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haneyhayespr's review
2.0
Completely is a good fit for those seeking a heartwarming and inspiring story about embracing life's adventures and finding love in unexpected places.
jackiehorne's review
4.0
ARC courtesy of Netgalley
3.5 Thirty-nine year old Rosemary Chamberlain [ex-wife of Winston, the hero of the previous book in Knox's New York series] is tired of being the expensive decorative paper on someone else's wall. To regain her sense of self post-divorce, she's decided to live out her pre-marriage dreams, joining an all-woman expedition to scale the world's seven largest mountains and writing a book about the experience. But shock, not empowerment, sets in after an avalanche buries the base camp, killing several of Rosemary's friends and acquaintances.
Rosemary is a take-charge, cool-headed Brit, so no one realizes how much she is reeling emotionally in the aftermath of the natural disaster—no one except Kalden Beckett, one of the "ice doctors" guiding Rosemary's party. The two end up in a hotel together, drowning their shock and fear by eating, drinking, and engaging in life-affirming sex. Needless to say, such behavior is pretty shocking for self-contained Rosemary. It's less shocking for for thirty-two year-old Kal, the son of a famed British mountain climber and the first Sherpa woman to reach Everest's peak. Kal has been drifting after his ambitious plans to improve the environmental impact of climbers on Everest and simultaneously help improve the working conditions of the Sherpa run into major red tape, and gets sucked into her orbit, equally attracted by the strength of Rosemary's drive and by his unexpectedly protective feelings for the icy "princess" when she's in the midst of a major melt-down.
Yet their night together is not the end of their relationship; both Rosemary and Kal's families live in New York, and events lead them to fly there together to reunite with kith and kin. But even after they arrive in the States, their shared experience of trauma keeps drawing them together, these two very different people. But their differences prove surprisingly complimentary.
Though the story takes place over the course of only five days, the intensity of the events of those five days makes it plausible that such a deep connection could be forged between Kal and Rosemary. Knox's stories are always ideologically rich, and I loved the social justice aspects of this one, as well as signs of Knox's more characteristic feminist concerns (Rosemary's frustrations as a wallpaper wife; her goal of writing a book about women doing something adventurous and extraordinary; her questioning of her commitment to that goal in the wake of the avalanche; the stories of the first female Sherpa climbers; Rosemary's fraught relationship with her college-aged daughter). And Rosemary—brusque, witty, self-contained, very aware of her privilege but not cowardly about using it, either—is an unusual heroine for a romance novel, one whom I really enjoyed reading about.
Two things didn't work for me: first, the subplot about the relationship between Rosemary and her angry daughter Beatrice did not seem clearly explained or explored, and it seemed to resolve itself without any discussion or reconciliation between the two by book's end. Second, the back-and-forthing between Kal and Rosemary about the state of their relationship towards the end of the book felt way too rushed; Rosemary's "we're not willing to give it our all" fears come out of nowhere, and then both she and Kal swing to the precise opposite, "yes, we're completely committed," with neck-wrenching rapidity. Wish Knox had given these two a bit more time than five days to work through their really complex emotions for one another, and to navigate their own character arcs.
But I'd buy the book if I had to, just to read that scene between Rosemary and the New York editor—spot-on painfully funny!
3.5 Thirty-nine year old Rosemary Chamberlain [ex-wife of Winston, the hero of the previous book in Knox's New York series] is tired of being the expensive decorative paper on someone else's wall. To regain her sense of self post-divorce, she's decided to live out her pre-marriage dreams, joining an all-woman expedition to scale the world's seven largest mountains and writing a book about the experience. But shock, not empowerment, sets in after an avalanche buries the base camp, killing several of Rosemary's friends and acquaintances.
Rosemary is a take-charge, cool-headed Brit, so no one realizes how much she is reeling emotionally in the aftermath of the natural disaster—no one except Kalden Beckett, one of the "ice doctors" guiding Rosemary's party. The two end up in a hotel together, drowning their shock and fear by eating, drinking, and engaging in life-affirming sex. Needless to say, such behavior is pretty shocking for self-contained Rosemary. It's less shocking for for thirty-two year-old Kal, the son of a famed British mountain climber and the first Sherpa woman to reach Everest's peak. Kal has been drifting after his ambitious plans to improve the environmental impact of climbers on Everest and simultaneously help improve the working conditions of the Sherpa run into major red tape, and gets sucked into her orbit, equally attracted by the strength of Rosemary's drive and by his unexpectedly protective feelings for the icy "princess" when she's in the midst of a major melt-down.
