Blog Tour: Presently Perfect: Alison G. Bailey
Perfection is an illusion fueled by the perception of others.
***
Tweet was my heart, my soul, and my purpose. She was my everything.
Neither of us were perfect. We both made mistakes. Looking back, that was okay, because every choice
brought us to where we needed to be at the time we needed to be there. The one constant, our love
and friendship.
There are two sides to every story and I wouldn’t trade our sides for anything in the world.
I was standing one step below Tweet when she broke free from Brad, twisting her body in my direction. I let go of her other wrist and caught her as she fell toward me. Her arms wrapped around my neck as I grabbed hold of her hips, trying to keep her steady.
Tweet’s head tilted back as she clung to me. “Look, Brad! It’s Noah! My Noah!” Her voice was ear-splittingly high. “He’s so sweet and sexy. He’s swexy. He licked my thigh under my parents’ dinner table.” She straightened her head, bringing her forehead to rest on mine. The look in her eyes had turned smoldering, her voice husky when she asked, “You remember licking me, Noah?”
We had a huge fight just a little over an hour ago and now she was completely wasted; her clothes were rumpled, she had pieces of sand stuck to her face, her hair was a tangled windblown mess, and she reeked of tequila and the ocean. But she was still the most beautiful thing I had ever laid my eyes on. My expression teetered from snarling at the Smurffucker to wanting to smile at Tweet.
God, even drunk she’s adorable.
I was either the biggest idiot known to mankind or so beyond in love with this girl that all my common sense and self-preservation got obliterated when I was around her. My heart was pounding against my chest while the temperature in the room soared. The tension in my muscles was beginning to disappear and I was getting lost in teal eyes. I needed some distance.
My hands moved to Tweet’s shoulders and I helped her stand upright. “I’m taking you home.”
“But Brad was going to do some things to me on purpose. I don’t know what, but I’m having fun. Hey! You want to come with us?” she asked, hooking her arm around mine.
My gaze zeroed in on Brad glaring down at me, his jaw clenched tight. My priority was to get Tweet home safe. I’d deal with this asshole later.
I snaked my arm around Tweet’s waist and led her down the steps. She was abruptly yanked away from me. I whipped around and saw Brad clutching Tweet’s arm.
“Haven’t you done enough to her tonight? She’s having a great time with me, so get your fucking hands off of her,” he growled.
Tweet smiled up at him, then turned to me, and said, “I really am having fun. He’s not a Smurffucker at all.”
Glaring at Brad, I grabbed Tweet’s hand, and led her toward the front door. We had taken two steps when I felt her being tugged away from me again. I let go of her hand, walked over to Brad, and punched him in the stomach. His hand fell from Tweet as he doubled over and dropped to the floor. I picked up Tweet, tossed her over my shoulder, and finally headed out uninterrupted.
Just before reaching the front door Tweet grabbed the waistband of my pants, lifting herself up slightly, and yelled, “Bye-bye, Brad! Thanks! Maybe you can lick my thigh next time! Bye-bye!”
Once we were at my truck, I lowered Tweet off my shoulder until her feet touched the ground. Her eyes struggled to stay opened, losing the battle, right before she passed out. I wrapped my arm around her waist, holding her body against mine while I unlocked my truck. I placed her in the seat and leaned over to fasten her in. The click of the seatbelt caused her to stir. Reaching my hand up to her face, my thumb brushed away the dusting of sand that clung to her cheek.
Her eyes stayed closed as a lazy grin slowly appeared across her pink lips. “Mmmm…,” she moaned. “Noah.” She sounded breathy.
“Yeah, Tweet?”
“You’re my knight in plastic armor.”
A slight chuckle escaped me as I remembered our Halloween costumes from when we were six years old.
“You always take care of me and make sure I have candy,” she said, her voice trailing off.
I stared at her for several seconds, simply enjoying the view. As I inched away from her, she shifted in the seat.
Another slight moan flowed over her lips, and she whispered, “I love you Noah.”
I knew she wouldn’t remember saying those words to me tomorrow, but that didn’t matter. The only thing that counted was that for the first time she let go of her heart, her head, and allowed herself to love me. There was nothing better than when the girl of your dreams made all of yours come true.
Tweet was my heart, my soul, and my purpose. She was my everything.
Neither of us were perfect. We both made mistakes. Looking back, that was okay, because every choice brought us to where we needed to be at the time we needed to be there. The one constant, our love and friendship.
I totally fell for Noah Stewart in Present Perfect. And I adored Noah and Tweet(Amanda) together. Even when things were challenging, frustrating or crazy, I always knew they belonged together. But in the first book, we only got Tweet's skewed point of view colored by her own insecurities and fears, and now we get to understand Noah's feelings.
I totally fell for Noah Stewart in Present Perfect. And I adored Noah and Tweet(Amanda) together. Even when things were challenging, frustrating or crazy, I always knew they belonged together. But in the first book, we only got Tweet's skewed point of view colored by her own insecurities and fears, and now we get to understand Noah's feelings.
I got sucked right into his head and loved being privy to his thoughts. It was hard during their teens, seeing his longing, confusion, and frustration about the fact he was having feelings and urges towards his long time best friend, Tweet. His vulnerability regarding her was endearing. He knew he needed his best friend in his life without question, but had no clue if she was feeling more towards him than friendship. My heart broke for him during his questioning and anxiety. Things were changing, but he could not pinpoint what she was feeling.
Spending time with Tweet had always been effortless. I never started a day wondering if she would be in it. It was like breathing. I automatically knew I’d be doing it. And just like I wouldn’t survive without oxygen, I knew I couldn’t survive without Tweet. Things were changing, lines blurring, and becoming confusing.
