Remembering Joy

by Jenni Moen

[kimbacaffeinate]

Remember Joy is a tale about revenge, forgiveness, loss, and love. Jenni Moen drew me in from the very first page and held my heart captive until the end. Fans of Ten Tiny Breaths and Sea of Tranquility will enjoy this heartwarming new adult romance. Three word review: breathtaking, captivating and an emotional ride.

The tale begins when we meet Alexis an associate at a successful law firm who is determined to make her career her legacy. She and one of her colleagues are enjoying a cocktail at an afterhours club called the Library; a swanky bar in New York City. Adam is at the Library too, feeling under dressed in his t-shirt and jeans. He is waiting on a friend when he glances across the bar and sees her. Hate and disgust fill him. How can she just sit there in her Prada’s looking happy and so sexy? When she spots Adam she is drawn to him and sees him as the perfect distraction to her mundane life. Adam sees his chance for a little revenge and devises a plan to make her fall for him then crush her heart. The deeper the relationship goes the more complicated and mixed up their feelings become. Told from dual POVs this tale will grab you and hold on till the bitter end, leaving you breathless.

Alexis is a likable, driven, and lonely character. She has friends through work, but mostly it is just her and her oddly named cat living in New York City. You cannot help but connect with her. She knits baby blankets for the hospital, is in the Big Sister program and loves romance novels. Between her odd food concoctions and her laugh, I really identified with her. Haunted by an event in her past, she closes herself off from getting to intimate with others. Moen did an incredible job of fleshing her out and I loved her voice. Adam has been hurt by a past event and a romance that ended with his heart in pieces. Oddly, even though he entered this relationship bent on revenge, I fell for him. It is a testament to the author’s writing skills. I believed in them, saw their flaws and shortcomings and rooted for them despite the odds. Secondary characters had their own voice and added to the tale giving the story a well-developed and genuine feel. I could have lived in this book forever.

Remembering Joy touched me on so many levels from identifying with the characters to the incredible, complex tale. I am so glad the author chose to tell their story using dual POVs. It allowed me to connect to both characters as the author showed us their past. We know Adam’s story from the onset, and Alexis’s story is slowly revealed to us through dreams that give us more details as we go along. The twist was freakin’ amazing and was completely believable. The story unfolded slowly and the romance built from friendship to love, despite the immediate physical aspect. It ebbed and flowed beautifully allowing me to bask in romantic moments and cry during painful ones. It is a story of growth, trust, healing, forgiveness and most of all the power of love. I wish I could talk about all the little beautiful moments, the awakenings, the pain and the joy but you my friend will just have to read and experience it for yourself.

Copy received in exchange for unbiased review and originally published @ Caffeinated Book Reviewer