Book Review: Just The Way You Are, by Barbara Freethy

Publisher's Synopsis:
A baby brought them together -- and even though Alli has always loved her strong, sexy husband Sam and the life they've made together, she's now decided to set him free to follow his youthful dreams. For although she worships Sam, it's no longer enough for her to be wife and lover when she knows she holds so little of his heart.
Sam has always dreamed of a life away from the close-knit world of Tucker's Landing, but marriage and fatherhood ended all that. Now Sam is torn between what was and what was meant to be. He must decide if it's time to rekindle the dreams of the past...or accept Alli, and her love, just the way she is.


Product Details:
File Size: 483 KB
Print Length: 349 pages
Publisher: Barbara Freethy; Kindle Edition edition (June 22, 2011)
Source: Purchased


My Review:
"Just the way you are" was an emotional read that brought a tear to my eye. I felt very sorry for Alli and the unconditional love that she gave her husband, Sam, for so long only to have him constantly reject her one way or another. He spends most of the novel behaving as if being married to her is a punishment to him and even though they have been married for years and have a beautiful daughter, he still doesn't appreciate his wife.
I was glad that Alli finally decided she'd had enough of begging for his love and accepting the few crumbs of affection that he occasionally threw her way. She gave him an ultimatum and basically told him that she was setting him free to pursue the life he always wanted with the woman he never forgot, Alli's older sister Tessa.
I'll never understand why Sam was hankering after Tessa all those years. He built her up in his head as being the perfect woman; a blonde, beautiful model with an international jet-setting career. I thought Tessa was shallow and hollow and Alli had ten times the character and soul that Tessa would ever have.
Sam and Tessa were childhood sweethearts who broke up suddenly one Christmas. Alli seduced a very drunk Sam and became pregnant. Sam decided to "do the right thing" and marry Alli but he made sure she knew throughout their marriage what a huge sacrifice he'd made. Tessa returns to their hometown of Tucker's Landing when her grandmother falls gravely ill.
Sam spends most of the novel deciding whether he should leave Alli and the life they'd built together to pursue a new life with his long-lost childhood sweetheart Tessa.
"Just the way you are" is a touching, poignant tale of love lost and found. The author draws beautiful characters who immediately pulled me into the story. The dialogue and plot flow steadily and the ending is happy if a little bittersweet.
I very much enjoyed the book and look forward to reading more of Barbara Freethy's novels.

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