Even though I know how their story turns out, I was still in tense anticipation the whole time. I felt his nervousness, turmoil, trepidation, and intense need to progress with his relationship with Tweet while she refused to entertain more. Noah's hurt feelings and frequent disappointment killed me. He just loved her and was powerless to penetrate her fear and to make her see they were meant to be together. There were some moments that made me sigh and swoon as he tried to be the man he felt Tweet deserved even when she did not think she deserved it. He always tried to make her see how amazing he thought she was, but he could never fully convince her.
It helped me understand what was really going on with him and the other girls now that it was shown in his point of view rather than Tweet's jealous point of view. He was a young man in love with someone who claimed not to want him, surrounded by girls who would do anything for his attention. He struggled to find ways to cope with his difficult situation and constant disappointment. He was literally stuck in limbo, unable have what he wanted, but also unable to move on.
Oh...the back and forth, the hurt feelings, the angst, the drama. I just wanted to smack sense into Tweet all over again since I could see even more clearly how she was hurting this incredible young man who loved her unconditionally. He was not perfect. He made some mistakes, but they were usually a result of Tweet pushing him away or just being apathetic about dealing with situations he was not that invested in. And it all took a toll on both of them.
“There hasn’t been a day in my life that I haven’t loved you. I wish you would just let me love you.”
All of their missed opportunities, sweet moments, pain, and their unwavering connection just touched my heart. I think I was more devastated in his point of view because it was not for his lack of trying or him questioning his own feelings that they were apart. His love and need never wavered, but was always thwarted by Tweet's insecurities and fears. And without her point of view in this one, you feel as clueless as he is as to why she keeps him at arm's length for fear of losing him, while causing a self fulfilling prophecy by pushing him out of her life.
Seeing Noah's enduring devotion and love of "his girl" tempered by confusion, devastation, disappointment, and unfulfilled needs was heartbreaking. Going through the challenges they faced tore my heart out. But those times of happiness where they could just let go of doubt and be Noah and Tweet who were soul mates were beautiful and heartwarming. I loved the journey the first time in Tweet's point of view, but Noah's really touched my heart deeply. All he ever needed was Tweet. In his eyes she was perfect. In her eyes he was perfect. But with perceived perfection comes feelings of fear, unworthiness and self doubt. And although Noah's dedication was strong, he also made mistakes that were easily misconstrued. He had to wait until Tweet could finally realize that no one was truly perfect, but some people were perfect for each other. And even then sometimes love cannot protect you from circumstances beyond your control. They also had to balance the line between living with the past, looking towards the future, and enjoying their time in the present.
I am not always a fan of male point of view books especially after I love the first one. I am always afraid they won't live up to my expectations or will just be the same book retold with nothing new to offer. But Noah was such an amazing, well-rounded, loving character and his journey was so intense, dramatic, and heartfelt that I was completely drawn into his side of the story and felt everything he did along the way.
This was an emotional journey of true love that suffered the consequences of doubt and fear, but that could never really be broken or disappear. Their connection was just too profound and deep. They were literally a part of each other and needed each other to feel alive. These characters were so well developed that they felt absolutely real. I loved getting into Noah's head and understanding his thoughts and feelings during certain situations, while also getting more time with them. This book was not just a rehash of the first one, but is more of a companion that fills in more of Noah's views and struggles, but also adds new scenes allowing us some more special moments to savor. This book just endeared Noah to me even more and made me believe again in the true power of love, hope, healing, and soul mates. And the epilogue was priceless! I actually gasped out loud and got the biggest smile on my face!
I was gifted a copy in exchange for an honest review.
Presently Perfect brings readers back to the world of Noah and Amanda (Tweet).This story follows the same timeline and events from Present Perfect, but from Noah’s eyes.
A lot of Presently Perfect felt like a mirror image of the original story. Even the portions where Noah and Amanda weren’t together, it felt like there was little new material. But when I finished and really reflected on the two stories, their differences began to emerge. Because while it didn’t feel like it, this flipped perspective changes so much about what we as readers knew about what was going on with Noah.
The part of this story that reflected the point of view the best was their high school years where the breach in their perfect friendship developed. Watching Noah as he watched Amanda’s reactions, hearing his hopes and dreams, validated everything we learned later in Present Perfect. Without Tweet’s insecurities, Noah’s true feelings and the motivations behind his actions (and what his actions really were) made so much more sense.
I remember reading Present Perfect thinking Noah was fanning the flames of Tweet’s insecurities. Reading the same events from Noah’s eyes (and the events that Tweet only heard of through gossip) really reinforced the point that the whole story is not told through one person’s eyes. So much of what I thought I knew wasn’t quite how things played out that I finished this book loving Noah even more than I did before.
I enjoyed this story a lot. I loved Present Perfect and because it has been so long since I have read Noah and Amanda’s story, it was great to go back and remember their story (and I’ll be honest...I had forgotten a huge portion of the plot). Portions of this story still made me emotional, even though I should have and did see them coming. And that ending? *sigh*
I was gifted a copy in exchange for an honest review.
Book 1 - PRESENT PERFECT
Amazon | B&N | Smashwords | Audible
See Kim's review
Book 2 - PAST IMPERFECT
Amazon | B&N | Smashwords
Alison was born and raised in Charleston, SC. She attended Winthrop University and graduated with a major in Theater. While at school she began writing one-act plays, which she later produced. Her debut novel, Present Perfect, landed on Amazon's Best Seller List and appeared on many "Best Reads of 2013" Book Blogs. The novel won Best Book at the 2014 Indie Romance Convention Awards. The second book from The Perfect series, Past Imperfect, was published in February of 2014 and hit many Top 100 category lists on Amazon.
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