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nesita's review
emotional
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
_sparklesandspice_'s review
3.0
3.5⭐️ Emmett and Adaline clearly have feeling for each other than run deep and long. Emmett decides he wants to go after her and never let her go. Adaline always puts everyone ahead of herself and struggles to find balance. I thought the two of them were so sweet and there was definitely a lot of tension between them. I didn’t connect with this as much as the thought I would, but it was still a light, worthwhile read!
strangelynormal's review
5.0
Emmett Ward has always gotten what he wanted but he knows hard work and dedication take time. When a teammate experiences a life changing injury, Emmett realizes he might have put all his dedication in the wrong place. Adaline Wilder always had a crush on Emmett but the timing of letting him know was not the greatest. Now, they are five years older and have a better understanding of what they want and need from life.
Adaline has just gotten out of a long term relationship where she was not the priority, a mistake she is not going to make again. However, when Emmett makes a reappearance in her life she cannot deny that he holds a piece of her heart. Emmett is the most patient and understanding of book boyfriends. He knows he cannot put it all on the line right away and scare Adaline away. Adaline is a strong female leader that knows what is important to her. But love has a way of changing things.
I really loved this story and how it was a second chance but not really at the same time. I have not read all the Ward sisters’ books but I was not lost. Although, I’m sure if I had the family dynamics would have been even richer. Emmett’s understanding and respect of Adaline was super swoon worthy. I also like that Adaline did not give into changing her life immediately. She stood her ground but also was open to advice. Ultimately, the couple made compromises that would be true for any lasting relationship. It was a low angst, swoony, and emotional read that I highly recommend.
Adaline has just gotten out of a long term relationship where she was not the priority, a mistake she is not going to make again. However, when Emmett makes a reappearance in her life she cannot deny that he holds a piece of her heart. Emmett is the most patient and understanding of book boyfriends. He knows he cannot put it all on the line right away and scare Adaline away. Adaline is a strong female leader that knows what is important to her. But love has a way of changing things.
I really loved this story and how it was a second chance but not really at the same time. I have not read all the Ward sisters’ books but I was not lost. Although, I’m sure if I had the family dynamics would have been even richer. Emmett’s understanding and respect of Adaline was super swoon worthy. I also like that Adaline did not give into changing her life immediately. She stood her ground but also was open to advice. Ultimately, the couple made compromises that would be true for any lasting relationship. It was a low angst, swoony, and emotional read that I highly recommend.
paytonbox21's review
5.0
A spectacular finish to the Ward family books, I read the Bombshell effect and that series years ago and have been slowly reading all the sisters books and it’s so sad to be finishing their story all these years later. I can’t wait to continue with the Wilder family and see what all comes next!
maferg01's review
5.0
I can honestly say, I have thoroughly enjoyed each of the books I’ve read by Karla Sorensen and am really looking forward to more. I love how she pairs whitty and often funny dialogue with heavy plot themes and medium angst and a fair bit of steam creating the perfect balance for a really yummy romance book. Her stories have weight without being heavy, and are fun and quite funny without being campy. These are the books you want to cuddle up with and indulge in.
Have you ever asked yourself, what if? Well Emmett has and his “What if” is Adaline Wilder. What if he hadn’t walked away from her to focus on his budding career in pro football? What would his life look like now? This is what runs through his head, sitting in a hospital waiting room when he finally realizes he might not in fact have everything he wants in life. So, he creates his second chance and puts it all on the line for what he wants most in life.
When Emmett thinks “carpe diem,” it turns into the perfect story that balances all my favorite things. Plus, sigh… his abs. This super cute story is all about second chances and realizing what you want most in life. Emmett and Adaline are fire together and since they both come from big families, expect all the chaos and humor that comes with that. It’s one of the best parts of the book. One of the things I liked most are the character’s “real life” issues and their compromises to get their HEA. There isn’t a huge fight over something trivial, but there are big, grand gestures in spades as these two work for their HEA. Indulge in this decadent and delicious cupcake of a book with a love story that will make you sigh and swoon!
Have you ever asked yourself, what if? Well Emmett has and his “What if” is Adaline Wilder. What if he hadn’t walked away from her to focus on his budding career in pro football? What would his life look like now? This is what runs through his head, sitting in a hospital waiting room when he finally realizes he might not in fact have everything he wants in life. So, he creates his second chance and puts it all on the line for what he wants most in life.
