~Review~Ready for You by JL Berg

A second chance at first love. 

Eight years ago, Garrett Finnegan’s world shattered the day Mia vanished from his life. He’s been struggling to pick up the pieces ever since. Haunted by memories and ghosts of the past, he chooses a solitary existence rather than risk his heart again. 

Mia Emerson has made one wrong decision after another but none worse than walking away from the boy who stole her heart so long ago. When her new life is turned upside down, she finds herself returning to her roots and the hometown she left behind. Maybe now she can find a way to heal from the devastating mistakes of her past.

When a chance encounter brings these former lovers together, passion reignites in a way neither is prepared for. Can Garrett move beyond his anger and find a way to forgive? Will Mia’s insecurities and fears cause her to once again flee the life she’s destined to live?


Garrett and Mia will soon discover that they must journey into the past to find their way home.

Overall Rating:  4 Rockin’ ★★★★

When Mia disappears after graduation, Garrett’s life would never be the same.  Mia and Garrett had planned on going to college together and getting a place together.  Eight years later Mia is back and Garrett still has no idea why she left him. Mia had hoped that Garrett had found happiness eventually after she left.  She had promised herself that she would never return and protect Garrett from the pain that her presence would cause.  It seemed that once again Mia found herself running away.  She had built a new life for herself, finished college and found a job. A chance meeting at the farmer’s market opens all the old pain and emptiness of their separation.  Why has she returned now? 

Now, fate had brought me home again.  Why?  I didn’t know, but like a magnet, I’d felt drawn back here, and I only hoped it wouldn’t be a mistake.

Seeing Garrett again was so painful it was like seeing a ghost.  Was he married?  He was with a woman and had a boy perched on his shoulder.  Did he have a son? Apparently he had moved on and found happiness.  When their eyes meet, Garrett sees how scared she is and cannot understand why.  It looks like she was about to run again.  How could she stand so calmly and make small talk when the question keeps running through Garrett’s mind don’t I deserve an explanation? 

“Right.”  At her approach, his senses went on alert.  She smelled great, like a fresh meadow, and as she drew nearer, he noticed the freckles scattered across I thought I at least deserved a, Hey, how are you Garrett? Sorry I bailed on you right after you asked me to marry you.  Yeah, that was a shitty thing to do.  Whatever.

Even when Mia finds out that Garrett is not married, that he had never moved on with his life, she still does not feel that she deserves him.  Garrett had become a workaholic turning all his efforts into his job and trying to out run his memories of Mia.  When he had graduated from college he had hoped to get a job with an architecture firm but the building and construction industry had been hit hard.  Garrett had been forced to find a job where he could and he really hated his job!

I had become addicted-addicted to the hours, addicted to the mind-numbing nothingness it gave me.  So, my design work had become nothing more than a pastime, and I’d become Garrett Finnegan pharmaceutical salesman extraordinaire.

Mia finds a job working at the local hospital and works on refurbishing the house she has purchased.  When Garrett finds out that she is trying to redo the floors and beating herself up he goes over and volunteers to help her do them.  Mia does not give in easily but he gives her no choice but to let him help her.  They had always planned on redoing a house together, now she was trying to do it by herself.

This was supposed to be our thing-buying an old house and fixing it up.  We had planned to do this together. While on the phone or cuddled up together on the hood of my car as we looked up to the stars, we used to talk for hours about what kind of house we wanted and we’d do to it.  This was our dream, not hers.

Garrett and Mia fall into a routine of working on the house together each evening.  They have an uneasy truce while working.

“You still wear that necklace.” It was a statement, not a question.  I’d wondered if he would say anything about it.  I’d caught him staring at it on the first day he’d shown up to help…”I’ve never taken it off.”

Mia tells Garrett that she had kept the necklace so that would always have a part of him with her.  When someone tries to break into Mia’s house she calls Garrett for help.  When she ask why he came to help her he tells her he would have done anything for her and then he leaves and doesn’t come back to help for the rest of the week.  Leah talks Mia into going out with her and some other girls.  When Mia and the girls arrive, the guys are already at the bar and Garrett is with them.  The feelings run to deep when Mia does a song and enthralls the entire bar and Garrett cannot hold back any more.

I shoved her against the wall, and she sucked in a breath.  “Do you enjoy driving me crazy?” I asked.  My hands tightened around her waist as I pressed my body against hers. 

Mia and Garrett both cannot deny the fact that even after everything that has happened they still need each other.  Can Mia share with Garrett what drove her to leave?  Will Garrett forgive her and convince Mia that she does deserve his love and that they will be happy together regardless of what happened in the past?

Hero –Garrett Finnegan : 4 stars

Heroine –Amelia “Mia” Emerson: 4 stars

Steam: 4 stars 

Plot: 4 stars 

Cliffhanger: No

Would I recommend this book: Yes! This is a beautiful love story that pulls at your heartstrings as Mia and Garrett try to find a way back home to each other.

Would I read other books by this author: Yes! I really look forward to reading another story by this author.  Maybe she will write one about Mia’s friend Olivia.

***Received an ARC of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review***