I have to start by admitting that I have resisted the whole "new adult" genre that has entered the romance market. I think it's a combination of not being impressed by the one I read and the fact that I deal with college students on a daily basis so it feels a little bit weird. I requested a review copy of Ann Aguirre's I WANT IT THAT WAY because I have enjoyed some of her other books and the book description caught my attention. But, I missed the fact that the main characters were in college. I started reading and realized I held a new adult book in my hands... what to do, what to do? I decided to keep reading and I am so glad that I did. I WANT IT THAT WAY is a wonderfully engaging story of two people learning to make room in their lives for an unexpected love.

Nadia Conrad was happy to leave small town Nebraska to pursue her dream of becoming a special education teacher. Between working at the daycare, taking a full load of college courses, and spending time with her roommates (best friend Lauren, Max, and Angus) her life is full. She has her whole life ahead of her and the last thing she's thinking about is becoming a wife and a mother. Her instant attraction to new neighbor Daniel "Ty" Tyler and affection for his four-year-old son Sam may just blow her mental timeline sky high.

Ty barely has time to eat and sleep what with taking care of Sam, working full time, and taking night classes. He's not thrilled to have college students moving in upstairs. Though they're not that different in age, Ty's life doesn't leave room for parties and hanging out with friends. He is determined to focus on caring for his son and becoming an architect. Love is penciled in for some time after Sam graduates high school. He never expected the young woman who haunts him from the balcony upstairs to change everything.

I WANT IT THAT WAY is the first book in a series that is Ms. Aguirre's first foray into new adult contemporary romance. The engaging storytelling, well-developed characters, and emotional depth evident in her earlier books make the transition to a new genre. Nadia and Ty are a passionate, loving couple that I was rooting for from the very beginning. The emotional forces that bring them together and tear them apart are believable and generate dramatic suspense that kept me reading long into the night. The supporting characters are fully realized with distinct personalities and histories. I can't wait to read more about them in the next two books in the series!

Book Summary

Nadia Conrad has big dreams, and she's determined to make them come true—for her parents' sake as well as her own. But between maintaining her college scholarship and working at the local day care to support herself, she barely has time to think, let alone date. Then she moves into a new apartment and meets the taciturn yet irresistible guy in 1B….

Daniel Tyler has grown up too fast. Becoming a single dad at twenty turned his life upside down—and brought him heartache he can't risk again. Now, as he raises his four-year-old son while balancing a full-time construction management job and night classes, a social life is out of the question. The last thing he wants is for four noisy students to move into the apartment upstairs. But one night, Nadia's and Ty's paths cross, and soon they can't stay away from each other.

The timing is all wrong—but love happens when it happens. And you can't know what you truly need until you stand to lose it.