(ARC) Review: INFINITE by Jodi Meadows

Infinite
by Jodi Meadows
Series: Newsoul #3
Genre: Young Adult Fantasy
Format Acquired: ARC
Source: received from the Publisher
Published January 28th 2014 by Katherine Tegen Books
Purchase: Amazon / Kobo Barnes and Noble / The Book Depository


DESTRUCTION
The Year of Souls begins with an earthquake—an alarming rumble from deep within the earth—and it’s only the first of greater dangers to come. The Range caldera is preparing to erupt. Ana knows that as Soul Night approaches, everything near Heart will be at risk.

FLIGHT
Ana’s exile is frightening, but it may also be fortuitous, especially if she can convince her friends to flee Heart and Range with her. They’ll go north, seeking answers and allies to stop Janan’s ascension. And with any luck, the newsouls will be safe from harm’s reach.

CHOICE
The oldsouls might have forgotten the choice they made to give themselves limitless lifetimes, but Ana knows the true cost of reincarnation. What she doesn’t know is whether she’ll have the chance to finish this one sweet life with Sam, especially if she returns to Heart to stop Janan once and for all.

With gorgeous romance and thrilling action, the final book in the Incarnate trilogy offers a brilliant conclusion to the compelling questions of this fascinating world, where one new girl is the key to the lives of millions.
MY REVIEW


How do you feel while reading the last installment of your favorite series? As for me, I feel excited, but somehow sad. The Newsoul Trilogy is probably one of my favorite series in my bookish life. As what I have said at my review of Incarnate (Newsoul #1), Jodi's story is one of a kind. This is an entire new context to me and her ideas of Range and its characters were unique. I never imagines I have to let go of Ana and Dossam's story, although I knew that they will live forever in my heart.

When I saw the title, Infinite, I immediately concluded that this means infinite love between Ana and Sam. But as I read along, I lost hope at some point, knowing that they're fighting to end the reincarnation and stop Janan's evil plan. They realized what it costs for someone to reincarnate and they wanted to give the newsouls a chance to live.


“But reincarnation wasn't natural, and souls suffered for it. Didn't that mean I need to right this wrong if I could? I couldn't ignore it.”
In Infinite, Ana proved herself more than she can do. She didn't fail those who have faith in her. She wanted to stop Janan so bad that she's willing to take all the risk, which includes communicating with dragons. Even though she knew about Sam's history with the dragons, she still pushed through. Her friends were against this decision, but in the end, they all gave her their support because they want to make up with their selfish decision (this happened in Phoenix Overture, Newsoul #2.5). They felt guilty. And they didn't like it that Ana doesn't want them to feel that way because they should. Damn. Ana has such a good heart. And that's one of the reasons why I love her so much. She didn't want to blame her friends but she doesn't take it either. She wanted them to fight to correct what they have done.


"You're trying to keep your friends good and blameless so we can continue on what we'd been before, but that's not going to work. Let us accept the blame for what we've done. Let us deal with that blame. It's not pleasant for any of us, but you can't -- and shouldn't -- try to stop it just because it makes you uncomfortable."
And there's Cris. Sam's bestfriend and probably one of my favorite characters. I was shocked when he sacrificed himself for Ana. I thought he'd be dead and forever gone. But Ana found a way to communicate with the sylph and through Jodi's writing, I can perfectly imagine how they talk to each other. Even with the dragons. I just wished there had been plenty of Ana and Cris parts in the series when Cris was still a human. It doesn't have to be a love affair, just a deeper form of friendship.

Ana and Sam's journey and how their relationship grew was very interesting. It's not the typical instalove, but more on getting to know each other everyday. Their fascination to music drawn them closer together. And Sam. I just love him. He knew Ana will never have the chance to be born again but he wanted her life to continue. He wanted everyone, especially the future generations, to know and remember her as Ana Incarnate and her love for music. Sam never failed to make me blush with his words. He wanted to show Ana a thousand ways to prove his undying love for her and he just makes me swoon all over again. Gaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhh. The feels!!! He wanted to spend the rest of his and Ana's life together and do all the things they can while they're still alive and breathing.


