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4.08 AVERAGE
4.08 AVERAGE
Jude & Sophie
I quite enjoyed their story; I am not always a fan of the past and present in books. This being one of those times, but I am glad we got to have their backstory.
Jude is really going through a hard time. But I have to say I am glad it wasn’t all depressing. Like when he was wallowing, he never did that, he was making plans and following through no matter how hard it was.
I also very much liked seeing him struggle with his addiction, if that sounds mean it’s not meant to. I just mean sometimes authors make addiction fluffy. I liked that he struggles throughout that’s realistic. Because it’s never going to be gone for him. And both he and Sophie are going to have to deal with it.
This story had me wanting more. I did find the ending to be a little rushed but all books can’t be 50000 pages. ;)
The narration was good, I felt Jude's voice was a little old and announcerish for me. Though Sophie's narration was Perfection!
I quite enjoyed their story; I am not always a fan of the past and present in books. This being one of those times, but I am glad we got to have their backstory.
Jude is really going through a hard time. But I have to say I am glad it wasn’t all depressing. Like when he was wallowing, he never did that, he was making plans and following through no matter how hard it was.
I also very much liked seeing him struggle with his addiction, if that sounds mean it’s not meant to. I just mean sometimes authors make addiction fluffy. I liked that he struggles throughout that’s realistic. Because it’s never going to be gone for him. And both he and Sophie are going to have to deal with it.
This story had me wanting more. I did find the ending to be a little rushed but all books can’t be 50000 pages. ;)
The narration was good, I felt Jude's voice was a little old and announcerish for me. Though Sophie's narration was Perfection!
The True North series is probably my favorite series of all time. It owns my heart and soul. I love every single book in the series—they are all outstanding—but Steadfast is special in a way that I can’t easily put to words. It’s an emotional journey that will leave you breathless with its intensity and rawness. It will squeeze your heart, and hopefully open your mind.
Steadfast is the second book in the True North series, and a standalone, so you can read it without reading any other book.
Jude Nickel has to rebuild his life after spending three years in prison. He’s been clean and sober for five months now, and he’s returning home to Colebury Vermont after working for the Shipleys. Going back is the last thing he wants, but he’s out of options. He’s an ex-con with a drug addiction, so finding a job is not going to be easy.
The last person he expects to find still in Colebury is his ex-girlfriend, Sophie Haines. He’s still in love with her, but believes he’s not worthy of her. But keeping his distance proves to be impossible, so he and Sophie will need to deal with their past in order to move on. Some of the truths they start to uncover lead to more than one question that has no answer, and finding the answers could lead them to trouble they were not expecting.
Steadfast is a little darker than the other stories in the series, but it has everything to do with the fact that Jude is a recovering addict and an ex-con. His outlook on life is definitely bleak. You can feel his hopelessness. He’s filled with regret, pain, and guilt. Sophie is trapped in the past and trying to make a future for herself. Jude’s return brings her a lot of pain, but also the realization that she needs to move on.
Steadfast is an emotional second chance, forbidden love story about forgiveness, true love, and moving on. Jude needs to find forgiveness in the people he wronged, but he also needs to forgive himself. And that journey is what this story is all about. It’s heartbreakingly real and painfully raw at times. It’s also beautifully written, and it doesn’t lack witty moments. It’s the real deal.
One of the things I admire most about this series is the cast of characters. They add so much depth to the story. The Shipleys are a beautiful family that you can’t help but want to be a part of, and every one of them has something to offer. The setting is also beautifully accomplished. This might be a darker side of Sarina Bowen’s magic Vermont, but it gives it complexity and depth, and the atmosphere she created in this story is palpable and realistic.
I loved Steadfast so much. It’s compelling in every sense. The story, the characters, the setting, the plot twist. It’s worth more than five stars. Steadfast will break your heart and put it back together again in the best possible way. And it will definitely leave you wanting more.
Steadfast is the second book in the True North series, and a standalone, so you can read it without reading any other book.
Jude Nickel has to rebuild his life after spending three years in prison. He’s been clean and sober for five months now, and he’s returning home to Colebury Vermont after working for the Shipleys. Going back is the last thing he wants, but he’s out of options. He’s an ex-con with a drug addiction, so finding a job is not going to be easy.
The last person he expects to find still in Colebury is his ex-girlfriend, Sophie Haines. He’s still in love with her, but believes he’s not worthy of her. But keeping his distance proves to be impossible, so he and Sophie will need to deal with their past in order to move on. Some of the truths they start to uncover lead to more than one question that has no answer, and finding the answers could lead them to trouble they were not expecting.
Steadfast is a little darker than the other stories in the series, but it has everything to do with the fact that Jude is a recovering addict and an ex-con. His outlook on life is definitely bleak. You can feel his hopelessness. He’s filled with regret, pain, and guilt. Sophie is trapped in the past and trying to make a future for herself. Jude’s return brings her a lot of pain, but also the realization that she needs to move on.
