Between The Holidays

by Amanda Bryk

[dedicatedtobooks80]

I discovered Amanda through Threads and popped this book on my TBR. Decided to move it up the list last week as I had finished a book series and was in the mood for something a bit different.

I stayed awake two nights in a row to read this.

My criteria for getting five stars:

Well written: yes. The author has an excellent grasp of language, good grammar, and few mistakes. Refreshing to see! She is excellent at getting into her characters minds and crafting the words to make us feel what they feel. Amanda really knows how to take us on a journey!

Interesting storyline: yes. I will admit I struggled with some of the content as it is not my usual kind of book, but that is a me thing. The story itself does draw you in and want to see where it goes. A few little plot threads got sprinkled in thagt never really got picked up and my reader brain desperately wants answers to those threads, but overall, this was well crafted.

Plot development: pretty good. I actually loved how the author didn't shy away from showing that broken people don't magically heal when falling in love. That brokeness and hurt carry over and it takes work and time to properly heal. Plus the time frame of the story is quite short and would have been entirely unrealistic had she gone down the 'we are in love and look at me being all perfect now' route.

Characters: I was leaning half star initially as the characters seemed a little 'stuck' at times, but at the end, as above, I appreciated the slow change. They made me frustrated, cry, angry, annoyed and all the others inbetween, and the one character I thought I would hate ended up being my favourite at the end.

Enjoyable: definitely. An author can get all of the above right and still not craft a book which can be enjoyed but this one was brilliant.

As mentioned, this is not my usual genre of book to read but I am so glad I took a chance on this one. I genuinely loved it and very much look forward to other novels written by Amanda.

And for those who are fans of spice, there is indeed spice. It is of the hot variety!