READING ORDER AND OVERVIEW ~ EMI LOST AND FOUND SERIES BY LORI OTTO

Nate Wilson knows he wants Emi Hennigan from the moment he sees her. Emi knows she needs Nate after one night together. A life-long friendship is born, and a pact is made to ensure that nothing will come between them.

Lost and Found (book one)
After swearing off love with Emi in a silly high school pact, Nate has been seeing other women in hopes of finding one that evokes stronger feelings than the ones he’s been harboring for Emi since he was a teen. Over the span of a year, boundaries are crossed, feelings are confessed, and their unique friendship begins to blossom into something more. With a promising future ahead of them both, fate intervenes to bring two soul mates together.

Time Stands Still (book two)
No man could compete with Nate, Emi thought, until one night – one evening, one party, one journey, one second alters her course completely. That night, her brother’s best friend, Jack Holland, comes back into her life with a mission. In a year’s time, he slowly finds a comfortable place in Emi’s life, but only time will tell if it’s right for Emi – and enough for him.

Never Look Back (book three)
To say Emi’s life over the past two years has had its share of peaks and valleys is an understatement – and her friends and family would agree. In the conclusion to Emi Lost & Found, Jack guides Emi through a year of self-discovery, and teaches her that faith in true love – and in soul mates – can yield happiness from even the darkest of places.

I almost wished I waited until after I read the entire series to rate it because as a whole, this series rates 4.5 stars.
My recommended reading order:
1. Not Today but Someday (prequel)2. Lost and Found (book 1)3. Time Stands Still (book 2)4. Never Look Back (book 3)
The prequel Not Today, But Someday can be read after book 3, but I highly recommend reading it beforehand. It helps set up the premise of book 1 so you can better understand the characters. You will thank me after when you’re done with book 3. Of course, if you want your heart ripped out completely then you can read it after book 3.
That is all.
**This next section contains my individual reviews for each book and is for those that need more details. I personally knew most of this before I started reading and that really helped prepare me for some of the book events to come. It is up to you, though, if you want to go into the series completely blind or know some plot details ahead of time.**

I do not have a review for book 3. My reasons:
I never got past the events of books 1 and 2 to fully accept what was happening in book 3 so naturally I felt grief and anger during most of book 3.
The main thing is this: while I was ecstatic, joyful, and immensely relieved to read about Emi’s healing process and just happy for her and her future, I wasn’t happy for me. And that is the crux of the issue. 
Nevertheless, I understand this series is about Emi and her journey that spans almost 2 decades. There was never a doubt in my mind she loved Nate and Jack, but she loved them differently. And while I have accepted the fact that she and Jack are true soulmates and meant for each other, period; I have never accepted the way she second-guessed her feelings for Nate (see my review for book 2). To me, it cheapened/lessened the amount of love she had for him and I can never, ever forgive that.