The Temptation of Lila and Ethan (4.5 stars), by Jessica Sorensen

4.5 out of 5 stars

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I received an ARC via the publisher from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review...

Readers of the Ella and Micha series are familiar with Lila and Ethan from the previous two books.  But, if you haven't read the other two it's ok, I really believe you can read The Temptation of Lila and Ethan and not be behind.  Basically Lila is Ella's best friend and roommate and before this book all we really know about her is that she comes from a very wealthy family and seemingly has the perfect life.  Ethan on the other hand is Micha's best friend and grew up in the same neighborhood as both Ella and Micha.  Lila meets Ethan when she accompanies Ella home on a break from school.  In the other books it appears as though Lila and Ethan have a connection but we mainly assumes it in the form of friendship.  Lila and Ethan have kept in contact and seem to be growing closer now that Ella and Micha have moved together to California.

Early on in this book we learn Lila's live is very different than we could have ever imagined.  She has a very broken spirit, feels alone, has zero self confidence and isn't nearly as happy and put together as she would like everyone to believe.  Ethan on the other hand is also struggling with the reality of his past demons, he is looking for peace while at the same time running from any kind of relationship.

As friends Lila and Ethan confide in one another, showing more of their true selves to each other than to anyone else.  Lila's life may appear perfect but she is on a downward sprial and its going fast.  Will Ethan allow himself to get close enough to help or will Lila be left alone to hit rock bottom?

I have to say I truly enjoyed this book and their story.  Of course when I started reading I wondered if it would be as good as the Ella and Micha stories, and I'm happy to report that it was.  Their story starts out as friendship, both eventually realizing their true feelings run much deeper than friends.  These two characters have passion, chemistry and depth.

Jessican Sorensen peels back the layers of their past giving you pieces at a time until you have the whole story of how they came to their current states.  I never dreamed the back stories would be so heartbreaking and intense.  Throughout the journey she allowed each of them to come to terms with their pasts, account for their supposed mistakes, and make individual decisions on how and when to move forward.  It was such a natural progression, nothing felt rushed or too slow.  It's a sweet story and I loved watching them grow, watching them recognize love and eventually watching them make that leap together.

As an added bonus it was great to see a little bit of Ella and Micha as well as a sneak peak into the next book of theirs.  My recommendation, take a chance of Lila and Ethan, it really was a great read!