Moving and unexpectedly poignant, Resist me is an irresistible tale of a broken family coming to terms with their dysfunction. To see it also incorporate romance and the ability to be vulnerable is an added bonus. Ms. Connolly is an auto-read author for me. Her stories are touching and I love her character development. She surprises me each time.
Full disclosure, I didn't read the blurb and I didn't look at the cover of the book. Yes, I'm one of THOSE readers who ignore book blurbs and book covers. They are wasted on me. I dove into this book completely cold and I loved it. I was a little confused at first about Luna because I didn't realize she was Asian - specifically half Taiwanese and half caucasian. This became readily apparent within the first chapter.
Luna is a character that means something to me because she could have easily been a friend's daughter. In high school, one of my Chinese friends got knocked up by her white boyfriend. Her parents kicked her out. She did have twins. Just like Luna is a twin. Luna's maternal grandparents owned a grocery chain. My friend's parents own a Chinese restaurant. Fortunately for my friend, her boyfriend was great and they did get married and are still together with wonderful kids. Luna is not so fortunate. Her father is beyond a deadbeat. I loathe him.
Luna's trust issues are valid. What impresses me with Luna is her desire to still try and save her siblings. I am also impressed with her line of work. It is genius and I wonder if there are people out there in the world who have a job like Luna. If they do, good on them. It is pretty niche and astounding.
The conflict in this story is multifaceted and one of them hits home a little too closely. Luna's maternal grandmother creates a will that blackmails Luna into a fake marriage. I really don't like this. It works for this story and is the central plot device. Unfortunately, it is all too realistic and I can totally see an Asian parent or grandparent doing this to their descendants. This is where Charlie comes in. About halfway through the book, I finally realize Charlie is black. Charlie is like a golden labrador - sweet, klutzy, and not really designed to be an alpha dog. This is okay because Luna is more than enough alpha and ruthless. She has had to be, in order to survive.
This character progression romance is highly recommended to readers who are looking for something different and moving.
* I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book.
