ŷ

Jump to ratings and reviews
Rate this book

Beaumont #4

Finding My Way

Rate this book
Liam Westbury has the world at his feet. He’s the quintessential golden boy. He’s the superstar quarterback for Beaumont High. His girl, Josie, is head cheerleader. He has his choice of colleges just waiting for him. Except he’s suffocating from all the pressure he’s under and no one understands. Liam Page is the heartthrob he never wanted to be. He’s successful, smart and in demand by record companies and his adoring fans. Music is his passion, his love, but something’s missing. His nights are lonely and he longs for the girl he left behind. Seeing her in every face in the crowd haunts him with the knowledge that she hates him. Going home has never been an option until now. Be there when Liam Westbury becomes Liam Page and follow the highs and lows of the Quarterback turned Rockstar as he finds a way back to Beaumont in this prequel to Forever My Girl.

270 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 14, 2014

1324 people are currently reading
6926 people want to read

About the author

Heidi McLaughlin

132books7,369followers
Heidi McLaughlin is a New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today Bestselling author of The Beaumont Series, The Boys of Summer, and The Archers.

In 2012, Heidi turned her passion for reading into a full-fledged literary career, writing over twenty novels, including the acclaimed Forever My Girl.

Heidi’s first novel, Forever My Girl, has been adapted into a motion picture with LD Entertainment and Roadside Attractions, starring Alex Roe and Jessica Rothe, and opened in theaters on January 19, 2018.

To stay connected with Heidi visit or heidimclaughlin.com

Ratings & Reviews

What do you think?
Rate this book

Friends & Following

Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!

Community Reviews

5 stars
2,042 (40%)
4 stars
1,700 (33%)
3 stars
985 (19%)
2 stars
213 (4%)
1 star
80 (1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 363 reviews
212 reviews1 follower
March 2, 2018
I've read all of the other "Beaumont Series" books, enjoyed them, and was looking forward to this one.

I'm going to assume that if you're interested in this book, it's because you've already read Forever My Girl, but if not, there are SPOILERS to follow.

I thought the first half of the book was terribly depressing. It was all about how much Liam LOVED and ADORED Josie……even though we know he walked away for 10 years. It was also about Mason/Katelyn, which was nice, except I thought this too was kind of depressing knowing where their story was headed�..and I'm kind of partial to Harrison. ;)

It got better at about the half way point when Liam meets and lives with his Grandmother, and meets Harrison, but then he meets Sam and it all kind of went down hill from there. Oh, and the way he treated women in general outside of Beaumont was just plain ugly.

Overall, I think that by reading this book I understood Liam's character better, but I liked him a whole lot less which was, again…depressing.



272 reviews10 followers
April 16, 2014
I really wish I could purge the Liam in this book from my brain because I already had issues with him. I tried to understand him and his actions but I just...couldn't. No empathy or sympathy from me. Too bad he didn't miss more than 10 years of Noah's life. Harsh but true.


He and Sam would make a great team.



The 2 stars are for Harrison and Mason.
Profile Image for Desi.
2,667 reviews86 followers
June 15, 2020
Difícilmente le doy 1 estrella y solo por Harrison y Quinn

¿Era necesario este libro?

A mi parecer, Nop!!

Si la autora pensó que íbamos a empatizar más con Liam y que entenderíamos el por qué tomó las decisiones que tomó, pues..... se equivocó, NO lo logró (por lo menos en mi caso)
Me siguió pareciendo un personaje idiota y sumamente egoísta y cobarde... y no cambió mucho la percepción que tenía de él desde el primer libro.

Sobre Josie, me pareció un personaje plano, aburrido, sin personalidad, muy superficial (Claro no leímos sus pensamientos aquí pero eso es lo que percibí), ¿y el quedar embarazada? Bueno, eso se pudo haber evitado si en vez de andar de piernas abiertas TODO EL TIEMPO sin tomar las debidas precauciones y se hubiera puesto a hacer otras actividades de adolescentes, no? como estudiar por ejemplo.... no vi en ningún momento, que ellos tuvieran que estudiar para un examen o algo así. Pero me molestó sobremanera lo dispuesta y lista que estaba para Liam siempre que él quería... y eso NUNCA me pareció que fue AMOR, solo deseo. Ella parecía vivir siempre en una nube, no sabía lo que pasaba dentro de Liam, sus conflictos mentales, y para ser una novia tan dedicada debió por lo menos mostrar interés en las dudas que estaba teniendo Liam, igual esto no lo excusa a él de tomar la decisión idiota de irse así y luego no responder a ninguna de las llamadas o mensajes de la gente que él "supuestamente amaba". Creo que entre ellos faltó tanto la comunicación, lo que pudo haber resulto todo ese embrollo.

