Book Review – Emancipating Andie by Priscilla Glenn

• Buy EMANCIPATING ANDIE (Kindle)

“His heart was racing, and he wanted her to hear it. And he wanted her to know that from here on out, it beat solely for her.”

A slow-building, sweet, beautiful love story with a deeper message set against the backdrop of a road trip.

Given how much I absolutely adored Back To You, I knew that Priscilla Glenn was capable of strong, fluid writing that would draw me into the story. And by the end of the first page I was just smiling to myself because I could already feel this was another winner.

The flow of this one was very different than a lot of books I’d been reading recently. It was slow building, but totally drew me into the story. It was actually almost relaxing and yet totally engaging.

Andie’s life was straight-laced, perfectly planned and under control. She had a perfect, predictable boyfriend, a career and a life path. But from the moment Andie met Chase, he threw her life out of whack. He was impulsive, spontaneous and lived life in the moment – the complete opposite of her. And despite his charm, everything about him just got under her skin.  So, when an impromptu road trip forces them to spend 2 days together, everything changes.

“It was harmless, his playful taunting. He had no intention of making a move on Andie, but still, in the back of his mind, he knew he shouldn’t be needing her. Yet as he slid into the passenger seat next to her, he also knew it was going to difficult to stop.”

“This would be impossible, he realized, trying to keep this drive amiable. She got fired up too easily, and, if he were being honest, he enjoyed the reaction too much. It was a bad combination.”

Their banter was just hilarious. It wasn’t even banter really at first because they genuinely just annoyed the hell out of each other. Chase just couldn’t resist teasing her and nearly everything he said made Andie’s defenses go up — much to his initial glee.

“Are you going to put your shirt back on?” She blurted out.
Chase froze, looking over his shoulder at her with the most maddening smile. “Why? Is this bothering you?”
“I just… I mean, what if we get pulled over or something?”
“If we get pulled over, this could only work in your favor,” he said, running his hand over his chest.
Andie tried to stifle a laugh. “My God, your insufferable.”

But the more they got to know each other, the more they got to what was under the surface, and the more open they got with each other. Walls came down and hearts opened up.

This book perfectly captured that special road trip feeling. I loved their conversations – it was true “car talk”. About anything, everything, random musings, little anecdotes and stories… and all the while they slowly fell into a better place with each other and, even though they didn’t realize it at the time, they fell in love.

I have so many pages of their dialogue highlighted. Their conversations were like little mini stories within the larger one of the book as a whole and I totally relaxed into the read with a smile on my face.

And the more I read, I found myself dreading the end of the road trip. I loved the little world they’d created. There’s something magical about road trips, you know? Just being away from everything else, away from relationship, commitments, responsabilities… it’s like an in-between sort of place full of potential. And, if you let it, the experience can be just so liberating.

But, like all good things, the road trip does eventually come to an end and Andie and Chase have to decide what to do with this feeling, this connection that has grown between them.

Now, although technically Andie has a boyfriend for part of the book, I still wouldn’t really specifically call this a love triangle book. First, there is no cheating, and second, there was never even a shadow of a doubt who the ‘right’ guy was. And it was just a question of the characters getting to a point where they realized that in order to be truly happy in life, they had to follow their hearts.

“He took a step forward, composing himself, his voice softer but his eyes significantly more intense. “Why do you hide? Why can’t you just be brave and do what you want instead of what you think you’re supposed to do?”
…”Chase, I can’t live the way you do.”
…”Have you ever even tried?” he asked softly.“

I have to say that I really went through Andie’s journey with her and that moment when she finally became ‘free’, I swear I felt it like a rush and could not stop grinning.

For those of you looking for a break from the more angsty, darker books and just want a sweet, quiet book that you can relax into, you should definitely consider this one. And please don’t think that just because it was ‘quieter’ that it was boring. Far from it! I loved Chase and Andie’s story. I cared about it and felt for it. And the overall feeling I got from reading this book was one of going away on vacation – you’re relaxed, surrounded by the things you love, enjoying your time, and yet, at peace.

This book has many wonderful messages – to not judge someone before knowing their whole story, finding the strength to believe in yourself and your dreams, and most importantly to live life to fullest and to always follow your heart.

This is a stand alone with a happy, resolved ending 🙂

I loved Back To You and I loved this book. I can’t wait for more from Priscilla Glenn!

4.5 stars

WHERE TO BUY

Emancipating Andie (Kindle)
Emancipating Andie (Paperback)

CASTING

Chase | Andie

OTHER WORK BY PRISCILLA GLENN

Back To You (Kindle)
Back To You (Paperback

Back To You is a beautiful, believable second-chance friends-to-lovers story that was both heart breaking and heart warming, with an uplifting, satisfying ending that left me clutching my heart, with happy tears in my eyes and a smile on my face 🙂

Click here for my review.

♥  PLAYLIST & NOTE FROM PRISCILLA GLENN ♥

These are not in any particular order – they’re just songs I listened to religiously while writing. Some of these songs got more play time than others, particularly the two Counting Crows songs. Colorblind is really significant because….well, you’ll see 😉  And as for Anna Begins, I swear, if you change the name “Anna” to “Andie” it fits so perfectly. But they all inspired the story in some way and/or got me in the frame of mind to write certain parts of the novel. So, I hope you enjoy listening to them, and I can’t wait for you all to finally read Emancipating Andie!  xo

Shiver by Maroon 5
It’s Time by Imagine Dragons
Use Somebody by Kings of Leon
So Good by B.o.B
Northern Lights by Cider Sky
Ho Hey by The Lumineers
You and Me by Lifehouse
Colorblind by Counting Crows
Anna Begins by Counting Crows
Follow Through by Gavin DeGraw
Stolen by Dashboard Confessional
Trouble by Ray LaMontagne