Steadfast is an emotional second chance, forbidden love story about forgiveness, true love, and moving on. Jude needs to find forgiveness in the people he wronged, but he also needs to forgive himself. And that journey is what this story is all about. It’s heartbreakingly real and painfully raw at times. It’s also beautifully written, and it doesn’t lack witty moments. It’s the real deal.
One of the things I admire most about this series is the cast of characters. They add so much depth to the story. The Shipleys are a beautiful family that you can’t help but want to be a part of, and every one of them has something to offer. The setting is also beautifully accomplished. This might be a darker side of Sarina Bowen’s magic Vermont, but it gives it complexity and depth, and the atmosphere she created in this story is palpable and realistic.
I loved Steadfast so much. It’s compelling in every sense. The story, the characters, the setting, the plot twist. It’s worth more than five stars. Steadfast will break your heart and put it back together again in the best possible way. And it will definitely leave you wanting more.
Can a story about drug addiction recovery and a forbidden love be romantic? In this case, yes! Having no personal experience myself or with family/friends with drug addiction, I can't say how realistic that part of the story line actually is, but it seemed realistic to me. However, I will say that the displays of grief in this book did seem a bit over done/under done. The mother of the heroine is acting catatonic 100% of the time when it's been over three years since her son's death? And yet the heroine seems to not miss her brother or feel any sadness over his passing (he was a bit of a jerk, but still). So that alone keeps me from giving the book a higher rating, but otherwise, this is really good! The pacing was solid, this isn't a slow burn but the relationship build-up is, if that makes sense. The climatic ending, while maybe a tad soap-opera-y was still strong.
This book works well as a standalone, I haven't read the prior book in this series.
This book works well as a standalone, I haven't read the prior book in this series.
dark
emotional
hopeful
sad
tense
medium-paced
adventurous
tense
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:
Yes
challenging
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
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
Ok
I'm a new fan of Sarina Bowen after reading bittersweet, which is Griffins book. I was excited to see book 2 about Jude released so soon and scooped it up. That being said bittersweet is still my favorite. I felt the pacing to be a little off as some parts seemed to drag and others seemed to skip over pertinent parts.
I enjoy Jude but Sophie felt a little flat to me. I wish they would have explored more of her relationship with her brother instead of focusing how mean he was to Jude. To me Garett felt like a throwaway character we were just supposed to automatically hate and not look to closely at. In the end when everything is brought to light I wish the author would have gone a little more in depth about everything instead of fast forwarding especially since the book was leading up to this point.
I also felt there was a little two much back and forth as if they were still in Hs. I think they both have some growing up to do. Though I did enjoy some of the flashbacks to how they got together some I felt were a little useless.
I loved seeing more of Jude and the hospital seen broke my heart as he worked so hard. I will say I didn't like how towards the end *spoiler* he wasn't driving and his conviction was overturned *end spoiler* I felt like the character had come a long way and owned up to his mistakes for it to just be tossed aside was a bit of a let down for me.
Overall I did like the book and am looking forward to save book but bittersweet is still my favorite adult romance while this felt more high school to me.
I'm a new fan of Sarina Bowen after reading bittersweet, which is Griffins book. I was excited to see book 2 about Jude released so soon and scooped it up. That being said bittersweet is still my favorite. I felt the pacing to be a little off as some parts seemed to drag and others seemed to skip over pertinent parts.
I enjoy Jude but Sophie felt a little flat to me. I wish they would have explored more of her relationship with her brother instead of focusing how mean he was to Jude. To me Garett felt like a throwaway character we were just supposed to automatically hate and not look to closely at. In the end when everything is brought to light I wish the author would have gone a little more in depth about everything instead of fast forwarding especially since the book was leading up to this point.
I also felt there was a little two much back and forth as if they were still in Hs. I think they both have some growing up to do. Though I did enjoy some of the flashbacks to how they got together some I felt were a little useless.
I loved seeing more of Jude and the hospital seen broke my heart as he worked so hard. I will say I didn't like how towards the end *spoiler* he wasn't driving and his conviction was overturned *end spoiler* I felt like the character had come a long way and owned up to his mistakes for it to just be tossed aside was a bit of a let down for me.
Overall I did like the book and am looking forward to save book but bittersweet is still my favorite adult romance while this felt more high school to me.
Well this book kind of, sort of ripped my heart out. I love, love, loved Jude and was completely engrossed in his story of trying to put his life back together. As much as I enjoyed Bittersweet, this book was even better in my opinion. It was an emotional but very rewarding story to read. Sarina Bowen never disappoints me, but this book just reminded exactly why I love her writing so much.
I need Zach's story ASAP
I need Zach's story ASAP