When Emmett thinks “carpe diem,” it turns into the perfect story that balances all my favorite things. Plus, sigh… his abs. This super cute story is all about second chances and realizing what you want most in life. Emmett and Adaline are fire together and since they both come from big families, expect all the chaos and humor that comes with that. It’s one of the best parts of the book. One of the things I liked most are the character’s “real life” issues and their compromises to get their HEA. There isn’t a huge fight over something trivial, but there are big, grand gestures in spades as these two work for their HEA. Indulge in this decadent and delicious cupcake of a book with a love story that will make you sigh and swoon!
glavreads's review
5.0
4.5 stars - listened as an audiobook. this really came to life for me as an audiobook and this is the second karla sorensen book that made me cry which came out of nowhere in the best way.
i'm glad i listened to this instead of reading it because the starting premise is kind of weird, was my only gripe with the book. emmett sees something traumatic happen to a friend and when his friend's wife is there for support, he realizes he missed his opportunity with adaline because he chose his football career over starting something with her years ago. not my favorite starting premise for a book.
however, the rest was really cute and he was basically like i will move the ends of the earth to make something work with you and that's what i care about. the family and side characters in these books really make the story (and make me cry) but i'm so excited to read more from her!
i'm glad i listened to this instead of reading it because the starting premise is kind of weird, was my only gripe with the book. emmett sees something traumatic happen to a friend and when his friend's wife is there for support, he realizes he missed his opportunity with adaline because he chose his football career over starting something with her years ago. not my favorite starting premise for a book.
however, the rest was really cute and he was basically like i will move the ends of the earth to make something work with you and that's what i care about. the family and side characters in these books really make the story (and make me cry) but i'm so excited to read more from her!
profromance's review
5.0
Overall Grade: ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
Loganism (n.): (lo-gan-ism) that one singular sentence in a Karla Sorensen Ward romance that flips the perspective of its titular character, usually a Ward sibling or son; a turning point; a reminder that Logan Ward (with a bit of competition from his son, Emmett Ward, is and will always be Karla Sorensen’s most swooniest MMC/hero, no matter whose story he exists in.
“This weekend. Trade stories with me, Adaline Wilder I want to hear if you’ll tell me.”
And so begins Karla Sorensen’s beautiful rendering of Emmett Ward and Adaline Wilder’s love journey in The Crush. To say that the anticipation for this book is high would be an understatement. When you live through the gorgeousness that is Logan and Paige’s romance in The Marriage Effect and fall deeply in love with his sisters’ stories in later books, you can’t help but want the happily ever after for the youngest Ward. And true to her skill and craftsmanship, she absolutely does not disappoint.
“There was an equilibrium when I was with Adaline.”
As Sorensen has done repeatedly, her masterful storytelling draws you deeply into Emmett and Adaline’s story. She has a heavy task ahead of her: make the reigning golden child shine in the wake of his own parents’ and aunts’ delicious stories. How do you craft Emmett Ward when his parents are beloved, the infamous markers of Sorensen’s talent? You combine the attributes into one while also giving him the space to be himself. And Emmett, well, he gives his father a run for the title as one of Sorensen’s most beloved heroes. He’s the definition of a swoony hero: handsome; a gentle giant; a feminist, raised under the careful hand of a brood of willful, independent women; and a hard worker. And he loves people, namely Adaline, hard. He loves beyond himself. There are so many gorgeous moments in The Crush that create little fractures in our reading hearts. Sorensen quickly and deftly fills them, but the mixture of nostalgia combined with Emmett’s own personal journey makes you emotional.
“Adaline wasn’t fireworks and lightning. She was something softer, sneaking up on me until I couldn’t look away. A sunrise, maybe. A beginning point that changed so gradually you hardly noticed until the brightest, most vivid colors you’ve ever seen dominated the entire horizon.”
