Book Review – The Edge of Never by J.A. Redmerski

• Buy EDGE OF NEVER on Kindle 
• Buy EDGE OF NEVER in Paperback 

5 stars!

WOW! What an unexpected journey and an amazing read!! 

After receiving about a million messages telling me that that I absolutely HAD to read this next, I started reading it late last night and ended up staying up ALL night riveted to the page until I finished it around 5am!

This book tells a beautiful story about friendship and love, of living in the moment, living life to the fullest, being true to yourself and not being afraid to reach for your dreams.

“What compels any of us to do the things we do when deep down a part of us just wants to break free from it all?”

Cam is tired of the monotony of her life. She wants more but just isn’t sure exactly what is missing and is open to possibilities. When her old life falls apart, she decides to get a change of pace and hops on a Greyhound bus with nothing but essential necessities ready to see where life will take her.

This is where she meets Andrew. He’s so similar to her and yet so completely different. Intriguing. And they decide to join up and go on a road trip together. But he’s got a secret and as they bond over the course of their journey, and fall in love, it has the potential to either tear them apart or cement them together.

“I think when you fall in love, like true love, its love for life. All the rest is just experiences and delusions.”

I know a some people have said that the beginning of this book was a little slow, and I’ll admit that it wasn’t a fast-paced thrill ride or anything, but personally, I really liked that part. Maybe it was because I knew something ‘exciting’ was coming, but I liked how the story took its time to familiarize you with the characters. It was a quiet build up and honestly, I enjoyed its pacing.

The book wrapped me up in Cam’s adventure. I found her journey liberating even just as a reader.

And when Andrew came onto the scene, I fell in love. Guys, he has a crooked smile, dimples, tattoos and is pretty badass in a fight. Oh, and he calls her ‘babe’. Be still my heart!! <3

I enjoyed watching Cam and Andrew slowly building their friendship, establishing trust, getting comfortable with each other and bonding despite being complete strangers.

“The heart always wins out over the mind. The heart, although reckless and suicidal and a masochist all on its own, always gets in the way.”

The book is told in alternate POVs but it starts out primarily from Cam’s POV. And it isn’t until 16% that we get Andrew’s. I really liked this because by that time, I felt very connected to Cam and was totally ready to get in Andrew’s head. And as the book went on, the POVs got progressively more entwined and the switch happened progressively more frequently mirroring their growing bond.

I was originally planning on only reading half of it last night and saving the rest for the morning, but when I got to the 49% mark, HOLY HELL!!!!! The book just took this AMAZING turn. I mean, I was enjoying it before but then it was just WOW WOW WOWWWW!!! It didn’t matter that it was 2:30AM, suddenly I was WIDE awake and RIVETED to the page!!

The questions came flooding in. I started forming dozens of theories. I needed to know more. To get answers. To figure Andrew out!

“I don’t know how I got myself into this, but I do know that as much as my conscience is ripping into my fucking ears, telling me to leave her alone, I can’t. I don’t want to.
We’ve already gone too far.” ~Andrew

I was squirming, fanning myself, blushing, flipping pages like crazy!!

There was this intensity to them. It was quiet at first but it just didn’t stop building.

It was like this perfect puzzle with a key piece missing. Something just wasn’t quite right but you didn’t know quite what it was.

And the confession scene was just phenomenally written. I was right there in the moment with them. Totally wrapped up in their story.

I did have my suspicions about the big secret but when everything finally clued in for me at 90%, my heart. just. DROPPED.

By 92%, all my suspicions had all been confirmed and I was FREAKING out!

The ending was just amazing, incredible, perfect. WOW. Totally beautiful!

I don’t want to give it away, but just take heart, there IS an epilogue! 🙂

“…dwelling and planning is bullshit,” he says. “You dwell on the past, you can’t move forward. Spend too much time planning for the future and you just push yourself backwards, or you say stagnant in the same place all your life.” His eyes lock on mine. “Live in the moment.”

This book really drives home the message of how important it is to live in the moment, to follow your heart and not waste a precious second of your life.

“I wanted to say thank you.”
“For what?” …
 “… for making me feel alive.”…
“Well, everybody needs help feeling alive again every once in a while.”
“No,” she says seriously… “I didn’t say again, Andrew; for making me feel alive for the first time.” 

And can I just say that I absolutely LOVE the “New Adult” genre. It truly rides the line between a bit of the YA emotional ‘feelings’ and just enough Adult heat to keep things spicy.

I totally loved this and would highly recommend adding it to your TBRs!

• Buy EDGE OF NEVER on Kindle 
• Buy EDGE OF NEVER in Paperback 

Here are some of the songs from their road trip in case you want to have them lined up to listen to:

Carry On Wayward Son – Kansas
Dust In The Wind – Kansas
Feel Like Makin’ Love – Bad Company
Ready For Love – Bad Company
Poison % Wine – The Civil Wars
Barton Hallows – The Civil Wars
Hotel California – The Eagles
The Reaper – Steve Walsh
Laugh, I Nearly Died – Rolling Stones

 

CASTING ( Except for the two images of Nicholas Lemons here as Andrew that are my own casting, the rest of the pictures were taken from the author’s Pinterest Page for The Edge of Never)

• Andrew –> Click here and here
• Cam –> Click here
• Andrew and Cam –> Click here and here and here

** SERIES READING ORDER **

#1 THE EDGE OF NEVER — Kindle | Paperback

#2 THE EDGE OF ALWAYS — Kindle | Paperback