Something in the Way: Something in the Way Series, Volume 1

"Was sixteen too young to fall in love? I might’ve thought so before Manning. Could he love me back, a man seven years older? I was sure if he did, he’d never admit it. But I would wait for him. Even I understood that for a while, our ages mattered."As a longtime fan of Jessica Hawkins, I just knew I would love this book. And from the very first page, I was totally hooked. What a delight! A slow-burn, forbidden romance. My favorite!This is the kind of book where the author takes her time describing a first meeting, a small moment, a conversation. Nothing is simply told, it is shown. I flew through this book, absolutely breathless with anticipation at what would happen next!Lake and Tiffany are two sisters who both meet Manning at the same time. There's just one problem: Lake is only 16 years old. And Manning is a handsome construction worker with a past.He half-smiled, one corner of his mouth lifting. That was the first I saw of his straight, white teeth. My heart skipped. Under the dirt, the sweat, the calluses, he was handsome. I’d known it already, peripherally, as I knew the direction of the beach or the artwork hanging in my dad’s office. But now it was right in front of me. I couldn’t miss it."Lake is a good girl: smart, studious and obedient. Tiffany is the wild child. But the interactions with their parents are nuanced and there is more to them than their labels. Although Tiffany seems flighty, she is much more appropriate for Manning than Lake. But who will get his heart?"Manning leaned his elbows onto his knees and watched her approach. My sister had that effect on men. They were always looking over or around me to see her. What’d he think when he looked at her? What’d he notice first?"I rarely have time to read a series back to back. But this book was so gripping and intense that I am immediately picking up the next book! I am obsessed with these characters and their story!"Some invisible tether existed between us. Nobody could see it, not even us, but I felt it. I was sure Manning did, too. As long as we both knew it, that was enough for me. For now, at least."Highly recommend this one. It has great pacing, a real setting and a gripping story. Don't miss it!!"It was a promise. No matter what, the story would only ever be about us."

I enjoyed this story. It was recommended to me and I went into it completely blind. There was so much tension it kept me captivated. Tiffany…I don’t like you! Manning is one of the sweetest, most caring and understand MMC’s I’ve read. His life story is so sad and you just want to hug him and hold on.Lake is of course a little naive…though she is 16. I felt like she should know some of the answers to questions she asked but she’s also the nerdy, school oriented girl without much like experience. Her sister certainly makes up for that.I did enjoy how the author portrayed each character. As much as you want to dislike Tiffany you kind of feel sorry for her at times. She brings a lot of it on herself. I have this feeling I really won’t like her in the next few books.4 stars for plot and character development. I definitely missed the spice but I get it!

Instantly a top read of 2017 for me. I always open a Jessica Hawkins book knowing three things. 1. The characters will be complex 2. The characters are never as they seem and 3. I will break into hundreds of pieces and will heal but perhaps not as I expect.I went into Something in the Way blind. I didn't read a blurb or a review, I simply one-clicked. A story of forbidden love is a tough road to travel for many but Jessica does an amazing job of pulling it all together with the reader supporting the connection of the characters.Manning is a young man who was thrust into an adult world at a very young age. He witnessed things throughout his young life that change and mold a person. He has goals and ambition but still, the assumptions of who he is and how he is are all around him. It is in the way he carries himself and how he chooses to live his life. Most judge him without knowing him.Lake is strong, curious, naive, and wise in many ways. Like Manning, she is often judged, or misjudged as it seems, without anyone really knowing her. The adults in her life assume she will fall in place as expected. That is true in many aspects but it seems to go against her core values and belief.I love the story of friendship and love that builds with each turn of the page. It is quite simply - simple. A simple story of two people that have lived a life without acceptance, love, and respect until they meet each other.As we learn of a tragedy that Manning has endured and somehow stunted his emotional capabilities, we see a young Lake give him a reason to grow. Manning suffered and he lost but with his connection to Lake, he was validated. The boy he was and the man he became were enough in Lake's eyes. She cared and believed in him unconditionally and without guilt or remorse.I cannot wait for the next installment of this series and every twist and turn Jessica sends our way.