En mi opinión ellos nunca estuvieron enamorados "de verdad"... por los pensamientos de Liam, él solo estaba embobado de su belleza física y de que podía tenerla cuando quisiera bien sea en la escuela (Eww) o en el cuarto de Josie por las noches (que falta de respeto para los padres de ella, aunque al parecer no le importaba mucho lo que ella hiciera)..... En fin no sentí sentimientos profundos ente ellos, solo lo mucho que Liam decía amar a Josie... que me pareció tan vacío que nunca lo creí realmente y sus actos más adelante me lo confirmaron y también muy cansón todo el tiempo "sufriendo" por no estar con ella pero al caer en la cama con otras creo que se le pasaba el sufrimiento.... desgraciado hombre ¬¬.

Cada vez que Liam se acostaba con otra mientras decía amar tanto a Jojo, me daba tanta pero tanta arrechera...Ugh, solo pensaba:"Que patético hombre!! Le diera una enfermedad y se le cayera el pito"

Es que en definitiva, hombre no es gente, de verdad, siempre con sus excusas para ir a hacer tonterías y después vienen con la cola entre las patas


En conclusión, el amor de Liam por Josie (Si es que se le puede llamar a eso amor) NO ME GUSTÓ, ni me lo creí.... Y con este libro me daba igual si volvía o no....no, borra eso, prefería que no volvieran que se quedara con cualquiera de las chicas con las que se acostó por allá y ella con Nick y ya!!


.**PD:La pequeñita charla entre Liam y Candy.... me gustó, lo que ella le dijo me pareció muy acertado.
Profile Image for Alaina.
7,069 reviews207 followers
February 3, 2021
I'm just cruising through this series and I'm intrigued to see what the next book will bring me.

Finding My Way was a roller coaster ride full of emotions. I honestly wasn't expecting the first half of this book to be so sad and depressing. Yet, somehow, Liam wormed his way into my heart and I started to fall for him. Trust me, it took a while because of how he was in this book. Then there's the history between him and Josie, which was nice to dive back into since I read the first book a while ago.

I'm not going to lie.. a lot of these characters made bad decisions. It wasn't really refreshing for me to see it all on paper or anything. I just knew that it was going to happen or that it did. Then there's things that kind of annoyed me because of the lack of communication. Which, I guess, tends to happen when people are sort of thrown into these situations.

In the end, I guess I just need to rip off the band aid and dive into the next book.
Profile Image for NinaReader.
565 reviews81 followers
January 27, 2018
So when I read Forever My Girl years ago I really didn't think I cared about the time Liam was away making a rockstar name for himself.

I also didn't realize that this series went on and on after the first 2 books I read years ago so here I am finishing up the series....albeit a bit late.

When I started this book which takes us back to the time that Liam left Josie, I really wasn't all the excited about it amd figured I'd just fast read through the book so I can get to the next one to finish the series.

Welp I was surprised at how much this I liked this book. How much more I understood what he did and why he did it. I thought it was well written because you saw his struggles, to follow his passion, to change his life trajectory, to break from what was expected of him even though it cost leaving his one true love. This story does have a lot of Josie and Liam's history so that was nice and you can see where all his circumstances change and he needed a change. I understood and that surprised me. What also surprised me is how much more Sam there was in the story and yes she's still hateful. You also get to see his sweet dynamic with his Grandmother, meeting Harrison, and some realistic pitfalls of that lifestyle. And I likes that he is shown as flawed and he made stupid decisions that made you mad for me that's realistic.

Great surprising flashbook book in Liam's POV.
Profile Image for Siobhan Davis.
Author122 books9,361 followers
April 25, 2018
This was a great companion novel and it contained completely new material which was refreshing. I really came to understand Liam's decision once I saw the backstory. I had read some of the reviews before starting, and was afraid I would hate him after reading this, but I didn't. I actually really felt for him in the first half.

Mason's decision was really shitty and while I had been looking forward to meeting him, he wasn't a very good friend. He was mooning over Katelyn and no one else seemed to matter. I was hugely disappointed in Josie. She had complete blinkers on and she never asked her boyfriend what was wrong or made any effort to understand him. I actually came out of this thinking she doesn't deserve him.

The second half of the story was difficult to read at times because I didn't like seeing Liam with other women and I can't understand how he could be in love with Josie for ten years and still sleep around so much. And he lied when he said in the first book that he had only enjoyed hook ups because he had a relationship with Sam. Hated reading that part and was glad it wasn't too detailed.

