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reflectiverambling_nalana's review against another edition
5.0
When Sab returns state side two years after the unexpected event on what was supposed to be a routine mission, she finds herself in a blurring type of limbo. Not only has the military retracted its "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy, but she actually can be and is in an open relationship with her former CO. While this is a strange enough thought for someone who had spent their entire career evading her true self from showing, the lingering trauma she experienced when active now follows her making her uncertain of just who she is and how she should feel now.
I didn't expect to like this book's predecessor as much as I did. Neither is a genre I typical explore. But Ask Me Again follows in Ask, Tell's footsteps admirably in that it transcends the genre it's been claimed in by blooming into a story with a message far more significant than a reader would expect. In fact, while in a lot of ways the narrative is far more domestic, I was even more enthralled and impressed. The tenderness and attentiveness Ask Me Again pays to PTSD, the stigma around it, about knowing how to interact and help adapt to people who suffer, and to the side effects this condition has on the loved ones who are trying to help the person, goes far above and beyond expectations.
I personally do not suffer from this syndrome, and fortunately I haven't had a loved one in that battle. But being around and talking to many veterans in my community led me to believe I had some inclination about it and how people within the military address and communicate the elements surrounding this topic. However I left the book feeling like I knew it so much better than I did before. It really clicked into place a lot of those conversations for me. With the growing prellaivance of PTSD in our society today, this is a novel I think everyone would benefit from reading.
Easily, this is one of the better books I've read this year. It is one that will really stick with me.
I didn't expect to like this book's predecessor as much as I did. Neither is a genre I typical explore. But Ask Me Again follows in Ask, Tell's footsteps admirably in that it transcends the genre it's been claimed in by blooming into a story with a message far more significant than a reader would expect. In fact, while in a lot of ways the narrative is far more domestic, I was even more enthralled and impressed. The tenderness and attentiveness Ask Me Again pays to PTSD, the stigma around it, about knowing how to interact and help adapt to people who suffer, and to the side effects this condition has on the loved ones who are trying to help the person, goes far above and beyond expectations.
I personally do not suffer from this syndrome, and fortunately I haven't had a loved one in that battle. But being around and talking to many veterans in my community led me to believe I had some inclination about it and how people within the military address and communicate the elements surrounding this topic. However I left the book feeling like I knew it so much better than I did before. It really clicked into place a lot of those conversations for me. With the growing prellaivance of PTSD in our society today, this is a novel I think everyone would benefit from reading.
Easily, this is one of the better books I've read this year. It is one that will really stick with me.
chaya_v's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
A romance exploring subjects such as PTSD, suffering with guilt and trying to fix each other. It was interesting to read and I really enjoy Sabine and Rebecca’s relationship.
I’d like for Sabine’s OCD to also be addressed hopefully that’s coming in the next books.
Also writing is really good in these!!
I’d like for Sabine’s OCD to also be addressed hopefully that’s coming in the next books.
Also writing is really good in these!!
angieinbooks's review against another edition
4.0
This review will contain spoilers for [b:Ask, Tell|31374674|Ask, Tell|E.J. Noyes|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1475303757l/31374674._SX50_.jpg|52063970], the first book in the series. You have been warned.
The second book in E.J. Noyes' Ask, Tell series, Ask Me Again focuses on a story we rarely seem to get in that it answers the question: What happens after the happily ever after? And the reason we don't get that story is because it's a really hard story to tell. So, E.J. Noyes, I commend you for not only taking this story on but for doing it nearly flawlessly.
Ask Me Again picks up nearly two years after the events in Ask, Tell. Don't Ask, Don't Tell has just been repealed. Rebecca Keane leads a trauma surgery department at a local civilian hospital while Sabine has just returned from her first deployment since the Incident, a deployment back to Afghanistan, of all places, that is nearly a year long and her first without Rebecca as her commanding officer. And, really, it's a deployment Sabine was in no way ready to handle as she's still trying to deal with her PTSD. Some poor decisions on Sabine's part, driven by her need to fix what's wrong at any cost and her hubris in feeling she knows how best to handle this, make the situation even worse. Sabine's not very good about showing weakness or talking about her insecurities--not even with Rebecca. So Sabine's back home and safe in Washington D.C., but she's not really back. And she's not being honest with anyone, especially herself.
Rebecca doesn't quite know what to do. Wracked by her own guilt by her involvement in Sabine's accident and being the lead on the team that put her back together, she's stuck between trying to handle Sabine as a Commanding Officer would or as Sabine's girlfriend. The line is confusing and blurred and she feels helpless to help Sabine manage the PTSD.
