Really good...It did take quite a long time for Presley to mature & forgive. The beginning of the book is difficult emotionally. There are a few flashbacks but not so much you forget what the book is about! Quite a few LOL lines in this book too. ( )

While I am doing specific errands, I like to listen to audiobooks. Even though I have a couple of audiobooks through Audible, Scribd app I didn't feel to pick one of them, so I decided to browse the Audible Eclipse, and I found Corinne Michaels "Say You'll Stay" so I borrowed it right away. After finishing the errands, I found out that I can get the e-book is free on Kindl, and by mistake, I bought the second one.
"Say You'll Stay" is about love, loss, forgiveness, second chances, and hope. It is a book that made me laugh as well as it made me cry. If you like books with an emotional ride, this story was as beautiful as I expected! With the perfect blend of angsty, intense, hot, and moving moments, this book is for you.
Presley and Zach, let's say you live, breathe, and feel throughout the story with them, it's so poignant. In life, we have meaning and purpose; unfortunately, some people at the deepest part of sadness don't feel they have, and the rest of us are living in the new life was chosen for us. The supporting characters were brilliant, though, and this is the first story in a three-part series, so i'll be reading the others as they come out to read the supporting characters' stories.
Corinne Michaels's writing is engaging from the first moment, and I know I will be looking forward to reading all of her works, backlist, and new ones. ( )

The best description for this book/series in 10 words or less:
"Widowed woman returns home to find a previous lover."

This is a stand-alone novel but it is also a companion novel since many of the characters in this novel will be in the other one, Say You Want Me.

The story becomes heavy almost immediately into reading it. Usually, stories in this genre have a buildup to the amount of conflict and devastation before an event like the suicide in this novel starts. Even though I understand the pain Presley has gone through in the events before the novel, she punishes almost everyone in the novel for it by not visiting her family and friends. I think that might be a little bit unrealistic because if she loved her family who has done nothing but loves her she would have been homesick and at least visit at least once or twice over two decades. The excuse Presley uses to stay away from her family in Bell Buckle is very immature and ridiculous. I felt that the grieving process was almost nonexistent as soon as Presley gets to Bell Buckle. I get that she's angry but she acts like her husband's suicide never happened.

I love this story as a redemption novel where characters who were once very immature and previously made poor decisions become more mature and continue to grow when the novel takes place. This novel truly shows the impact people have on each other's lives, and it also shows the actions that someone would take to protect their loved ones.

The main characters are pretty well-rounded and make the novel flow very easily. It didn't take long for me to finish it. Presley Bensen (nee Townsend) was always a simple girl with big dreams. She wants an old-school life of being a wife and mother, which I think is both her strength and downfall. She wanted that so bad that she never became independent on her own, even though she is a great mother. She lets the idea of love cloud her judgment in things and still continues to be dependent on everyone. It makes sense since she has a couple hundred thousand dollars of debt. Although she is very dependent and somewhat clingy, she knows who she is and where she came from. Zachary Hennington seems to barely be living his life. He dates someone who he doesn't love and knows it as soon as Presley shows up. I wish he kept his distance more and slowly got reacquainted with Presley. I do have to hand it to him because he is relentless and knows what he wants in his life. Plus, he is really good looking and great with kids.

The secondary characters are the ones I feel like really make this book pop. My first favorite character Presley's long-time friend and sister-in-law, Angie. She is very spunky and lives life in her own tune, and Presley's complete opposite. Then there's Wyatt who is Zachary's little brother. He is hot and has a good sense of humor, but is always there for Presley and seems like the only one to be able to get her out of her depressing rut. I really empathize with him since he truly loves her, but she has always been Zach's girl.

I felt like there could have been two endings to this novel. Obviously, the first ending would be the one the author gave at the end of the novel. Although the ending was satisfying, the place where I thought the first ending should be would have been perfect. There was a conflict with no foreshadowing, backstory, or thoughts that happens right after where the ending I thought should have been enough. It felt like the author had to put that extra conflict in there just to put it in there. I don't want to give it away, but I thought it was unnecessary after Presley already had to deal with her late husband's suicide and the debt he gave her.

Refer to my blog for a different view of this review:
https://axarr.blogspot.com/2017/10/review-wednesday-say-youll-stay-by.html

Check out other books in my personal library for reviews and recommendations:
https://literarymary.libib.com/ ( )

4.5 stars

Wow. This book touched on a pretty heavy topic and the subsequent fallout. The other did a great job handling all of those emotions with grace. I loved the second chances of this story. Looking forward to the next story. ( )

“I’m not trying to jump ten steps ahead, I’m trying to live in the moment.”

I felt a reading slump coming on, so I decided to reach for an audiobook that I have been wanting to listen to forever. I have been wanting to read Corinne Michaels work, and I am so glad I started with this one. I loved it.

From the first chapter I was hooked! I loved the characters and the romance. There was emotional moments which made me shed some tears, and other moments I found myself smiling or laughing. This has some twists along the way to keep your interested in the story as well.

I ended up finishing this in one sitting, and I want to binge read the next two books in the series. I am excited to have found a New To Me Author this new year that I am thinking I am going to love. ( )