Hart, you write some pretty verses.
Yet another book to fall in love with. All while it chips away at your heart as these two characters, Annie and Greg, figure their stuff out. I first fell in love with Staci's work when I read A Thousand Letters, a beautiful heartbreaking story. She has the ability to write where you'll know instantly that you'll fall in love with these characters all while getting your heart obliterated. She makes you feel the emotions of each character and to me, that's just amazing. From beginning to end, you're completely in engaged in the story.
Let's start with my dear Annie, so young at just eighteen years old. Being freshly graduated from high school and going through some pretty tragic events in her life, off to New York they went. She has a fresh start all while dealing with her heart condition. Along with that, she's quite naive. I kept finding myself getting so ticked off at her because of the decisions she made, but alas, I must remember that she's still a teenager. With her fresh start, she has an intensive list of firsts that she needs to cross off. And one of those being to get a job. Heading to Wasted Words (seriously the coolest an idea for a bar ... do these places exists? I've yet to see one) she meets Greg, who is so completely enamored with her from the beginning, and it's no surprise when he gives her a job that isn't available. Smooth, Greg, real smooth. At that point, it would seem that it doesn't take so long for Greg to fall in love with Annie.
And we have Greg ... the ULTIMATE book boyfriend who will have you swooning. He manages Wasted Words; it was all just a normal work day for him until Annie came stumbling in. It's evident that he's a genuinely good guy and let me tell you, by the end, you will all be in love with him. After hiring Annie, he's always wanting himself to be around her; to get to know her and just be there with her. The one thing he has trouble getting past is her age. And that reason alone is enough for him to hide how he truly feels, even if it means someone else could step in and make her happy. You silly man.
That was Greg and me—easy and uninhibited, a joining of two streams to make a river.
OK ... the number of times that I wanted to slap some sense into these two got so high, that it was ridiculous! Plus their ability to make up reasons to answer their internal dialogue was a skillset these two are perfect at. All would be well if they were just open with each from the beginning. But as life goes, that would always be TOO easy to do. We mere mortals LOVE to make things difficult for ourselves. Annie loves fairytales and at times, thinks life is just that.
Easy is for fairy tales. Life is too fluid and unpredictable and nothing shor tof complicated.
Greg, Greg, Greg. So much to love this guy, seriously. He's fiercely protective and so damn selfless ... that guy deserves an award! Might I add, he has the patience and willpower of a saint. Something I wish I could talk more about, but you'll just have to read the book. Here's a hint, two words: that motherf**ker. ;-) I admired so much how he's always put Annie before him, it was almost heartbreaking at times, but yet another reason to be swooning over this guy.
I will never know greater fortune than having you for my own. Not as long as I live.
Absolutely loved this book and it is easily placed in my #RSFaves for the year! Like I said in the beginning, Staci Hart writes some very pretty verses! All so very deep and beautiful. Living Out Loud is a must-read, a memorable story to last a lifetime. I've read a few book adaptation of Austen's beloved stories and not many can pull it off as perfectly like Staci can. Keep doing what you're doing with this Austen Series because you are one author that completely nails it right on the head.
**ARC provided for an honest review**
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