Book Review: Under the Lights (The Field Party #2)

About the Book:
Title: Under the Lights (The Field Party #2)
Author: Abbi Glines
Pub. Date: Aug. 23, 2016
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Pages: 336
Rating: 4/5 stars

Synopsis:

In the follow-up to Abbi Glines’s #1 New York Times bestseller Until Friday Night—three teens from a small southern town are stuck in a dramatic love triangle.

Willa can’t erase the bad decisions of her past that led her down the path she’s on now. But she can fight for forgiveness from her family. And she can protect herself by refusing to let anyone else get close to her.

High school quarterback and town golden boy Brady used to be the best of friends with Willa—she even had a crush on him when they were kids. But that’s all changed now: her life choices have made her a different person from the girl he used to know.

Gunner used to be friends with Willa and Brady, too. He too is larger than life and a high school football star—not to mention that his family basically owns the town of Lawton. He loves his life, and doesn’t care about anyone except himself. But Willa is the exception—and he understands the girl she’s become in a way no one else can.

As secrets come to light and hearts are broken, these former childhood friends must face the truth about growing up and falling in love…even if it means losing each other forever.

Review:

"I can't be happy without you. You are my happy." 

I'm going to admit that I was a bit hesitant to read this new installment in The Field Party series (even though I adored the first one) purely because of the impending love triangle. Everyone who knows me knows that I can't stand love triangles (with the exception of a few) because they get messy and often times aren't that well written. However, I'm glad that I did decide to read this one because it was fantastic! Abbi Glines did an impeccable job at incorporating and writing the love triangle into the story, and it just made sense with the plot. Even though I thought it would bother me a lot (since it's clear from almost the very first page that the entire book will consist of the love triangle), it didn't bother me that much at all. It fit with the story and the characters, and in many ways I couldn't imagine the story without the love triangle. 

"In life you face obstacles, and you have to fight through them. If you're lucky enough, you find someone to fight for you, too." 

Did I love this one as much as the first in the series, no. But this was still a great addition to the series, and I'm excited to see where the story goes (even though it's not continuation of these specific characters) as Ms. Glines set up what seems to be an interesting plot for After the Game by the end of this book. There is definitely drama and angst in this one (not as much as I expected though given the actual plot line), but it was all brilliantly written in the way only Abbi Glines can write. I know that every time I pick up one of her books it'll be an enjoyable, quick read that's exactly what I need at the time. 

“I want more than that. I want you. I want to be able to kiss you anytime I want. I want to hold your hand in the halls. Hell, I want to be made fun of by the guys for wanting to be near you all the time.” 

Every character in this story handled things so maturely and made me love them that much more. While some might say it was a bit unrealistic how these characters acted, I didn't find it all that unrealistic. Not all teens are immature, and immaturity wouldn't have fit with these characters' stories in any way. Willa has endured things that no teenager should have to endure at her age. However, she recognized that she needed to change and went about doing just that. Honestly, the way she handled herself made me easily fall in love with her character right away. She struggled a lot during the book, but her development over the course of the story was perfect and incredibly realistic. Gunnar has faced tough times too, and even though we met him in Until Friday Night, we didn't truly understand what was going on with his character. He is a man of many masks--the mask he puts on at school in front of his friends/classmates, the mask he wears at home with his family, and the person he truly is himself around which is Willa. I loved being able to see the different sides of him, and it made me feel for his character. Brady, who we also met in Until Friday Nightremained consistent with his character from the previous book, but there were a few things that I didn't expect with his character. So it was nice to be able to read from his perspective and get more of an inside look into his character and his mindset. 

The couple things that I didn't totally love about the book that made me give this one 4 stars instead of 4.5 or 5 stars was that it was pretty clear (at least to me) who Willa was going to choose right from the get go. Even throughout the book I felt it was kind of obvious, and I wish there would have actually been a little bit more back and forth (who would have thought I ever would say that about a love triangle haha). Also, the ending wasn't as big as I wanted it to be. There's absolutely nothing wrong with the ending in any way, but I guess I just was expecting a little something more given the characters. Regardless, neither of these things were a huge deal, and weren't make-it-or-break-it for me. I highly recommend reading this if you are a fan of Abbi Glines and this series. I can't wait to see what she comes up with next!

Happy reading :)

~Cassie