Would You Rather by Allison Ashley: When Mia gets the opportunity of a lifetime to go back to 
school, she immediately questions whether to accept or not. Since her diagnosis of a rare kidney disease, she has been waiting for a transplant and the rest of her life has been on hold because of it. She weighs her options but finds that it would likely be impossible to go to school full time while working full time (since she needs to maintain her insurance for her medical costs). When she confides in her best friend Noah about her dilemma, he provides her an out of the box solution: marriage.
Noah has been pining for Mia ever since their childhood. When he received the call that she was in the hospital prior to her actual diagnosis, he knew that he was always going to be there for her. When she tells him that she has been given the opportunity to go back to school, he pushes for her to do it at any cost. When he suggests marriage for the insurance purposes, he’s not surprised that she immediately says no. As he tries to reason with her, she starts to see his side of things and can’t help but agree to marry him.
As the two spend their first weeks together, they find themselves falling into a rhythm of marital bliss without taken it too far. However the simmering emotions between the two of them can only keep them apart for so long. As they spend more time together, they find themselves falling for each other, but scared of what it could do for their friendship. When Mia gets the opportunity to get her much-needed kidney, they don’t necessarily need to stay married anymore, but will they want to?
Okay. I loved this book. I have so many feelings still coursing through my veins after finishing it. Like wow. First of all, fear is a huge theme in the book. Starting with Noah, he lives in fear at this point in his life. He was an avid rock climber up until the time that Mia was admitted to the hospital and, en route to her, he was in a car accident that claimed the life of his brother. Now, he is so scared of losing Mia that he doesn’t want to be apart from her. He has to confront his demons so that he can truly decide if he is in love with Mia or just too scared to lose her.
If that wasn’t enough, Mia is scared of letting anyone too close to her at the thought of being a burden. When she was confronted with the news of being adopted, she closed her life off from her parents. She has to look inside her and at the relationships that she is surrounded by to decide if she wants to keep people at arm’s length or choose to let everyone in.
Overall, I loved every page of this book. Did I agree with the decision to commit insurance fraud? No. But I think if they would’ve given each other a chance before that moment, they still would’ve ended up under one insurance plan (if you know what I mean). Overall, it didn’t get too raunchy but was filled with the longing that all women pine for from their men.
Book Info:
Publication: August 23, 2022 | MIRA |
Noah and Mia have always been best friends, and their friendship is the most important thing to them. Life is going great for Noah and he’s up for a promotion in a job he loves. But Mia’s life is on hold as she awaits a kidney transplant. She’s stuck in a dead-end job and, never wanting to be a burden, has sworn off all romance. So when the chance of a lifetime comes to go back to school and pursue her dream, it’s especially painful to pass up. She can’t quit her job or she’ll lose the medical insurance she so desperately needs.
To support her, Noah suggests they get married—in name only—so she can study full-time and still keep the insurance. It’s a risk to both of them, with jobs, health and hearts on the line, and they’ll need to convince suspicious coworkers and nosy roommates that they’re the real deal. But if they can let go of all the baggage holding them back, they might realize that they would rather be together forever.
