A sweet summer romance between an up-and-coming British musician and an American study-abroad student…
Love is the last thing on Avery’s mind when she arrives at Oxford University to study abroad for the summer. At first, she’s only looking for a change of scenery in order to satisfy her obsession with photography. Hiding behind the lens of a camera is much easier than facing reality. After a second-chance meeting with Liam, she starts to put away her camera and finally face the music. But summer flings never last, do they? Especially when she returns home, and they’re an ocean apart.
Liam fell in love with the violin long before he became lead singer of Brotherhood, a small indie rock band in Oxford, England. As Brotherhood quickly gains notoriety, he’s torn between staying with the band or pursuing his life-long dream of attending Juilliard. Fate intervenes when Avery comes into his life capturing more than just his photograph. But how can he convince her not all summer flings have to end? She may say they’re an ocean apart, but to him it’s only a pond.
“Please Stay for Me” features a sweet M/F love story between a British musician who hides Jane Austen books in his bedroom and an American photographer who believes cheese danishes should be a food group. There’s also a twenty-one-pound cat named Beethoven, stolen vintage band T-shirts, and friends who create their own family. It is the first book in The Brotherhood Series.
Best First Book Winner and Best Young Adult Winner of the 2021 National Excellence for Romance Fiction Awards
Top Pick Winner and Best Young Adult Winner of the 2021 Book Buyers Best Contest
Avery never thought the chance meeting with a young street musician while in New York City with her parents would ever resurface. Who would have thought that the brilliant young violinist who captured her heart on a cold blustery day would appear years later? That trip to New York was her last family vacation – her mother passed away soon after from cancer and, with Dad running from his grief, Avery ends up spending her high school years living with her grandmother. Not that she minds. That’s when she finds her real passion: photography. And, it’s this passion that sends her to Oxford University for the summer to further her studies in the art of photography. That’s where she meets Liam, the lead singer of a band called Brotherhood and a violin student at the university. Is it a match made in heaven? Or can they weather and survive a long-distance relationship?
M.W. McKinley’s novel, Please Stay for Me (The Brotherhood Series), is a romance story with an artsy twist. Two creative minds interact more than once in their lives and, as the plot thickens, one wonders if this meeting of creativity is meant to last. The story follows the two main characters, Avery the photographer and Liam the violinist, each telling their story in the first-person narrative, much like the format of many other authors like Jodi Picoult. The characters are well developed with a good sense of place in the author’s ability to describe the scenes. The backstories of the two main characters are inserted with ease so as not to confuse the reader. Dialogue effectively helps move the story forward and adds a touch of reality to each scene, along with compassion and a bit of humor. This is a comforting read, with lots of visual and musical arts instilled to give it an exotic air. A good read.
I love books that have compelling backstories for their main characters, especially in romance novels. Please Stay for Me gives each main character very compelling and emotional backstories. Both characters have grown up with deep traumas related to their family. It's interesting to see how Liam and Avery react to their own childhood traumas. Liam holds tighter to the bonds he formed himself - the family he's chosen while Avery holds everyone at arm's length - not wanting to get hurt again. Both characters were stronger despite their tragic backstories.
I felt deeply connected to the emotion the author wrote about, the trauma from the characters, and the heartaches they were going through.
I absolutely loved how communicative Liam and Avery were throughout their relationship. I was glad the author didn't rely on miscommunication to push the plot along. The flow of the story felt natural. The relationship between Liam and Avery began one-sided with Liam pursuing Avery. This made sense due to Liam being completely open and Avery reticent to allow anyone to get too close. Eventually, Avery was won over by the charming Liam!
I wish there was more description and details related to Avery's study abroad and her day-to-day but I didn't miss it that much since the story was more focused on the character relationships, the romance between Avery and Liam, and their backstories.
I really enjoyed the additional subplots and backstories of other characters and the similarities that were drawn between the relationships the other characters had with their families (or lack thereof). The side characters were an integral part of the story. I wanted more scenes between Avery and Katherine. I really liked Katherine. I also really liked Trinity, Rob, Hugh, Lei, and Emily. I can just imagine future books in this world where we see the relationship between Rob and Emily or a book devoted to Trinity or Katherine.
I loved the passion the author communicates from Liam and Avery for their art, the violin, and photography. Even Avery's deep appreciation for music is strong and the way she connects to music through memories of her family is poignant.
This is a story for those who enjoy summer romances that are built upon strong character backstories and feature character relationships heavily.