Review - Something in the Way (something in the way, #1) by Jessica Hawkins.💛Forbidden💛Age-Gap💛Sisters Boyfriend.Jessica has put together a story filled with so much angst, an intense slow burn and such amazing chemistry that this book was unputdownable. Lake and Manning will ruin you in every way possible! I loved this story, and I can’t wait to continue on in the series!.“𝘽𝙪𝙩 𝙣𝙤𝙬, 𝙢𝙮 𝙗𝙤𝙙𝙮 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙘𝙩𝙚𝙙 𝙤𝙣𝙡𝙮 𝙖𝙨 𝙖 𝙢𝙖𝙣. 𝙄 𝙬𝙖𝙣𝙩𝙚𝙙 𝙩𝙤 𝙬𝙧𝙖𝙥 𝙢𝙮 𝙖𝙧𝙢𝙨 𝙖𝙧𝙤𝙪𝙣𝙙 𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙛𝙧𝙤𝙣𝙩, 𝙥𝙪𝙡𝙡 𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙘𝙡𝙤𝙨𝙚𝙧, 𝙡𝙚𝙩 𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙛𝙚𝙚𝙡 𝙬𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙨𝙝𝙚 𝙙𝙞𝙙 𝙩𝙤 𝙢𝙚. 𝙄 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙡𝙤𝙨𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙩𝙧𝙤𝙡.“.Lake was my favorite throughout the book, she wore her heart on her sleeve and went for what she believed in. Constantly living as a shadow to her beautiful, outgoing older sister Tiffany, Lake at 16 years old never gets noticed, she’s the smart, quiet one, but one day when she notices her lost bracelet she goes outside to look for it and there she meets Manning, the beautiful, tall, 23 year old construction worker next door, he has her bracelet and give its back to her but not before she’s so intrigued by him that she starts up a conversation with him and immediately the two of them form such a strong connection you can feel it through the pages, then her sister shows up and once again steals the spotlight..“𝙎𝙤𝙢𝙚 𝙞𝙣𝙫𝙞𝙨𝙞𝙗𝙡𝙚 𝙩𝙚𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙚𝙭𝙞𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙙 𝙗𝙚𝙩𝙬𝙚𝙚𝙣 𝙪𝙨. 𝙉𝙤𝙗𝙤𝙙𝙮 𝙘𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙 𝙨𝙚𝙚 𝙞𝙩, 𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙣 𝙪𝙨, 𝙗𝙪𝙩 𝙄 𝙛𝙚𝙡𝙩 𝙞𝙩. 𝙄 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙨𝙪𝙧𝙚 𝙈𝙖𝙣𝙣𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙙𝙞𝙙, 𝙩𝙤𝙤. 𝘼𝙨 𝙡𝙤𝙣𝙜 𝙖𝙨 𝙬𝙚 𝙗𝙤𝙩𝙝 𝙠𝙣𝙚𝙬 𝙞𝙩, 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙚𝙣𝙤𝙪𝙜𝙝 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙢𝙚. 𝙁𝙤𝙧 𝙣𝙤𝙬, 𝙖𝙩 𝙡𝙚𝙖𝙨𝙩.“.Manning was such a beautiful and tortured man, he knew being around Lake and considering her a friend was inappropriate he’s 7 years older then her but he can’t deny being around Lake is a breath of fresh air with her innocence and beauty, the best way to ensure he can spend time with Lake is if he also has a friendship with Tiffany her sister and though he doesn’t really care for her he must do anything to continue being in Lakes life one way or another..“𝙈𝙮 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙡𝙙 𝙝𝙖𝙙 𝙗𝙚𝙚𝙣 𝙨𝙤 𝙙𝙖𝙧𝙠 𝙗𝙚𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙚 𝙇𝙖𝙠𝙚. 𝙄𝙩 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙙 𝙢𝙚 𝙝𝙤𝙬 𝙛𝙖𝙧 𝙄’𝙙 𝙜𝙤 𝙩𝙤 𝙠𝙚𝙚𝙥 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙡𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩 𝙞𝙣 𝙢𝙮 𝙡𝙞𝙛𝙚.“.This is book one in the Something in the Way Series!.Rating – 5🌟Steam – 3.5🔥

I effing devoured it. It was that good.

