Zoe Brown may have been voted Most Likely to Never Leave River Bend, but the paper-thin walls and suffocating air of her family’s double-wide trailer were not what she wanted for her life. Other than BFFs Melanie and Jo, the only thing that kept Zoe sane during high school was her boyfriend, Luke.
She didn’t just leave, she escaped—turning her back on the shame of her black-sheep siblings and imprisoned dad. Now a celebrity chef in Dallas, she can afford all the things she never could have growing up. But when she returns to rustic, ruggedly beautiful River Bend, Zoe has to face all that she abandoned—including Luke.
While Luke was a refuge for Zoe in the past, he knows they inhabit totally different worlds now. Anchored by his parents and his job as a mechanic in his father’s shop, Luke never felt the urge to leave River Bend—until Zoe’s return.
But when the two rekindle their old flame, Zoe is forced to make the hardest decision of her life: remain in River Bend and confront her past before it destroys her, or say good-bye to everyone she’s ever loved…again, this time for good.
Copy received for an honest review
Getting voted most likely to never leave your hometown - would it make you stay, or even more determined to leave?
For Zoe, that title made her even more determined to get out of dodge, leaving her high school sweetheart Luke behind.
And boy do I love how they have proved the town wrong! But as amazing as her life looks from the outside, she still has her demons, her cross to bear, those who want to drag her down.
And Luke... omg that guy is all kinds of swoonworthy.
I loved the character growth in Zoe as the story progressed, from a character that I liked to a character that I really adored.
I love love love the banter between Zoe, Mel (from book 1) and Jo, the wit and snark that can only come from being best friends.
There were some times that the story just made me want to throw my kindle - not from the writing, just things that characters did!
There is a bit of drama, a bit of suspense and a whole lotta love in Staying For Good. And great build up to Jo's story - Please don't leave us waiting too long Ms Bybee!
New York Times & USA Today bestselling author Catherine Bybee was raised in Washington State, but after graduating high school, she moved to Southern California in hopes of becoming a movie star. After growing bored with waiting tables, she returned to school and became a registered nurse, spending most of her career in urban emergency rooms. She now writes full-time and has penned the Weekday Brides Series and the Not Quite Series. Bybee lives with her two teenage sons in Southern California.