"I got so lost in my own guilt and misery that I forgot what's most important."
"What's that?"
"Living. Loving. Making the most of our time together, no matter how long or short it will be."
There are also times when they felt like giving up, but then they realized how much they sacrificed to reach this far and there's no more turning back. I'm happy that everything turned out to be alright. But I cried when the temple burst out and... The ending!!! You guys should make it to the end. I never anticipated that ending. I can't get over it when I finished reading that I just have to read that part over and over again! If you think this is a tragic love story (which I did lol) well, the ending will surprise you.

All in all, the author's writing style made it easy for the readers to understand and appreciate the story even more. The characters's growth is fantastic and the changes in Range can be clearly pictured out in the minds of the readers. Her writing style is simply amazing. This conclusion to the Newsoul series is just perfect. Nothing more to say.

MY RATING
ABOUT THE AUTHOR


Jodi Meadows

Like many writers, I’ve always wanted to do this professionally. You know, after I decided against being an astronaut.

Unlike many writers, I didn’t skip straight from picture books to adult novels. I have fond memories of going to Bookstop every month for the latest Baby-Sitters Club (which I kept reading, even after I realized they were never going to let the paranormal elements be real), and even fonder memories of hanging out in my middle school library. The librarians probably knew exactly what they were doing when they suggested book after book and discussed them with me at length. I, of course, had no clue they were turning me into a book addict, but it worked out for the best. Once I found the books where magic and other fantastic elements were real, I was hooked.

When I was twenty, I met a boy, moved 1,500 miles, and married him all within six months. I now realize that was crazy and dangerous, but it seemed natural at the time and, again, worked out for the best. Not only did we stay madly in love, he worked full time at a hard job so I could stay home to write books and, hopefully, one day get published.

The other crazy thing we did was fall in love with ferrets. They have their own bedroom.

My hobbies, aside from spending all my money on books and Kippy/ferret treats, revolve around yarn. I love crocheting, knitting, and spinning. In addition to several handspindles, I share my living room with a spinning wheel named Bob.

Author Links:


"I just want you. I want you forever and I'm afraid--" His hands closed over mine. "I want a life with you. I'd give anything to go back and start this one over, to be reborn into this lifetime. I wouldn't waste it. I'd find you sooner. I'd take you somewhere safe. I'd show you music and love and life every day so you were never alone, never afraid. If I could start over knowing what I know now--" He released a desperate laugh. "I know who this sounds."
"It's okay." My words were a breath, a grasp.
He squeezed my hands. "I'm afraid, Ana. I'm afraid, and I feel like if I don't kiss you right now, I'll break apart."





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Stacking the Shelves #16 March Haul

Stacking the Shelves is a weekly meme hosted by Tynga's Reviews and is a great way to showcase books you've recently added to your bookshelves. It is all about sharing the books you are adding to your shelves, may it be physical or virtual. This means you can include books you buy in physical store or online, books you borrow from friends or the library, review books, gifts and of course ebooks!

But for my STS, I'll be showing here only the physical copies of books I recently owned/borrowed/won. eBooks/eARCs will be showcased on my In My Mailbox posts.




Bought from National Book Store:
1. Hush, Hush (Hush, Hush #1) by Becca Fitzpatrick (SIGNED)
2. Crescendo 
(Hush, Hush #2)  by Becca Fitzpatrick (SIGNED)
3. Silence (Hush, Hush #3) by Becca Fitzpatrick (SIGNED)
4. Finale (Hush, Hush #4) by Becca Fitzpatrick (SIGNED)


Bought from National Book Store:
1. Til Death (Fractured Souls #1) by Kate Evangelista (SIGNED)
3. Spellbound (Hex Hall #3) by Rachel Hawkins

Bought from Fully Booked:
1. Boundless (Unearthly #3) by Cynthia Hand

Gifted:
2. (ARC) Black Ice by Becca Fitzpatrick SIGNED (Thanks to Becca, Simon and Schuster, and National Book Store!)


