The Birthday List (Maysen Jar, #1)

by Devney Perry

[stacey_is_sassy]

Moving with the curves…

I started this review thinking 4 stars, but getting all these feelings down, it's a bloody 5 all the way.

When I was younger, I swore to my hubby that he would be my one and only. For me, at the time, I felt like there was no chance that I could move on if something happened to him. Sorry hubby, but I think I’ve changed my mind. Don’t get me wrong, I would be devastated, my heart would break, and life wouldn’t be worth living…for a while. But, eventually, I think I would live my life. I don’t think I would go looking for another love like the one I have, but I think there is room to love more than one person.

Geez, that’s the first time I’ve admitted, thought and committed to that, and hubby, if you’re reading this, love you to the moon and back. Heart and soul hubby, you are the best thing since sliced bread.

Are five years enough or too much time to grieve over the death of a “love of your life”? Is there a time limit before you can move on? Should a wife or husband forgo their own happiness (with someone else) because the person you committed to, is no longer living? It’s such a hard question to answer. I think, deep, deep down, that if it’s the type of love where you gain pleasure from your loved one finding pleasure, that they (and I) would want you to move on. Sure, if you moved on the next day, they’d probably be a little peeved but five years is a decent amount of mourning. But, then again, who’s to say?

In this case, Poppy is still young, mourned hard for five years and was definitely not happy. The Birthday List was her chance to move on, find a little closure and hopefully say goodbye to the man she planned to spend the rest of her life with. With each item marked off her husband Jamie’s list, she said goodbye. Some of the items were goofy, while others were a little naughty. Each time though, Poppy savoured while missing and wanting, the opportunity to say goodbye.

Then, one day, one of the items on her list lead her to a man, a man she would never forget. This man ruined her life…but would one day be her future.

Goh blimey, this book was EMOTIONAL. But, as usual, Devney Perry has treated us to an absolute cracker of a hero. Oh my lordy, Cole, was HOT!! Ok, he was more than hot, he was sweet, patient, loving and HOT, with a side-order of a man in a uniform (without the uniform because he’s made Detective and gets to wear polos and jeans, seriously I think that’s just as good as the hot guy in uniform…and now this bracket has gone on too long and I feel like a goose…).

Seriously, I really enjoyed The Birthday List. It was a little confronting because no person who’s in a loving and committed relationship wants to face the idea of their loved one dying too early. What it was, was an opportunity to acknowledge and accept that life does go on. People die, make mistakes, learn from mistakes…or not, and you move forward.

This story is not just a look at life after death, we also get to see other relationships and how they live and die. I’m going to try and not get too specific, but there’s one relationship that was as confronting as Poppy and Cole’s. This relationship came to an end like a lot of relationships in this day and age. Making work a priority over family, separating, and then making a catastrophically bad decision, then learning to deal with guilt and the repercussions. I admit, I crossed my arms and tutt, tutted at first, then, as time went on, my view became a little skewy…iff. What was once a nail in a coffin sort of offence became a, maybe it wasn’t so bad. I loved that this story made me think and analyse my narrow-minded views.

If you’re looking for a good story, look no further than Devney Perry’s, The Birthday List. She has again made me stop, think and realise that life is full of paths, and sometimes those paths are not straight. You’ve got to learn to move with the curves.

Stacey is Sassy, received a complimentary copy of this story. The copy provided is not the final copy and may be subject to edits and changes.