Reviews

For Lucy by Jewel E. Ann

tangochick6969's review against another edition

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2.0

firstly, this book was so well written. i felt every emotion, from happiness to gut-wrenching sadness. the story was captivating in the way it dealt with grief, loss, a broken-down marriage and a second chance redemption arc.

i loved emmett (H) so hard. this man is the most selfless and loving soul ever. the way he loved his daughter lucy so hard that he protected her despite what the consequences meant for him. He spent 5 years after the breakdown of his marriage still in love with his ex-wife tatum (h) whilst she moved on.

so why the 2 stars??? look i don't rate books for simply how well they are written, i rate books depending on how it makes me feel and how the characters are portrayed. a story is only as good as its characters. so my 2 stars are purely for emmett and lucy. but i can't rate this book any higher because of just how much i disliked tatum.

i know we didn't get her pov in the book, but the dialogue between them was enough for me to make up my mind, that this woman ruined her marriage, let her ex-husband only see his 12-year-old daughter for 10 hours on saturdays only for 5 whole years and that to me is unforgivable. no matter what happened for her to do that, nothing will justify that, and the fact that this was never addressed bothered me. not a single heartfelt apology came from tatum, it was all emmett with the i forgive you. to top it off she almost married another guy (another person's life/time she wasted lol), who she also admitted she was in love with...

i mean the way this story was set out i was hoping tatum would come to her senses, but the only reason she got back with emmett was because of lucy's confession. had lucy not said anything, tatum and emmett would not have their HEA, even tatum admitted that, which for me just ruined the tone and atmosphere of the book. they may have started off as lovers, but by the end of the book it was very clearly a one sided love, tatum did not convince me.

look i'm all for men simping for women because we fucking deserve it, but poor emmett. his love was never ending, his back must be in severe pain for the way he CARRIED this fucking book.

1bookobsessionconfessions's review against another edition

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5.0

I feel like I’ve been through every possible emotion throughout this book. I felt the pain and joy so strongly.
I cried, I laughed, I rejoiced, I got frustrated AND I swooned.
Emmett -the thief of blind dates stole my heart!

~”I stole someone’s blind date. Best. Bad. Decision. Ever.”~

The writing is beautiful and poignant.
The balance of comedy and tragedy are perfection. It’s so clever in the delivery AND necessary for balance in my opinion.
The characters are multi-dimensional, flawed, realistic and interesting.
They are ordinary people that I absolutely adore….With one exception of course.
I appreciate the realistic nature of that as well. In life we don’t love or like everyone.
I love the emotional intelligence of Emmett and Lucy.
I love their banter. I LOVE that Emmett does everything FOR LUCY! I have so many emotions attached to that sentiment. It’s extremely endearing and beautiful!
There are so many insights into human emotions and behavior that ring true to me.
Clever and funny moments mixed in with tear your heart out of your chest agony. It’s like life… so painfully beautiful!

~”Love. Fluid. Ever changing. A shifting pendulum of intensity.”~

A realistic human journey that hurt so good. I loved it!

kateyroa's review against another edition

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5.0

A Beautiful Story

I can’t remember if the description came with trigger warnings - but it should.
That being said - this was an amazing story of the enduring power of love. All kinds of love. I loved this book and Jewel E Ann is definitely a one-click author for me now. Thanks for a gorgeous book.

sonialusiveira's review against another edition

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4.0

3,5 stars.

For Lucy is a story that tells of how great and selfless a father's love can be. Tatum and Emmett met when Emmett was at the right place at the right time where Tatum was set up for a blind date.Mistaking Emmett for her blind date, Tatum spent two hours with Emmett before Emmett confessed he wasn't her date. But the heart falls for who it falls for, so the two quickly went on another date and was in a relationship not long after. Being young and reckless, they made impulsive decisions, resulting in a baby soon. Everything was perfect, until what happened in 30 seconds took it all away, causing pain and anger for years. It is told in alternating 'then' and 'now' from mostly Emmett's pov. We were told something happened that ruined their marriage and were gradually led to the truth. The selfless love that Emmett has for his daughter is felt strongly in the words written. I listened to the audiobook and the emotions the narrator conveyed were perfect The reason I didn't give this book a higher rating is because despite the fact that I adore Emmett and his relationship with Lucy, and the angst and heartbreaking moments this story has, I don't feel much sympathy for Tatum until the very end. I wouldn't say I understand her pain because I'm not a mother but her invalidating Emmett's grief was infuriating to read about, especially since we can hear fury in Emmett's voice when he narrated the story. I also didn't like what Tatum did to both Josh and Emmett and so, whilst I like the ending for Emmett and Lucy's sake, I felt like it was too rushed and a bit unrealistic.