How about you? What's added to your haul? :)



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Review: THE CATASTROPHIC HISTORY OF YOU AND ME by Jess Rothenberg

The Catastrophic History of You and Me
by Jess Rothenberg
Genre: Young Adult Contemporary
Format Acquired: Paperback
Source: Bought from National Book Store
Published April 18th 2013 by Speak
Purchase Links: Amazon / Barnes and Noble / Kobo / The Book Depository


An addictively page-turning debut for fans of Before I Fall
Brie is the “biggest, cheesiest, sappiest romantic” who believes that everyone will find their perfect someone, so when Jacob, the love of Brie's life, tells her he doesn't love her anymore, the news breaks her heart, literally, and she dies. But now that she's D&G (dead and gone), Brie revisits the living world to discover that her family has begun to unravel and her best friend has been keeping an intimate secret about her boyfriend. Somehow, Brie must handle all of this while navigating through the five steps of grief with the help of Patrick, her mysterious bomber-jacketed guide to the afterlife. But how is she supposed to face the Ever After with a broken heart and no one to call her own?
MY REVIEW

“my heart didn't fail, someone failed my heart.”
OMG SO MUCH FEELS FOR THIS BOOK!!! Jess Rothenberg impressed me with her writing! This is one of those books that definitely caught me reading up all night from the first chapter up to the last!

This is about the story of Brie, a normal teenage girl, who died of a broken heart. Literally, a broken heart. She's just like any typical teen who has girl bestfriends, actively participating in school activities, into sports, and of course, a girl who believes that everyone would find their perfect someone, no matter what.

“The problem is, there is absolutely nothing "fun" about falling in love. Nope. Mostly it just makes you feel sick and crazy and anxious and nervous that it's going to end miserably and ruin your whole life. And guess what: Then it does.”
The book started with her funeral, where she tells about how she feels witnessing her own funeral. And then there's her little brother who was the first character in this book who made me cry. Yeah. He did. I thought he's too young to actually understand what's going on but the moment he asked to talk and read the speech he made for her dead sister, then he cried, BOOM. TEARS ALL OVER.

Okay, we have the SAME birthday. But not the same year.. I'm a year older. Hah. And then, Patrick. My significant other's name! Wait, I'm not being biased here. Lol. Anyway, I love how Patrick helped Brie to get over the five stages of grief: Denial. Anger. Bargaining. Sadness. And last, but not the least, Acceptance. It must be very hard to be a wandering soul, trying to figure things out, letting all of it, which of course includes your death, sink in. This book made me feel what it feels like to be there, but in reality, you're not. Like seeing all of your loved ones, doing their usual things, but they can't see you nor hear you. It's like being part of the wind, you're everywhere, but physically nowhere.

“All of a sudden I felt invisible. Forgotten. Like the universe had played a really mean practical joke on me, even though I've never done anything to deserve it.”
Brie's death left unfixed issues on her family, friends, and ex-boyfriend. I really like how Patrick knows when and where to come to Brie's rescue. He helped her get through almost everything. He made her realize the truth about her life. Or afterlife. It was quite funny how they scared Jacob to get back to him. But it also came to the point where Brie's been acting too much. She became somehow uncontrollable that she even pushed Patrick away. I felt sad for her, knowing she's been through a lot especially when she died because it was only then that she knew the truth. But I'm happy she had friends who were always there for her, even when she is no longer by their side. She's lucky to have them and they were the ones you can truly call best friends. Also her dog, Hamloaf, played a big part to her afterlife.

 “No matter how much you think you know a person - no matter how pretty they act, or how popular they seem, you can never know what their lives are really like.”
This novel is a book not mainly about death, but about acceptance and letting go. AND FALLING INLOVE ALL OVER AGAIN. There's also a twist in the story that made me confused at first, "the other life" of Brie. I had to ask Kayla of The Bookish Owl to somehow explain it to me. Thanks to her. Anyway, the confusion didn't affect my five star rating for the book.

