“It was as if gravity had pulled us both here, to this place at this exact time, and I couldn’t seem to defy the force of it. I couldn’t ignore the significance.”
Wow!!
This was SUCH a good book! An unconventional romance with a powerful emotional impact. I loved it!!
I honestly don’t know how to describe this story to you though without it being misleading because there is a huge twist that literally changes everything you know!! Like, really — woah!! Technically, even the blurb actually makes make you “think” the story is something it’s not. So it’s hard to talk about…
PS – this whole review page is spoiler-free.
I’ll admit that I actually knew the twist before I started and here’s the thing: There are many different kinds of readers out there. Some of you love going into books completely blind and being taken by surprise by the twists… and there are others who like to know exactly what to expect from this kind of story.
Just for me, personally, I’ll be honest and say that if I had been taken by surprise by this twist, I would have disliked the book. This is not a fault of the author or the way the book is presented, it is just a reflection of the type of reader I am. This isn’t me telling you what you will or won’t feel, just me saying that for this kind of big, game-changing twist, I prefer going in with an understanding of what to expect because it gives me a sense of security. Knowing what to expect did not in any way dull the emotional impact of the twist. Guys, I CRIED. Over and over and over again, even though I knew what was coming.
And also… again, just for me, the minute I heard what the twist was, it made me want to drop everything and read the book NOW. So finding out was actually the thing that made me read the book!
So, I’m not telling you what to do. If you want to go in blind, do it!! Many readers recommend doing that, in fact. However, many other readers have told me that they are so grateful that they were told in advance and that knowing the twist made them able to love the book. So the choice is YOURS.
If you want to know the twist (full spoilers), click this link here.
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Ok, I should probably actually review this a little now, huh? (still spoiler-free!)
I really enjoyed the story right from the start — that prologue was heart-wrenching! I think it especially helped my anticipation because I knew the direction it was heading in. Honestly, I did find the first half of the book though to be a little slow — no crazy emotions or anything like that — it just seemed like a normal story. But I knew what was coming and I knew what was really happening and so that kept me flipping pages as fast as I could because I wanted to experience the impact of the twist and when it hit, I totally fell apart! Big crocodile tears just streamed down my face. Then I’d be okay for a few pages and then tears would start all over again!! And it was real mascara-running, throat-closing-up, cant-see-the-page crying.
I LOVE BIG EMOTIONS. I want to feel the stories I read in my heart and oh boy did I ever feel this one.
This wasn’t just a simple “boy meets girl” romance. The relationship dynamics between past and present and between the different aspects of her life were quite complex. There were secrets that had been hidden for years and a lot of drama and big life choices that felt very “real”. And I really appreciated that because real life isn’t always simple, it isn’t always clear, it isn’t always fair and I loved seeing the characters work through these issues. This story was undoubtedly unconventional but I applaud the author for stepping outside the box and writing this story because it left such a strong impression on my heart!!
Definitely a new favorite!!
Rating: 4.5 stars!! Standalone Contemporary Romance.