It was "Always You"! a review of Missy Johnson's novel

“Always You” By Missy Johnson

Review by Wendy Dawn

“In Summation”:

I was thrilled when I was offered a graduate teaching position at the prestigious Tennerson Girls Academy. At twenty-three, this would be my first ‘real’ teaching assignment. Working at the elite boarding school, home to the daughters of some of the wealthiest people in the world, was a great opportunity that I would’ve been stupid to pass up.

One week into my new job, and I suddenly had no idea why I chose high school…I was a seventeen year old boy once, I knew how teenage girls behaved.

You can’t even imagine the hell of trying to teach thirty, hormonal driven seventeen year olds who have been cooped up, away from any male contact.

I could handle the whispers every time I entered the room. I could even handle the obvious attempts at gaining my attention. What I couldn’t handle was her…



Rich bitches and way too many rules. Was it any wonder that I hated school?

Add to that the lack of male contact, and I was going insane. Like literally. I wasn’t used to this. A year ago I was normal. I had a boyfriend, friends and a loving family. There is nothing normal about me anymore, and nobody here lets me forget that.

My name is Wrenn, and I’m only here because my aunt took me in after what happened, but my aunt also happens to be the headmistress of this academy…Can you see my problem?

I’m hated for my lack of money, and I’m hated for who my Aunt is.

Then he arrived. Dalton Reed. My new history teacher.

Slowly, he helped me see that even in the worst situations, there is always hope.

“The Reviews are in”:

      This is an emotionally charged novel, which will have your heart swelling at young love. Well-written and developed characters don’t fail to draw you into the story and plot. Ms. Johnson has done it again!
Wrenn is a complex young woman. She is already eighteen but still attending her last semester of prep school. Having had a tragic life, loosing her entire immediate family to a car crash, she is mature beyond her years.
Being stuck in a school full of spoiled rich girls is a nightmare for someone who has known real tragedy. Wrenn’s classmates have never known loss and she keeps her loss from them as well. This all is a recipe for hurt and disaster.

When I thought ‘I wish I’d died along with the rest of my family’ crosses your mind on a daily basis, it’s pretty obvious you’re not in a great place emotionally. This place was hell. No, it was worse than hell, and I couldn’t wait to leave.   ~Wrenn’s thoughts about her prep school

The one bright spot in Wrenn’s school is Dalton Reed, her new history teacher. Her aunt is not only his boss but her mother was friends with Dalton’s mother when she was alive.
Dalton is handsome and young. All the girls swoon and go out of their way to gain his attention. He only has eyes for Wrenn.
His own struggles with life and family issues have him building up a wall around himself.

My friends called me “Solitaire” in college: because I never spent more than one night with the same girl. I couldn’t do relationships. I’d never had one, and I probably wouldn’t - not anytime soon.   ~Dalton on relationships

Two people with so many personal issues between them struggle with their attractions to each other. Can they maintain the student/teacher parameters society has dictated? Can they over come their own hang-ups and baggage to be together?

This is a beautiful story of coming back to life after tragedy. It also is a story of genetic illness. Dalton’s father died from a genetic illness…always in his mind is the treat of that illness being passed to him. He keeps everyone at a distance out of fear.
These characters are so well written you will feel connected to them and their pain, worry and happiness. A wonderful read that you won’t be able to put down.

The Ratings*:

Hero: 4.5
Heroine: 4.5
Story/Plot/HEA: 4.25

*The rating system is based on 1-5, 5 being the best and 1 the worst.
Hero - The main male character of the story. Heroine - The main female character of the story. Story/Plot/HEA (Happy Ever After) - The over all story line and culmination of the main plot or theme.