Book Review — The Fable Of Us by Nicole Williams

“It doesn’t seem to matter how far away I go or how many years go by. I’m starting to accept that there will always be some part of me that is going to hold on to some part of you.”

• Buy THE FABLE OF US (Kindle)
• Buy THE FABLE OF US (Paperback)

I absolutely loved this book!! It captured my attention from the very first chapter and I couldn’t stop reading until I reached the end. The story was full of heart and the beautiful writing captured the intense emotions of a second chance romance flawlessly. I highly recommend this as a top favorite!

The Fable Of Us is about a rich girl, Clara, who went against everything her family wanted and fell in love with Boone, a boy from the wrong side of the tracks, when they were just teenagers. She followed her heart and that led her to him, but something (which you find out) tore them tragically apart and she left town. Until one day, seven years later, when she returns home for her sister’s wedding and ends up face-to-face with the one boy she’d never been able to forget. This is where the book begins.

In a desperate attempt to not be left alone with her conceited, judgmental family, she offers him ten thousand dollars to be her plus one for the week and the wedding. Despite all the pain and clouded history between them, he still can’t refuse the only girl he’s ever loved — even if she did break his heart.

“Are you asking me to show up at your family’s place… [to] pose as your date for the wedding?”

I shook my head. Hard. “As my plus one. That’s all.”

He didn’t miss it either. Something that resembled the stirrings of a smirk worked it’s way into his expression. “As your boyfriend.”

He wasn’t going to make this easy… “As my plus one.”

His smirk became as pronounced as it got. His head tipped just a bit, his eyes flashing, and his mouth turned up in a hint of a smile. “As your lover?”

My fingers curled into my palms. “As. My. Plus. One.”

And over the week, as they spend time together, they become close again and eventually uncover out the truth behind the horrible event that tore them apart… A secret that calls into question everything that happened. And something that gives them a second chance at love.

He smelled like my childhood. Like the best years of my life… 

I wanted to bury my face in his shirt and breathe him in until I’d had my fill, but if this next week was ever going to work, I couldn’t let past feelings and history bleeding the picture. 

I couldn’t wreck him again — and I couldn’t let him wreck me.

Ohhhhhh you guys!! I could feel the emotional turmoil these characters were going through. Even though the whole story is written from her perspective, I found that I connected strongly to both of them. Even from the first moment that they saw each other when she came back to down, all the intense emotions between hit me strong. Tension. Anger. Love. Pain. Longing. Desire. Forgiveness. I felt it all!

Where had we gone wrong? Where had all of that love gone? I knew about the mistakes we’d made, sure, but how had we let them tear us apart? Why had we let them break us? Fast forward seven years to us living separate lives on opposite sides of the country, and I still felt like every part of me was being pulled in his direction.

Second chance romances have always been one of my most favorite kinds of stories to read because I love the feeling you get of seeing these two people who you know in your heart are meant for each other, but not yet knowing the reason behind why they were torn apart. Then as you read, you uncover their past and the missing pieces come together to complete the picture and pave the foundation for their future. I just love it. And while I have many favorites, I can definitely say that this was one of the best I’ve read!

The writing is also incredibly strong! As I read, I highlighted quotes non-stop! Such as this one…

“Because I love her. I don’t just stop loving someone because they made a mistake… When you love someone, do it right and love them forever. Don’t leave them wondering the whole time when it’s going to run out or expire.”

Boone was an incredible hero. Kind, protective, not afraid to stand up for his girl no matter who he was facing. Seriously I just wanted to hug him. And he has so many moments in the book that just made me want to cheer him on! I have no doubt that anyone who reads this book will fall in love with him too.

Clara was a really interesting heroine. I really liked her! I could feel her conflict over trying to and wanting to please her family, and yet needing to just stand on her own. Even though there were times that she did make more concessions than I probably wouldn’t have (for example, I would have been less forgiving of them than her), I appreciated her desire to be independent and loved watching her and Boone support each other.

Her family was downright awful. The things they said and did to them were just plain ugly! But the way that Clara and Boone stood together in the face of all the hate just made me so proud of them!

Actually, one of the things I loved most about the book was the way Clara and Boone actually talked to each other. Sure, there’d been misunderstandings in their past, but in the present day, it was crystal clear that they’d both matured over their years apart. I really appreciated seeing that clear contrast — it’s really nice to see that kind of character growth. I loved that they were quite communicative and openly discussed their feelings and issues. You could just tell that they were meant to be with each other. It just felt right.

“I’ve only ever had one someone special, and she turned me off to the whole idea of ever having another one.”

I read this book practically in one sitting. I wasn’t even intending to read the book at that particular time. I knew I wanted to read it at some point though so I just wanted to take a peek at the first chapter to see how I felt about it. Well, that chapter hooked me and before I knew it, I was half way through (and of course totally in love with it). By that time, I tried to put the book down for the night but then I just lay awake thinking about it so I had to get back up and keep on reading. I finished at 4AM with my heart filled with happiness. Don’t you just love it when a book captures your heart like that?? It’s the best feeling!

Here’s another example of how much I loved the book. I don’t buy paperback books until I know I’ve loved the story. That makes it so that everything I read is in eBook form, and then all the paperbacks on my shelves are all favorites. Literally making my bookshelves into “favorites shelves”. Well… I went and purchase the paperback of this book when I hit 50%. That almost never happens, but I already knew. There was no doubt this was going to be a favorite.

This book was absolutely wonderful. The writing was strong, the story was additive, the emotions were intense, and I fell in love with this couple. If you’re looking for a new book to be swept away in, try this!

Rating: 4.5 — 5 stars. Standalone New Adult Romance.

• Buy THE FABLE OF US (Kindle)
• Buy THE FABLE OF US (Paperback)