“You can obsess and obsess over how things ended- what you did wrong or could have done differently- but there's not much of a point. It's not like it'll change anything. So really, why worry?”
This, so far, is the most touching and heart melting contemporary novel I ever read. I never expected this to be so great. I love this. I absolutely love this novel!

MY RATING
ABOUT THE AUTHOR


Jess Rothenberg


Jess Rothenberg grew up in Charleston, South Carolina, graduated from Vassar College, and spent most of her twenties editing books for teens and middle grade readers (like the bestselling titles VAMPIRE ACADEMY, STRANGE ANGELS, and I AM A GENIUS OF UNSPEAKABLE EVIL & I WANT TO BE YOUR CLASS PRESIDENT, to name just a few). She lives in Brooklyn where she writes full-time, dances interpretively, and dreams of one day owning a sheepdog named Leo. 

THE CATASTROPHIC HISTORY OF YOU AND ME is her first novel. Visit www.jessrothenberg.com to find out more.







“When you're in love, the world is brighter. Sunnier. The air smells flowerier, and your hair is silkier, and suddenly you find yourself smiling at babies and strangers and old couples walking down the beach holding hands.” 





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Tea-rrific Topic #1: My Reading Journey + Reading Essentials


(Tea-rrific Topics will be about my book blogging issues and tips for readers and bloggers out there. For now, that will do the magic. It's not really final on what my topics will be so please watch out for my future posts!)


I think it's very obvious that I loooooooove to read. I've been a reader since kindergarten and my parents has always been supportive of that. My mom didn't had a hard time teaching me how to read since I've always been eager to know what those words on the books mean and how they were associated with the pictures with it. Plus, I love to draw. I'm pretty good at it. ;)


I grew up reading Sweet Valley Twins, Sweet Valley High, and Goosebumps. I also had a complete collection of the comic book magazine W.I.T.C.H. Then at the age 13, I started having an interest in reading classics, historical fictions, memoirs, biographies, autobiographies, and fiction contemporary novels. I don't read much Young Adult back then. My YA journey started with Twilight series by Stephenie Meyer and Blue is for Nightmare series by Laurie Faria Stolarz.  Since then, I shifted reading from classics to young adult books. My love for reading is accompanied by my love of writing. I'm a campus journalist when I was in highschool, and I became the Editor-in-Chief during my senior year. I also love to write poems. I have a blog for them named The Tongue-tied Poet.


I started blogging when I was in second year college, while I surfed around Goodreads. Since I was already blogging about my personal life before, I realized it would be a great idea to have a blog about my passion for books. I can finally have a space where I can rant over my feels and meet other people with the same passion (since I don't have many friends who love reading).


Before, it's not really important to me whether I have a copy of the book I like. But since I started blogging, I can no longer stop myself buying books. Before, I don't do highlights or put marks/tabs on the pages where I find quotes that touch me, but now, I'm pretty obsessed with buying bookmarks and post-its. I even carry a notebook with me so I can write down my rants about a certain book anytime and make a list of the books I want to buy. Yeah, I know it's easier to use my cellphone but I just like to write them down. I also use my cellphone by the way, sometimes.


And now, I would like to share with you my reading essentials. These are basically the things I need to have as a bookworm:


1. Discount and membership cards of our local book stores. And yes, a Starbucks card for my coffee and tea addiction!




2. TBR (To-be-read) Jar. A facebook friend suggested that I make one so that when I can't decide on what book should I read next, I can just pick one!


3. Highlighting materials. Highlighter pens (But no, I don't highlight my books. They're for educational books) and post-its for marking the pages I love the most!


4. Bookmarks. I love collecting bookmarks! Actually, I intend to buy a bookmark that would match my next read!




5. Planner. To keep track of my everyday to-do's. I love reading but of course I don't want it to be the reason I don't finish the tasks I need to. Also, as a blogger, I also keep track of the blog tours I signed up to.



6. Pen and Notebook. This is where I write down my thoughts and reviews about the books I read. I can't go out of the house without a pen and a notebook inside my bag.




