A Review for Before Jamaica Lane (On Dublin Street #3) by Samantha Young

Posted by Donna
Release Date: January 16th, 2014
Finished Date: January 12th, 2014

Publishers: Penguin UK
Genre: New Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Source: For Review

Format: Paperback
Pages: 464

Buy: Amazon UK / Amazon US / The Book Depo

One simple lesson in seduction between two friends can turn into so much more… 

Despite her outgoing demeanor, Olivia is painfully insecure around the opposite sex—usually, she can’t get up the nerve to approach guys she’s interested in. But moving to Edinburgh has given her a new start, and, after she develops a crush on a sexy postgrad, she decides it’s time to push past her fears and go after what she wants.

Nate Sawyer is a gorgeous player who never commits, but to his close friends, he’s as loyal as they come. So when Olivia turns to him with her relationship woes, he offers to instruct her in the art of flirting and to help her become more sexually confident.

The friendly education in seduction soon grows into an intense and hot romance. But then Nate’s past and commitment issues rear their ugly heads, and Olivia is left broken-hearted. When Nate realizes he’s made the biggest mistake of his life, he will have to work harder than he ever has before to entice his best friend into falling back in love with him—or he may lose her forever…

The Review: I really love the On Dublin Street series and this instalment just proves how strong this series is becoming. Before Jamaica Lane is definitely my favourite of the series so far and I have to say I believe it's Samantha's best written work to date. 

This time around we see Olivia and Nate - both of them are strong characters that have had to deal with losing someone close to them. Olivia and Nate just click. As soon as they meet, they fast become friends and somehow their lives wouldn't be the same without the other. Olivia has harboured feelings for Nate since she first met him, but knowing that Nate's a playboy that will never settle down, her feelings are a lost cause. It's not until Olivia gets  drunk one night that that she admits to Nate that she's unhappy with her life - she wants to find love, but she's too shy to do anything about it. With Nate's help, he tries to train her into someone that is more confident in her looks and with who is really is, but by doing so, their feelings soon become muddled and Olivia finds herself losing more than just her best friend. 

I was completely addicted to Olivia and Nate's story. I loved it! I loved it so much more than the other couples we've seen so far. I don't know why, I don't know if it was just down to my reading mood, but their story just clicked for me and once I found myself putting their story down, it was the only thing I could think about until I managed to pick it up again. I don't think I've devoured a book like this in a long time...and I'm glad it was this one. 

Like I said, something just clicked for me with Olivia and Nate. I loved them as characters and I really loved reading about them together. I'm a huge fan of the best friends fall in love and Samantha Young wrote their story perfectly. I loved the whole geekiness they had going on. It bought a lot of humour to the story and had me laughing out loud in parts. Their story had some major ups and downs, some heart-breaking times, but then there was so many fun times and not to mention all the steamy times too. Their story was a very well rounded story that had a little bit of everything and in parts, even made me well up with tears. 

It was also great to catch up with all the other characters. It's good see they haven't been forgotten and they are progressing in their lives. I adore how much of a tight knit group they are and really help each other out. I'm dying for Hannah's story and I'm even wondering if Cole will get his own story now too. I really hope so! 

In all, Before Jamaica Lane is a heart-wrenching and all-consuming read, one that is wrote perfectly. Olivia and Nate's story really was a joy to read and I can't wait for more from Samantha Young.