NEW ADULT MONDAYS: Make It Last (Bowler University #3)

The New Adult genre - their bad boys and big problems and epic loves make them engrossing tales that are so easy to lose yourself in. What's not to love about that? And, now, thanks to the cool chicks at Bewitched Bookworms, we can show these books the love they deserve in a weekly feature - New Adult Mondays.

Make It Last (Bowler University #3), by Megan Erickson
Publish Date: January 6, 2015
Publisher: William Morrow
Format: paperback, borrowed
Genre: new adult contemporary romance
To Buy: Amazon * Barnes & Noble

Rating: 4.5 STARS

(From Goodreads) After graduating from Bowler University, the last place Cam Ruiz ever expected to find himself is his hometown. A bad job as a bouncer and worry over his mom’s health make living in Paradise anything but. There’s only one thing that can make his return any harder—running into the only girl he’s ever loved.

Tate Ellison made a mistake when she was eighteen, one that cost her the best thing she’s ever had. She’s always hoped the regret of losing Cam would fade over time. Too bad it’s only grown. She took comfort in the fact she’d never have to face him again, so his presence in Paradise throws her for a loop.

The pull between them is instant and when the truth of what happened years ago tumbles out, they share a mind-blowing kiss...which leads to more. But the past has a way of repeating itself. When all the cards are on the table, Cam and Tate must decide what they are willing to do to make it last.

Megan Erickson really knows how to punch you right in the feels, and Make It Last really lets you have it. I knew it would, though. Cam has always been the silent, brooding one of the group, so I just knew he had a hell of a story. And his second chance love story ended up being my favorite of the series.

Cam is in a difficult place. He's returning home for the first time in five years, and is surprised to run into his ex, Tate, whom he had assumed had moved on to bigger and better things after cheating on him and dumping him when they were teenagers. He's never moved on from her, so when he sees her still working the same job she was when he left, he's taken aback and left to wonder what's been going on with her this whole time. When the whole story comes out, Cam finds out that were not then and are not now what they seem. 

Cam had my heart from the very beginning. This guy is rock solid. He's sacrificing his future career to take care of his ailing mother, even though he knows that coming home will also cause him to relive all his memories with Tate. He's making the hard decisions in order to do what's right, and I love that about him so much. 

One could argue that that is exactly what Tate was doing as well. She sent Cam packing years before and has spent her time making sacrifices and hard decisions as well. I think Tate is super strong and deserves to be happy as much as Cam does. Unfortunately, Tate suffers from a martyr complex the size of the Northern Hemisphere. Tate has gotten so used to making tough choices, that she starts making them for not only herself, but for everyone else around her. And, even after that is pointed out to her, she still has a hard time stopping. 

There is definitely a different feel to Make It Last than the other two books in this series. Both Cam and Tate are facing some incredibly emotional and difficult situations in their lives - things that would send me to a corner to rock and weep. The best part about them is that they don't always handle things perfectly. They make mistakes and face the consequences. It was very real and believable. 

We get appearances from both Alec and Kat and Max and Lea, so as we are watching Cam and Tate try to wade through their past hurts and find a way to fix them and move forward, we see the other two couples starting new chapters in their lives. It was a great way to end the series. 

Cam's and Tate's journey back to one another is filled with poignant memories and some really sad moments. But, those are what made this book so awesome. I'm sad to say goodbye to the Bowler University friends, but so happy that Megan saved Cam's story for last. Talk about ending on a high note.