Scan barcode
A review by kaydanielsromance
Shouldn't Have You by Carrie Ann Ryan
5.0
To say this book is emotional is to put it mildly. Carrie Ann's note preceding the first chapter had me tearing up and then the very first words, the very first words, in chapter one had those tears slipping down my cheek. I barely made it through two pages before I was reaching for kleenex to wipe more tears away. I hardly knew these characters and I was already an emotional wreck. So be prepared from the get go with lots of tissues because the tears kept flowing as I kept reading.
What I also enjoyed, and this same ebb and flow carried out through the entire book, that while I was immersed in pain (I know why would I enjoy that, but wait...) there was still humor. Through my tears I was laughing at these light hearted moments and frankly laughing through tears is a powerful emotion. Carrie Ann wrote this book from a very personal place and the depth of the her emotions leapt off the page.
Harmony Wynham is a young widow, for the first time after losing her husband, and she trying to move on with her life. It's been a couple of years and she has finally decided to try dating again. The dating world isn't quite as easy as she remembers, or perhaps the men she's dating just aren't for her. She didn't remember it being this hard when she met her husband, but they had been friends first and things just progressed naturally. After several failed dates she wonders if she needs to focus on her friends instead, people like Brendon Connelly who have always been there for her. Nice and easy to talk to. A good friend.
Brendon Connelly grew up in the foster system until he was finally adopted into the Connelly family. His childhood hadn't been easy, but he worked hard at turning his life around. His circle of friends and adoptive brothers are his new family and there isn't much we wouldn't do to keep them. When Harmony's husband dies, Brendon actually lost one of his best friends. He never thought of Harmony as anything other than just a friend before Moyer's passing, but as time passes those feelings began to change. It became harder to stay away and keep things platonic even though he knew he should.
Everyone grieves on their own timeline and everyone grieves differently. When Brendon and Harmony finally realize that it's okay to open up and explore the feelings that have begun to grow beyond the friendship they have. To admit that they might have a future again, but to do so is by rectifying their past. Together.
What I also enjoyed, and this same ebb and flow carried out through the entire book, that while I was immersed in pain (I know why would I enjoy that, but wait...) there was still humor. Through my tears I was laughing at these light hearted moments and frankly laughing through tears is a powerful emotion. Carrie Ann wrote this book from a very personal place and the depth of the her emotions leapt off the page.
Harmony Wynham is a young widow, for the first time after losing her husband, and she trying to move on with her life. It's been a couple of years and she has finally decided to try dating again. The dating world isn't quite as easy as she remembers, or perhaps the men she's dating just aren't for her. She didn't remember it being this hard when she met her husband, but they had been friends first and things just progressed naturally. After several failed dates she wonders if she needs to focus on her friends instead, people like Brendon Connelly who have always been there for her. Nice and easy to talk to. A good friend.
Brendon Connelly grew up in the foster system until he was finally adopted into the Connelly family. His childhood hadn't been easy, but he worked hard at turning his life around. His circle of friends and adoptive brothers are his new family and there isn't much we wouldn't do to keep them. When Harmony's husband dies, Brendon actually lost one of his best friends. He never thought of Harmony as anything other than just a friend before Moyer's passing, but as time passes those feelings began to change. It became harder to stay away and keep things platonic even though he knew he should.
Everyone grieves on their own timeline and everyone grieves differently. When Brendon and Harmony finally realize that it's okay to open up and explore the feelings that have begun to grow beyond the friendship they have. To admit that they might have a future again, but to do so is by rectifying their past. Together.