There were a few timeline errors that bugged me, but that's just a pet peeve of mine, and it didn't detract from my enjoyment of the story. My only disappointment is I would have liked to have seen some of the reunion with Josie (especially the initial scenes and him learning about Noah) from his perspective, but overall it was a fantastic addition to the series.
Profile Image for Akyraa.
396 reviews17 followers
May 22, 2014
oh god...i hate Liam even more now...can he get anymore selfish...i was already not his fan during the first book but this book made me hate him more...on one hand he is like Josie is my soul mate...n then he is fucking every girl he meets...n started within a week of his breakup with Josie...loser!!!
Profile Image for Jen.
2,081 reviews155 followers
Read
August 5, 2015
Nope. Just couldn't do it. DNF'd at Chapter 11. I just didn't like the way it was written.
Profile Image for Kasia (kasikowykurz).
2,356 reviews60 followers
September 17, 2022
Czy ta część była potrzebna? Moim zdaniem nie... Historia Liama i wszystko to, co działo się zanim wrócić do Beaumont... Tak naprawdę tego, co działo się po jego wyjeździe można było się domyślić i ta część została już opowiedziana w poprzednich tomach - nie wprowadza dosłownie nic nowego i przyznaję, że często się wyłączałam, bo to wszystko już było. A kończy się w momencie, w którym Liam dowiaduje się o śmierci Masona, czyli idealnie w punkt, gdzie zaczyna się pierwszy tom.

O wiele bardziej interesowało mnie to, co działo się, zanim Liam został sławny - to rzuca nowe światło na historię i pomaga lepiej zrozumieć bohatera, ale to nie było nawet pół książki... Także ogólnie to bardziej strata czasu, bo jednak spodziewałam się, że rzuci to więcej światła na historię Liama i Josie.
Profile Image for Amber Boyd.
719 reviews14 followers
November 18, 2018
This book was utter perfection for me. Nope not even kidding a little bit. Finding My Way was all I had hoped it to be and more. I guess I should share that I adore this Beaumont Series so much and so if I could give it more than 5 stars I so would!! This may be number four in the series but it’s really the prequel to the entire series and puts into place the 10yrs that Liam Page Westbury spent away from the people he loves the most. If you haven’t read the rest of the series, what the hell are you waiting for?! No really, my love (and slight obsession with all things Beaumont and 4225 West) began years ago when my friend Sarah found and read Forever My Girl and said “I just read this great book and you’ve got to read it too!� Well let’s just say I not only fell in love with the story but couldn’t wait for more about these amazing characters to come out! So getting to fill in all the blanks of Liam’s story completely from his point of view? Yes please!!

“Your life takes on a different meaning when you break your own heart…�

Sometimes reading prequels can leave you feeling flat because if you’ve read the remainder of the story what new things can you possibly learn, right? But Heidi McLaughlin does such a masterful job of bringing the characters to life and showing you all the angst and turmoil, fear, guilt and self-hatred that Liam was faced with as he makes the hardest decision of his life. Even knowing that eventually things are going to be okay didn’t stop me from feeling so sad for him, first in dealing with the truly awfulness that were his parents (Sterling and Bianca Westbury were deplorable!) to the despair Liam feels when he begins to doubt the football plans he and Josie had created for their future. Seeing him know that what he needs most is just what his grandmother encourages “follow only your dreams� was tear inducing. But then in following those dreams he will be leaving behind not only his girl but the family he loves in Mason and Katelyn was even worse. Throughout Forever My Girl we were given glimpses of the past first of Liam in high school with Josie (QB1 and his cheerleader) and then of his musical life, but getting to experience his rise to fame and his becoming Liam Page was not what I expected. Seeing Liam come in to his own musically was gratifying, seeing him become so shut off emotionally and engage in a ‘f*ck’em and chuck’em� series of encounters was just depressing. But it was his relationship with his grandmother Betty, her total belief in him that touched me greatly and broke my heart for Liam when he loses her all too soon. I also loved getting to see he and Harrison forge their friendship from the beginning, the way Liam looked up to him and the way Harrison encouraged the music between them. Then we have all the drama with psycho-bitch Sam (ok I maybe liked her for about 2mins, but yep total psycho), knowing the way that she manipulated Liam even in the early days of the band made me hate her even more. It was clear that despite the years that he stayed away from Beaumont, his heart and peace were always residing there. That Liam basically tortured himself with his guilt, even though his reasons were rooted in the knowledge that unless he followed his dream of music he would never be whole, it was really an emotional thing to read. So all in all watching Liam try to decide who he is the quarterback phenom Westbury or the rock god Page, at the end of the day Liam finds that following your dreams may change, the path of your journey may change but your destiny never does if you follow your heart. “Home is nowhere and everywhere I guess�, says Liam; but I think in the end he comes to realize that his home is Beaumont and his heart was always with Josie and that taking the chance to reclaim it all may be what he needs to feel whole once again.

So if you’re already a Beaumont Series fan and you haven’t yet read Liam’s story, go get it today. If you haven’t read this series, start with Forever My Girl and read them in order. Trust me on this that reading Finding My Way after the rest just feels like the right thing. You don’t have to do it this way, but I think the story has meant so much more to me getting Liam’s point of view now as opposed to before I read the rest. Brava once again Heidi!! Thanks for continuing to give us more about our favorite Beaumont residents!! Can’t wait for what’s next!
Profile Image for ☆☆ᲹԲԲ☆☆.
3,182 reviews45 followers
June 24, 2018
This was a nice read. At least going through it I knew that everything in the end was going to work out. Although, it was nice to see how he went from football player to musician. I hated his father. He was such a jerk thankfully his grandma was there for him and let him find his true passion in life.
Profile Image for Lucía SRamírez.
198 reviews7 followers
November 14, 2016
es una precuela de la saga de si bien el orden de lectura no es antes de la historia inicial, aquí conocemos a Liam Westbury, el jugador de futbol americano y músico famoso.