7. My Kobo Glo e-Reader. I love to read on physical books but sometimes, I don't bring them with me especially during rainy days and because I'm scared them might get damaged or what. So, to fill in my love for books, I bought an e-Reader. This Kobo reads EPUB formats only. I have a Kindle app on my phone.




8. Dictionary. I may have a thing for words and my friends call me "The Walking Dictionary" but I still need this to improve my vocabulary and grammar!




And, to sum up my reading essentials, I bought something to serve as my reading kit. It's called a Habi Binder.






Taken from the Habi Binders' facebook page, here are some facts/description to let you know more about them:

*Habi is a 13” x 9” multifunctional binder that allows easy organization and caters to the needs of the present generation such as the emergence of tablet computers. The Habi binder features pockets, compartments and a secured tablet computer slot. 
The Habi binder comes in a variety of Filipino inspired designs made up of woven fabrics sourced from different places such as:

-T’boli tnalak fabric from T’boli weavers in Lake Sebu 
-Native woven fabric from Benguet province 
-Abaca fabric from Cebu
*Habi means 'weave'

I got my Habi Binder through my blogger friends, Sab of Sab the Book Eater. She's one of the people behind the mini company that started the Habi Binders project. Check out her post about this wherein she introduced it as her Reading Kit! Click here.

So, there it is! My first discussion post. What about you? Share about your reading journey in the comments or give me a link if you already discussed about this thing on your blog! You can also tell me about your reading essentials! *wink*



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Til Death by Kate Evangelista Book Launch

National Book Store gave us another great bookish event through launching Kate Evangelista's latest book, Til Death (Fractired Souls #1). This happened just yesterday, 4pm in the afternoon at their Glorietta 1 branch. The event was hosted by her fellow Filipina and also an author, Mina Esguerra.


Kate received questions from the audience and from twitter, which is mostly (obviously) about her books and her writing career. She shared some of her struggles as a writer, especially when it comes to the publishing part. She told us that being rejected by some publishers doesn't mean that your book is bad at all, it's just might not be for them, and they can't help you to market your books out. Another thing she shared to us is about receiving positive and negative reviews of her books. She said that it feels great to receive both because it's scary if you only receive positive reviews since you wouldn't know where to improve your writing.

Here are some facts about Kate:
After the question and answer part, she raffled the names of those who attended the event for some goodies! Too sad I didn't win. Also, we finally met the Momma-ger! She's so much younger in person that I can't believe she's Kate's mother. They look like sisters!

 

Wait, did I mention that there'd been free food? Yes! The siomai was the best part. Yum!


Another fun thing about this event is that I get to meet with my lovely blogger friends again! I had a great time chatting with them and ranting about the books we loved and didn't like.


 
(Photos grabbed from Kai of Amaterasu Reads and Kate of The Bookaholic Blurbs)

And finally, Kate signed our books! As promised, the first 50 people who registered were given a tote bag. I'm number 12! Thanks to Kai of Amaterasu Reads who did a huge favor for me. Hihi. Also, we had Mina Esguerra sign her books for us too! She's too kind to agree.


Yes, she asked if she can use my name for one of her future books! I'm so excited and it's hard to contain all the feels during the moment. Teehee!!!


I would like to thank National Book Store for having us again in this successful event and giving us another opportunity to meet not only one but two of our Pinoy pride authors! Til next time! Another bookish event will take place by the end of the month! Stay tune! :)



Pinoy Book Tours bloggers with Kate EvangelistaL-R: Algel from Tea-rrific ReadsCamelle from Home of a Book LoverDianne from Oops, I Read a Book AgainLeslie from Bibliophile KidKai from Amaterasu ReadsKazhy from My Library in the Making,
Kate from The Bookaholic BlurbsJhed from When Books Defy Gravity and Kate Evangelista

(Photo from Kate of The Bookaholic Blurbs)




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Release Day + Review: A CRY FOR HOPE by Beth Rinyu


OMG guys!!! I am so excited to announce to you that today is the official release AND publishing of Beth Rinyu's latest book, A CRY FOR HOPE!!!

