In this evocative and poignant novel from the USA TODAY bestselling author of Blind Kiss and Wish You Were Here, a young widow in the midst of grieving her late husband through Facebook posts learns to heal and fall in love again.
“See you on the other side.”
Laya Marston’s husband, Cameron, a daredevil enthusiast, always said this before heading off on his next adventure. He was the complete opposite of her, ready and willing to dive off a cliff-face, or parachute across a canyon—and Laya loved him for it. But she was different: pragmatic, regimented, devoted to her career and to supporting Cameron from the sidelines of his death-defying feats.
Opposites attract, right?
But when Cameron dies suddenly and tragically, all the stages of grief go out the window. Laya becomes lost in denial, living in the delusion that Cameron will come back to her. She begins posting on his Facebook page, reminiscing about their life together, and imagining new adventures for the two of them.
Micah Evans, a young and handsome architect at Laya’s father’s firm, is also stuck––paralyzed by the banal details of his career, his friendships, and his love life. He doesn’t know what he’s looking for, only that there is someone out there who can bring energy and spirit to the humdrum of his life.
When Micah discovers Laya’s tragic and bizarre Facebook posts, he’s determined to show Laya her life is still worth living. Leaving her anonymous gifts and notes, trying to recreate the sense of adventure she once shared with her late husband, Micah finds a new passion watching Laya come out of the darkness. And Laya finds a new joy in the experiences Micah has created for her.
But for Laya, letting another man in still feels like a betrayal to her late husband. Even though Micah may be everything she could wish for, she wonders if she deserves to find happiness again.
Written with Renée Carlino’s signature “tender and satisfying” (Taylor Jenkins Reid, author of Maybe in Another Life) prose, this warm and compassionate novel shows us how powerful the courage to love and live again truly is.
Have you ever read a book you absolutely wanted to love, but didn't? Like wanted it to be 4 or 5 star worthy, but it just.......fell flat? Yea. That's me. With this book right here. I've never read a Carlino novel before and wanted so bad to love this one. I've heard great things about her work, but this book.....just didn't grip me like I wanted it.
Layla's character fell flat for me. Her character lacked depth and felt forced. When I read a novel, I love a character to be so well developed that I become them while reading, and I just didn't feel that with her. However, Micah's character was better and I felt a connection with him. I enjoyed watching him show Layla that life didn't have to be so tragic for her.
Despite the fact that this is a 3 star novel for me, I do still recommend it to others. It could be that I came into Carlino's writing style with the wrong novel, or it could be that I just wasn't open to all she has to offer, and you all may find that you love this story instantly and connect with it. I will be checking out Carlino's other novels in hopes that I love them more.
*I received a complimentary copy of this book from Publisher and was under no obligation to post a review, positive or negative.*
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6 November, 2019:
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