Wow. Just absolutely wow. This book is amazing. I flew through the pages. It was well written, eye opening. It had the right amount of tension and the characters were honest. The topic is obviously an important one and the author tackled it flawlessly. ( )

I think this could be a powerful book for some teenagers, perhaps those who love reading things like A Child Called "It". Would I have let my daughters read this in middle school? Emphatically no.
Despite the plot of an "almost" rape, in some ways the book seemed almost immature. However, talk of the love interest having too much blood flow to certain parts of his anatomy definitely put it into the mature category for me, along with the memories of the "almost" rape. Add to that the bad language on almost every page of the book (profanity, cussing, vulgarities), and I would be very careful about letting your tweens to early teens read it. It does touch on some important issues, and that is why I think it could be powerful for the right reader. As far as the plot and characters go, there were some plot points and characters I really enjoyed, and some that drove me crazy. I don't think teenagers will care that much about the deficiencies, though. So, although I don't recommend this book to all readers, I think there are some that would really like it. ( )

Review originally posted here.

I started reading this book, I think it was June 20, 2012 and I finished it today. Two weeks of me reading it. Why did it took me two weeks? One, I was bored in the first few chapters of this book. I'm not gonna pretend or lie about it. I was bored BUT there's something in my mind that says I need to finish it. A friend of mine actually said to me that if I didn't like it, no need to punish myself over it. But still I decided to continue even if it's taking my precious time.

Second reason why it took me two weeks was that I keep on putting it off. I've read other books that was why I only finish it now. Heck, I've been putting TGL off too!

But as I slow read this book, about 32% done with it, I started to grin like an idiot. That could only mean one thing. I'm starting to like it. Yes, it's taken me too long to before I finally like the book but IMO, it's worth it. It's worth reading.

Now, I need to review this or I'll just start random babbling.  Soooo, this book, as the blurb says, was about a girl who's ALMOST raped. Almost okay, almost living better. Almost. The book was written in two POV's, Jess Jordan's and Gray Porter's. What I like about it having two POV's was that I get to see what Gray Porter's mind works. I mean, I was always in the head of a female MC (from the books I've read) and having a male MC in your mind--take note, if and only if the said Male MC is hot, cocky, playful, likes you a lot and all that--was totally cool.

Jess Jordan struck me as a strong character. She knows what she wants. She wanted to live normally like she used to. She wanted to go to college and go away from home so her parents would not always hover at her. That's the reason why she made a deal with Gray Porter. So yeah, she struck me as a strong-willed character, she doesn't want to back down. And damn, she always slugs down Red Bull because it helps her not sleep so that she'll never have nightmares.

Gray Porter... Gray. Just like the other guy MC I have read over the weeks, I'm liking him too. Well, the reason why Gray sticks to Jess was because he's involved to what almost happened to Jess. Okay, I'm totally not saying anything. Just read it. Being in Gray's mind made me smirk, grin whatever you want to call it, like a freakin' idiot. I was reading it earlier with people in my surrounding and I CAN'T HELP NOT TO GRIN!!! It's like, OMG, you are such a big flirt!! I like guys who flirts with their partners, like them teasing their girls. href="http:>

The story mostly circulates on their pretend relationship and how Gray wanted to tell the truth about him, about them. How Jess battles her nightmares, how she wished to be a normal teenager, fall in love and all that. I love how the side characters, Corey and Michelle, get to know Jess. 'Cause they all at first believe Jess' reputation as a b*tch but learned that she's not like that at all.

The book is worth reading. You might be bored at first but this is an honest story about the journey of Jess Jordan on how she made it whole once again and sees that she really was loved by a lot. You should try reading this book, you might like it or you might not. But at least you've tried. And if you're getting lazy in reading it or bored by it, take a break, read other book then pick up Almost again to continue where you left off. ( )

Jess Jordan has a broken life and a dark past she can't remember completely that haunts her dreams so badly that Jess is actually terrified to along herself to fall asleep when night comes. Gray Porter has secrets that are eating him inside.. secrets that have to do with things Jess can't seem to even remember. Gray wants nothing more than a chance to be with Jess, he's always been drawn to her.. but he's also forbidden to see her. Though Jess' memory is foggy from that night and she can't seem to put together the pieces from it that doesn't stop her never ending nightmares. When Gray and Jess both interview for a internship they both desperately need but only one can have, they come up with a plan that will work in their favor and land them both the position. With Gray pretending to be Jess' boyfriend, he finds himself falling harder and harder for her making him feel more guilty about the secrets his hiding. As he fights to find the right thing to do, Jess' nightmares get worse and revel to her the secrets Gray has before he gets a chance to tell her. Already caught up in a life of pain and brokenness with her only light being Gray, things spiral out of control when she loses the one thing she's grown to love and hold dear. This is an amazing book of dark pasts and secrets that threaten to destroy the beauty of the love story you find yourself silently routing for.

"Ignoring Gray Porter is like ignoring an elephant in a tut. A really hot elephant in a tutu... a very manly tutu." -Jess

"I want you to know if we die right now, I won't be able to distinguish if I've made it to heaven or not, because I'm already sitting here with you.. like this." -Gray Porter

“Sometimes different is not better,” -Jess

“Maybe because he's already been in my dreams for so long, it feels to me as though we've always been together.” -Jess

“And you do, don't you? Love me just a little? Because I'll say it again. Right now, to your face. I straight up love you, Jess Jordan. I'll shout it if it will help plead my case. But I have to at least get that point across before one more minute passes.” -Gray

“So that's a make-up kiss? Let's have another fight soon.” -Jess

“You have my word. I won't let anyone-anything hurt you. This will work out. It will.” -Gray

“I know I'm acting crazy but I'm in love with this girl. Major love. And I have no idea what to do about it, so it's messing with my sanity.” -Gray ( )

Right. There's a convention in romantic comedies going at least back to Shakespeare in which a guy pretends to love a woman in order to achieve some goal.

That this convention is used here in a book about a near-rape PTSD survivor is not to mean that it's a light, fluffy, or flippant book.

Jess, the main character, has been suffering for the last three years from a near-rape experience. Let me just say that, by the end of the book, you realize exactly why it's taken her three years to get this far, and why she's as messed-up as she is. She hires a guy (well, tricks him, really) into pretending to be her boyfriend for the summer, so she can have the illusion of a normal life, so she can be allowed to get out of the house and go to college. (The parents aren't dealing well with it, either.)

At any rate, it's a powerful book, with living, breathing characters, and I cried though the last third of it. The fact that is has what all survivors deserve to have--a happy ending--doesn't lessen it at all. ( )