Cuando lees el primer libro de esta saga conoces la historia del presenten de Liam y Josie, pero no sabes exactamente que fue lo que vivieron ellos, y que fue lo que hizo que Liam tomara la decisión de irse por 10 años y regresar cuando sucede algo trágico con los amigos de ellos.

Fue agradable conocer a Liam, saber las razones y el por que se fue de la ciudad, cuando si bien lo pensamos en tenia una vida mas que hecha y perfecta, cuando lees te das cuenta que en realidad no era así, la vida perfecta de Liam no están genial como creemos que tiene la estrella de futbol americano de un pequeño pueblo de estados unidos.

Te aclara muchas cosas y sobre todo te enteras de muchas cosas, es mas conocemos como Harrison y Jimmy se unen a la banda y eso es lo que me ha gustado, conocemos como Liam empezó en el tema de la música, que tampoco fue que haya sido muy rápido y de la nada, la manera en la que Sam entra a su vida y creo que hasta la logras entender y ya no la ves como la perra de la historia, cuando la conoces en , conocemos también que fue lo que vivió en los pocos días en la universidad.

En este libro me enoje mucho con los amigos de Liam, Josie, Mason y Katelyn, creo que no fueron los amigos que se esperaba que fueran, y la verdad es que ellos también empujaron a que Liam se fuera, se sentía solo y cuando lees lo que siente entiendes por completo por que se fue, la verdad es que hasta yo lo hubiera hecho si me hubiera encontrado en la misma situación, y lo mas curioso de esto es que si Liam no se hubiera ido, personajes como Josie, Jenna y Katelyn no hubieran podido encontrar su final feliz.

Liam regreso por Josie pero la amistad que tenia con Harrison y Jimmy hizo que Jenna y Katelyn encontraran al amor de su vida, pro primera y segunda vez al menos. Esto es como un ejemplo que cuando el destino esta escrito, ni aunque te pongas o te quites puedes cambiarlo.

La única manera que no me ha gustado, es que a veces se me hizo un poco denso, aunque lo leí en un día, creo que se me hizo largo, y casi sentía que estaba en la cabeza de Liam, solo el narraba y solo leías sus pensamientos casi todo el libro, pero por lo demás ha sido genial.

Recomendable: Si te enamoraste de Liam o del alguno de los otros chicos, o de la historia o incluso si tienes dudas, definitivamente tienes que leer el libro. Es una buena aportación ala historia maravillosa que ha escrito
Profile Image for Kara Hildebrand (Two Book Pushers).
1,746 reviews143 followers
April 14, 2014
I am a series whore and I absolutely FLOVE this series! I was very excited when I heard we were getting a book about how Liam Westbury became Liam Page. In Forever My Girl, we meet Liam and get flashbacks of his younger days and the choices he made but never specifics. This book is ALL LIAM, ALL THE TIME! I didn't think I could love him more. The writing is outstanding in this book. Heidi tells a heartbreaking story that made me cry more than a few times. We get to see a younger Liam with issues and baggage and what led him to make the decisions that he did. I felt for him. I cried for him. I wanted to hug him and tell him it was going to be ok. And, even though, I know how his story turns out (Book 1, Forever My Girl) I was still on the edge of my seat with worry. I loved seeing how hard the decision to leave was for him. I loved that we only see his point of view. I love that we get to see Mason AND, I love that we get to meet My Man, Harrison! I've read all of Heidi's books and they just seem to be getting better and better. I immediately wanted to start reading the series again. Don't miss this one!

"Damn girl you're a walking textbook of sins and I'm about to commit each and every one of them."

I smile despite being alone. It's a good feeling to have, being able to hear something you've created. That's not something that can be done on the football field.

Harrison shakes his head. "They want to sign you." I step forward and hand him the card. "Not this time, Harrison. You're coming with me."

The last verse bellows from my mouth and I'm surprised and humbled to see fans singing along. Is that a sign? If so, I'm taking it and running with it. If I can create something that others can relate to maybe this is my destiny.
Profile Image for Darcy.
13.9k reviews526 followers
November 23, 2015
I'm not a big fan of a story being told from a different point of view. Usually there isn't enough new stuff to seem like a new book. That is not the case with this one. Yes we know what happened, it was covered in the first book with a few flashbacks. But this book is firmly set in the past and we can see why Liam did what he did, how the walls were closing in and how his family and friends, yes I mean Josie and Mason, weren't supportive of him and the new things he tried, his music. The last straw was when Mason deserted him by not doing to college with him. Liam was by himself and floundering.

