Allison: Good For You | Tammara Webber | Book Review

The third book in an irresistible Mature Young Adult series about hot teen actors by Tammara Webber, author of the New York Times-bestseller Easy.The follow-up to Between the Lines and Where You Are will be loved by fans of Slammed by Colleen Hoover and Breathe by Abbi Glines.

Teen screen idol Reid is in deep trouble. When Dori, the community service supervisor who is determined to set him a good example, comes on the scene, romance is the furthest thing from her mind. Or his. But there's something irresistible about Reid that not even good girl Dori can ignore . . .

A couple of years ago, I found myself hooked on the Between The Lines series by Tammara Webber. The series followed the characters Emma, Graham, Reid, and Brooke as they starred in a major Hollywood high school take on Pride and Prejudice. In the first two books, the relationship between Emma and Graham is the main focus with some drama thrown in by Reid and Brooke. The last time I saw these characters, Emma and Graham were happily together, and Reid and Brooke were both alone and for the most part unhappy. The third book in the series Good For You picks up shortly after this and this time the focus is all on Mr. Hollywood Hot Shot Reid Alexander.

In the first book of the series, Reid is kind of a jerk. He knows that he’s one of the hottest things in Hollywood right now, and he’s not afraid to act like it. The second book kind of mellows him out a little and allows him to actually have feelings and the realization that maybe he isn’t exactly the center of the universe. In Good For You, Reid finds himself in a little bit of trouble as he drunkenly smashes his car into a house, and suddenly has to perform community service in order to pay for it. What kind of community service does he have to perform? Helping build a house. Now, as a Hollywood actor, he may have played a part once where there were power tools involved but he honestly has no idea what he is doing around them. In fact, it’s kind of cute to see him so vulnerable. And if there is one thing Reid hates, it’s being vulnerable. Especially in front of other people. Especially in front of women. Especially not in front of a woman named Dori, who volunteers to build houses for fun.

Dori doesn’t trust Reid. She’s heard all about his reputation and she’s not looking forward to having to “babysit” him while he does his community service. Right from the very beginning, Dori lets Reid know that she is not going to take any of his playboy antics. Of course, the more she pushes, the more he pushes back and tries even harder to get under her skin. Reid and Dori have a lot of chemistry between the two of them. They come from completely different worlds. His is all Hollywood. Hers is more church based and more community service. He has never had to push for someone to like him before, it usually just comes naturally to him. He likes the way that Dori challenges him, and before he knows it, Reid realizes he wants to be different from the way that she sees him. He doesn’t want to be the playboy anymore, he wants to be someone who is good enough for her.

Dori doesn’t make it easy for Reid which is one of the reasons why I think I enjoyed their relationship so much. Like I said, Reid is used to having people fawn all over him, especially if they’re female. Dori doesn’t buy into that. She wants to get to know the real Reid Alexander and honestly that scares the hell out of both of them. I loved the dynamic of their relationship. Back in book one of this series, I wasn’t sure what kind of love interest I would pair him with as he was such an ass at the time but, through-out the series he has experienced a lot of growth as a person, and I was excited to see another character brought him who could continue that level of growth for him. Things aren’t exactly easy for Dori either. Her parents don’t approve of her decision to hang out with Reid, and she is always trying to please them, and be the perfect daughter in their eyes due to a lingering secret from the past. Yet at the same time, she is trying to find her way, and test the barriers which have been put in front of her. Reid presents the perfect opportunity for her to do this but, she’s still scared which plays a lot into their relationship.

What I enjoyed the most about Reid and Dori’s relationship is that it wasn’t easy. There was nothing cookie cutter about it. It’s not about the “good church girl” saving the “bad Hollywood playboy”. There is so much more than that going on. The dynamics of their relationship were complicated. They dealt with issues within their families, about their belief systems, and with each other. I really liked how Tammara Webber wrote both of the characters of Reid and Dori and how their relationship developed over time. I also liked how their relationship was able to develop outside the Hollywood spotlight. My only wish is that they had communicated with each other more but their miscommunications can be understood given their individual histories. I’m so excited to watch it continue with this relationship in the fourth and final book of the series, Here Without You.