Review: Try Me by Adriana Locke

Try Me by Adriana Locke
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I was provided an ARC of this book via the author, all opinions are my own.

This follows Gianna, who we have met before in Play Me, as she is one of Astrid's best friends and is a spin off of the Brewer family series.  You don't need to have read any of the previous books that mention the Brewer's or Astrid to pick this up as it reads as a complete standalone.  Gianna is an artist and she says whatever she thinks, which works well for her highly successful podcast <i>Gianna Knows Things </i>.  She is a current day Dear Abby, giving advice on relationships and love often telling her listeners the truths they already know but needed someone else to voice.  Fellow podcaster Drake, a retired football player believes that everyone deserves love and that Gianna hasn't ever been treated right, hence her advice to eject from a relationship at the first sign of distress.  She doesn't ask questions and doesn't want details when things feel off, she'd rather cut things off clean before things get too messy.  Drake on the other hand feels that communication is key and relationships take work.  He is determined to make Gianna see that there is another side to love that what she has seen so far.  They agree on air to a 6 week trial dating period and their ratings soar both on an off the air.  They have instant chemistry as Drake wines and dines Gianna in a way that both frustrates and charms her.  They have great banter, and she learns that love doesn't have to be earned.

I loved this!  Drake was such a gentleman as he courted Gianna and showed her that relationships don't have to be performative.  While there are some very spicy scenes, they also built a great relationships as they learned about each other and talked about everything and nothing during their 6 week "fake" relationship period.  They were open and honest with each other and supported each other during highs and lows.  This also packs a punch in the emotional department as Drake's parents deal with early onset dementia or Alzheimer's diagnosis for his dad, (forgive me I don't recall if it was mentioned specifically), and his family has to figure out how to manage his care.  This was such a well rounded book as it has humor, spice, emotion, great banter, and wonderful characters.  

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