And there are layers of wisdom in this story: a Loganism, a deep discussion with Isabel, and a heart-to-heart conversation between Adaline and her stepfather, Tim, that create the underlying message of this book: that any relationship is hard and requires sacrifice and effort to make it profitable (not the sexiest word for a beautiful romance such as this one, but an apt word). Sorensen has the benefit of The Marriage Effect, Focused, Faked, Floored, and Forbidden as foundational to Emmett’s understanding of relationships. It’s a detriment as much as a benefit to have been surrounded by incredible relationships, but we learn through Sorensen’s storytelling that it impresses upon him incompletely. That is often the danger of romances: the idea that romance and relationships should be easy and stay easy. However, her characters and readers learn quickly that life is never easy, and we must often do what is difficult for the greater reward. To underscore that idea, Sorensen makes her readers work for Adaline and Emmett’s happy ending. In doing so, she crafts realism into the fictional world many of us love to inhabit during our reading time. This is the single main reason why I adore Sorensen to my toes. There is spice, sweetness, and light, but there is also a shade of reality in her stories that allows us to find ourselves situated with her beloved characters. And we need the promise that we can escape our own troubles and find our own happy endings too.
“Emmett wanted me any way he could have me. No pretense, no lies, and no excuses of what would come next.”
Is Adaline Wilder a breath of fresh air in The Curse? Indeed. She is seminal and necessary to Emmett’s growth. She is self-possessed, independent, loving, compassionate, and everything good in a romance heroine. And she knows her boundaries and lives to them. Through her characterization, we learn the importance of choosing yourself and expecting a love interest to make you a priority as well. Together, Emmett and Adaline are pure unadulterated divinity.
“‘Someday,’ he said, sucking at the skin by my jaw, ‘someday we’ll start where we can finish.”
From her wordsmithing to her characterizations to her capacity in wringing out the details of her story, Karla Sorensen’s The Crush reminds me why she is an automatic one-click. I want to read her stories because I find life in them despite personal struggle. Emmett and Adaline will absolutely steal your heart, but you will end this book in complete and utter peace with the biggest smile on your face and happy tears in your eyes. I know I did.
Loganism (n.): (lo-gan-ism) that one singular sentence in a Karla Sorensen Ward romance that flips the perspective of its titular character, usually a Ward sibling or son; a turning point; a reminder that Logan Ward (with a bit of competition from his son, Emmett Ward, is and will always be Karla Sorensen’s most swooniest MMC/hero, no matter whose story he exists in.
“This weekend. Trade stories with me, Adaline Wilder I want to hear if you’ll tell me.”
And so begins Karla Sorensen’s beautiful rendering of Emmett Ward and Adaline Wilder’s love journey in The Crush. To say that the anticipation for this book is high would be an understatement. When you live through the gorgeousness that is Logan and Paige’s romance in The Marriage Effect and fall deeply in love with his sisters’ stories in later books, you can’t help but want the happily ever after for the youngest Ward. And true to her skill and craftsmanship, she absolutely does not disappoint.
“There was an equilibrium when I was with Adaline.”
As Sorensen has done repeatedly, her masterful storytelling draws you deeply into Emmett and Adaline’s story. She has a heavy task ahead of her: make the reigning golden child shine in the wake of his own parents’ and aunts’ delicious stories. How do you craft Emmett Ward when his parents are beloved, the infamous markers of Sorensen’s talent? You combine the attributes into one while also giving him the space to be himself. And Emmett, well, he gives his father a run for the title as one of Sorensen’s most beloved heroes. He’s the definition of a swoony hero: handsome; a gentle giant; a feminist, raised under the careful hand of a brood of willful, independent women; and a hard worker. And he loves people, namely Adaline, hard. He loves beyond himself. There are so many gorgeous moments in The Crush that create little fractures in our reading hearts. Sorensen quickly and deftly fills them, but the mixture of nostalgia combined with Emmett’s own personal journey makes you emotional.
“Adaline wasn’t fireworks and lightning. She was something softer, sneaking up on me until I couldn’t look away. A sunrise, maybe. A beginning point that changed so gradually you hardly noticed until the brightest, most vivid colors you’ve ever seen dominated the entire horizon.”
And there are layers of wisdom in this story: a Loganism, a deep discussion with Isabel, and a heart-to-heart conversation between Adaline and her stepfather, Tim, that create the underlying message of this book: that any relationship is hard and requires sacrifice and effort to make it profitable (not the sexiest word for a beautiful romance such as this one, but an apt word). Sorensen has the benefit of The Marriage Effect, Focused, Faked, Floored, and Forbidden as foundational to Emmett’s understanding of relationships. It’s a detriment as much as a benefit to have been surrounded by incredible relationships, but we learn through Sorensen’s storytelling that it impresses upon him incompletely. That is often the danger of romances: the idea that romance and relationships should be easy and stay easy. However, her characters and readers learn quickly that life is never easy, and we must often do what is difficult for the greater reward. To underscore that idea, Sorensen makes her readers work for Adaline and Emmett’s happy ending. In doing so, she crafts realism into the fictional world many of us love to inhabit during our reading time. This is the single main reason why I adore Sorensen to my toes. There is spice, sweetness, and light, but there is also a shade of reality in her stories that allows us to find ourselves situated with her beloved characters. And we need the promise that we can escape our own troubles and find our own happy endings too.