Something in the way by Jessica Hawkins a gut-wrenching breath-taking five-star read. This is the first book in the Something in the way series, the next book isn’t released for a couple of months and Jessica Hawkins has just become number one on my most hated list, she used to be number one on my fan girl list, but agggghhhhhh. I loved this book even though I spent a large chuck of the reading time with that horrid sick feeling in the pit of my stomach. I am sobbing like a baby because it’s over!! May can’t come soon enough. I foresee re-reading this book several times before the next book is released. You need this book in your life, especially if you were around in the 90s, even if you weren’t you still need it to understand the pain we went through. (life was hard, no mobile phones (you generally had to talk on the house phone in front of your parents) no GPS, no internet to get more details of your latest crush. ie stalk)Sixteen-year-old Lake Dolly Kaplan is a young woman with a serious head on her very innocent shoulders, she has never been kissed, she enjoys studying and her dad has a plan for her that doesn’t involve unsuitable boys, that’s what her sister is for. Lake has never thought of boys in the way that she starts thinking of him, a hot, dark yummy older man who works construction next door.Him being Twenty-three-year-old Manning Raymond Sutter a man who knows first-hand that life isn’t fair, when he finds up a gold bracelet on site he didn’t realise it would change his life in more ways that anyone would think possible. Manning and Lake have a connection, but he knows she in innocent and he wants to keep her that way. But life doesn’t always work out the way you want, and no matter how hard you want your happy ever after you don’t always get it. Lake may have seen Manning first but her older sister Tiffany sees him next, and Tiffany is a girl who gets what she wants, just ask her daddy.I loved how this book was set in a simpler time, the 90s were my golden era so I loved all the references and remembering just how hard life was without such things as a mobile phone, things like having to rush home to make sure you didn’t miss a call from a boy you like. I was so surprised by the characters in this book, I can’t wait to see Lake come into her own more. I also surprised myself as I saw more of myself in Tiffany than I liked. I will even own up to how much I wanted to change my name to Tiffany when I was younger as mine was so boring, and I used to have a massive girl crush on Tiffany the late 80s pop star, I still sing along every time I hear the song (head hanging in shame). Most of all I want to thank Jessica Hawkins for yet another amazing book, if only she wrote faster, she would be the perfect woman and I could still fan girl over her.

This book was amazing! Love a good slow burn. One hundred percent recommend for forbidden love enthusiasts!! Love this book

The first book in Something in the Way series introduces us to the story of Lake and Manning...Lake is a secluded 16 year old with no experience in life other than with books or studying, in complete contrast to her older sister Tiffany, who goes out with boys, drinks, doesn’t appear to have many aspirations in life, or any responsibilities set upon her. Therefore, the expectations of a bright future for the Kaplan family is a burden Lake carries on her shoulders alone, the reason why she isn’t like most kids her age...One day, when Tiffany forgets to pick Lake up from summer school, walking back home she meets a fascinating older stranger that sparks a funny feeling never experienced by her before. They meet, talk and connect, but none of that really matters because, even though she saw Manning first, her sister saw him next...𝗗𝗜𝗗 𝗜 𝗟𝗜𝗞𝗘 𝗧𝗛𝗜𝗦 𝗕𝗢𝗢𝗞?-Yes!𝗪𝗢𝗨𝗟𝗗 𝗜 𝗥𝗘𝗥𝗘𝗔𝗗 𝗜𝗧?-Depending on where the series goes, probably.𝗪𝗢𝗨𝗟𝗗 𝗜 𝗥𝗘𝗔𝗗 𝗢𝗧𝗛𝗘𝗥 𝗕𝗢𝗢𝗞𝗦 𝗙𝗥𝗢𝗠 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗔𝗨𝗧𝗛𝗢𝗥?-Absolutely.