REVIEW: Out from Under You by Sophie Swift

Out from Under You by Sophie Swift (Smart Girls Finish First #1)
Release Date: August 8, 2013
Source: eARC* via author
Rating: 5/5 stars
Get it: Amazon

“Love is an earthquake. It comes when you least expect it. It rips the ground clear away. Right out from under you.” 

The day Lia Smart met Grayson Walker, eight years ago, was the day she fell helplessly in love with him. Coincidentally, it was the same day Grayson fell in love with someone else: Lia’s smarter, sexier, superior-in-every-way older sister, Alex.

Now, nearly a decade later, Alex and Grayson are long over and twenty-two-year-old Lia has finally managed to forget all those lonely nights she spent pining after her sister’s boyfriend. But when Grayson unexpectedly arrives back in town with Alex for Labor Day weekend and the two announce that they’re not only back together but engaged, all the feelings that Lia buried suddenly come bubbling back to the surface.

But Lia is no longer the awkward, gangly tomboy she was at fourteen. Far from it. And Grayson is conflicted by the lustful thoughts he’s now having for her. He knows he could never act on those thoughts, however. Grayson has always prided himself on being one of the “good guys.” But as the weekend wears on, he’s finding this new grown-up version of Lia more and more impossible to resist…

Heartbreaking and sexy with a dash of humor, Sophie Swift crafts a passionate, unforgettable tale about desire, growing up, and the kind of love that shakes us to the core.

My Review

Out from Under You by Sophie Swift was outrageously good! This book was an addiction in of itself and I ended up reading it faster than I intended to. I thought this book had a great amount of angst, romance, and moments where I wanted to flip tables and throw objects. It was a damn roller coaster ride I wanted and never wanted to get off of all at the same time. 

I was really surprised that this book was spilt between the points of of view between Lia and Grayson. I think it worked best this way because I got to see everything play out between these two through both of their eyes. I got a chance to understand both of their feelings and doubts. They filled the gaps for one another while I read and I really liked that. I felt like I wasn’t missing anything between these two. The flashbacks placed in the story was also a great addition. It established the connection of their friendship and how they’ve known one another for so long. Swift did a really good job with the dual POVs. She made sure that they were separate and had their own voice while still tying them both back to each other. It solidified the easy flow of the story. 

Lia and Grayson were a whirlwind. I loved and hated them during many times throughout the book because they nearly drove me crazy but also had me swooning too! Lia was super cool because she continued to run her mother’s old Italian bistro even though she was gone, was an artist who loved comics, and dreamed of creating her own graphic novel. Lia was a perfectly flawed character who made mistakes and sometimes had minor lapse in judgement, but she had a good heart and was one self less person. Grayson was also a nice guy with a big heart who was smart and knew how to cook! I liked that he cared for Lia, but sometimes he had some assholery moments here and there, especially when it came to his feelings for Alex. He probably drove me mad the most I wanted to pull my hair out, but I loved him all the same. 


The tricky thing about this book was that it twisted up my morals and values when it came to love and relationships. I definitely wanted Lia and Grayson to be together, but their situation was delicate at best. I didn’t agree with what they did so I was either sick to my stomach, ashamed at rooting them on, or squealing because they were just so good together. And when Lia and Grayson were together, it was like fireworks. Their sexy times were explosive. I think I was hot and bothered so much I needed to be in front of a fan or live in my freezer!  But even though I didn’t like their actions, the outcome was most satisfying. I especially loved that I was so affected by this book that I went through a range of emotions in matter of seconds. I thought some of the stuff that was thought, said, and done was difficult to read to the point I was cringing because of my knowledge of Lia’s feelings and my dislike for Alex, but I loved the honesty even if it wasn’t what I wanted to hear. This book was too good to stop reading, even when I thought I needed to because of the intensity Lia or Grayson’s feelings. I felt like I was losing my mind while reading this book. It was insane and awesome all at once. The drama was just too entertaining to pass up, it was thrilling, it was smashing!

Overall, Sophie Swift created one heck of a novel! She definitely had my emotions running high, loving Lia and Grayson, despising Alex with a passion and had me going against what I knew was wrong but feeling it was exactly right. Out from Under You was sensational, I beyond loved it.


*Thanks to Sophie Swift for sending a copy for review purposes

I was not compensated for my opinion