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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.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic relationship, Alcohol, and Emotional abuse
ymread's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
sad
fast-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
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol, Bullying, Alcoholism, Mental illness, Child abuse, and Emotional abuse
Moderate: Sexual content
Minor: Death of parent and Pregnancy
ecravens's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment, Addiction, Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, Physical abuse, Alcohol, Cancer, Grief, Mental illness, and Sexual content
bribreez's review against another edition
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
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
5.0
I’m convinced that Mia Sheridan has a magical touch with her books because, with each book I read I fall more in love with her and her characters, etc. From the very beginning with the prologue that introduced Jessica and Callen, I immediately felt a kinship with Jessica, and my heart went out to Callen. Mia has a way of reaching into your soul through her words, and captivating your entire attention, having you on the edge of your seat trying to anticipate where the story will lead to next. Fair warning, I’m going to be repeating myself by saying how much I fell in love with this book haha.
Immediately with the first few pages, I felt connected to Jessica. While I have never studied French, I did relate to her with her love for fairytales when she was younger. When I was a kid, I was always playing pretend and imagining myself with my own prince. I would get swept up in the make believe world I created just as Jessica did, and similarly I used the stories of fairytales to escape the reality of my life when I was a kid. Jessica was a sweetheart, and reading just a bit of her own life from those first few pages, I already knew in my heart I loved her. Even that first meeting with Callen, I was intrigued to see who the mysterious boy was, and who he’d become to Jessica. Reading about Jessica and Callen when they were kids was so endearing, and I loved seeing those little pieces of memories they created together.
The moment when Callen realized that Jessica was the woman he couldn’t stop thinking about, it made my heart swoon, but also be like, “why didn’t you recognize her earlier on??” Anyways, it was cute seeing Callen and Jessica jump back into the groove of their friendship, but also see how attracted they were to one another even after so many years apart. The chemistry between Jessica and Callen was palpable and fantastic! I adored the little glances, subtle moments that highlighted the love emanating between them. Once again, Mia Sheridan just knows the way to my heart, and the way she wrote Callen (as well as her other male characters from previous books) had me wanting to jump into the story, and have my own adventure with Callen.
While Callen was portrayed as a “bad boy”, that was only partly due to Callen restoring to vices such as, drinking and one night stands to blur the harsh memories of all the bad things he endured in his life. When Callen was reunited with Jessica, he rekindled his relationship with Jessica, but also rediscovered a part of himself from when he was a kid around Jessica. For Callen being the “serious, bad boy” type, I found it endearing how he was sometimes shy or slightly obsessed with Jessica with him waiting around all day for her (in other words he was a total sucker/ simp for Jessica).
This story gave me, “it’s always been you” trope vibes, with the way that Callen and Jessica were around each other, but also due to the fact that Jessica bought out a side in Callen that he hadn’t experienced in so many years. In addition, there was an immediate positive change in Callen that helped with his writer block for his music, and allowed him to feel a true sense of happiness that he always felt when being with Jessica.
This story was absolutely beautiful and heartfelt. The message embedded within the story was inspiring and one I will try to remember in my life from now on. I enjoyed how Jessica’s and Callen’s story was kind of interconnected to the history of Adelaide and Oliver. There was a vibrancy to this story that really made me reflect on my life as well as seeing how Jessica and Callen went about their own lives. Overall, I fell in love with this book and of course the epilogue was a sweet ending to Callen and Jessica’s story, fate truly did have a plan for those two and I couldn’t say enough lovelier things about this story.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol, Child abuse, and Death of parent
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