Review: If I Were You by Lisa Renee Jones - Nemo

Title: If I Were You
Author: Lisa Renee Jones
Pages: 384
Publisher: Gallery Books
Pub Date: September 12, 2013
Series: Yes
Source: Netgalley 
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One day I was a high school teacher on summer break, leading a relatively uneventful but happy life. Or so I told myself. Later, I’d question that, as I would question pretty much everything I knew about me, my relationships, and my desires. It all began when my neighbor thrust a key to a storage unit at me. She’d bought it to make extra money after watching some storage auction show. Now she was on her way to the airport to elope with a man she barely knew, and she needed me to clear out the unit before the lease expired.

Soon, I was standing inside a small room that held the intimate details of another woman’s life, feeling uncomfortable, as if I was invading her privacy. Why had she let these items so neatly packed, possessions that she clearly cared about deeply, be lost at an auction? Driven to find out by some unnamed force, I began to dig, to discover this woman’s life, and yes, read her journals—-dark, erotic journals that I had no business reading. Once I started, I couldn’t stop. I read on obsessively, living out fantasies through her words that I’d never dare experience on my own, compelled by the three men in her life, none of whom had names. I read onward until the last terrifying dark entry left me certain that something had happened to this woman. I had to find her and be sure she was okay.

Before long, I was taking her job for the summer at the art gallery, living her life, and she was nowhere to be found. I was becoming someone I didn’t know. I was becoming her.

The dark, passion it becomes…


All I know for certain is that he knows me like I don’t even know me, and he says I know him. Still, I keep asking myself — do I know him? Did he know her, the journal writer, and where is she? And why doesn’t it seem to matter anymore? There is just him and me, and the burn for more.



 




Whoa. I was not expecting this sexy and intricate story.I went into this knowing that the full series was already out , what i didn't realize was how thankful I would be that the rest of the series is almost out because damn. I am hooked on Sara’s story!

It starts of EXTREMELY slow. It was painstaking and at one point I was worried this would be my first DNF, then Chris came on the scene. It starts of with an explicit scene, and we find out it’s not our MC but a journal of a friend. Or so she thinks. Turns out it’s a random woman’s sex journal and now instead of dropping the journal she goes on a search for the author of the journal and very creepily stalks her storage unit.

Now at this point she’s not sure if the author, Rebeca, is dead or alive. If she is alive I don’t think she would be happy to see that someone had read her personal stories and raided her things. Ignoring that Sara goes as far as to stalk Rebeca at her work, but Rebeca is taking an open ended vacation and Sara ends up getting hired as her replacement. This is finally when the book gets good because it’s when we meet Chris.

Chris is literally everything a girl could ask for her. He’s passionate, artsy and sexy as hell. I mean I don’t think I’ve ever read a book that’s as sexy as this one. At one point I was blushing and our main couple hadn’t even touched yet. Chris constantly reminds Sara that he is a tortured soul and he has an awful dark side which makes him that much more attractive. Especially since at the same time he’s also attentive and caring. 

Our other main guy, who isn’t even a contender but it is still there is Mark. He sets a pre-fix for the type of guys were going to be meeting along the book. Or at least this is what I imagine from finishing this one. Mark is her boss, her super aggressive and chauvinistic boss. He plays head games and he likes to make sure he’s in control. Since it was pretty clear how controlling our main guys were that didn't drive me crazy. It would have been 5 stars if it hadn't been for that beginning. 

Throughout the book there’s always this sense of mystery who Is Mark? What’s Chris past? What’s Sara’s past? Is Rebeca alive or dead? Who is her secret guy? And by the end not even half of these are answered yet which leaves me dying to know what happens next.

Overall this is a “mature audience“ which basically means it was intensely sexy, even though it starts of slow it’s an amazing read that will keep you hooked until the end.