Blog Tour Stop : Near & Far by Nicole Williams

The Near & Far Blog Tour was organized by AToMR Blog Tours.

Hi guys!

Welcome to my tour stop for the Near and Far Blog Tour. I'm really excited to share with you all my review for the book! You can also scroll down for a chance to win some great prizes in a giveaway! Be sure to enter! Also, don't forget to check out the other tour stops here.

Summary (from Goodreads)

Title : Near & Far (Lost & Found #2)
Author : Nicole Williams
Publication Date : July 30th 2013
Publisher : Self-Published
Goodreads - Amazon - Barnes & Noble

There’s optimistic. And there’s Jesse Walker.

If he wasn’t so charming, his sunny disposition and incessant grin would get old. Fast.

Falling in love with the broken girl who had at first seemed immune to anything resembling love was the best thing to happen to Jesse since the Walkers adopted him when he was five.

As Jesse’s life continues at the ranch and Rowen begins making her mark in the Seattle art community, they wonder where the middle ground is. Or if there even is one.

As push comes to shove, they’re forced to make choices neither are eager to make, and Jesse and Rowen have to face what their lives might look like without the other.

Can two people with such tragic pasts and different presents expect a promising future together? Whatever the answer, they’ll need a lot more than love to make it.

Personal Thoughts

Earlier this year, I read and enjoyed Nicole Williams' Lost and Found and while I was satisfied with the ending of the book and did not think a sequel was necessary, I was still excited to hear that Near and Far was a continuation of the first book because I could not wait to go back to swooning and fan-girling over Jesse!

I really liked Rowen as a main character in the previous book. She was troubled, but she had a passion for art that made her a genuine character with depth. I was glad to finally see Rowen letting go of her troubled past and focusing on her passion instead. I loved how driven she was and her enthusiasm for art really shined through her voice. There were times in this book where I was frustrated with her, more specifically, when she began to hide important things about her life from Jesse, but she did it because she was afraid of hurting Jesse. Still, I didn't think that was an OK reason for her to hurt poor Jesse. (I might be a little biased here, because I do have a giant crush on Jesse!) I feel like devoting this entire review to Jesse! He was so unlike any NA love interests who are usually bad boys/man-whores. Jesse was a genuinely a sweet guy with this big heart. I couldn't help but fall in love with him even more in this book. He too had a terrible past, but he never let that affect the kind of person he was in the first book. In Near and Far though, his demons started to make an appearance and watching him battle these demons just broke my heart. By the end, Jesse had truly undergone some growth and he was better than ever. I was a little sad that Jesse's family didn't make that big of an appearance, but I was pretty surprised by the big role, Garth, the jerk from book one, played. We also got two new characters, Jax and Jolene, who were meant to incite jealousy in Jesse and Rowen respectively, but I honestly didn't care much for them and didn't think they were necessary to the story.

While Lost and Found focused on Rowen's healing and character growth, Near and Far concentrated more on the hardships faced by a couple in a long distance relationship. Nicole Williams did a good job at depicting the ups and downs of such a relationship and I thought she did it in a genuine way. The romance between Jesse and Rowen was as sweet as it was in book one and I enjoyed the cute moments they shared together. While I didn't love the characters of Jax and Jolene in Jesse and Rowen's relationship, I did like the way the couple handled the whole situation without feeling any envy despite knowing that Jax and Jolene were playing their moves on their significant others. Jesse and Rowen had eyes only for themselves. While the romance was great, my favorite relationship was the surprising friendship between Garth and Jesse. I loved their bromance more than the actual romance in the book. Garth, while an ill-mannered jerk, has some redeeming qualities too. I adored the advice that he gave Jesse throughout the book and how he stood by his best friend no matter what. I'm hoping that Nicole Williams gives him his own story because I grew to love him in Near and Far. While I didn't love this one more than Lost and Found, I enjoyed Nicole Williams' writing as much as in the first book. I'm definitely looking forward to reading more from her.

While Near and Far had a darker tone and more angst than Lost and Found, it was a great addition to the series. If you enjoyed the first book, then I'm sure you'll enjoy this one as well. Well-fleshed out characters, a sweet romance and a fabulous bromance, Near and Far was an addictive book that will appeal to fans of New Adult.

Rating

Cover : 4/5
Plot : 3/5
Characters : 3/5
Writing : 4/5

**Overall Rating : 3.5/5**

Author Biography

I'm a wife, a mom, a writer. I started writing because I loved it and I'm still writing because I
love it. I write young adult because I still believe in true love, kindred spirits, and happy endings.
Here's to staying young at heart *raises champagne glass* . . . care to join me?

Author Social Media Links:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/nwilliamsbooks

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nwilliamsbooks

Blog: http://nicoleawilliams.blogspot.com/

Giveaway

Prizes :

- 2 Print Copies of Near and Far
- $50 Amazon Gift Card

a Rafflecopter giveaway

If you read the first book in the series, then you're bound to enjoy this one too! Have you read the first book yet? Be sure to let me know in the comments!

A big thank you to AToMR blog tours for allowing me to participate in this blog tour. Be sure to check out their website for more great tours.