At this point I liked that he left for music, just wished that he would have handled things with Josie. Liam's grandmother was a god send, just what he needed. Another great person that entered Liam's life was Harrison. It was great to see them met and become good friends.

As Liam's music career started to take off he started to turn into the Liam of the first book that I didn't like all that much.
2,340 reviews3 followers
June 21, 2016
When I think about Liam my first thought is, poor poor pitiful me. That is all he did was moan about how bad his life was and that no one understood what he was going through.
Never once did he explain himself to Josie so that she could understand. He always agreed with what ever was said instead of explaining how he was really feeling.
In the first book in this series, if I remember correctly Liam said that he only had one night only with Sam and yet in this book he had a relationship with her. They lived together, and dated and he had feeling for her, he just wouldn't express them to her.
I didn't like Liam in the first book and after reading this book it just proves he was more of a coward than he appeared. There was never an explanation as to why he never went home after the year he promised he would. I just don't get from the previous book why Josie ever took him back. He never explained himself in a satisfactory way. All was forgiven, especially considering he wouldn't have come back if Mason hadn't died.
12 reviews2 followers
July 19, 2017
Ok, I admit that I love the Beaumont series and have fallen in love with the characters easily. However, I have to be honest when I say that I wish I had never started this particular book. I did gain a little better understanding of why Liam made the choice to leave in the way he did, although I still am not completely sold on it. It left me feeling that Josie was not enough for him and that broke my heart for her.
I actually stopped reading the book after the Layla incident. I was devastated that Liam moved on sexually SO SOON after leaving Josie! It left me feeling like he may not have even loved her in the way he claimed. Bad naive teenage choices, I get it. Nonetheless, following his dreams did not have to mean hurting her so much in the process.
Ignorance is indeed bliss to me when it comes to this book and Liam's past. I will move on to finish the rest of the series and can't wait to see everyone find their HEA.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Sara.
1,168 reviews4 followers
April 3, 2020
I swear, I could have spent the rest of my life happy without having confirmed - again - how asshole Liam was.
Profile Image for SammiesBookBlog.
543 reviews8 followers
April 7, 2014
I was given a ARC copy in exchange for my honest review.

If I could give this book more than 5 stars I would. I was blown away. Once I received it this morning for the blog tour I stopped EVERYTHING I was doing and I could not stop once I picked it up. I have been waiting for this for what feels like an eternity. We get to meet high school Liam and we got to see and feel the emotions he went through and struggled through. He loved football, but that was who his family and friends, Josie expected him to be. He wanted something more. He wanted music, but no one, not even Josie supported his music passion. It was nice seeing this side to Liam and how he felt, how he even wanted to end his life because he felt so alone and unsure. I LOVED how we got to see his relationship with Mason and how much Mason cared about Katelyn and Josie. We didn't get that in so, that was nice. I loved seeing Liam and the way he acted with Nick. I just loved Liam period. Even more, we got to understand him. At times especially when he left I was really upset with him. I yelled and wanted to cry, but I remembered we all know how these books end. We cannot hold these things against him. He was a confused and scared kid and wanted for for his life and Josie's. He meets his grandmother and she helps him find who he is, who his grandfather was and what path in life he wants to take. Being at college and utterly alone he decides it's time to leave and he has to let Josie alone to make something of himself. He heads out to LA and pursues his music career. We get to see all the nitty gritty details of how they become 4225 West. We meet Harrison, with less tattoos, haha. And when we meet little Quinn, it was so amazing to see that from his and Liam's POV. I simply loved every second of this book. I am now off to re-read FMG, I need more Liam and to get it fresh in my mind when he goes back. If you haven't read it yet, I suggest you do that! this series is amazing and Liam Page will always hold a special spot in my heart. Always #1 �



"We're soul mates, Liam. You'll always be a part of me."

"Damn girl you're a walking textbook of sins and I'm about to commit each and every one of them."

"What's the West Part?" My last name so she can find me, I want to say, but don't.

^ I LOVED that � started crying, I love how he has always had her with him and in his mind. �
Profile Image for Naomi.
451 reviews10 followers
January 10, 2022
Peores Lecturas 2019 #3

Me propuse terminar esta saga, porque hace poco me enteré que hay una segunda saga dedicada a los niños de Beamount, y me moría de curiosidad, sin embargo me imagino que esta segunda saga es más un Young adult, como este libro... Y si la autora escribe así el género, no estoy convencida de que sea de mi agrado.

Liam es un patán, que tapa sus hormonas con el cuento del amor. Jura amar a Josie, pero en todo el libro lo único que adora es su belleza y sus habilidades en la cama, nunca habla de otras virtudes. Tampoco hay un apoyo como pareja, porque por algo decidió marcharse.

La amistad entre Liam, Kat, Josie y Mason, de la cual hablaron y presumieron tanto en los libros anteriores tampoco muestra grandes momentos, ni siquiera tienen buena comunicación entre ellos. Vamos, hasta parece la trama quemada de High School Musical.