“Emmett wanted me any way he could have me. No pretense, no lies, and no excuses of what would come next.”
Is Adaline Wilder a breath of fresh air in The Curse? Indeed. She is seminal and necessary to Emmett’s growth. She is self-possessed, independent, loving, compassionate, and everything good in a romance heroine. And she knows her boundaries and lives to them. Through her characterization, we learn the importance of choosing yourself and expecting a love interest to make you a priority as well. Together, Emmett and Adaline are pure unadulterated divinity.
“‘Someday,’ he said, sucking at the skin by my jaw, ‘someday we’ll start where we can finish.”
From her wordsmithing to her characterizations to her capacity in wringing out the details of her story, Karla Sorensen’s The Crush reminds me why she is an automatic one-click. I want to read her stories because I find life in them despite personal struggle. Emmett and Adaline will absolutely steal your heart, but you will end this book in complete and utter peace with the biggest smile on your face and happy tears in your eyes. I know I did.
katieslifebythepage's review
5.0
Wonderful story. Emmett is a strong character and he found is match in Adeline. I loved how both characters knew what they wanted and the communicated without making assumptions. The family was awesome to revisit and the story was great. I loved seeing Allie return for a pivotal scene.
bookspaced's review
4.0
Emmett freaking Ward! I still remember him as a boy
and seeing him all grown up was just amazing!
In this book you can clearly see what an amazing man Emmett turned out to be. Yes he makes mistakes but he trys to fix those mistakes as soon and as best as he can.
I really enjoyed Emmett and Adaline‘s story. It was fun, sweet, emotional and overall just perfection. It was amazing being back with this family and seeing all our familiar characters and what they‘re up to, as well as meeting the new generation.
4.5⭐️
and seeing him all grown up was just amazing!
In this book you can clearly see what an amazing man Emmett turned out to be. Yes he makes mistakes but he trys to fix those mistakes as soon and as best as he can.
I really enjoyed Emmett and Adaline‘s story. It was fun, sweet, emotional and overall just perfection. It was amazing being back with this family and seeing all our familiar characters and what they‘re up to, as well as meeting the new generation.
4.5⭐️
lt_tara's review
5.0
I would let Emmett Ward kick me in the face, run me over with his car and then I would proceed to pay him to get it fixed, that's how much I love that fictional man. It's so unfair how fictional he is, how unreal and not alive he is and I'm gonna need an apology letter from Karla because she wrote a character that is literally perfect and I can't get over it. I was reading this book, not believing my eyes, just waiting for him to slip up, do or say something that would make me love him less but no, he was unproblematic, caring, protective, loving, funny, caring and completely perfect from start to finish. There are only a handful of fictional men that are IT and Emmett is one of them. Like picture Aaron Blackford and Dallas Walker and Ivan Lukov and Emmett is absolutely on that level. Karla really said Imma give you a man you will never have in real life just to make you feel depressed, lonely and jealous over somebody that doesn't exist, then she probably evil laughed and started writing the book.
I have read every single book in the Washington Wolves universe and this series about the next generation was so enjoyable, I was so fucking excited to read about the last Ward family member to get his story and it truly exceeded all of my expectations. I was scared to start the book because it is the last one, it's about a Ward, I had such high hopes and I am not particularly a fan of friends to lovers, seconds chance romances and I hate long distance - so basically this book looked like a nightmare to me (if it was an unexpected pregnancy story as well I think I would have cried) but the way every single one of those tropes made me a whore for this book because it all worked so well, just unreal. The longing, the angst (but the really good kind), the absolute adoration Emmett and Adaline had for each other, the scrutiny of the time and distance separating them and the amount of cameos from the other Wards, Wilders and Piersons made this book a work of art in my eyes. Every single thing worked so well, I was obsessed, I was reading like a maniac and constantly thinking of the book when I didn't have it in my hands.
