Synopsis:
'When the world says “give up”, hope whispers, “try it one more time”.’
Callie’s always been the least ambitious of her sisters but also the happiest, until fate snaps her fiance before they can say I do.
One year later, she is still putting her life back together, but she might be ready for more. With so much life left to live, she has to find a way to be happy.
Nathan knows not everyone gets a second chance at life and he’s not going to waste his. He’s left the city behind, moved to Cornwall and is starting over. When he meets a beautiful woman at the beach it feels like fate, but her heart belongs to someone else.
Could Callie and Nathan be just what the each other needs?
My Thoughts:
This book is written with great pacing. There is not a ton of major action, but there is enough going on that it does work well. I think that the author's choice to alternate between male and female MC narration worked well in this book (I do find that this style is a bit overused in contemporary romance but this one warranted it). I also like that it was a very slow romance which made sense based on the trauma Callie experienced and the grief she was working through. I think it was really neat the ways that the heart was used in both symbolic and literal ways, and in both representations; a bodily organ and a symbol of love. There were definitely a few curve balls I didn't see coming, and a few semi-predictable relationship misunderstandings (ex. catching the guy you like with a hot girl who happens to be his sister...), and some interesting opportunities to reflect on love, relationships, loss and independence. My only minor downside was that there was a good amount of information about Callie's backstory (events 1 year in the past), and not so much for Nathan. I think this was a conscious choice based on the slow reveal of information later in the story, but I think that an equal amount of info could have been given for Nathan's past without giving away any spoilers, and having a similar affect in the reveal. It just might have been helpful in creating two equal main characters. Overall it was a good book and I'd definitely recommend it.
Purchase Link - https://amzn.to/3tUhmTp
Thanks to Rachel from Rachel's Random Resources and Boldwood Books for giving me the chance to read this book and participate in this great book tour!
Debbie Howells’s first novel, a psychological thriller, The Bones of You was a Sunday Times bestseller for Macmillan. Four more bestsellers followed, including most recently The Vow , published by Avon. Fulfilling her dream of writing women’s fiction, she has found a home with Boldwood and her first title with them, The Life You Left Behind, will be published in February 2022
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