La abuela de Liam y Harrison son lo mejor del libro. Es muy lindo ver como Harrison se convirtió en padre.

Sam era una enferma mental.

La verdad me dejó un mal sabor de boca, mi entusiasmo para terminar la serie a decaído bastante.
Profile Image for Ashley Sigafoos.
4 reviews
April 17, 2014
I rather would have read a book about their wedding and the future more then this...I already felt as though I understood Josie and Liam in forever my girl..it made me not really like Liam and I loved him in forever my girl and the rest of the series...plus it made me not really like his grandmother and so of the things mason did effected other people....if anything please write about the future!!!
Profile Image for Julie Mancini.
47 reviews2 followers
April 18, 2014
Once again Heidi Mclaughlin doesn't disappoint. In general I am not a big fan of prequals. I would rather read the whole series in order. But because I love this story I read it. It was nice to get inside a young Liam ' s mind. And I may be the only one who feels this way, while I love Liam a little more, a dislike Josie a little more. I understand why Liam left now and I can't say I blame him. Heidi Mclaughlin is an auto but for me.
Profile Image for Marisa.
1,310 reviews102 followers
December 30, 2017
I love this series! At times this one was tough for me. I felt old reading about these kids but was turned on by the sex scenes (ha ha). Liked getting some insight into the characters.

Although this is book 4 i read it second bc of my love for Liam and Josie

Getting back in order! Loving these
Profile Image for Yoneidis.
2,095 reviews10 followers
September 20, 2020
This is the book that shows us how Liam Westbury becomes Liam Page.
The first half of the book consists of Liam in Beaumont, being the star QB, living unhappy in his parents' house, with a father only concerned about his sports career and an absent mother, Liam’s only consolation is Mason (his best friend ) and Josie (his forever girl). Liam has a very hard time because of all the pressures he endures and when he tries to talk to Josie about this she does not understand him. Liam is drowning more and more and everything gets worse when he goes to college. At first he and Mason were going to go to the University of Texas together, but at the last moment Mason decides to stay home to stay close to his girlfriend Katelyn. So Liam is alone in texas, without playing a single game and with the only consolation of performing some nights in bars with open mic. When her grandmother appears out of nowhere and tells her to pursue her dreams, she decides to drop out of college and goes to see Josie. He doubts if he takes her with him to the angels but in the end he decides not to because he sees her happy in his life, so he romoe with her and leaves without looking back.
The second part of the book focuses on Liam’s beginnings in the world of music, how he met Harrison through his grandmother's friends, his first performances, his first night with a girl other than Josie, how he met Sam (her manager), his relationship with her both personally and professionally until the day he received the news of Mason's death, which is how “forever my girl � begins (the first book in the series).
I would have liked to read what happened with Josie during those 10 years, his pov since in this one we only see him from Liam's. Knowing about the history of these 2 characters I understand why liam needed to leave but I do not understand how easy it was that Josie made it when he returned to Beaumont.

“We’re soul mates, Liam. You’ll always be a part of me.� How she knows this is beyond me, but I feel something when I’m with her. She’s my sun and moon, the air that sustains my life. She can bring me down and make me weak in the knees with one look. If this is what it means to have a soul mate then I guess she’s right. “Hey, Jojo.� “Yeah?� she yells back. “I’m going to marry you someday.� Her mouth drops open and her eyes go wide. I wink before pulling the helmet onto my head and run out to meet the rest of the team. I know I’m young and just committed myself for life, but it feels like the first right thing I’ve done all year.

“No one back home understands this music thing, but I feel � “At peace when you’re playing?� I nod. “How do you know?� “Your grandfather was the same way. He’d play for hours in the garage just blowing that old horn and when I asked him once why, he said because it’s the only time when the voices aren’t telling him what to do.� I smile and agree. “That’s exactly how I feel. I lay in bed at night and the anxiety is so much I feel like it’s trying to drown me. What was his name, my grandfather?� Betty lights up. “Charlie Page.� “Page is my middle name,� I say and she nods. “At least my mom gave me that.� “If you don’t like football, why do you do it?� I shrug. “It’s hard to stop something you’ve been doing for so long, but my heart isn’t in it.� “What’s your heart telling you, Mr. Liam Page?� I like the way she says my name. I say it a few times in my head. “It’s telling me to try music.� “I think you should listen.”She pulls me close and whispers. “Follow only your dreams, Liam.�

She’s happy and I’m not. Josie’s living her dream, or at least she thinks she is. The thing is I can’t continue to live like this. I can’t. I can’t pretend anymore, to her, to my friends, and to myself. I feel like my head is under a pillow and I’m unable to breathe. I’m suffocating and I don’t know how to stop it.

