When I Come Around

Thank you Home Cooked Books for the Advanced Listeners Copy.

This is the fourth and final book in the Carolina Classics series and it’s fantastic! I’ve been waiting for Whitney’s story…she hasn’t been the easiest character to like (based on her behavior in the previous books) but this story helps us understand why.

Karen delivers an amazing story of second changes, forgiveness and finding ones self.

Whitney has not had the most supportive upbringing, is very insecure and needs a fresh start. She knows who her friends and support system are so she heads back to them.

Ford is a sweet, patient and caring man. He is also very career driven but will be at his friends side at the drop of a hat.

As Whitney and Ford reunite after many years there are so many questions between the two, trust issues, but a love that has never been forgotten.

This book has all the emotions…Karen writes a lovely story, with challenging/tough topics, and handles them beautifully.

These characters are some of my favorite and prove that friendships can withstand many challenges, disagreements and misunderstandings.

A perfect ending to the series.

Ryan Lee Dunlap and Amanda Stribling deliver an amazing performance. They bring a whole new experience to enjoying an authors words by giving voice, personality and emotion to the characters.

When I come around is best read as the 4th book in the series because Ford and Whitney appear frequently in previous books, and previous books’ characters play a significant part in this story. The previous books kind of built up to this one.

I enjoyed the story, and I especially liked the early 2000s references to things I had forgotten about (like caboodles).

I received a copy of the book at my request, and the opinions here are my own.

Throughout this series, Whitney has been in the background, always in the other characters' thoughts, but kind of mysterious. She would briefly drop in, then disappear, leaving them to wonder what was going on with her. Finally, Whit and Ford's friends-to-lovers story closes out the series.

Ford has been in love with Whitney since they were kids, but always knew he stood no chance with her since she was in the upper crust of local society, while he was from a working class family. In this book though, we finally learn her back story as she suffers a serious health scare at the start of the book, which precipitates major changes in her life.

Six months later, both Ford and Whit are working on an out of town movie set together. Although Ford initially takes a sound job with the production at the behest of their friends to keep a friendly eye on Whit, the sparks between them burst into flames, and they fall into a friends with benefits relationship. Ford wants so much more, but knows he can't push Whit too hard or he'll lose her.

I really enjoyed the progression of their relationship. The book dealt with sensitive topics but focused more on the healing from past traumas and was hopeful and sweet. Ford tried hard to respect Whit's privacy and give her the control she needed to move forward in her life instead of being stuck in past destructive patterns. I also loved revisiting the late 1990's, a time before ubiquitous cell phones and social media. I received a free copy of this book from the author and am voluntarily leaving a review. All opinions expressed are my own.