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4.08 AVERAGE
4.08 AVERAGE
I really liked the concept of the book, and also most of the execution of the concept. The MMC, being a recovering drug addict, working hard to be steadfast in his recovery, as well as in his love for the FMC. The FMC being supportive to him and working towards her own career and future.
I also enjoyed their interactions with each other and with others in the community. Jude's NAA meetings. Sophie's work. Their involvement in the community service. Their engagements with the Shipley family. So much was going on in the plot, and I really enjoyed most of it.
SPOILER AHEAD
What I initially did not like but later forgot was that I had thought that the story would also be about the redemption of a convicted felon, but as I realized, because of all the hints, that MMC probably didn't commit the crime he was imprisoned for, that just took something away from the story for me. Although later as I continued, I forgot about that thought and enjoyed the HEA with the whole "wrongful imprisonment" part.
Another thing I did not like until the very end was the lack of appreciation for Denny by Sophie. He really seemed like a very kind and good friend to Spohie. However, I do understand that he had feelings for her which she did not reciprocate, so maybe it was better this way for them.
I also enjoyed their interactions with each other and with others in the community. Jude's NAA meetings. Sophie's work. Their involvement in the community service. Their engagements with the Shipley family. So much was going on in the plot, and I really enjoyed most of it.
SPOILER AHEAD
What I initially did not like but later forgot was that I had thought that the story would also be about the redemption of a convicted felon, but as I realized, because of all the hints, that MMC probably didn't commit the crime he was imprisoned for, that just took something away from the story for me. Although later as I continued, I forgot about that thought and enjoyed the HEA with the whole "wrongful imprisonment" part.
Another thing I did not like until the very end was the lack of appreciation for Denny by Sophie. He really seemed like a very kind and good friend to Spohie. However, I do understand that he had feelings for her which she did not reciprocate, so maybe it was better this way for them.
Ein Punkt Abzug weil er doch unschuldig war. Ich hätte es besser gefunden, wenn er wirklich den Unfall gebaut hätte und sie dennoch drüber hinwegkommen wäre...wobei irgendwie war das ja schon angedeutet, dennoch...
emotional
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This book has excellent angst but fell a little flat on the mystery angle. I really liked their story as it was something I haven’t really read before. I was really rooting for these two!
It started out well, but had issues as it dragged on, and didn't live up to the promise of quality set by the first novel in the series.
I listened to the audiobook and found both narrators' performances middling. I also think switching from text to audio between books (because this is what my library had available, I actually prefer text) made instances of word repetition much more obvious than if I had read it. It's entirely possible the first book also had these but they weren't as noticeable; however, it happened often enough to be irritating. (Once I think the word "away" was used four times in what I believe was only two sentences. Yikes. My ear definitely caught on that.)
But performance aside, the story had issues that don't result from presentation. I love Jude. I love him to pieces. He always felt incredibly authentic, and I'm a total goner for grumps with golden hearts, and I found his pessimism realistic and not too despairing. However, I did not particularly like Sophie. She was vapid far too often, she didn't think through the course of her actions, and it took her forever to figure out from hard evidence what I had figured out (plot mystery-wise) the very first time it was brought up.
From there, my next complaint is the sheer number of subplots. I remember seeing The Return of the King in theaters, and I knew going in it was going to be a long movie, but remember how there were six or seven "endings" in a row, each one tackling some aspect of the story that needed to be tied up? That's what this book felt like. Jude and Sophie are firmly together, romantically, with their personal obstacles solved, when there was still over an hour and a half of the audio left to go. So then we have to get Jude a job, get Sophie a job, deal with Denny's minor arc (which had basically zero foreshadowing,) have the huge blowup with Sophie's father, shoehorn Griffin Shipley into the rescue (though I don't begrudge the entire Shipley family their continued place in the story, that moment felt weird to me.) And then, when I thought the book was over, no wait, we have to awkwardly set up the next book, which echoed an earlier conversation during one of those Shipley clan dinners that I can't believe I had to sit through in its entirety, because hey look Zara from the first book showed up unexpectedly and spends ten minutes talking about her life, completely distracting from the plot.
I prefer my setups for future books to be fair more naturally integrated, okay? Like Jude himself was. He was an important minor character in the first book, but he didn't sit down to derail the plot for half a chapter pining for his ex so that I knew his book was next. Without looking ahead, I actually didn't know his book was next.
And finally, the "mystery" was incredibly weak, Sophie was irritatingly clueless in pursuing it and I almost can't believe her father didn't find out about her snooping much earlier, and the escalation of the danger she was in at the end felt forced to me, even knowing her father was abusive. (I suppose it didn't help that Sophie, in her childish and naive fashion, wasn't really taking that danger seriously until it was nearly too late.)
This isn't bad enough to make me drop the series now, and I have liked other Bowen books just fine, so I'll chalk this one up as making a few missteps in what is, ultimately, a really challenging story to write--a drug addict ex-con hero finding the strength to keep going and reconnecting with his lost love. Jude is by far the best thing about this book, and I just wish the rest of the story deserved him.