“Can’t what? You’re scaring me, baby. Come in and we’ll talk about it. We’ll call your coach and fix this.� I feel a sense of relief wash over when she says we’ll call my coach. That is exactly what I don’t want and I know I’ve made the right decision. I don’t want to play football anymore and she’s tied to football. “I can’t be with you anymore, Josephine.� I don’t look at her when I say these words. I turn and walk away, ignoring her voice as she calls my name. I run down the hall, my feet suddenly free, zigzagging through the people that just witnessed my girl and I break up. I love my girl. I love her so much. Hearing her cry is killing me, breaking me. When my eyes become unfocused and watery I realize I need her. I can’t do this. I can’t go to Los Angeles without her. I take a step toward her when I see Mason running toward her dorm. She called for Mason, not me. She didn’t follow me out of her room when she could’ve. She could’ve come after me, chased me down the hall, but she chose not to. She could be standing in front of me, pounding on my chest and telling me how much she hates me, but she’s not. She chose not to follow me.

Her mouth leaves mine, her teeth biting my ear lobe. “My place is down the street. Want to get out of here?� I don’t know if I do, but I take her hand in mine and lead us to the door. Everything about her is foreign, but what we’re doing seems natural even if I feel like this is wrong, like I’m cheating. Everything about this moment is intense and different from anything I’ve ever experienced before.

“I’m lonely.� The words have more meaning than I’m willing to admit. She nods, understanding what I mean. “You’re fucking hot, Sam.”“Yes,� she answers as she unhooks her garter belt and slides her thong down her legs. “I want this with you.� She kisses me hard, pulling me forward. I rest on top of her, letting her feel my weight before sitting back on my knees. I rip open the foil wrapper and sheath my erection. “Who’s Jojo?� she asks, her fingers tracing the name inked on my skin. “No one you’ll ever be,� I reply, capturing her lips. It’s only when she stiffens do I realize my mistake, but it’s too late. She’s already encased me, and unless she tells me to stop, I’m not going to. I need this. I need this to feel whole again and not so broken.
She doesn’t feel the need to hide herself, and I can’t really blame her, she’s beautiful. Harrison and Way didn’t seem to care, but I did for a time, and it looks like last night, I started caring again. I think I have two options: I can get up, head right to the shower, then rush out the door to the studio or to Harrison’s, or I can get up and walk out there like nothing has changed, except everything has. I can tell my heart over and over again not to feel anything, but the sad fact is, it does. Sam gets me. She understands the industry. She knows about this life. As much as I’ve been resisting her, my body responds to her with admiration. I’ll just never accept that I love her, I can’t.

To this day, I still have her hate-filled voicemail that I listen to when I need to remind myself why I’m here. I can still see her eyes when I’m telling her that I can’t be with her. I was a coward that night. I still am a coward. So many times, I could’ve gone back and told her everything. I could’ve answered any one of her calls, but the thought of letting her down, the thought of her being so disappointed in me, broke me. I know what I did was wrong, and someday I’ll make it up to her. I don’t know how or when that will be, but it will happen.
33 reviews1 follower
September 20, 2024
I enjoyed the book. This was Liam's story of his time in high school and where his life's journey would lead after graduation. It was a great story to better understand Liam, his relationships that shaped his life & who he would become as Liam Page.
Liam chose to follow his dreams and not the ones everyone expected or assumed of him.
It also led him to a relationship with his maternal grandmother. They both were grateful for the time with each other.

This book ends leading into the next chapter in Liam's life when he returns back home after 10 years away from Beaumont.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Michele.
44 reviews
April 26, 2022
I was very disappointed. Instead of carrying on the story of the future, this book kept repeating what we already knew about Liam & Josie’s beginning, the football etc. it really was terrible compared to the first 3 books. I kept skipping 20- 30 pages at a time hoping that it would lead to something exciting.
Profile Image for Book  Junkie.
230 reviews4 followers
November 17, 2022
I'm a sucker for a HEA and I love a good bit of angst to get there provided it doesn't take away from the story. I held off reading this book for a long time as I read some of the reviews but finally thought I'd give it a go and honestly I was truly disappointed and the main reason being it has cheapened the whole story of Liam and Josie for me and I absolutely LOVED their story, the Beaumont Series as well as the next generation. I can see why the author wanted to tell Liam's story of how he went from Liam Westbury to Liam Page but for me it just ruined their story a little unfortunately........Spoilers ahead!

There were a number of plot inconsistencies in the book as well as with others some of the, being him claiming that he would never return to Beaumont to then saying he would go back to fix things; his night with Layla in this book is 2 months after he gets to L.A (pg 180). but in the later book it was days after he arrived; he says in later books he never had a relationship with anyone but in this book he is in a relationship with Sam? It needed better proof reading as these are 3 pretty major plot points!

In the initial chapters of the book we get to see Liam and Josie when they were at school and the early beginnings of their relationship where they are madly in love with each other and we see that in the writing. We also see the pressure Liam feels from his family and inadvertently from Josie (although he's to blame for this as he was the one who made plans with Josie and then didn't communicate with her). I enjoyed the first half of the book and the lead up to why he felt he needed to leave despite his love for Josie. I even bought into the fact that he felt if he didn't leave then it would eventually destroy him and Josie and I probably agree with that. He would have eventually resented her along with his parents and I'm 100% on board with this. I think him leaving was the right thing to do and I like how we understand better why he did leave.

