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cschaepe84's review against another edition
emotional
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
slow-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
3.5
My thoughts went up and down for this book all throughout reading this, as you can see. Overall, this was a intriguing idea. Two friends who met only as children, harboring secret crushes for each other and then torn from each other's lives are thrusted back together by fate, seemingly enough. Jessica, our smart, kind, compassionate FMC with a way for words and love of books, tries to make a name for herself her choice of career where she would use her academic chops. Until then, she works as a cocktail waitress at a high-end hotel where she would have a run-in with Callen Hayes. Callen Hayes, our MMC, and Jessie's childhood friend as well as first kiss, has the kind of lifestyle and success that Jessica can only dream about. Money, talent, admiration. Despite a tough upbringing, he's an accomplished composer. And yet, somehow, there is something empty about him, haunted even.
Makes for a great premise, and the plot seemed promising enough. A composer haunted by demons, a up-and-coming scholar with a heart of gold on the brink of making a splash in unraveling the mysteries of Joan-of-Arc. In many ways, they're opposites, wrong for each other. Callen sleeps around with a plethora of women and drowns himself in booze, living on the fast lane. Jessica is only a simple, quiet young lady who enjoys the comforts of books and wonders of a museum. Yet, when they see each other on the balcony of the bar Jessica worked at, Callen couldn't help but steal a kiss from her without knowing who she was. Without remembering.
But then, he does. It was his childhood friend. His first kiss. His first love. His ONLY love. And after being separated once again by fate, it is fate the brings them back together and he to reignite the spark of what once was.
Okay, so I'm trying to accurately put into words what I feel about this book, as I'm torn between a three and a four-star score. I like the story, I like the characters, but I think my biggest problem is I'm not exactly buying the romance here. I feel like Callen throughout his POV is trying too hard to convince me (and himself) of his feelings for Jessie and his narration mostly borders on obsession more than love. He gushes on and on ad nauseum about her which after a while gets tiring. I can't help cringe on his fixation on her "goodness" and "purity", and he does this over and over. It's weird and creepy. Nonetheless, I still liked him, and Jessie was a sweet girl that I could easily relate to, being a dreamer myself, and I get the message Sheridan is trying to convey. I think the prologue, the past that they've shared before being separated the first time, would have worked a little more if it was woven into the story as flashbacks versus just a brief intro to give us some background info. The connection between the two felt forced and under-baked throughout most of the story.
In addition, there's a lot in this book that I've read many times before in other books that make the romance kinda "meh" for me, as it feels almost too derivative, seeming to check off boxes of moments to cram in here.
1) MMC and FMC sitting and watching TV on the bed and MMC becoming aroused by the NEARNESS of FMC
2) MMC saying the FMC's name like "a question, a plea, a prayer".
3) MMC having nightmares and only FMC can chase them away.
Normally this isn't a problem for me, but this book doesn't feel like it adds anything to these scenes, feeling like a copy of a copy. At times I think I'm reading Anastasia Steel and Christian Grey in an alternative universe here. Honestly, I was more invested between the romance of Adelaide and Olivier than I was Jessica and Callen at one point and was wishing that THAT was the book I was reading.
Of course, speaking on the comparison of 50 shades, the big difference is that Jessica is a smart girl who very carefully weighed out the consequences of what it could mean if she were to give her heart (ahem, her v-card) to Callen, and is very self-aware of her own trauma, having witnessed her own father cheat on her mother over and over again. She knows full well who and what Callen is, and realizes that she probably will never feel the same passion for anyone she does for him. To walk away from him without ever trying to stoke the flames of her passion would weight her heavy in regret. She ponders this as she unravels this mysterious woman who may have had a connection to Joan-of-Arc, which preaches to live fiercely without regret. In the spirit of doing so, she decides to take whatever she can with Callen, even if it is only for a little while, as they live far too separate lives with a whole ocean between them.
Callen is likeable, (unlike Christian) and is also very self-aware of what he is, what he can and can't give to Jessica. He come clean to Jessica why she stopped hearing from him so abruptly, but still holds back a piece of himself, a piece that hides the deepest shame of all. He's happy and sober when he's with her. There were also moments where his awkwardness was very charming, making some scenes funny and light-hearted. In the museum where he accidentally breaks a sculpture, and then very loudly takes his phone call without realizing everyone can hear to his chagrin. Then there's their trip to the winery where he couldn't ride a bike, and then the scene when it starts to rain on their romantic dinner during their weekend getaway, ending with the two of them literally landing face first in the mud. I felt so bad for him, because he wanted that time with Jessica to be perfect, and Jessica tried so hard to make light of all the bad fortunes that befall them and laugh it off.