Yet their night together is not the end of their relationship; both Rosemary and Kal's families live in New York, and events lead them to fly there together to reunite with kith and kin. But even after they arrive in the States, their shared experience of trauma keeps drawing them together, these two very different people. But their differences prove surprisingly complimentary.
Though the story takes place over the course of only five days, the intensity of the events of those five days makes it plausible that such a deep connection could be forged between Kal and Rosemary. Knox's stories are always ideologically rich, and I loved the social justice aspects of this one, as well as signs of Knox's more characteristic feminist concerns (Rosemary's frustrations as a wallpaper wife; her goal of writing a book about women doing something adventurous and extraordinary; her questioning of her commitment to that goal in the wake of the avalanche; the stories of the first female Sherpa climbers; Rosemary's fraught relationship with her college-aged daughter). And Rosemary—brusque, witty, self-contained, very aware of her privilege but not cowardly about using it, either—is an unusual heroine for a romance novel, one whom I really enjoyed reading about.
Two things didn't work for me: first, the subplot about the relationship between Rosemary and her angry daughter Beatrice did not seem clearly explained or explored, and it seemed to resolve itself without any discussion or reconciliation between the two by book's end. Second, the back-and-forthing between Kal and Rosemary about the state of their relationship towards the end of the book felt way too rushed; Rosemary's "we're not willing to give it our all" fears come out of nowhere, and then both she and Kal swing to the precise opposite, "yes, we're completely committed," with neck-wrenching rapidity. Wish Knox had given these two a bit more time than five days to work through their really complex emotions for one another, and to navigate their own character arcs.
But I'd buy the book if I had to, just to read that scene between Rosemary and the New York editor—spot-on painfully funny!
maggiemaggio's review
3.0
3.5 stars. Started out really liking this one, but my enjoyment faded a little over time. The beginning was so compelling and while the rest of the story was interesting, the pacing seemed a little slower, or at least slower compared to the excitement at the start. I did appreciate the chance to revisit several of Knox's characters that we've gotten to know over several of her books.
erinarkin20's review
4.0
Ruthie Knox writes some of my favorite adult romances and to say I was excited when I saw this one is absolutely an understatement. I loved the first two books in this series and if you are looking for contemporary romance that is well written and swoony, definitely check out Knox's books...this one included.
readbooks_eatapples's review
3.0
I love this author's style, and I really enjoy her characterizations usually. I liked the folks in this story, but Kal and Rosemary both felt unfinished (especially Kal). For the first time I can remember, I was actually hoping they'd split up. It just wasn't believable to me. It felt more like an insistence that they needed a life-altering relationship because they were both at a major turning point. I give the writing a 4, the romance a 2 at best.
mommasaystoread's review
3.0
Completely is well-written and I loved the premise. The details about the location did a wonderful job of setting the scene, and on their own, both Kal and Rosemary were likable characters, if a bit whiny with their internal musings. Each of them is on their own journey of self-discovery, so their personal struggles made sense and I did enjoy the story, but I never felt the romance between them. Without feeling that connection, I was left a bit ambivalent about whether or not they got their happy ending.
That being said, the author is talented and I will read future books from her.
That being said, the author is talented and I will read future books from her.
courtneyy41's review
1.0
DNF @ 50%
Okay, so I have never DNF'd an ARC, because I request these books and don't feel right not finishing, even if I don't love it...But I just really couldn't finish this one. I hated it. It was not for me at all. I thought the writing was bad. The plot uninteresting. The romance so dang cringey. I just hated this. And life is way to short to force yourself to read books you hate!
Okay, so I have never DNF'd an ARC, because I request these books and don't feel right not finishing, even if I don't love it...But I just really couldn't finish this one. I hated it. It was not for me at all. I thought the writing was bad. The plot uninteresting. The romance so dang cringey. I just hated this. And life is way to short to force yourself to read books you hate!
bananatricky's review
4.0
Whew, how to describe that?
I love Ruthie Knox, her books defy description. I just wish I could remember that whenever I start a new one as they are inevitably so 'different' that I put them aside where they languish for weeks if not months. So was it with this book. I didn't even start properly reading my ARC until the release day despite downloading it back in June!
So, this book features Rosemary Chamberlain (the ex-wife of Winston from the second book in the trilogy, [b:Madly|21953036|Madly (New York, #2)|Ruthie Knox|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1423964100s/21953036.jpg|41259542]). Rosemary left her husband and teenage daughter to 'find herself' which involved joining a group of women who intend to climb all seven of the highest mountains in the world. Rosemary is the classic British upper class blonde, the other climbers even call her princess behind her back. Then the camp is hit by an avalanche and Rosemary is rescued by the sherpa the other climbers call Doctor Doom.
