Somehow in my rush to review 15 books last month that released within a week of each other, I missed my favorite of them all! Always Crew is the third and final book in the Crew trilogy but none other then my favorite authors, Tijan. And what a phenomenal conclusion this was to the series that I’ve now read multiple times.
Like other many authors, I find that Tijan is known for several hallmarks in her writing. She writes angsty, sexy, and exceptional stories that stick with me long after I’ve turned the final pages. She writes well-developed characters and intricately woven into a story that exhibits all. the. feels! And the Crew trilogy is everything I expect when I pick up a Tijan book. This series is one of my favorites so far and Always Crew was perfect a conclusion to a trilogy as it gets. This coming of age, best friends to lovers, contemporary romance trilogy is told predominately from Bren Monroe’s POV with a few chapters written in Cross, Jordan and Zellman’s voice as well.
From the very beginning, Bren Monroe and Cross Shaw exhibit an almost tangible chemistry Bren and Cross are best friends and their romance demonstrates this. But the chemistry that’s grown between them as the story has progressed is exquisite. You’ll find that while their romance was a bit of a slow burn romance initially (in Crew) over the course of Crew Princess and Always Crew, that relationship advanced to become unmistakably sexy with a new connection that develops as their relationship blossomed from friends to more. It truly was rewarding, and Bren and Cross are brilliantly written. They have expertly crafted depths and a fabulous story arc that truly allows readers to see a character that grow and progresses in a very real manner. This, IMO is often missing in modern storytelling. And while many readers now find slow burn romances unfulfilling, the time and patience that Cross put into his developing his relationship with was exactly what I look for in my favorite book boyfriends. I found it richly rewarding, very realistic, and indicative of the types of relationships that last the test of time.
Always Crew aligns perfectly with the other books in the Crew Series and all my expectations when I sit down to read a book written by Tijan were met. The storyline is well crafted and beautifully illustrates the characters coming full circle. The secondary characters are every bit as loveable as the primary and while I hoped for more books about the Crew crew…I’m deliriously happy with the epilogue and can’t wait for Tijan to deliver Nate. It was complete unpredictability and epic entertainment with a consistence pacing. While it was angsty, it also had contrasting moments of levity and sexy to illuminate a well-rounded book that’s impossible to put down… even if it’s a whopping 100k + novel. As an avid reader, I often find myself falling down the same rabbit holes again and again, but Always Crew (and the book before it in this trilogy) feel fresh and unique. And finally, we got a story that didn’t end with a cliffhanger! If you’re in the mood for an epic story with a beautifully broken heroine, a sexy bad boy best friend turned lover, and all the angst of a coming of age drama, you’ve found it. You’ve also definitely found your next five star read!!! But make sure you read the Crew Books in their proper reading order—Crew, Crew Princess and Always Crew.
Quotes:
<b>I’m young. I’m new to this world, and this town, and I was still just starting out on the exploratory trek of finding what the hell I wanted to do in the world, but the usual roles that I should be portraying, the ones that spoke of my background and upbringing, I wasn’t. I wasn’t new, or innocent, or eager. I wasn’t ambitious. I wasn’t hopeful.
I was jaded.
I was tired.
Give me a fight to break up and I’d wade in without a second thought; that was the world I was comfortable in.
I was a fighter. That’s what I did in life. It’s who I became. It’s who I was. It’s just how I was. I fought and I survived.
Watching Jordan, how he was handling life at college, watching Zellman, even watching Cross— they were happy. And I wasn’t saying that I was unhappy, but I was lost. We were crew, and because of that, they’d been in the darkness with me. We formed out of necessity, and then that bond strengthened into a vow of family.
We moved at the right time for her, and that was my place. I always went by her timetable, about what she was ready for or what she wasn’t. I knew when to push, when to hold back, when to launch forward, when to pick at her, when to ... her off, when to tickle her, when to love her, and when to make her melt. I knew Bren more than I knew myself...
She might’ve been floundering a little, but she didn’t know how much she was my anchor. She was my North Star. I needed her or I’d be lost. I’d go off the rails.
Bren wanted justice in the world, and I knew that’s where we were going. Me, I just wanted her.
I was going to marry this girl.
My girl.
Mine.
This boy. This guy. This man. I was going to marry him. I was going to have his babies. I would fight him, with him, and for him forever. He was mine, all mine, and I was going to savor that he came into my life.</b>
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Reviews with images
The perfect closure to a perfect series! I'll miss them with all my heart 🖤
I can't believe that this book is the end of the Crew series... I loooove how Tijan usually can't say goodbye to her characters either, and with luck, she will miss them at much as I will, and then she'll write more books about them, and I don't have to cry anymore... *Dreamy eyes*Back to present... This book is the perfect conclusion for Bren, Cross, Jordan and Zellman's story... Because this isn't just a Romance of a couple's love story...This is the story of the Wolf Crew.This is the story of a soulmate.This is the story of a broken girl learning how to live, and share her life, and to love and to be loved.This is the story of a broken family...And the story of a chosen family...A family not made by blood, but by loyalty, love, respect and protection.📌 We were Crew, and because of that, they'd been in the darkness with me.We formed out of necessity, and then that bond strengthened into a vow of family.📌In this book our Crew is starting a new life at Cain, all our boys doing their college things, and Bren trying to figure it out what's next in her adulthood's status.Their life is getting into normalcy, until it isn't anymore, and new issues comes to ruin their peace.As always, I'll not ruin someone else experience by dropping some spoilers, BUT I have to say that this conclusion is perfect in every single page!I could see the evolution of them.I could see their fears, their rage, their doubts, their loyalty, their protection and their love... OMG so much love with this group...📌 These people were my family. I would die for them, and they'd do the same.📌It was a pleasure to read this book not only with POV's of Cross and Bren, but also with one chapter from Jordan and one from Zellman, and was really good to be inside their head at least for a little bit, to know how they really feel, and again, I'm not disappointed at all!I wanted to punch Blaise right in the face, just for been a prick with his brother, and then hug him until he could feel all the love that he had around him. I loved how their brotherhood grew up, without any of them take notice.This book was so exciting and full of action, that I finished in 2 days, and now I'm with a hangover and bags under my eyes!But it soooo worth it!I just loved everything!Not a single complaining!This book is how authors should close their series...With not only a HEA, but with closure to all our beloved characters.I'll miss them with all my heart, but I'm really happy with how it ended.
Top reviews from other countries
Sarah Dale
Epic conclusion to this series
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 31, 2020