! When I started reading it, I was a bit weary of the fact that it was about kids in high school. I had thought that it was a college story, based on it being "New Adult". But Hadley and Caynan both intrigued me enough within the first few pages that I had no choice but to keep going. (And rest assured, this is definitely New Adult and not YA.) I really enjoyed their banter and the bit of mystery that enshrouds Caynan is the perfect amount. Hadley was a nice character, but I honestly really thought Caynan was the one that shined throughout. He was the wounded puppy that you just wanted to cuddle and protect, while also being strong and assertive that you wanted him to cuddle and protect you sometimes too. As the big wrench approached, I actually cringed, hoping that what I'm sure was going to happen didn't happen - not because it was executed badly, but because I didn't want things to be screwed up for Caynan! :) I was also surprised to see where the story goes after about 60%, since I just hadn't expected there to be a jump in time. Without giving anything away, this book is deeper than you might think, with some great twists and turns, and is just a wonderful love story between two young adults coming of age. It's written in a very natural and colloquial tone that I very much enjoyed and I look forward to reading J. Nathan's other work!
My Source: I received a digital ARC from the publisher to voluntarily review. This in no way influenced my review. My opinion is unbiased and my 100% own.

About the Author: J. Nathan
J. Nathan is the author of the new adult novels Before Hadley, Until Alex, and Since Drew. When she's not writing, she's a total romance junkie! Add an alpha male who's unlikable in the beginning...even better. Happy endings are a must. Love triangles and negative people are the bane of her existence. Her family, friends, guys in backwards hats, and watermelon margaritas are the light…