Please Stay for Me (The Brotherhood Series) by M. W. McKinley
A Contemporary YA Novel published by M.W. McKinley (12/18/20)
Summary:
“My plan to come to another country just to take photographs is slowly beginning to unravel as each new picture focuses on the face of someone I care about.” (Kindle Edition Chapter 14).
Avery is excited for her summer study abroad at Oxford University. She’ll have many opportunities to focus on her photography. After meeting Liam, she’ll also be focused on her new feelings of love. But he lives in England and she’ll be going home at the end of the summer. Liam is the lead singer of Brotherhood, but he also plays violin and has always wanted to attend Julliard. The band is starting to make waves and Liam will have to choose between the violin or the band. After meeting Avery, being in the same time zone as Avery will be more and more important as the summer comes to an end.
Keywords:
Love, Travel, Study Abroad, Band, Singer, Artist, Photography, England, Farewell, Bandmates, Best Friends, Brothers, Adoption, Family, Violin, Fate
My Review:
First Reviewed through Reedsy Discovery.
I love books that have compelling backstories for their main characters, especially in romance novels. Please Stay for Me gives each main character very compelling and emotional backstories. Both characters have grown up with deep traumas related to their family. It’s interesting to see how Liam and Avery react to their own childhood traumas. Liam holds tighter to the bonds he formed himself – the family he’s chosen while Avery holds everyone at arm’s length – not wanting to get hurt again. Both characters were stronger despite their tragic backstories.
I felt deeply connected to the emotion the author wrote about, the trauma from the characters, and the heartaches they were going through.
I absolutely loved how communicative Liam and Avery were throughout their relationship. I was glad the author didn’t rely on miscommunication to push the plot along. The flow of the story felt natural. The relationship between Liam and Avery began one-sided with Liam pursuing Avery. This made sense due to Liam being completely open and Avery reticent to allow anyone to get too close. Eventually, Avery was won over by the charming Liam!
I wish there was more description and details related to Avery’s study abroad and her day-to-day but I didn’t miss it that much since the story was more focused on the character relationships, the romance between Avery and Liam and their backstories.
I really enjoyed the additional subplots and backstories of other characters and the similarities that were drawn between the relationships the other characters had with their families (or lack thereof). The side characters were an integral part of the story. I wanted more scenes between Avery and Katherine. I really liked Katherine. I also really liked Trinity, Rob, Hugh, Lei, and Emily. I can just imagine future books in this world where we see the relationship between Rob and Emily or a book devoted to Trinity or Katherine.
I loved the passion the author communicates from Liam and Avery for their art, the violin, and photography. Even Avery’s deep appreciation for music is strong and the way she connects to music through memories of her family is poignant.
This is a story for those who enjoy summer romances that are built upon strong character backstories and feature character relationships heavily.
This novel was published by M.W. McKinley on 12/18/2020 and is available on Amazon here.
TL;DR Star Rating: 4.75
Links for more information:
Rachel Author Barnard 