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3.92 AVERAGE
3.92 AVERAGE
are you kidding me are you literally kidding me right now this has to be a joke are you joking. i need more. this is so unfair i need more i need more now. that was so good i want to die. i am an absolutely terrible person but god why couldn’t she leave dumb ass fucking trevor sooner like that shit made me soooooooo mad. i don’t care that i am a shit human being why couldn’t she leave faster so i could get more jase and emiline. i can not believe this i need more of them together i can not believe this. my brain is empty only them.
I really liked it. Maybe because I felt identified with the characters and their childhoods in many ways. It made me feel all sort of emotions, the characters have depth and feel real.
I know that some books are for a light and quick read, but even those books I like to be made to feel something. This book did it. Without loosing a sense of reality so you can relate but without being too real so you can leave reality for a while.
I know that some books are for a light and quick read, but even those books I like to be made to feel something. This book did it. Without loosing a sense of reality so you can relate but without being too real so you can leave reality for a while.
This is the third book I’ve read by Renee Carlino, and I must say she knows how to weave an intriguing tale. In Swear on This Life, she has created a unique story that is engrossing as well as thought-provoking.
Everything about Emiline indicates that her life is stagnant. She’s a fledgling writer with an uninspiring career as an associate writing professor. While all her peers seem to be enjoying success as published authors, Emi is frustrated that she hasn’t managed to live up to her potential. She’s also stuck in a lackluster seven-year relationship with her boyfriend.
When Emiline picks up the latest bestseller, she immediately realizes the work of “fiction” details her very private, very painful past. Although written under a pseudonym, the author is clearly her childhood best friend/love of her life, Jason, with whom she’s had no contact for twelve years. With past and present colliding, Emi is forced to confront her demons and her long-lost love.
The story is told in an intriguing way with Emi’s past being revealed in pieces as she reads each chapter of the book. The details of her upbringing with Jase are riveting and emotional. The fierceness of their love is deep, and while their circumstances may be bleak, they are always painted with a brush of optimism.
The quality of Renee Carlino’s writing is superb, and she has created a wonderfully complex plot filled with multi-faceted characters. I was, however, left with too many unsettled questions and emotions to feel completely satisfied. Nonetheless, Swear on This Life is a gripping story of sacrifice, forgiveness, love, and second chances.
Recommended for fans of:
Second chance romance
Friends to lovers
Mysteries
Stories within stories
**ARC received in exchange for an honest review.**
Everything about Emiline indicates that her life is stagnant. She’s a fledgling writer with an uninspiring career as an associate writing professor. While all her peers seem to be enjoying success as published authors, Emi is frustrated that she hasn’t managed to live up to her potential. She’s also stuck in a lackluster seven-year relationship with her boyfriend.
When Emiline picks up the latest bestseller, she immediately realizes the work of “fiction” details her very private, very painful past. Although written under a pseudonym, the author is clearly her childhood best friend/love of her life, Jason, with whom she’s had no contact for twelve years. With past and present colliding, Emi is forced to confront her demons and her long-lost love.
The story is told in an intriguing way with Emi’s past being revealed in pieces as she reads each chapter of the book. The details of her upbringing with Jase are riveting and emotional. The fierceness of their love is deep, and while their circumstances may be bleak, they are always painted with a brush of optimism.
“I love you, Emiline. I loved you before I even knew what it meant.”I loved their connection and was moved by their struggles. Although both characters are inspiring, I just couldn’t get past Jason writing the book without Emiline’s permission and profiting from its success. The story is told entirely from Emi’s point of view, and I think I would have benefitted from some of Jase’s perspective. His character remained a bit of an enigma to me. I couldn’t shake the feeling that I was missing important details.
The quality of Renee Carlino’s writing is superb, and she has created a wonderfully complex plot filled with multi-faceted characters. I was, however, left with too many unsettled questions and emotions to feel completely satisfied. Nonetheless, Swear on This Life is a gripping story of sacrifice, forgiveness, love, and second chances.
Recommended for fans of:
Second chance romance
Friends to lovers
Mysteries
Stories within stories
**ARC received in exchange for an honest review.**
I had high hopes after reading so many positive reviews of this book, but it left me disappointed. The characters didn't engage me and the plot lacked consistency (particularly the "book within the book" parts - also what was up with the random Trevor drug addiction storyline? That came out of nowhere with basically no context or development). The entire story felt rushed and forced. I really wanted to like it, but I felt myself just reading to get it over with, not because I was at all invested with the characters or story. I've read books with an unlikeable or annoying narrator before, but usually the writing skill of the author is enough to overcome that. Emiline's storyline was tragic, I'll admit, but the lack of development overall left me feeling pretty apathetic towards her.
This book is probably a good choice if you want a quick romance read and don't care much about writing style, multidimensional characters, or consistent plot development.
This book is probably a good choice if you want a quick romance read and don't care much about writing style, multidimensional characters, or consistent plot development.
THIS BOOK IS SO AMAZING OH MY GOD. I REALLY LOVED IT SO MUCH IM SOBBING
Renee Carlino is insane I read before we were strangers and loved it so so much. However this book i loved so
much more. I actually couldn't put my book down at all. I am so glad I finally picked it up and read it!
Renee Carlino is insane I read before we were strangers and loved it so so much. However this book i loved so
much more. I actually couldn't put my book down at all. I am so glad I finally picked it up and read it!
Thanks to all of my FB groups for recommending this great book. It reminded me a lot of Love and Other Words which I adored!
"We can't always control our circumstances who our parents are, where we live, or how much money we make, but in those rare moments when we can shape our fate, when we do have the power to make our own happiness, we can't be too scared to do it."
"We can't always control our circumstances who our parents are, where we live, or how much money we make, but in those rare moments when we can shape our fate, when we do have the power to make our own happiness, we can't be too scared to do it."
There was a great story here with so much potential but the writing was horrible. It was choppy and immature and did not flow at all. Very disappointing for a book with such a great premise.
Something about this just didn’t click for me. I didn’t find Jase to be charming at all and the writing didn’t feel believable. I can’t really put my finger on why but just did not enjoy
Sadly this one wasn't for me. I felt the narrator sounded too mature for the characters portrayed.