It was some key parts of the second half of the book which didn't work for me and it's where we see him move to L.A. Two thing I think are worth acknowledging -
1. he didn't leave because he didn't love Josie and;
2. he is an emotionally unstable 18 year old boy who has been left to his own devices and never truly loved or supported by his parents.

I understand the importance of bringing Layla and Sam into this book given that he met them in L.A. and they play key roles in the future stories. I also do not have any issues with him being with OW because lets face it he wasn't going to be celibate for 10 years, I'm onboard for that. I did however feel we got more/too much detail about him with OW than we did with Josie (the apparent love of his life). As much as I didn't like the implication of him with OW in the other books reading the detail where Liam shows little to no remorse or guilt really took away from the real "love story" for me. I also felt the author implied he felt more for these women than we were originally led to believe from the original story e.g. the way he went on about Layla's beauty etc or how he had 'feelings' for Sam - taking away from his apparent love / devotion to Josie.

One of my biggest issues was his interactions with Layla, was it days after he moved to L.A. or 2 months either way it didn't fit into the story on this timescale. We are led to believe he is madly in love with Josie and didn't leave her because of his lack of love but because he wanted to follow his dreams (which were not hooking up with randoms) but mere days/weeks after he leaves her to pursue music he sleeps with a complete stranger (without protection) with minimal remorse/guilt and we are told how much he loves it, he can't stop and does it again the next morning when it wasn't drug induced!!! You just don't do that if you love someone the way we are led to believe he loves Josie even if she sent him a text saying she hated him. Had he turned a few women down because of Josie and then slept with Layla 6/12 months later this would have been more believable (despite his apparent love for Josie) as he would have had time to settle into his life in L.A and have a bit if distance from his old life. I get that we are supposed to see him as a naive 18 year old making mistakes but for me, all the author achieved here was cheapen the love in Forever my Girl which was sooo good! The author wants us to believe he was under the influence of drugs before he slept with Layla (and in later books that's what he says) but he was flirting / reacting to Layla before he took the drugs which allegedly lowered his inhibitions.....nope! It felt too much like cheating and just made me believe he never truly loved Josie the way the author wanted us to believe and I don't think he ever truly redeemed himself in my eyes after reading this.

With Sam, I am on board with how he ended up with her - sad about his Grandma, in a bad place etc but what gets me is the no protection. We get it drummed into us he didn't want to use it with Josie and then was under the influence of drugs with Layla but wtf was his excuse with Sam - it's just nasty! His apparent relationship with Sam wasn't properly dealt with either because once again we are led to believe he still loves Josie but he gives no thought or consideration to her seeing press pictures of him with Sam only 18 months after her left........with little to no guilt and remorse again. If he genuinely loved her the way we are led to believe throughout this series then even as an 18 year old he would feel some and I would expect to see that written in the pages of the book. Everything just kept getting passed of as stupid mistakes made by a teenager. I have no objection to the mistakes being made but he needs to show the guilt / remorse and understand the implications of those and we just don't see that hence, the conclusion he doesn't really love Josie the way the author wants us to believe.

The book is well written I just don't think the plot quite worked and unfortunately for me took away from the other books about Liam and Josie instead of enhancing them and their story.

I really enjoyed seeing where Harrison and Quinn came into the story. At least at the end of this book he regrets his decision to ever move to L.A.!

If you want to read a really well written and compelling love story then hit up Forever my Girl but give this a miss as it will ruin it for you I'm afraid!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Lindsey.
43 reviews4 followers
April 16, 2014
I'm so torn when it comes to rating this book. On one hand I loathe selfish only care about myself Liam. On the other hand I am so angry with Josie and her "Liam will be a football star" blinders. She made no effort to read between the lines and see how much he was struggling. Having read Forever My Girl and knowing that Josie did try to contact Liam about Noah helped ease my anger towards Josie. But still there was so much unnecessary angst between these two over their 10 year separation. I am just thankful I know about their HEA b/c if I didn't this book would have done nothing but frustrate me.
Profile Image for Jackie Lane.
1,138 reviews609 followers
November 26, 2015
Definitely 4.5 stars.

I neglected to read the synopsis before reading this book because I've been enjoying the series. I'm not usually a fan of the alternate POV, but this book definitely swayed me.

It gave me lots of insight as to how Liam felt and why he did the unthinkable things that he did. I was actually cheering for him during certain parts. Getting more info on him helps to see where the other books are headed and one of my favorite things was that we get to meet Harrison and find out the backstory to how they met. We also get a glimpse into the grandmother that Liam was getting to know.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 363 reviews

Can't find what you're looking for?

Get help and learn more about the design.