Review originally posted at Ramblings From This Chick 
 I Want It That Way is the first book in Ann Aguirre's 2B Trilogy. I was really looking forward to this story after seeing the beautiful cover and reading the blurb. I had never read anything by her before, but I am such a NA fan that I find myself being drawn to each new release especially if they are part of a series. While I did like things about this story, I will admit that I also had some things that I didn't like about this one. I find myself sort of struggling how to put into words what I feel about this book, because while I didn't dislike it I also didn't love it. I think that this one had a lot of potential but ended up falling short on delivery. 
 Nadia Conrad is moving into an apartment with her friends after living in the dorms for the last two years. She works at a daycare and goes to classes, determined to set herself up for a successful future as a teacher. When Nadia meets the guy from the apartment below her she is instantly drawn to him. Daniel "Ty" Tyler has moments where he seems friendly towards her, but then he has moments where he is cold as a stranger. Nadia has no idea at first what his problem is, but before long she sees that his life is more complicated that she could have guessed. While trying to work and attend night classes, Ty is also raising his four year old son on his own. When Ty enrolls Sam at the daycare where Nadia works, they start to grow closer. While Ty and Nadia both have feelings for one another, they know that everything that happens between them will impact Sam's life. They agree to friends with benefits and to keep their relationship between just them. But the more that they get to know each other the more that they begin to fall for one another. But with Ty determined to live his life according to the rules that he has set and the timing of their new relationship not being perfect, can they have a shot at anything lasting? 
 I honestly thought that I was going to love Ty from the very start. I mean he was smart and sexy, and he was so dedicated to his son. He was a hard worker and was really determined. But he was so regimented in his beliefs and thoughts about exactly how his life should play out that he completely closed himself off to what could be if he gave it a chance. I didn't like how he had handled things with his ex, but I understood his motivation and can't blame him for wanting his son more than anything else in the world. I just wish that he would have handled things better. I also wish that he wouldn't have been so dead set on keeping Nadia at arms length for so long when it was clear that she was nothing like his ex. Nadia was great with Sam and Ty, and you could see how much she had come to care about both of them in such a short time. I loved her interactions with both of them, and it was fun watching her win them both over. She was sweet and kind, and she was great at taking care of both of them. I thought that the chemistry between Ty and Nadia was strong from the start, but they also were developing so much more than that. I liked seeing the three of them together, and wish that we had been given a bit more of all of them together. 
 I did feel like this story was a bit slow and had some pacing issues. I think a lot of this was due to the fact that the majority of this book takes place within the apartment/apartment complex in where they both live, and it got to be a bit boring after awhile. I kept waiting for something to shake things up and that just didn't happen. I also felt like too much of this book focused on Nadia and her roommates. While I understand that Ann Aguirre was setting us up for the remainder of this series, it almost took over the book at points and I found myself not caring about any of them. I wanted to skip those parts and get back to Nadia, Ty and Sam. I did think that this story was sweet and I liked the way that things played out. I am also intrigued by Nadia's brother Rob and her best friend Lauren. I am looking forward to seeing what is in store for them. But I did think that this one was predictable and I would have liked to have seen things happen a bit differently especially them deciding to do the friends with benefits thing. I just felt like that was such an obvious choice, and it made the rest of the story feel as though it wasn't as unique or different as it could have been. I will still continue with this series, and see where Ann Aguirre takes these characters in the future. If you are looking for a sweet and easy NA read, you might give this one a shot. 
 **ARC Provided by Publisher**