But is it REALLY bad fortune???
Callen curses fate for literally raining on his parade with Jessica, forcing them to seek shelter in a very small inn with only a one bed bedroom that only has a tiny double bed for them to share. Which, thanks to proximity, they do the deed, of course.
Things start to take a turn when they come back from their weekend together, secrets come out, and oh man, is it hard for me to sympathize and like Callen at this point, his reasoning for not being able to be the man he wants to be seemingly very weak at best. But I guess I have to really go into his head to understand the reasoning and how his one secret lead up to so many other things going wrong in his life. Jessica becomes the thing she feared the most, and needed to distance herself from Callen, especially after he acted deliberately cruel to her. I hated him for it, regardless of reasoning, and he was really coming off as a whiny, self-pitying brat.
Then, just when I was losing faith in the book a turn for the better. Jessica and Callen see each other again, and Jessica calls him out for his despicable behavior, walking away with her dignity and self-respect intact (you go, girl!), leaving Callen to sulk and wallow. I loved how Jessica didn't do the same and knew in her heart she would be okay with or without him, knowing Callen would have to save himself. Which he did.
Eventually, common sense kicks him in the gut when his father died, and realization clicks. I recall conversation about how God at times presents himself and answers a prayer and begin to connect the dots along with Callen. I love it when a character truly sees and understands the error of his ways, and I felt that Sheridan tied all the themes full-circle quite nicely here, as the story is not so much about Callen and Jessica's love story, but about the hand that fate gives us and how we answer the call. Callen starts taking responsibility for himself and owns his mistakes, allowing himself to have faith in the path shown to him. Now that's redemption.
Makes for a great premise, and the plot seemed promising enough. A composer haunted by demons, a up-and-coming scholar with a heart of gold on the brink of making a splash in unraveling the mysteries of Joan-of-Arc. In many ways, they're opposites, wrong for each other. Callen sleeps around with a plethora of women and drowns himself in booze, living on the fast lane. Jessica is only a simple, quiet young lady who enjoys the comforts of books and wonders of a museum. Yet, when they see each other on the balcony of the bar Jessica worked at, Callen couldn't help but steal a kiss from her without knowing who she was. Without remembering.
But then, he does. It was his childhood friend. His first kiss. His first love. His ONLY love. And after being separated once again by fate, it is fate the brings them back together and he to reignite the spark of what once was.
Okay, so I'm trying to accurately put into words what I feel about this book, as I'm torn between a three and a four-star score. I like the story, I like the characters, but I think my biggest problem is I'm not exactly buying the romance here. I feel like Callen throughout his POV is trying too hard to convince me (and himself) of his feelings for Jessie and his narration mostly borders on obsession more than love. He gushes on and on ad nauseum about her which after a while gets tiring. I can't help cringe on his fixation on her "goodness" and "purity", and he does this over and over. It's weird and creepy. Nonetheless, I still liked him, and Jessie was a sweet girl that I could easily relate to, being a dreamer myself, and I get the message Sheridan is trying to convey. I think the prologue, the past that they've shared before being separated the first time, would have worked a little more if it was woven into the story as flashbacks versus just a brief intro to give us some background info. The connection between the two felt forced and under-baked throughout most of the story.
In addition, there's a lot in this book that I've read many times before in other books that make the romance kinda "meh" for me, as it feels almost too derivative, seeming to check off boxes of moments to cram in here.
1) MMC and FMC sitting and watching TV on the bed and MMC becoming aroused by the NEARNESS of FMC
2) MMC saying the FMC's name like "a question, a plea, a prayer".
3) MMC having nightmares and only FMC can chase them away.
Normally this isn't a problem for me, but this book doesn't feel like it adds anything to these scenes, feeling like a copy of a copy. At times I think I'm reading Anastasia Steel and Christian Grey in an alternative universe here. Honestly, I was more invested between the romance of Adelaide and Olivier than I was Jessica and Callen at one point and was wishing that THAT was the book I was reading.
