Book Review: Things I Wanted to Say

Last year I read the very popular, A Million Kisses in Your Lifetime by Monica Murphy, which is technically book 1 in the Lancaster Prep series. I loved the book and since then have read the novella, Birthday Kisses, and the novella about Crew’s oldest brother, Grant, The Wrong Brother. Since reading A Million Kisses in Your Lifetime I said I would read the rest of the books and in order. Well, it took a while, but I’m finally doing it! I just read Lancaster Prep #1, Things I Wanted to Say, earlier this week and really enjoyed it.

Things I Wanted to Say follows Whit Lancaster and Summer Savage. Whit, obviously, is from the ultra wealthy Lancaster family and owners of Lancaster Prep. He and Summer met once when they were 14 at a party his parents were throwing at their New York City penthouse. Summer went to the party with her mom and stepdad and learned that night from Whit that his dad and her mom were having an affair. They also kissed that night and have both been thinking about each other for the past 3+ years.

Fast forward to senior year and Summer has transferred to Lancaster Prep not realizing that Whit is also a senior there. For some reason she always thought he was a year older. This presents some problems, because not only has she been infatuated with him for the past 3 years, but she and her mom are fresh off a scandal. The affair between her mom and Whit’s dad was made public, cause his parents to divorce, etc. Now Summer worries everyone at school is going to know about the scandal and hate her and her worries come true when Whit makes it his mission to make her life at school miserable by telling everyone to ignore her and shun her. Whit hates her for her role in his parents’ break up even though she had nothing to do with it. But he also hasn’t been able to stop thinking about her since he was 14.

They both hate and love each other and hate that they love each other. As they get to know one another better they realize they’re the only ones that truly understand each other, but Summer has some dark secrets that she’s terrified Whit will learn.

I really enjoyed this one and all the angst and darkness between Whit and Summer. I do think I liked A Million Kisses in Your Lifetime a little bit more, but this one was still great and I really liked Whit and Summer. They’re briefly mentioned in A Million Kisses and Crew mentions that Summer is the only one who is willing to put up with his cousin, Whit’s, shit haha.

Read this if you want a spicy prep school romance with the forced proximity and bully romance tropes.

*This post contains affiliate links.*