“She grabs happiness by the collar and yanks it into her life.” This line from If Only describes the protagonist’s best friend but it echoes the mood of the entire story. This is the story of Jordan, a junior in college who’s spending her year studying abroad in Aberdeen Scotland. Like many girls her age who venture far from home, she hopes for excitement and adventure; what she ends up getting is wisdom and love. Jordan’s journey spawns interest from the start, right from the train to Aberdeen when she meets two completely different gentlemen she is attracted to in different ways.   Along the way, she learns which of the two men is sincere as she learns what is sincere commitment and love. Watching Jordan juggle her own insecurities while working through friendships and learning responsibility drives the reader to the relatable heart of the main character.

I am lucky to be able to call the author, A. J.  Pine, my colleague.  Like her character, Jordan, Amy grasps her dreams and turns them into reality. The author’s own wit and natural humor shines through within the words on the pages. I give If Only an A+ for soulful reality that makes the reader empathize when Jordan agonizes over love lost, rejoice when Jordan proudly endures thoughtlessness of her peers , and claps when Jordan exclaims she “wants it all – the good, the messy and the spectacular.” Interspersed with quotations from E. M. Forster’s A Room with a View, to poignantly open sections of the story, this book is filled with fabulous lines that make the reader nod, smile and say, “You go, Girl.” Life does not disappoint . . . as this story portrays. I really like this genre, NA, – new adult, because it speaks to a wide audience of young adults just trying to find themselves along with those a bit older who think they already have but still need affirmations along the way.