Adaline was one of the most likable characters I have ever read about, there wasn't a single bad bone in her body. She wasn't jealous or mean, she was reasonable, funny, loving and she was probably the most caring person ever. She so desperately wanted to protect her heart and I understood her intentions so clearly, she was always there for anyone who needed her and I loved how Emmett knew all of this about her and how he became the one Adaline could lean on.
The relationship was absolutely fantastic, their chemistry was through the roof, I really liked that this book was more steamy but in a very I wanna say elegant way (idk what that's supposed to mean either so don't worry about it), their relationship was built on trust and years of knowing each other, they were so comfortable together and to me as a reader it felt so right for them to be together, I was rooting for them and it was killing me when they were kept apart, but the reasoning behind that was very real, believable and reasonable for the story. It wasn't anything stupid of something that could get resolved easily. These two characters had to overcome a few obstacles and their journey took a while but I loved it.
I have to say that one of my favorite things was how many times we got to see the Wards. I really felt like it was necessary to have the girls, Paige and Logan there, not only because they are Emmett's family but also because it's those characters we all fell in love with and I needed to see them if only for a second, plus they all already had their love stories and I really enjoyed their input and how they all knew Emmett was in deep with Adaline and supported him through everything. Their family is so big now and if I could I would read a hundred books about every single one of the members, we got even more time with the Wilders and let me tell you I am already shaking in my boots with excitement because I cannot wait for their stories to be told, and we also got to see a bit of the biggest badass that started it all - miss Allie, she was such a boss and getting to see her in her element was such a highlight for me.
Karla really went all out with this one and she did an amazing job. The book was worth it, it was a great last book to the series and it had everything I didn't think I would like but ended up loving. Emmett is officially a new love of my life book boyfriend and I would honestly die to be a part of the Ward family.
I have read every single book in the Washington Wolves universe and this series about the next generation was so enjoyable, I was so fucking excited to read about the last Ward family member to get his story and it truly exceeded all of my expectations. I was scared to start the book because it is the last one, it's about a Ward, I had such high hopes and I am not particularly a fan of friends to lovers, seconds chance romances and I hate long distance - so basically this book looked like a nightmare to me (if it was an unexpected pregnancy story as well I think I would have cried) but the way every single one of those tropes made me a whore for this book because it all worked so well, just unreal. The longing, the angst (but the really good kind), the absolute adoration Emmett and Adaline had for each other, the scrutiny of the time and distance separating them and the amount of cameos from the other Wards, Wilders and Piersons made this book a work of art in my eyes. Every single thing worked so well, I was obsessed, I was reading like a maniac and constantly thinking of the book when I didn't have it in my hands.
Adaline was one of the most likable characters I have ever read about, there wasn't a single bad bone in her body. She wasn't jealous or mean, she was reasonable, funny, loving and she was probably the most caring person ever. She so desperately wanted to protect her heart and I understood her intentions so clearly, she was always there for anyone who needed her and I loved how Emmett knew all of this about her and how he became the one Adaline could lean on.
The relationship was absolutely fantastic, their chemistry was through the roof, I really liked that this book was more steamy but in a very I wanna say elegant way (idk what that's supposed to mean either so don't worry about it), their relationship was built on trust and years of knowing each other, they were so comfortable together and to me as a reader it felt so right for them to be together, I was rooting for them and it was killing me when they were kept apart, but the reasoning behind that was very real, believable and reasonable for the story. It wasn't anything stupid of something that could get resolved easily. These two characters had to overcome a few obstacles and their journey took a while but I loved it.
I have to say that one of my favorite things was how many times we got to see the Wards. I really felt like it was necessary to have the girls, Paige and Logan there, not only because they are Emmett's family but also because it's those characters we all fell in love with and I needed to see them if only for a second, plus they all already had their love stories and I really enjoyed their input and how they all knew Emmett was in deep with Adaline and supported him through everything. Their family is so big now and if I could I would read a hundred books about every single one of the members, we got even more time with the Wilders and let me tell you I am already shaking in my boots with excitement because I cannot wait for their stories to be told, and we also got to see a bit of the biggest badass that started it all - miss Allie, she was such a boss and getting to see her in her element was such a highlight for me.
Karla really went all out with this one and she did an amazing job. The book was worth it, it was a great last book to the series and it had everything I didn't think I would like but ended up loving. Emmett is officially a new love of my life book boyfriend and I would honestly die to be a part of the Ward family.