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4.08 AVERAGE
4.08 AVERAGE
That was an amazing emotional rollercoaster. It is a sad story with bright moments in between and a HEA. I started crying since page 1 and I kept going till the end. Sad and happy tears were mixed together during this read and I'm not shy to say it.
I loved the story and the characters. Their love was the thing that kept me reading and made me race to the end. My favorite book so far from this series.
I loved the story and the characters. Their love was the thing that kept me reading and made me race to the end. My favorite book so far from this series.
Omg Jude. My heart. This ended up being a pretty emotional read. We first met Jude in Bittersweet, fresh out of rehab after serving a 3-year prison sentence for manslaughter. He was an intriguing character from the get go so I was anxious to dive into his story. In Steadfast, he returns to his hometown to try to build back what is left of his life.
His story was so raw as he is battling an opiate addiction and can barely make it through the day without his cravings and reminders of his old life creeping up on him. In spite of it all, he is determined to stay sober and that determination leads to some of the best parts of this book. I really enjoyed reading this.
His story was so raw as he is battling an opiate addiction and can barely make it through the day without his cravings and reminders of his old life creeping up on him. In spite of it all, he is determined to stay sober and that determination leads to some of the best parts of this book. I really enjoyed reading this.
This is the second book in the True North series, and while I loved the first one, this one was even better!
We were introduced to Jude in Bittersweet. He cane to work on the Shipley farm after being released from drug rehab and after serving three years for manslaughter. After a few months of hard work, he ventures home where his life unraveled. His ex-girlfriend, Sophie, who happens to bevthe chief of police’s daughter, as well as the sister of the man who died in the car accident which sent Jude to prison, is still there. And they still have tons of chemistry despite knowing the ramifications if they get involved again. They spend time together inadvertently, while both cope with the issues still surrounding the car accident.
I loved Jude. He played on my sympathies from the start, and I so wanted him to succeed. Watching a loved one go through detox and try to stay sober (which I’ve done) is one of the hardest things to do, and Sarina Bowen wrote this so eloquently!
I’m looking forward to more in this series!
**Update** I have also listened to the audio of Steadfast, and Jeffrey Kafer and Seraphine Valentine did a wonderful job of bringing Jude and Sophie to life!
We were introduced to Jude in Bittersweet. He cane to work on the Shipley farm after being released from drug rehab and after serving three years for manslaughter. After a few months of hard work, he ventures home where his life unraveled. His ex-girlfriend, Sophie, who happens to bevthe chief of police’s daughter, as well as the sister of the man who died in the car accident which sent Jude to prison, is still there. And they still have tons of chemistry despite knowing the ramifications if they get involved again. They spend time together inadvertently, while both cope with the issues still surrounding the car accident.
I loved Jude. He played on my sympathies from the start, and I so wanted him to succeed. Watching a loved one go through detox and try to stay sober (which I’ve done) is one of the hardest things to do, and Sarina Bowen wrote this so eloquently!
I’m looking forward to more in this series!
**Update** I have also listened to the audio of Steadfast, and Jeffrey Kafer and Seraphine Valentine did a wonderful job of bringing Jude and Sophie to life!
I need to admit that after finishing Bittersweet, I really didn’t want to read Jude’s story. I thought he was an interesting character but I didn’t seem to think that much could come out of him and his past but I was SO WRONG! Not even a few pages in, I was hooked. Jude’s backstory, his love for Sophie, the tragic way they parted, and now his arrival back in his home town had me more riveted than Griff and Audrey’s story.
I don’t know if I can even express how much I loved this story. If you just take Jude and break him down, he is the strongest character I have ever read about. How he grew up with an alcoholic father and the horrible decisions that he made sent him to jail but in the end, it made him such a great person. Even while battling his craving for drugs, Jude comes home to a town where he knows that he is not wanted because he has nowhere else to go. He never blames others for his actions because he knows he made the first mistake of taking drugs and hiding his addiction. Day in and day out he suffers quietly all while longing for Sophie but knowing that he is no longer worthy of her, that being with her would make it painful for the both of them. And Sophie is just as strong, after the accident and loss of her brother, she lets go of her dreams and stays at home to take care of her mother. But fate throws them together and things get electric! This story isn’t just about Jude being reintroduced into society after serving his time and living with the consequences of his actions, it’s so much more. I don’t want to say anything else because I want you to live it like I did while reading about these two beautiful characters.
I don’t know if I can even express how much I loved this story. If you just take Jude and break him down, he is the strongest character I have ever read about. How he grew up with an alcoholic father and the horrible decisions that he made sent him to jail but in the end, it made him such a great person. Even while battling his craving for drugs, Jude comes home to a town where he knows that he is not wanted because he has nowhere else to go. He never blames others for his actions because he knows he made the first mistake of taking drugs and hiding his addiction. Day in and day out he suffers quietly all while longing for Sophie but knowing that he is no longer worthy of her, that being with her would make it painful for the both of them. And Sophie is just as strong, after the accident and loss of her brother, she lets go of her dreams and stays at home to take care of her mother. But fate throws them together and things get electric! This story isn’t just about Jude being reintroduced into society after serving his time and living with the consequences of his actions, it’s so much more. I don’t want to say anything else because I want you to live it like I did while reading about these two beautiful characters.
this book was great.
I am starting to think that Bowen is going to become an auto buy for me...
this book made me think of Leaving Paradise and a Walk to remember... altough nobody is sick
I think it is more for the narrative and how the book is written...
oh and just a couple of days after reading this book, Seth Meyer does a check in on what it is done by the administration to stop the problem...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hfe6X-rwmO4
I knew about this problem before reading the book. we do not have the same problem in my country but being informed aneugh about the subject makes the story very relevant and well written.