sewster314's review against another edition

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4.0

This book was very well written. The story was compelling and emotional. Despite the heavy themes, I did actually laugh a few times. It’s not a book I’d reread (I think), but it’s one I won’t forget.

pattyfgd's review against another edition

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5.0

For Lucy
By: Jewel E. Ann
Narrated by: Connor Crais

There is always that one book that just tugs on your heart strings. I know when I pick up a book by Jewel E Ann, I have just that, and what a powerful story this one is. Ann masterfully weaves this story with the past and present, never missing a beat. Emmett meets Tatum by chance when she does to a bar for a blind date. Stealing her from her impending boredom, these two are magic together. Now married with children and divorced, Emmett is still totally in love with her, but tragic circumstances have lead to grief and mistrust. But what Tatum doesn't know is that whatever Emmett does is exactly as she asked her to do. Love their children more than her, and Lucy is the recipient of that love. But it doesn't stop there. This story is so much more. It's about tragedy and unrelenting grief, memories and a bond of love never to be broken. I applaud this story, it's message and all the feelings that as a parent as just so incredibly real.

The choice of narrators for such a book is so important. It could change the entire feel of the book. Connor Crais is magnificent as he brings it to us. He keys in on each character, his voice carrying such emotions that the tissues need to be handy. He throws undying love into the mix that fills our hearts and gives us a listen that is easily in my top ten of the year.

optimisticbooknerd's review against another edition

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5.0

5 ⭐️

ouch this hurt me bad :((

I sobbed so hard after finishing I can't not give it 5 stars

labwa_0712's review against another edition

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1.0

Julie E Ann’s writing is not doing it for me anymore. She has good plots but the way she’s executing them is getting on my nerves. The last few books that I read of hers, all of them contain cheating. And I hate it. Unnecessary angst. The emotional aspect of the story kinda gets lost in her fast paced and witty writing. Sooooo I’m afraid this is the last straw for me. Not picking her books anymore.

As for this book, I didn’t get the connection between the MCs from the beginning. That insta love and fun and flirty relationship is not my thing. So I was not invested in their relationship. I didn’t feel that deep love so I didn’t feel sorry for their current state.

Also, how can this woman hate her husband for so long? Punish him like this? Even if it was his fault, how could she demean his pain at the loss of their child? Proves that she never loved him in the first place.

And yes, at first I rated this book 2 but now I’m lowering it to 1 because cheating is a big no no for me.

readfrenzy's review against another edition

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5.0

Getting a 5-star review from me these days is like drawing water from a stone. For Lucy, though, had me captivated from Chapter One, and I knew in my soul that I was on the road to 5 stars.

I have not found another author who can dredge up the depth of emotions in me as Jewel E. Ann. When my heart wasn’t gripped tightly in the palm of her hand it was lodged in my throat. There are no words to describe how acutely poignant and profound this book is. Yes, there are romantic and delightfully charming moments (the meet cute is enchanting), but primarily there are difficult subject matters to address between two people who love each other deeply.

Who can measure up to Emmett? Nobody, I tell you. I adored everything about him. I loved Emmett’s wry sense of humor, his ability to hold his tongue instead of lashing out, and the ease with which he puts his wife and daughter before everything else. I was a teensy bit jealous of Tatum. She has a 24-hour handyman who doesn’t need a Honey Do List to get stuff done. I kid, I kid! Sort of. Even though he was determined to hold onto his role as martyr, I couldn’t help but respect him and his massive heart.

Tatum is an extremely complex lady, and honestly I didn’t like her very much most of the time. But I came to understand her thought process, which was key to accepting her. Her decisions come from a place of pain, preservation, and love, not maliciousness.

Lucy is pure sunshine, and I laughed at her attempts to make her dad happy. She is wise beyond her years.

For Lucy is not a simple story. Nobody is completely right nor 100% wrong. These are flawed characters, and I still find myself analyzing their actions from different angles. This tale of love, loss, sacrifice, and blame has lingered with me and left my heart full. And aren’t those some of the greatest compliments you can give an author?

Recommended for fans of:
Second chance romance
Hot chocolate with extra whipped cream
Selfless acts of kindness
Tear jerkers

*I received an early copy of this book to voluntarily read and review.*
Reading Frenzy Book Blog

bookish_noa's review

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adventurous challenging emotional medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0