Doctor Doom's real name is Kal Beckett, the son of two famous mountain climbers. When he and Rosemary eventually get off the mountain they fall into bed together and strike up an unlikely friendship the following day when Kal discovers his kit and all his money has been stolen. Both faced with the reality of their mortality Kal and Rosemary travel to New York to reconnect with family.
This third book in the New York trilogy cements the move (for me) from romance to women's fiction. Rosemary has to confront what made her so unhappy in her marriage and what she really wants from life. Her plans have gone awry and on some level that makes her happy. But will a relationship with Kal simply lead to another unhappy marriage?
Kal has his own issues. His parents had a very bad relationship, some people even speculate that his mother killed his father, he was once idealistic with plans for the welfare of Nepal but since then he has become disillusioned. He has said that only two kinds of people climb Everest: megalomaniacs and the walking wounded. Why would he want to start a relationship with either?
This was as much about a woman's place in society as it was a romance where opposites attract. Rosemary draws upon the experiences of her former mother-in-law, her daughter, her ex-husband's fiancee, her ex-husband's fiancee's parents, Kal, Kal's mother and Kal's family to see the world and her life through a different lens.
Maybe that all sounds a bit worthy, a bit depressing, a bit dull. But I promise it isn't. It's funny. It's sexy and it tackles real problems without a magic romance sticking plaster which miraculously fixes everything with three little words.
I have loved all three of these books, they are all very different but they are fun reads, this may be my favourite.
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in return for an honest review.
I love Ruthie Knox, her books defy description. I just wish I could remember that whenever I start a new one as they are inevitably so 'different' that I put them aside where they languish for weeks if not months. So was it with this book. I didn't even start properly reading my ARC until the release day despite downloading it back in June!
So, this book features Rosemary Chamberlain (the ex-wife of Winston from the second book in the trilogy, [b:Madly|21953036|Madly (New York, #2)|Ruthie Knox|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1423964100s/21953036.jpg|41259542]). Rosemary left her husband and teenage daughter to 'find herself' which involved joining a group of women who intend to climb all seven of the highest mountains in the world. Rosemary is the classic British upper class blonde, the other climbers even call her princess behind her back. Then the camp is hit by an avalanche and Rosemary is rescued by the sherpa the other climbers call Doctor Doom.
Doctor Doom's real name is Kal Beckett, the son of two famous mountain climbers. When he and Rosemary eventually get off the mountain they fall into bed together and strike up an unlikely friendship the following day when Kal discovers his kit and all his money has been stolen. Both faced with the reality of their mortality Kal and Rosemary travel to New York to reconnect with family.
This third book in the New York trilogy cements the move (for me) from romance to women's fiction. Rosemary has to confront what made her so unhappy in her marriage and what she really wants from life. Her plans have gone awry and on some level that makes her happy. But will a relationship with Kal simply lead to another unhappy marriage?
Kal has his own issues. His parents had a very bad relationship, some people even speculate that his mother killed his father, he was once idealistic with plans for the welfare of Nepal but since then he has become disillusioned. He has said that only two kinds of people climb Everest: megalomaniacs and the walking wounded. Why would he want to start a relationship with either?
This was as much about a woman's place in society as it was a romance where opposites attract. Rosemary draws upon the experiences of her former mother-in-law, her daughter, her ex-husband's fiancee, her ex-husband's fiancee's parents, Kal, Kal's mother and Kal's family to see the world and her life through a different lens.
Maybe that all sounds a bit worthy, a bit depressing, a bit dull. But I promise it isn't. It's funny. It's sexy and it tackles real problems without a magic romance sticking plaster which miraculously fixes everything with three little words.
I have loved all three of these books, they are all very different but they are fun reads, this may be my favourite.
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in return for an honest review.
fictionbrarian's review
5.0
I received a copy of this ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I already loved Ruthie Knox's books, but this one will hold a special place in my heart. I cried through a good portion of the end. Worse, I cried at work. Seriously. Geez! But some of the issues and quandaries faced by the characters resemble those I'm tackling now, and the way that adults transition into new phases of their lives isn't easy to portray well. Knox hit it out of the park. I know I'll be rereading this one as I fumble my way through the next steps in my journey, and it gives me hope that I too can find a happy and satisfying ending.
I already loved Ruthie Knox's books, but this one will hold a special place in my heart. I cried through a good portion of the end. Worse, I cried at work. Seriously. Geez! But some of the issues and quandaries faced by the characters resemble those I'm tackling now, and the way that adults transition into new phases of their lives isn't easy to portray well. Knox hit it out of the park. I know I'll be rereading this one as I fumble my way through the next steps in my journey, and it gives me hope that I too can find a happy and satisfying ending.