Of course, speaking on the comparison of 50 shades, the big difference is that Jessica is a smart girl who very carefully weighed out the consequences of what it could mean if she were to give her heart (ahem, her v-card) to Callen, and is very self-aware of her own trauma, having witnessed her own father cheat on her mother over and over again. She knows full well who and what Callen is, and realizes that she probably will never feel the same passion for anyone she does for him. To walk away from him without ever trying to stoke the flames of her passion would weight her heavy in regret. She ponders this as she unravels this mysterious woman who may have had a connection to Joan-of-Arc, which preaches to live fiercely without regret. In the spirit of doing so, she decides to take whatever she can with Callen, even if it is only for a little while, as they live far too separate lives with a whole ocean between them.
Callen is likeable, (unlike Christian) and is also very self-aware of what he is, what he can and can't give to Jessica. He come clean to Jessica why she stopped hearing from him so abruptly, but still holds back a piece of himself, a piece that hides the deepest shame of all. He's happy and sober when he's with her. There were also moments where his awkwardness was very charming, making some scenes funny and light-hearted. In the museum where he accidentally breaks a sculpture, and then very loudly takes his phone call without realizing everyone can hear to his chagrin. Then there's their trip to the winery where he couldn't ride a bike, and then the scene when it starts to rain on their romantic dinner during their weekend getaway, ending with the two of them literally landing face first in the mud. I felt so bad for him, because he wanted that time with Jessica to be perfect, and Jessica tried so hard to make light of all the bad fortunes that befall them and laugh it off.
But is it REALLY bad fortune???
Callen curses fate for literally raining on his parade with Jessica, forcing them to seek shelter in a very small inn with only a one bed bedroom that only has a tiny double bed for them to share. Which, thanks to proximity, they do the deed, of course.
Things start to take a turn when they come back from their weekend together, secrets come out, and oh man, is it hard for me to sympathize and like Callen at this point, his reasoning for not being able to be the man he wants to be seemingly very weak at best. But I guess I have to really go into his head to understand the reasoning and how his one secret lead up to so many other things going wrong in his life. Jessica becomes the thing she feared the most, and needed to distance herself from Callen, especially after he acted deliberately cruel to her. I hated him for it, regardless of reasoning, and he was really coming off as a whiny, self-pitying brat.
Then, just when I was losing faith in the book a turn for the better. Jessica and Callen see each other again, and Jessica calls him out for his despicable behavior, walking away with her dignity and self-respect intact (you go, girl!), leaving Callen to sulk and wallow. I loved how Jessica didn't do the same and knew in her heart she would be okay with or without him, knowing Callen would have to save himself. Which he did.
Eventually, common sense kicks him in the gut when his father died, and realization clicks. I recall conversation about how God at times presents himself and answers a prayer and begin to connect the dots along with Callen. I love it when a character truly sees and understands the error of his ways, and I felt that Sheridan tied all the themes full-circle quite nicely here, as the story is not so much about Callen and Jessica's love story, but about the hand that fate gives us and how we answer the call. Callen starts taking responsibility for himself and owns his mistakes, allowing himself to have faith in the path shown to him. Now that's redemption.
tshuping's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
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
4.25
anna_banana2010's review against another edition
4.0
even though the title is literally MORE than words, i have no words.
inessova's review against another edition
4.0
Half way through the book, I felt a bit disappointed. It was like any other romance novel I've read, nothing out of the ordinary here.
The writing is flawless as usual. I was not bored, and couldn't stop reading. I was enjoying myself.
But it was not heart wrenching or out of the ordinary, like I'm used to with Mia's book.
But then there's this secret that I can't divulge. This secret changed everything. I didn't expect it but I loved that it was that! My heart broke, and then was whole again. And it was definitely one of a kind story..
The writing is flawless as usual. I was not bored, and couldn't stop reading. I was enjoying myself.
But it was not heart wrenching or out of the ordinary, like I'm used to with Mia's book.
But then there's this secret that I can't divulge. This secret changed everything. I didn't expect it but I loved that it was that! My heart broke, and then was whole again. And it was definitely one of a kind story..
abr_zap's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
amanda1793's review against another edition
4.0
Good read. I look forward to reading more from Sheridan!
caseyreadsalotofbooks's review against another edition
emotional
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
babytaytayx's review against another edition
5.0
Loveddd it! Was so good! Full of angst and emotion. Like there was a ton of hope, faith, love, hopelessness, growth and it was amazing!!