After gobbling up the first book, I need I had to read the second right after. Which, I did. LOL. This book is just as good as the first, even better, yet darker. Jaden intrigued with his quite nature in the first book. Sure he was there, but he wasn't there. You get what I mean? I could tell he is hiding something and I definitely needed to know what is up.

As much as I love Sebastain, I have to admit that Jaden is my favorite. Jaden has some deep demons that he is fighting. Broken and hurt, Jaden faces this trouble everyday. Have you or anyone you know, been verbally abused? To be told everyday that you are worthless. That you will own up to nothing. That your friends aren't really your friends. Jaden goes through that everyday. And it follows him. In his mind, Jaden is fighting a very hard battle that has kept secret for years. Jaden strenghth to stand up, to fight for himself, leaves me breathless. He is an amazing guy!!!

The love interest is worth the wait as well as enduring. After fighting for so long, Jaden feels like he doesn't deserve anyone. Even if it is right before his eyes. He is loosing time and must quickly decide if he is going to let this take over him or choose to go the other way. This part of the book is heartbreaking yet the best part. The battle happening right before the readers eyes, you can't help but get invested in the characters. You root him on. You chant," YES! Keep going. Ignore that thought." I don't even remember all the words I muttered under my breathe, but I was totally into the story and not coming out till Jaden won.

What A Boy Needs is an amazing companion! Nothing like the first book, Ms. Dawn takes the reader on a dark path that consumes your every thought. Beautifully woven into a tale of heart-break and love, What A Boys Needs is exhilarating! ( )

Jaden, Sebastian, Aspen, and Pris have been best friends since they were small. Last summer things changed between Sebastian and Aspen, and since then, things have been tense between Jaden and Pris. It is their senior year and it's almost graduation time. They have planned a road trip to New York where they are going to college, but now Jaden is having doubts. Jaden has never felt like he was good enough. His friends have always known he had things hard at home, but he has always kept everything inside, so they didn't know how bad his home life really was. All of Jaden's life he has been verbally abused by his dad, constantly put down, told he was nothing, no good, a loser, and Jaden has come believe that is exactly what he is, a loser. His own mom has never even stood up for him. Last summer, Pris wanted things to change between her and Jaden, but Jaden backed away, not because he didn't love her, he has always loved her, but because he truly believed he would never be good enough for her. He's always felt like an outsider, never fitting in, even with his friends. After a big fight with his dad, when he finds out a secret about himself that has been kept from him all his life, he explodes and gets in a fight with his dad, winds up in jail, and has to call Pris to get him out. Then, his mom kicks him out of the house.

Jaden decides that he won't go to New York with his friends. After all, why would they want a loser like him around, at least that is what he thinks. Sebastian, Aspen and Pris manage to talk him into coming, and things really begin to heat up. Jaden can't deny his feelings for Pris, and Pris loves Jaden. The chemistry between Jaden and Pris is off the charts. Will Jaden hold out, believing the lie that he is not good enough, or will he let Pris in and give in to the feelings that are undeniable between them. Can Pris, Bastian and Aspen help bring Jaden out of his shell and convince him what a truly wonderful guy he is? Can Jaden really bear to leave his friends, who have always been like family to him, in New York without him? Needles to say this road trip to New York is definitely of epic proportions and one that these friends will never forget.

I absolutely loved this story. Nyrae Dawn has such an awesome gift and is able not only to write her stories from a male point of view, but she enables you to get into their head, and actually think and feel what they are thinking and feeling. What a Boy Wants was Sebastian's story, and Sebastian is a funny guy, and still is, but he also has his serious side. We got to meet Jaden in What a Boy Wants, but we get to know him intimately in What a Boy Needs. I love Pris. I loved how strong she was and how persistent she was with Jaden, and the way she stood up for him. The relationship between the two of them was both hot and heartwarming, and I was rooting for them through the whole story. I felt like I was one of those guys you see at a football game that stands up and cheers when things are good and yells when they are bad. I loved the way this group of friends supported each other and loved each other.

As far as my emotions regarding Jaden, they were all over the place. Being a mother, I just wanted to grab him and hug him, tell him everything was going to be okay and that he was a good person, then go beat the crap out of his parents. I also wanted he and Pris to get together, and sometimes wanted to shake him a bit in that regard. Then there is no denying that Jaden is really hot, and cute at the same time. Finally, in the end, I was so proud of him and the person he had become, and I just wanted to squeeze him and I actually had to shed some tears. This is one book that you can't read and not get completely caught up in. Nyrae expresses her character's voices in such a way that enables you to become intimate with them, like you are actually there, part of the story yourself. I know I've been all serious sounding in this review, but remember, Sebastian is in this story, and you can't have Sebastian and not have humor, and there is plenty of that going on also. Nyrae Dawn is a truly gifted writer and she has proven than once again in What a Boy Needs. Believe me, this is one book you won't want to miss. ( )