Title: At This Stage
Author: K.K. Weil
Genre: Young Adult / New Adult Crossover
Rating: 4 stars
Purchase: Amazon
Review copy provided by Enchanted Book Promotions in exchange for an honest review.
The attractive man sleeping on her couch was never like a father to her. That would’ve been much easier…
Outspoken seventeen-year-old Kaitlyn Fowler loses her mother, gets taken in by a gorgeous family friend, and discovers her mysterious biological father has always known she existed. All within a few months.
At twenty-three, Jackson Wall lives without a single obligation. That is, until the daughter of his late public relations manager and dear friend is threatened with foster care. Shocking even himself, the rising playwright volunteers to become her guardian. Eloquent and incredibly talented, Kaitlyn comes to mean more to Jackson than he ever imagined. Or wanted.
Jackson struggles with their friendship as it develops into something much more complex. While Kaitlyn can’t deny her feelings, she knows what will happen if she pushes him too far. As they search for Kaitlyn’s unknown father, she wonders if Jackson will reject her, too, or if she can convince him that something wrong to begin with can become right over time.
At This Stage is a crossover between a YA and NA novel. Jackson Wall, twenty-three, obviously falls in the new adult category. So far he’s lived life without a single obligation. But when the daughter of a deceased friend of his is threatened with foster care, he volunteers to become her guardian. This shocks everyone, even himself, but once he volunteered, there’s no way back.
Kaitlyn, seventeen-years-old (the young adult in the book) has just lost her mother, and is struggling to come to terms with that, when she gets taken in by Jackson. He’s always been a friend of the family, but lately, Kaitlyn has begun to notice how handsome he is, and how charming. Living together proves to be challenging for both of them, as they soon realize they begin to develop feelings they’ve never expeirenced before.
Jackson feels guilty and disgusted with himself for feeling this way. Meanwhile, Kaitlyn grows convinced she must search for her biological father and find out why he never wanted her, and Jackson struggles with his job as a playwright.
The dialogue is realistic, and the romance develops steadily – it’s definitely no insta-love. The romance is subtle, like most of the book, and the characters’ emotions feel realistic too. The writing is great, and very polished for a debut author.
I’m looking forward to reading more books by K.K. Weil, be it a sequel to At This Stage, or something else. An author to watch out for.
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