I am starting to think that Bowen is going to become an auto buy for me...
this book made me think of Leaving Paradise and a Walk to remember... altough nobody is sick
I think it is more for the narrative and how the book is written...
oh and just a couple of days after reading this book, Seth Meyer does a check in on what it is done by the administration to stop the problem...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hfe6X-rwmO4
I knew about this problem before reading the book. we do not have the same problem in my country but being informed aneugh about the subject makes the story very relevant and well written.
Jude and Sophie are perfection.
This second chance romance was right up my street. Jude became so much more than he was in Bittersweet. The way he recovered and how he is still fighting his demons on the regular adds to the story and his relationship with Sophie. It shows how much he's grown since they were first together. This is definitely a different story that I've read by Sarina Bowen before, normally they have the typical romance conflict but Sophie is running the show and she is not letting things slide or be hidden under the carpet any longer with the mystery of her brothers death.
There's such a mystery behind the romance and I love how Sophie reveals it. The strained relationship she has with her parents really helps readers understand why and how she initially formed this budding relationship with Jude back in her school years. It's easy to see why she automatically bounces back to Jude once he returns when she doesn't want to.
Bring on Keepsake because I am dying to see all the OGs again.
This second chance romance was right up my street. Jude became so much more than he was in Bittersweet. The way he recovered and how he is still fighting his demons on the regular adds to the story and his relationship with Sophie. It shows how much he's grown since they were first together. This is definitely a different story that I've read by Sarina Bowen before, normally they have the typical romance conflict but Sophie is running the show and she is not letting things slide or be hidden under the carpet any longer with the mystery of her brothers death.
There's such a mystery behind the romance and I love how Sophie reveals it. The strained relationship she has with her parents really helps readers understand why and how she initially formed this budding relationship with Jude back in her school years. It's easy to see why she automatically bounces back to Jude once he returns when she doesn't want to.
Bring on Keepsake because I am dying to see all the OGs again.
This was a fantastic second chance romance. It was a story that brought forth so many emotions and I was so captivated by it. Jude was an interesting character and I felt curious about him already in the first book in the series. I loved how he didn’t sugarcoat his addiction or his actions and he was so vulnerable that I couldn’t help loving him. Sophie was dealt a hard hand and I loved her ability to still care.
But my absolute favorite thing about the story was how the author was able to make me care about all the characters and I just can’t wait to read the next book in the series.
But my absolute favorite thing about the story was how the author was able to make me care about all the characters and I just can’t wait to read the next book in the series.
4.5/5 - Steadfast is the second novel in the True North series by Sarina Bowen and follows Jude and Sophie's story. This is an emotional book with a lot of trigger warnings, please check them out if they are something that you need.
Jude is a recovering addict and has just gotten out of prison for manslaughter. We met him in the previous book as the new hire at the Shipley's farm. He is now back living with his dad when the work season at the farm finished up. His dad is an alcoholic and lives in the town he never wanted to return to. He is trying to make amends for the accident he caused three years ago that killed his ex-girlfriends brother. Sophie is the ex-girlfriend. She feels like her life has been on hold for three years because the wrong child died. Her parents blame her.
This was a hard story. Sarina Bowen does such an excellent job of portraying addiction and recovery from addiction. The descriptions of cravings and withdrawal were so well written, it really allowed the reader to see and empathize with the strength a recovering addict shows every time they choose to stay sober. This was such a raw and real story. Jude's story is so painful to read, there are moment I sobbed for him and the pain he was enduring because of addiction and because of the guilt he feels.
Sophie was an interesting character. She had experienced two tremendous losses, the loss of her brother and the loss of the love of her life. Not only that, her family is in a constant state of mourning and has not even begun to heal. She has picked herself and moved on, even though she is dealing with the pain of feeling (and knowing as the dad verbalizes it) that her parents wish it was her that died.
When Jude and Sophie come together, the feelings they had in the past come back to the surface as there was no closure. You can easily see how much love they have. This isn't a story about everything being "okay", it is more about dealing with the hand you are dealt and figuring out how to live with painful choices and memories.
Overall this is a wonderful and beautiful second chance romance. Sarina Bowen has written a wonderful couple that you are rooting for against all the odds stacked up against them.
Jude is a recovering addict and has just gotten out of prison for manslaughter. We met him in the previous book as the new hire at the Shipley's farm. He is now back living with his dad when the work season at the farm finished up. His dad is an alcoholic and lives in the town he never wanted to return to. He is trying to make amends for the accident he caused three years ago that killed his ex-girlfriends brother. Sophie is the ex-girlfriend. She feels like her life has been on hold for three years because the wrong child died. Her parents blame her.
This was a hard story. Sarina Bowen does such an excellent job of portraying addiction and recovery from addiction. The descriptions of cravings and withdrawal were so well written, it really allowed the reader to see and empathize with the strength a recovering addict shows every time they choose to stay sober. This was such a raw and real story. Jude's story is so painful to read, there are moment I sobbed for him and the pain he was enduring because of addiction and because of the guilt he feels.
Sophie was an interesting character. She had experienced two tremendous losses, the loss of her brother and the loss of the love of her life. Not only that, her family is in a constant state of mourning and has not even begun to heal. She has picked herself and moved on, even though she is dealing with the pain of feeling (and knowing as the dad verbalizes it) that her parents wish it was her that died.
When Jude and Sophie come together, the feelings they had in the past come back to the surface as there was no closure. You can easily see how much love they have. This isn't a story about everything being "okay", it is more about dealing with the hand you are dealt and figuring out how to live with painful choices and memories.
Overall this is a wonderful and beautiful second chance romance. Sarina Bowen has written a wonderful couple that you are rooting for against all the odds stacked up against them.
