This is what my life has turned into. The push and pull. The wanting to do right and instead falling into the same old habit of doing wrong. 

Owen has always been such a lost boy starving for approval and love. He has always been put in the middle between his mother and his sister.  He copes in unhealthy ways, loses focus, and becomes distracted. He has so much potential and intelligence, but gets sidetracked and tries to hide behind his vices. He can get out of control and needs an anchor. He has no other choice but to reluctantly enter tutoring to help clean up the mess he is in. 

Nobody. I've always been a nobody. Why can't I be someone's somebody?

Soon these seemingly opposites are skirting an attraction while trying to get Owen caught up. He pushes her to live a little. She encourages responsibility for him. It's the popular playboy vs. the nerdy virgin girl. They both have parental issues and both are afraid of opening up and relationships. They have confusing thoughts about the other, and they blindly lead down a path of friendship and more. 

I really liked Owen and Chelsea even though at times I got frustrated with each of them. They had issues with communication and had walls up. They hurt themselves and each other. But they also had such a sweet, strong connection and need for each other. They really complemented each other and could bring out the best in each other. Although at times it was the other end of the spectrum and could also bring out the worst...fear, insecurities lies, and omissions.

Four years after Drew and Fable, Owen is a 19 year old college student, following in Drew’s football star footsteps. But his grades have been slipping, and after a meeting with his coach, counselor, Drew and Fable, he is required to meet with a tutor to raise his failing grades.

His tutor is shy, bookish Chelsea. A 19 year old junior, Chelsea works two jobs and carries a heavy class load, but doesn’t take time to socialize except with her roommate Kari. 

Owen was always one of those characters that you couldn’t help loving when we saw him in Drew and Fable’s books. As a child he had to grow up fast. But now that he’s all grown up, he is still influenced by the events of his adolescence. So many times in this book, his own doubt makes him make decisions that get him in trouble. 

...I’m starting to realize I want what Fable and Drew have. I know I’m young, but sh**, they were young too when they first met and fell in love. And look at them. Years later, they still act like they’re totally gone over each other.

Chelsea was so different from anyone Owen had ever been around. Sweet, shy, and awkward around Owen, she was not used to being attracted to someone. Never having been in a relationship before, she is just as uncomfortable with the unfamiliar territory as Owen was. It was nice to read about a girl who was just as unfamiliar with relationships as the guy she was interested in. 

Together, Chelsea and Owen were a perfect match. They had great chemistry. Something about Chelsea caught Owen’s attention where other girls never had. And she could tell Owen was more than the jock persona that he wore in public. I liked that Chelsea called Owen on his mistakes from very early on, from their first meeting. She may have been inexperienced, but that doesn’t mean she didn’t know what she wanted or needed and have the backbone to stick up for herself. 

“I’d rather not know what I’m doing with you, Owen, than have everything plotted out for the rest of my life with someone else.” 

I loved seeing the interaction between Fable and Owen now that they are both adults. Owen wants to protect Fable, while she still wants to take care of him. But their mom? Ooooh, she made me mad. Again. Her influence is a big part of what Owen has to overcome. Years of treating Owen more like a buddy than a son have left him questioning a lot about himself.

Owen and Chelsea’s friends play a good role in the story line. I love when friends come in at the perfect moment, and it happens several times in Four Years Later. There’s Owen’s friends, Des and Wade. Des, I could do without. As Owen’s drug dealer and house crasher, Des always felt a little off to me. But even though I didn’t like him, I wondered what his story was. And then there’s Wade. Wade has been best friends with Drew since they were kids. We finally get to meet him on the page here. I thought I didn’t like him, until he was the best friend Owen could ask for. Wade knows Owen, maybe better than Owen knows himself and he showed it when Owen needed it most. Chelsea doesn’t have many girlfriends, but her roommate Kari is constantly trying to get her out of her comfort zone, and there is a text conversation that had me laughing and grinning, in addition to her attempts at getting Chelsea to relax and loosen up a little.

Four Years Later was fun, full of great characters, interesting plot twists, good friends, good family, good times. It makes me sad to think this is the last of the One Week Girlfriend books, but it was a perfect addition to complete the series.

Thanks to Monica Murphy for providing an arc copy in return for my honest review. 

Temporary. That one single word best describes my life these last few years. I’m working at a temporary job until I can finally break free. I’m my little brother’s temporary mother since our mom doesn’t give a crap about either of us. And I’m that temporary girl all the guys want to get with because I give it up so easily. According to the rumors, at least.

But now I’m the temporary girlfriend of Drew Callahan, college football legend and all around golden guy. He’s beautiful, sweet—and he’s hiding way more secrets than I am. He’s brought me into this fake life where everyone seems to hate me. And everyone seems to want something from him. The only thing he seems to want though is…Me.

I don’t know what to believe anymore. All I know is, I think Drew needs me. And I want to be there for him.

Lost. That one single word best describes my life at this very moment. I lost the last games of the season and both my team and my coach blame me. I lost the last two months because I drowned in my own despair like a complete loser. And I lost the only girl who ever mattered because I was afraid being with me would destroy her.

But now I realize how truly lost I am without her. She has become my story…and even though she acts like she’s moved on, I know she still thinks about me just as much as I think about her. She’s beautiful, sweet—and so damn vulnerable, all I want to do is help her. Be there for her.Love her…

Commitment. That’s what I really want from Colin. Ever since my brother, Danny, died in Iraq, Colin’s done so much to help me, including giving me a job at his popular restaurant so I can leave my crappy waitressing job at the strip joint. But lying in bed with him every night to comfort him from his horrible nightmares isn’t enough anymore. I know he feels guilty about Danny’s death, about not going to Iraq, but I can’t keep living this double life.

I love him desperately, but he’s got so many demons, and if he can’t open up to me now, then he’ll never be the real partner I need him to be. I gave him a month, and now I’m out of here. If he truly loves me like he says, he knows where to find me.