It's all having a major impact on their relationship.
So this book is angsty as all else. But here's what I most appreciated about this novel: I never doubted the strength of Sabine and Rebecca's love for one another, even if watching them struggle was hard. And I appreciate the way Noyes was able to handle that and continue to make the story compelling and, at one particular moment, absolutely terrifying. And even though the characters aren't communicating in the right way, it's definitely not for a lack of trying, which I also appreciate.
The best characters from Ask, Tell make significant appearances here. Jana, Amy, and Mitch all have really great moments in this book. I especially loved watching Jana and Rebecca bond. And Amy still has my heart. I love her. Noyes really writes really great secondary characters.
It's possible to read this book without reading the first book, but I really wouldn't recommend that approach. And while this book is really hard to read and may not lend itself to re-reading in the ways that book 1 or 3 in the series might, I think it's a better book than the first, but only marginally so. All 3 books in this series are fantastic and I've reread them all since I first discovered the series in January.
The second book in E.J. Noyes' Ask, Tell series, Ask Me Again focuses on a story we rarely seem to get in that it answers the question: What happens after the happily ever after? And the reason we don't get that story is because it's a really hard story to tell. So, E.J. Noyes, I commend you for not only taking this story on but for doing it nearly flawlessly.
Ask Me Again picks up nearly two years after the events in Ask, Tell. Don't Ask, Don't Tell has just been repealed. Rebecca Keane leads a trauma surgery department at a local civilian hospital while Sabine has just returned from her first deployment since the Incident, a deployment back to Afghanistan, of all places, that is nearly a year long and her first without Rebecca as her commanding officer. And, really, it's a deployment Sabine was in no way ready to handle as she's still trying to deal with her PTSD. Some poor decisions on Sabine's part, driven by her need to fix what's wrong at any cost and her hubris in feeling she knows how best to handle this, make the situation even worse. Sabine's not very good about showing weakness or talking about her insecurities--not even with Rebecca. So Sabine's back home and safe in Washington D.C., but she's not really back. And she's not being honest with anyone, especially herself.
Rebecca doesn't quite know what to do. Wracked by her own guilt by her involvement in Sabine's accident and being the lead on the team that put her back together, she's stuck between trying to handle Sabine as a Commanding Officer would or as Sabine's girlfriend. The line is confusing and blurred and she feels helpless to help Sabine manage the PTSD.
It's all having a major impact on their relationship.
So this book is angsty as all else. But here's what I most appreciated about this novel: I never doubted the strength of Sabine and Rebecca's love for one another, even if watching them struggle was hard. And I appreciate the way Noyes was able to handle that and continue to make the story compelling and, at one particular moment, absolutely terrifying. And even though the characters aren't communicating in the right way, it's definitely not for a lack of trying, which I also appreciate.
The best characters from Ask, Tell make significant appearances here. Jana, Amy, and Mitch all have really great moments in this book. I especially loved watching Jana and Rebecca bond. And Amy still has my heart. I love her. Noyes really writes really great secondary characters.
It's possible to read this book without reading the first book, but I really wouldn't recommend that approach. And while this book is really hard to read and may not lend itself to re-reading in the ways that book 1 or 3 in the series might, I think it's a better book than the first, but only marginally so. All 3 books in this series are fantastic and I've reread them all since I first discovered the series in January.
netgyrl's review against another edition
5.0
Damn this book was emotional and angsty in all the best ways. I got choked up a few times. Abby Craden is an amazing narrator who acts out the parts of each character and really imbues the story with so much emotion. Love Love Love this series.
rakhya's review against another edition
4.0
A great book by Noyes, with Craden's excellent narration.
Find my review of the e-book here.
Find my review of the e-book here.
rakhya's review
4.0
Another great book by Noyes, and an excellent sequel to Ask, Tell.
The first person past tense narration, with alternating points of view, is purposefully chosen and well executed. I love how this approach allows the reader to see both sides of the story, and how Sabine and Rebecca are dealing with their new situation.
Most of all, I love how the intertwining of the leads' arcs as the two struggle to support each other and how that culminates in their final epiphany.
Definitely a recommended read.
The first person past tense narration, with alternating points of view, is purposefully chosen and well executed. I love how this approach allows the reader to see both sides of the story, and how Sabine and Rebecca are dealing with their new situation.
Most of all, I love how the intertwining of the leads' arcs as the two struggle to support each other and how that culminates in their final epiphany.
Definitely a recommended read.
ghostlycreature's review
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
vox13's review
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0