*This is an ARC review

I first met Joey’s character in Alessandra Thomas’ debut, Picture Perfect. I thoroughly enjoyed that book, and getting the chance to read another book relating to those characters…well, I just had to read it. While Subject to Change is in the Picturing Perfect series, as is Picture Perfect, I liked that readers don’t necessarily have to read book one before reading this one. Though, I do suggest reading both just because they were great.

In Subject to Change we get to see another side of Joey and see what she’s going through in college and life. She’s a determined pre-med student striving to fulfill a promise made to her deceased father. I respected this goal because while struggling through her workload and lack of understanding of some course work, she selflessly pushed on for her father. This is one of the driving forces in her character.

Like all great romances, in walks a guy to stir things up. I liked Hawk’s character as well. He was a great catalyst to Joey really finding herself. While is a bit of an asshole, he seemed to have enough good reasons for his attitude. It somehow worked for me.

While I enjoyed the story overall, I liked the characters, the plot, we get a little view of the city again (I liked that about Picture Perfect), I feel that a few spots were lacking and changed some of the feel of the story. I could have used a little more focus on Joey doing rounds, or a few more details into the project that Joey and Hawk were working on for class, though I do understand why it was a little vague to a point. I think aspects like this could have strengthened a few elements in the plot, as well as the decisions characters made.

I can’t leave the review off on a (very slight) negative note, can I? No, I won’t. It was a great book either way. Alessandra has made her way into my favorite author’s list through her second success (in my eyes at least). I’m looking forward to reading many more books from her, for as long as she keeps writing them. ( )

I loved Alessandra Thomas' novel Picture Perfect, so I was really excited to delve into Subject to Change, the second novel in her Picturing Perfect series. Subject to Change can also be read as a stand alone if desired. This is Joey and Hawk's story. Joey is the best friend of Cat, from Picture Perfect. If you have read that novel, then yes, we get to see a little of Cat and Nate - yeah! We also get to meet Hawk, and OMG is he ever hot. Joey is in her third year of pre-med at college and it is kicking her butt. She is trying her hardest to stick it out, because she believes that is what her father, who died of cancer when she was a teenager, wanted her to do. It is also what everyone expects of her, and she has always does what everyone expects of her. She winds up in a business class, which is where she meets William "Hawk" Hawkins. He is everything she is not.....a badass, bad boy, biker, with tattoos and an attitude, and is hot as hell. They wind up getting paired together for a class project. Joey automatically makes the assumption that Hawk is a loser, simply because of how he dresses, acts, and his appearance, yet she is drawn to him like a magnet. When hottie Hawk kisses her, it is all over and she knows she can't stay away from him. She learns that all her assumptions about Hawk being a loser were false. The more she finds out about him, the more she wants to know, and the more she is forced to look at who she really is.

Hawk has a lot of baggage and has responsibilities that no one his age should have. He is still a bike-riding, badass, hot as hell bad boy, but there is so much more depth to him, even if he is rough around the edges. He causes Joey to look at who she is and what she really wants from life. In fact, he understands her better than she understands herself in many ways. In reality, she has just as much baggage as Hawk. Their relationship isn't easy by any means. The chemistry and passion between them is electrifying, and the sex is mind-blowing. On an emotional level, they get each other, but they both also have issues, challenges, and obstacles with family, life, the past, the present, and the future, that threaten to destroy them. Joey and Hawk both have to learn to go for what they truly want, be willing to compromise, and be willing to admit when they are wrong. Subject to Change is a great contemporary romance that also deals with real-life issues that face those in the new adult age group. I loved the story and the journey Hawk and Joey take as they discover that Love isn't easy, it requires compromise, and being willing to admit when you are wrong, and being willing to do what is right for yourself, and for those you love. Overall, I really enjoyed Subject to Change and I would definitely recommend it. ( )