I'll Stand by You

Characters: Violet, Dani, Whitney, Sully, and Ford POV: multi-character, limited I'll Stand By You is a nostalgic short story of five friends working at a hotel for one last summer after graduation that will lead them all on different paths. This prequel is an excellent crossover because it gives a good taste of what's to time to these new set of characters! Also, the Boston Classic series characters lend their star power and storylines by slowly intersecting with Henry Smith's (Boston Classics #4) family dog named Ribsy. I enjoyed the mystery and how the MCs found clues to finding Ribsy and, simultaneously, tackle big decisions of what will be the following "chapters" after their summer job at the hotel. I love the multi-character POV with the exciting and intriguing premises for the next book series. Each POV gives excellent insight into each character's issues and, at the same time, keeps many details hidden for the upcoming books. The sharing and character development are just suitable for a novella. This book, set in the 1990s, brings back many fun memories for generation readers that is relatable, which all would appreciate as these moments are a great teaser to start the series! Overall, I'll Stand By You is a quick and easy read that gives the right amount of build-up to have readers excited for the upcoming new series. It is about growing up (coming of age), friendship, trust, and hope. With these new and complex characters coming with so much "baggage" and insecurities, the next series will indeed have a lot of "explaining" and "unraveling" soon!

I admit I was a little bummed when I realized the Boston Classics series was ending. Bummed for about two paragraphs into I’ll Stand by You and then I realized we weren’t losing Kate and Will, Ben and Lucy, Alice and Steve, Jessica and Cal, Henry and Bella but instead gaining Violet, Danielle, Whitney, Ford and Sully and another decade. I am so excited to read the new Carolina Classics series and to immerse myself in what I know will be five more fascinating characters, great locations, and another trip back down memory lane. This novella is the perfect bridge from one decade to the next and from one group of front and center pals to the next. Just when I was thinking maybe I needed to do another run through Boston (which I do periodically anyway) up pops Handsome Handsome Handsome Groom Henry. I was happy to see him and the gang, including Ribsy, but I was also already fully engaged with the graduates, wanting to learn where their lives, dreams and adventures will take them and what unexpected events and people will jump in to disrupt their plans. Author Karen Grey is so talented and such a joy to read. Her characters are so real: they have faults, make mistakes and bad choices, suck at relationships sometime, but they also have giant hearts, sensitive souls and fierce loyalty - and they all feel so real. The laugh-out-loud funny situations they get themselves into feel real, too. As do the tender, sweet moments. And those sexy, spicy, scorchy times? They might have you fanning your face (or wishing you were there!) but they feel real, too. And the trip to the past? I relived my own memories of those times, that hair, those clothes, just the way people were. Grey captures all of that flawlessly. You aren’t just reading about it. You are there. You might cringe a bit, but you’ve time-travelled. I’ll Stand by You gives us just enough backstory for each character to understand that while college held them together life is going to pull them apart a little, or maybe a lot. They have different personalities, of course, but also different opportunities and different things holding them back. I was thrilled to be at the beginning of their all-grown-up adult lives and while a little sad about it, equally thrilled to be at the truly satisfying closure of the Boston Classics storyline. Thanks to author Karen Grey for all the wonderful stories to date and for the promise (guarantee, really) of many more to come. I received an advance copy of I’ll Stand by You in exchange for an honest review. If you haven’t already figured it out, I can’t say enough good things about this author and everything she writes. Dive into the Carolina Classics. You’ll be glad you did. All opinions are my own.

I’ll Stand By You is a quick, fun and heartwarming story about friends who are spending their last summer working together before heading off to new adventures. What started out as a chaotic evening turned into an unexpected and entertaining adventure that the crew will never forget. I enjoyed how Karen had each character take on a chapter to tell the story from their point of view. This was a great wrap up to her characters from other books and a great introduction to the characters.