Come and join in the fun as we celebrate the release of A CRY FOR HOPE by Beth Rinyu on Facebook! Lots of prizes and giveaways here!


A Cry For Hope
by Beth Rinyu
Genre: New Adult Romance
Format Acquired: e-ARC
Source: Received from the Author
Published March 14th 2014
Purchase: Amazon / Barnes and Noble

Hope McAdams life as she knew it ended on the same day that her eight year old son’s did.

Eight months later she's trying to regain some semblance of normality, while trying to repair her once perfect marriage to a man who was her best friend, but now a complete stranger. Coming to the painful realization that she must fix the hole that’s deep within her heart, she goes home to the place that she grew up in hopes that time and distance will heal her wounds and lead her back to the man she loves.

Nick Abate is an old friend of Hope’s whose heart is also on the mend. He’s home on leave from the Marines, and when he and Hope reconnect, their friendship picks up right where they left off, years ago. They both begin to heal and feel whole again with the help of each other. But when their friendship crosses the line, will Hope be able to forgive herself and move on, or will the guilt that she is harboring once again cause her to slip back into the place that she has just escaped? 

What happens when two tortured souls place their trust in each other? Will they find their way back to the ones they love or will their hearts remain connected forever?

Read my review of A Cry For Hope to know why I gave it a full FIVE stars rating here!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Beth Rinyu

Ever since I can remember, I have always enjoyed Creative Writing. There was always something about being able to travel to a different place or become a different person with just the stroke of a pen - or in today's world a touch of the keyboard. I am the author of The Exception To The Rule, An Unplanned Lesson and Drowning In Love (releasing July 2013).

My life is not as interesting as my books or the characters in them, but then again whose life is? I was born and have lived in New Jersey my whole life. I'm a mom of twin teenage boys, a teenage stepson, a crazy Border Collie and a cat with an identity crisis! I guess you can say writing is my form of Calgon! I am married to a wonderful guy - but we'll keep that between us, I don't want him getting a big head! 

Thanks for taking the time to learn about my books and me! If you decide to read them (and I hope you do!) please be sure to go on and review it for me - yes, even if you don't like it!

Author Links:


"We both need to accept the new people we've become before we can expect anyone else to accept us. Because, no matter how hard we wish for it, that person that we used to be is never coming back."




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(ARC) Review: A CRY FOR HOPE by Beth Rinyu

A Cry For Hope
by Beth Rinyu
Genre: New Adult Romance
Format Acquired: e-ARC
Source: Author (Thanks a bunch, Beth!)
Expected Publication March 14th 2014


Hope McAdams life as she knew it ended on the same day that her eight year old son’s did.

Eight months later she's trying to regain some semblance of normality, while trying to repair her once perfect marriage to a man who was her best friend, but now a complete stranger. Coming to the painful realization that she must fix the hole that’s deep within her heart, she goes home to the place that she grew up in hopes that time and distance will heal her wounds and lead her back to the man she loves.

Nick Abate is an old friend of Hope’s whose heart is also on the mend. He’s home on leave from the Marines, and when he and Hope reconnect, their friendship picks up right where they left off, years ago. They both begin to heal and feel whole again with the help of each other. But when their friendship crosses the line, will Hope be able to forgive herself and move on, or will the guilt that she is harboring once again cause her to slip back into the place that she has just escaped? 

What happens when two tortured souls place their trust in each other? Will they find their way back to the ones they love or will their hearts remain connected forever?
MY REVIEW


I have always been a fan of Beth Rinyu's works. The Unplanned Series made me cry, made me blush, and made me laugh. But this book, A Cry of Hope, made me shed a waterfall of tears. It gave me all the feels for a woman, a mother, who lost almost everything in her life. Everything that made her life worth living. And I have to warn you, please prepare a box of tissue before you read this book. I'm 100% sure you'll be needing it.
"This is the story about my family. My beautiful son, my once perfect husband, and finding the courage to live and feel whole again."
At first, I thought this will be another love story about a girl and a boy who were bestfriends then ended up marrying each other. But I was wrong.

