Just the Way You Are

by Barbara Freethy

Book Overview

A baby brought them together -- and even though Alli has always loved her strong, sexy husband Sam and the life they've made together, she's now decided to set him free to follow his youthful dreams. For although she worships Sam, it's no longer enough for her to be wife and lover when she knows she holds so little of his heart. Sam has always dreamed of a life away from the close-knit world of Tucker's Landing, but marriage and fatherhood ended all...

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0380815524
• ISBN13: 9780380815524
• Release Date: November 2000
• Publisher: Avon Books
• Length: 384 Pages
• Weight: 0.45 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 4.2" x 6.8"

Customer Reviews

Closer To Home by being "Just The Way You Are"

I always enjoy Barbara Freethy's style of writing before. She always manages to create characters that real, who are not flawless, and fill with insecurities -- which make them real human. And the new novel "Just The Way You Are" impresses me just like others. We have Alli, a mother with 8-years-old daughter, who always feels like she could never compete with her older sister. There's Sam, who still, somehow, hangs on to the past and seems to take it for granted the life he lives now. And there's Tessa, a supermodel who tries to cover the pain of the past by locking them away from her mind. All three must try to deal with the problem so they can move on. With the help of a very good observer, who manages to see people behind his camera and find the real them inside, and an 8-years old girl who loves her family with all their flaws and mistakes.I really love this novel so much. I finished it in 3 hours, unabled to put it down once I started. Jimmy's character is the one that I enjoy most. I believe in his opinion that eye is the window to human soul. And camera sometimes can capture the feelings better than our own eyes. He's the most likable characters from Barbara Freethy's novel I read so far - I've read 4 of them. And I also understand the strain in the sister's relationship - Alli and Tessa - as I have a sister myself. We aren't like them because so far, my sister and I are really doing fine. But I understand the jealousy, the feeling of insecurities, and that is why I feel so much closer to home with this one.In the end, it's the lesson we have to learn as we grow old. We have to accept the people that we love, just the way they are.

Worth spending a few bucks on...

The best romance novels are the ones that do not follow formula (at least in every aspect). Barbara Freethy has always been good at making her characters a little more realistic and a little less cookie-cutter. It is a great relief to find someone who does. This story is very well done. None of the characters is a saint, all have insecurities and doubts, and each is very flawed. Sam does treat his wife badly-he doesn't appreciate her and blames her for his life turning out different than he had planned. He sees himself as a martyr. He and Tessa are still holding a torch for one another. And Alli doesn't take it like a grown-up. She acts like a real person would to the same situation: angry, bitter and hurt (not just hurt). She doesn't just walk off to let Sam be happy-she goes about making it miserable about it. I really like this about her. Its probably what I would do...because she isn't perfect. The book works well, most of the tears were shed for the sisters relationship-not Alli and Sam's... but theres was well drawn, too. You won't be disappointed.

Just The Way You Are

I have read every one of her books and in my opinion she just doensn't write fast enough! She didn't let me down this time either. It was absolutely wonderful. I was laughing and crying at the same time. It was different from her others, especially when she made the main character a little on the jealous side, but it made the book that much more enjoyable and easier to relate to. I have always liked how Barbara puts a little of the supernatural in her books. I read the book in one day, my housework suffers but I know it will still be waiting for me when I put the book down!

A very special contemporary romance

In Tucker's Landing, Oregon, Allison Tucker knows she always loved her husband Sam even when he was her sister Tessa's boy friend. Years ago, when her sibling left town to become a supermodel, Alli made a bid for Sam, became pregnant, and they married. Although they clearly cherish their daughter Megan, Alli doubts Sam loves her as he never has said the word. Alli feels Sam's heart still belongs to Tessa.Because she loves Sam so much, Alli decides it is time to give him back his freedom to pursue Tessa when her sister returns home to visit their ailing grandmother. Her dreams shattered, she separates from her beloved Sam, who begins pursuit of his first love.JUST THE WAY YOU ARE is an engaging contemporary romance due to the likable lead characters that make up the triangle. They are human instead of a super villain with no redeeming qualities. Readers will feel empathy towards Alli even while hissing at Sam for his emotional confusion over what he wants in life. What truly makes Barbara Freethy's tale of second chances at love is that Tessa is a nice person, making the rivalry even more difficult for the sisters and Sam.Harriet Klausner

A wonderful story, uplifting and heartwarming!

Just the Way You Are by Barbara Freethy Review by Barb Deane, Barb's All Romance Book StoreAvon author Barbara Freethy's November release is entitled Just the Way You Are. It is her seventh contemporary romance for Avon and definitely my favorite so far. Here's our review:Allison and Tessa are sisters, only two years apart, whose parents were killed in an auto accident when they were still young. After the accident, the girls move to Tucker's Landing, a small town on the Oregon coast to live with their aunt Phoebe. And next door to Phoebe lives the town founders, including the proverbial boy-next-door, Sam Tucker.From the moment they met, Sam and Tessa are best friends, inseparable and in love. Unfortunately, Allison also falls in love with Sam from the moment she sees him and is constantly chasing after Tessa and Sam, trying to keep up and fit in. The fact that beautiful Tessa is stunningly beautiful and begins a modeling career at an early age doesn't help Allie's increasing feelings of inferiority.When Sam and Tessa were twenty, he intended to propose at Christmas. Tessa, however, takes a modeling job over the holidays and doesn't go home to Tucker's Landing. So, when a drunken Sam falls in bed with Allie and makes a baby, Tessa is crushed and furious with them both. When Sam tells her he is marrying Allie, Tessa leaves town and doesn't return until Aunt Phoebe has a stroke, nine years later.However, when Tessa gets to town, she learns that Sam is back living in his parents' old house next to Phoebe, because Allie has kicked him out and asked for a divorce. No longer willing to live with a man who doesn't even tell her that he loves her, but only married her because she was pregnant, Allie cannot get past her feelings of playing second fiddle to Tessa. And with super model Tessa back in town and in Sam's arms, tempers flare and accusations fly.Barbara Freethy has crafted a beautiful and emotionally satisfying story in Just the Way You Are. I was immediately drawn into these people's lives and was unwilling to let them go until I had finished the story. The secondary characters are compelling and perfectly compliment the emotional attachment and age-old pain that Sam and Allie have to deal with in order to decide what to do with their future. I cannot recommend this book enough - it is a lovely story that will touch your heart.