Lucas by Jay McLean

"Love hard, love fierce, but love right. Be careful with your heart, guard it, and if you feel the need to be reckless, make sure you are the one making that choice."

-- Synopsis --

In a sprint, every millisecond counts.
When you’re waiting for love, those milliseconds can feel like eons.

High school senior Lucas Preston has it all: star of the track team, a scholarship waiting for him, an apartment to himself and a revolving door of girlfriends. He also has an older sister, five younger brothers and a father who relies on him to make sure those brothers don’t kill each other.
His saving grace? Lois “Laney” Sanders, a girl he started to fall in like with when he was just eleven.
A girl who became his best friend, his confidant, his courage.

It took only sixteen clicks and eight seconds for Lucas to realize that his like for Laney had turned into love.
Eight life-changing seconds.
It’s also the exact length of time it took to lose her.

Add it to Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/32282814-lucas

-- My Two Cents --

4.5 "Lucas Preston was beautiful" stars!!

If there's one thing I can always depend on when it comes to reading something from Jay McLean, it's ALL THE FEELS! I fell in love with the Preston family when I fell in love with the way that Lucy and Cameron fell in love. Getting a chance to immerse myself in this world... it's the stuff dreams are made of!

Lucas and Lois met when they were eleven years old. Honestly, it was love at first sight. Their friendship, their connection, their unbreakable bond was solidified from their very first meeting. From sharing his secret stash of Snickers bars to sharing his mom's affections, it was obvious that there was nothing Lucas wouldn't be willing to give to his Laney. But then adolescent innocence, that purity in hopes and dreams and wants and wishes, changes into teenage mistakes. Feelings get hurt. Feelings get felt. Feelings get lost. Confusion and resentment build. And being human just may cost them everything.

"You need to leave because I don't want you here. I don't want you standing at my door, apologizing, trying to make me understand why I can't be hurt by this because I am hurt. And I don't want to hurt." - Laney

Boy meets girl. Boy likes girl. Boy doesn't tell girl. Girl likes boy. Girl doesn't tell boy. They both do stupid things that hurt each other, but then they don't tell each other about how hurt they are. Boy dates other girls because he can't have the one he wants. Girl does the same. Girl and boy finally admit their feelings to each other. Something happens and then there's hurt feelings again. Girl moves onto a new relationship and blocks boy. Friendship turns into acquaintanceship. Girl becomes the living embodiment of a PSA announcement.

The angst was most definitely felt.

I am deeply in love with this story. I'm in love with the person Lucas was shaping up to be. I'm in love with the way he gave all of himself in the name of love. I'm in love with the Preston family... there's Leo and his quiet, smooth charm; Logan and his brashness and in-your-face attitude; Liam and Linc, the twins who were pretty much in their own world and yet a part of this one; and sweet, precocious Lachlan, who made me laugh so so so so much! I can't wait for another opportunity to dive back into this magical Preston realm and I'm eagerly looking forward to getting my hands on Logan's book. I'm sure it's gonna be hilarious!

Lucas by Jay McLean is FREE to read with Kindle Unlimited!
Amazon

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Okay, so here's where I tell you why I docked half a star. It's simple. In the beginning, I loved Laney. She was equal to Lucas in my eyes and deserving of my trust and affection. But when Lucas made mistakes, which he was wont to do because he was a teenager, she flipped. For how close these two were, I wasn't behind her reaction, especially when she herself acknowledged that she put him too high on a pedestal. But I was still her friend at the time. It's when she put herself in a relationship that she knew wasn't right that really made me not like her. And no, I'm not victim blaming. She didn't deserve what happened to her, however, she could have saved herself from being a poster child for what not to do!

Girls and boys, when you are aware of the following, run (not walk) away:
➤ the person you like was charged with statutory rape, but escaped those charges because of a payoff because they come from 'fuck you' money
➤ the person you like exhibits over-the-top reactions to your interactions with people you knew before you knew them
➤ the person you like invites you to their house and you witness the fact that their parents are in a domestic abuse relationship
➤ the person you like starts abusing drugs and their behavior changes
➤ the person you like isn't the one person you absolutely love

What really still bothers me is that, looking back to when Laney broke up with her boyfriend, she admitted that she loved him and was crying and depressed over the end of the relationship. I don't pretend to know what it is to be part of an abusive relationship. I'm a stranger to those. However, I've survived quite a few horrific situations that could have labelled me a victim. I didn't mourn the loss of the people who victimized me. I didn't understand why she treated Lucas the way she did. It's like she knew he was lost without her, was desperate for her, and used his feelings to her advantage. I can't respect that.

Obviously, the rest of the book more than made up for the horror show that was Laney and her stupid decisions.

-- About Jay McLean --

Jay McLean is a full-time reader, writer of New Adult and Young Adult romance, and skilled procrastinator. When she’s not doing any of those things, she can be found running after her three boys, investing way too much time on True Crime Documentaries and binge-watching reality TV.

She writes what she loves to read, which are books that can make her laugh, make her hurt and make her feel.

Jay lives in the suburbs of Melbourne, Australia, in her dream home where music is loud and laughter is louder.

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