Book Review: Only If It's You by T'Lyn

Another boxing romance.

The difference this time though is what happens in Vegas didn't stay in Vegas.

Javyous, or JV, has an image problem. He's a player. No one is gonna take him seriously as an athlete, so he needs a girl. Thing is, he's got two, Keisha and Zoe.

Kehlani needs a break. A single mother of twins with a small business she's trying to turn into something bigger. She goes to Vegas for a friend's bachelorette party (an awful friend but she isn't significant to the story at all) and after a drunk night wakes up in JV's bed. Well 'loved' and hungover.

When they find themselves in a legal situation that could work out in both their favor, why not?

Did I mention JV's two girlfriends? Like his father, JV is in a polyamorous relationship. Keisha and Zoe are cool with it and aren't opposed to adding Kehlani to the fold. Lani ain't bout that life, so eventually he's gotta let them go. The situation works out though because he gets the family image which leads to hella endorsements, and he promotes her business on his Instagram which allows her to look into ways to expand.

Eventually they decide to give the relationship a shot for real, but not without at least 20 chapters of drama and subplots. JV believes his mom died at childbirth. She didn't. Kehlani's baby daddy is a complete asshat and does things to be petty because of the relationship she is now in with JV. Zoe is a problem. JV's daddy is a problem. It's a lot, and at some points I just wanted the book to be done.

Now listen, I love me a man that can tell me what to do...but JV was doing the absolute most. The way he talked to and handled Kehlani initially stayed pissing me off, like she wasn't doing him a favor. Nowhere in the agreement did she sign up to be dealing with his foolishness. Truth be told though, the fruit didn't fall far from the tree because his daddy needed to push down a hill or something.

Kehlani. Annoying, horrible lair ass, Kehlani.

She knew who his real mama was and when he found out, she couldn't keep a straight face. Baby Daddy acting up. JV told her to let him handle. What she do? Go over and put her, her grandma, and the kids in a crazy situation. Girl...the man said he'd handle it. Even her grandma was like...

As they both realize that they need to grow up if this is going to work, things level out and they get cute. Yes, he puts her through the mattress regularly, but he also confesses that she's his person.

This results in my two favorite quotes both coming from JV:

"You're a gift I get to experience in this life until I can't, and then I'll find you in the next."

"If I could do this all over, I'd find you sooner so I could love you longer."

After all they dealt with in less than a year, that's the least he could've said.

Overall, though, the book was a decent listen. I'm not a fan of the female narrator, and as soon as I hit play, I understood why her name looked familiar. So, if you like a spicy sports romance with a heavy dose of drama, Only If It's You might be just what you are looking for.