Bridget MorrisseyBesprekingen

I liked this alright. The writing is very good and I enjoyed the story. What didn't work for me is never having Joe's POV. I wanted to know what was going thru his mind, what drove him. I felt as though I never really got to know him.

The chemistry between the leads was off the charts and the concept of a summer camp experience for adults was very very fun—I'd go! There was a lot of "meant to be" magic I can't usually get behind (I generally like romances to be more "people choosing to be there for each other", less "ordained by fate" or whatever), but I went with it. A fun, escapist romance.½

I had a difficult time getting into A Thousand Miles by Bridget Morrissey as I didn’t connect in any way to the characters. I expected to like this book more as it entailed a road trip taken by a couple who had been high school sweethearts more than 10 years ago. Both the reason they broke up long ago and the reason that they are now on this trip was vague. The problems that they encountered and dealt with felt like roadblocks put there just so we could see them working things out together.

I most probably would have discarded this book but I was reading it for a challenge so I forced myself to finish it. I admit that I wasn’t invested in the characters, and as much as the author told me they did – I didn’t think they had any chemistry. Second chance romance stories have to have to be believable, and have a valid point of conflict and A Thousand Miles failed on both counts.

The most fun I had with this book was when I got to push the discard button on my Kindle.

I tried so hard to like it. It had everything I wanted from a contemporary romance novel. Unfortunately something about the book just didn't sit right with me maybe I'll give it another shot in future

This romance was an entertaining story about enemies turned to friends and lovers. Sloane Ford is one of a famous Hollywood family. Her parents are both actors though her mother has turned to producing in recent years. Both have remarried which has extended the family by her parents' current and former spouses. Her sister is a budding director. Her brother is a composer. Sloane, herself, is a working actress. However, she was just written off the television series she'd been starring in for three years and her ex-boyfriend has just dropped an album that contains songs about her which don't paint her in a positive light.

Her family is involved in making a movie which is a romance set during World War II. She had been asked to take the starring role but turned it down because of her TV series. Of course, she would have turned it down anyway because Joseph Donovan has been hired to star in the drama. She and Donovan made a movie a few years earlier that almost made Sloane give up acting. Donovan was a major pain during the whole production and Sloane would be glad never to work with him again.

But Joseph Donovan has changed. He's having some trouble working with the actress who is his co-star and her mother, the producer, has tasked Sloane with helping him learn his lines and improve his acting. At first, she's not willing to forgive him despite the changes he has made in his life. They gradually get closer together though Sloane is the one who drags her feet and is not ready to trust him again.

When the actress who is playing the lead is fired, Sloane is drafted to take over the role. Despite all of her acting experience, lines get blurred between the romance they are filming and the one that is building in real life. It doesn't help that Sloane also has to deal with her family who all want the best for her and are sure what that is even without consulting Sloane.

I loved the family dynamics and the strong relationships within the large blended family. I liked that the romance grew naturally and realistically. I really liked both Sloane and Joseph as characters.

It's been five years since the accidental shooting of Marley Bricket, who was only fifteen. Her friends that were there the day she died have reunited when a box is found in Marley's home. The letters inside lead the friends on a scavenger hunt that reopens old memories, wounds, and betrayals, but it also allows them to begin healing.

I really enjoyed the writing. I was taken in right from the beginning. It's kind of a deep book and not so much a mystery. It has strong friendships, grief, hope, pain, memories, fun, forgiveness, strength, love. It's just a solid book with believable characters who are all just trying their best.

Thank you to Netgalley and Sourcebooks Fire for an ARC.

*I WAS PROVIDED A PHYSICAL ARC FROM THE PUBLISHER IN RETURN FOR AN HONEST REVIEW. THIS DOESN'T AFFECT MY OPINION.*

You know that moment where you have to check the reviews of a book you just finished to validate your feelings and make sure you didn't misinterpret it? That's what happened to me with this book.

When the Light Went Out was pitched from the synopsis as a thriller. However, upon reading the novel, it turned out to just be another contemporary.

This book was all over the place. The main character acts one way one minute and then does a complete 180 the next. Not to mention, all of the adults in this novel were the same. They acted like they didn't give a crap about their kids, only to ground them and get pissed when they tried to do something with their lives that didn't center around a dead person.

I got bored fairly easily while reading. In fact, I had to push myself past the first hundred pages because there was barely anything that felt somewhat interesting and not forced.

Along with that, the book transitioned between the past and the present every other chapter it seemed. It got pretty confusing in some parts, and a lot of the transitions felt choppy and cut off.

I felt like chunks of this novel were missing and/or cut out unnecessarily. I feel like this could've ended up in a different way had more time and attention been put into it. It was a big let down when I did finish it.

All in all, I rate this book 2.5 stars.

What You Left Me is an emotionally evocative story that is hauntingly beautiful and achingly sad at the same time. The two together makes this one of the most heart wrenching books I have read this year and yet, a book that I loved every minute I spent reading it.

The topic is not an easy one to contemplate but Ms. Morrisey penned this poignant tale with creativity and grace. My hat goes off to her for such a beautiful written story!

There is no higher praise I can give than to say this book truly touched my soul and I am a better person for having read What You Left Me. I highly recommend this for you all to read! (Just keep the Kleenex close by!)

I received this book for free. A favorable review was not required and all views expressed are my own. Thank you to Ms. Morrisey, Sourcebooks Fire and Edelweiss for the opportunity to read/review this book.