I listened to the audiobook and found both narrators' performances middling. I also think switching from text to audio between books (because this is what my library had available, I actually prefer text) made instances of word repetition much more obvious than if I had read it. It's entirely possible the first book also had these but they weren't as noticeable; however, it happened often enough to be irritating. (Once I think the word "away" was used four times in what I believe was only two sentences. Yikes. My ear definitely caught on that.)
But performance aside, the story had issues that don't result from presentation. I love Jude. I love him to pieces. He always felt incredibly authentic, and I'm a total goner for grumps with golden hearts, and I found his pessimism realistic and not too despairing. However, I did not particularly like Sophie. She was vapid far too often, she didn't think through the course of her actions, and it took her forever to figure out from hard evidence what I had figured out (plot mystery-wise) the very first time it was brought up.
From there, my next complaint is the sheer number of subplots. I remember seeing The Return of the King in theaters, and I knew going in it was going to be a long movie, but remember how there were six or seven "endings" in a row, each one tackling some aspect of the story that needed to be tied up? That's what this book felt like. Jude and Sophie are firmly together, romantically, with their personal obstacles solved, when there was still over an hour and a half of the audio left to go. So then we have to get Jude a job, get Sophie a job, deal with Denny's minor arc (which had basically zero foreshadowing,) have the huge blowup with Sophie's father, shoehorn Griffin Shipley into the rescue (though I don't begrudge the entire Shipley family their continued place in the story, that moment felt weird to me.) And then, when I thought the book was over, no wait, we have to awkwardly set up the next book, which echoed an earlier conversation during one of those Shipley clan dinners that I can't believe I had to sit through in its entirety, because hey look Zara from the first book showed up unexpectedly and spends ten minutes talking about her life, completely distracting from the plot.
I prefer my setups for future books to be fair more naturally integrated, okay? Like Jude himself was. He was an important minor character in the first book, but he didn't sit down to derail the plot for half a chapter pining for his ex so that I knew his book was next. Without looking ahead, I actually didn't know his book was next.
And finally, the "mystery" was incredibly weak, Sophie was irritatingly clueless in pursuing it and I almost can't believe her father didn't find out about her snooping much earlier, and the escalation of the danger she was in at the end felt forced to me, even knowing her father was abusive. (I suppose it didn't help that Sophie, in her childish and naive fashion, wasn't really taking that danger seriously until it was nearly too late.)
This isn't bad enough to make me drop the series now, and I have liked other Bowen books just fine, so I'll chalk this one up as making a few missteps in what is, ultimately, a really challenging story to write--a drug addict ex-con hero finding the strength to keep going and reconnecting with his lost love. Jude is by far the best thing about this book, and I just wish the rest of the story deserved him.
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
I read the first book in this series, and I was vaguely excited for this one because Jude was great in that. But I was not expecting to like this book as much as I did. It is a very honest portrayal of sobriety and how hard it is to stay there. I've now read through book 4, and Sophie is by far the female protagonist I've enjoyed most. There is also a legitimate mystery plot in this one, which really added to the story. It had a lot of depth for "just" a romance novel. Definitely recommended.
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Moderate: Car accident
Minor: Violence
Man this was a tough story. I really loved Jude in the first book and prayed that his return home would not send him spiraling back into addiction.
Sophie- poor girl. She lost her whole family in one night. Her brother died, her mother shut down, her boyfriend went to prison and her dad, well he became an even bigger asshole than he had been.
These two had such a complicated past and such a long road of things to overcome. Watching them try to navigate feelings of hurt, abandonment, inadequacy, and fear was heartbreaking. The fact that they still loved one another was obvious but neither could imagine that they would find a way to be together.
I loved that although they each made mistakes while trying to figure things out, they were able to acknowledge them and try to sort out all of the obstacles in their way. Her dad really needed his ass kicked.
I loved seeing the Shipley's again and look forward to the next books in this series.
Sophie- poor girl. She lost her whole family in one night. Her brother died, her mother shut down, her boyfriend went to prison and her dad, well he became an even bigger asshole than he had been.
These two had such a complicated past and such a long road of things to overcome. Watching them try to navigate feelings of hurt, abandonment, inadequacy, and fear was heartbreaking. The fact that they still loved one another was obvious but neither could imagine that they would find a way to be together.
I loved that although they each made mistakes while trying to figure things out, they were able to acknowledge them and try to sort out all of the obstacles in their way. Her dad really needed his ass kicked.
I loved seeing the Shipley's again and look forward to the next books in this series.
**ARC provided for honest review** Steadfast was SO MUCH- so much longing, regret, desire, and so very HOT! Jude will grab your heart and you'll feel it squeeze as you read the story of his past and you'll ache with him for the future he thinks he can't have. Sophie is amazing- after the unthinkable changed her life, she became strong for her family, but put herself and her dreams on the back burner. Still an independent woman on the inside, you'll love following her Nancy Drew journey as she investigates the past. Steadfast has everything you want in a second chance romance and I guarantee it will be on your Best Of 2016 list.