A Cry For Hope is a story about Hope, a mother, who lost her son. Not only did he lost her son, but also her husband's heart. He blames her for the tragic incident and she can do nothing but to take the blame. I am not a mother (yet) but through Beth's writing, I can feel the exact feelings of Hope. If I were her, I wouldn't know what to do. It's too much heartbreak for me and I can't bear that kind of pain!
"My two greatest fears in life were losing my child and dying myself. Since I had already faced one of those fears head on, I no longer feared the second."
I hated Jamie, Hope's husband. How can he blame Hope for the loss of their son, Charlie, all this time? Does he really think Hope wanted it to happen? The flashbacks of their lives made me cry each and every time. It literally broke my heart. I was a mess. I cried inside the shuttle going to work while reading. I didn't care about the stares of other people at me. I just cared about Hope's feelings. I wanted to hug her and tell her that everything will be fine. I wanted to slap Jamie to make him realize what he's done. He should've been there for Hope and comfort her in this rough time of their lives. Ugh! Hope made the right decision to stay away from Jamie for the time being and stay with her mother. She needs someone who will understand her and make her feel better.
"You know, Jamie, sometimes emotional pain can hurt worse than physical pain. I would rather endure that day over and over again, rather than feeling like I'm worthless to the man I love."
When Hope ran home, to her mother, all she wanted was to think and probably lessen the pain in her heart by keeping herself busy. But what she didn't expect is that she'd bump into her childhood bestfriend, Nick. And I guess this is why girls also need guy bestfriends. Because in this story, one of them played the most important part. They started hanging out again, keeping up with each other's life. She found out that Nick is carrying some burden with him too, and she thought of not adding to that burden. But Nick can't bear to see Hope feeling so down and hopeless. So he helped her ease out the pain and move on. I thought this will lead into some kind of a friends with benefits thing, but I was wrong again. Nick did everything to pick up the shattered pieces of Hope's heart. He made her feel she is worthy of love, that she deserved to be loved. And I love Nick so much for what he did. Every girl needs a guy like Nick, even for just a friend.
"Hope, you are not hopeless at all. You've just been through a lot and you've changed because of it. You will never be the same person that you were before you lost your son, just like I will never be the same person I was before. . ."
Nick played the biggest role in reuniting Jamie and Hope, thus giving them another chance. Their whole story might bring you pain, and despair, but Nick will give you hope. He will bring you happiness and forgiveness. Yes, the loss of Charlie will always be a whole in their heart that will never be replaced, but eventually, that loss will turn out to be a new beginning, a new life. This is a TOTAL tear-jerker but I don't have any regrets reading this. Beth, I love you. I love your works. I love your characters.

Here are some of the songs that remind me of Hope, Jamie, and Nick's story:



Say Something - A Great Big World and Christina Aguilera




Gravity - Sara Bareilles



MY RATING
ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Beth Rinyu


Ever since I can remember, I have always enjoyed Creative Writing. There was always something about being able to travel to a different place or become a different person with just the stroke of a pen - or in today's world a touch of the keyboard. I am the author of The Exception To The Rule, An Unplanned Lesson and Drowning In Love (releasing July 2013).

My life is not as interesting as my books or the characters in them, but then again whose life is? I was born and have lived in New Jersey my whole life. I'm a mom of twin teenage boys, a teenage stepson, a crazy Border Collie and a cat with an identity crisis! I guess you can say writing is my form of Calgon! I am married to a wonderful guy - but we'll keep that between us, I don't want him getting a big head! 

Thanks for taking the time to learn about my books and me! If you decide to read them (and I hope you do!) please be sure to go on and review it for me - yes, even if you don't like it!

Author Links:




"We both need to accept the new people we've become before we can expect anyone else to accept us. Because, no matter how hard we wish for it, that person that we used to be is never coming back."






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