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A review by judyc_elementz_mj
Love Unwritten by Lauren Asher
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
relaxing
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
5.0
I went into this book with very little expectations. I read the “Love Redesigned” first, of course, and it was lukewarm for me. I wasn’t really sure I was going to continue with the set, but I had liked Rafael and his son Nico from the first book, so I decided to give it a try and I’m so happy I did.
It was a fantastic book. You know it’s rare that I pick up a romance that is 600 pages and don’t think to myself, how can it possibly be that long? But you know what? Every single page in this book was enjoyable.
First, the characters couldn’t have been better. Having been introduced to Rafael and Nico really well in the first book, Ellie was still a bit of a mystery. You knew she existed, but she was a side character that had very little presence. So whether this book worked really depended on the author being able to give life to Ellie. And boy did she. What a wonderful character. Along with that, the additional growth of Rafael and Nico worked perfectly and in sync with Ellie’s character.
There was no point in the book where I was bored … amazing in a 600+ page romance with no suspense. Where I was frustrated, I was supposed to be. And there was nowhere in the book that I didn’t feel the emotions of the characters. I feel like I was reading a book by a different writer because I don’t remember much of anything from book one, but this one will stay with me for a long time.
Also, Asher was able to give our two main characters some major flaws, which I hate to call them that, but really they both had some serious emotional repercussions from their childhoods. Rafael dealt with them by closing himself off, even to the point where his son was starting to act in a similar fashion. Ellie took a more physically harmful route, but as you learn about both of them you just can’t help but feel they couldn’t be more perfect together.
I also felt that the relationship grew naturally. Through all of the ups and downs, the author took her time before we headed into sexual content. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy sex between the two main characters, but I want it to happen at a pace that lets them develop feelings for each other before they jump in bed and do the nasty. Kudos to Asher for making that work beautifully.
And lastly, I’ll end off with Nico, Rafael’s eight-year-old son. Nico suffers from retina pigmentosa. A disease that affects the retina and causes that light-sensitive layer of the eye to break down over time, eventually causing vision loss. It is different in every person, along with the rate of deterioration. In Nico’s case it appears to be fairly rapid and how Asher deals with it in this book is wonderful and heart-wrenching. Not just for Nico, but also how it affects his father. Nico is a fully fleshed out, great kid, but with a bit of a temper and stubborn as hell … you know, like father, like son!!!
It was a fantastic book. You know it’s rare that I pick up a romance that is 600 pages and don’t think to myself, how can it possibly be that long? But you know what? Every single page in this book was enjoyable.
First, the characters couldn’t have been better. Having been introduced to Rafael and Nico really well in the first book, Ellie was still a bit of a mystery. You knew she existed, but she was a side character that had very little presence. So whether this book worked really depended on the author being able to give life to Ellie. And boy did she. What a wonderful character. Along with that, the additional growth of Rafael and Nico worked perfectly and in sync with Ellie’s character.
There was no point in the book where I was bored … amazing in a 600+ page romance with no suspense. Where I was frustrated, I was supposed to be. And there was nowhere in the book that I didn’t feel the emotions of the characters. I feel like I was reading a book by a different writer because I don’t remember much of anything from book one, but this one will stay with me for a long time.
Also, Asher was able to give our two main characters some major flaws, which I hate to call them that, but really they both had some serious emotional repercussions from their childhoods. Rafael dealt with them by closing himself off, even to the point where his son was starting to act in a similar fashion. Ellie took a more physically harmful route, but as you learn about both of them you just can’t help but feel they couldn’t be more perfect together.
I also felt that the relationship grew naturally. Through all of the ups and downs, the author took her time before we headed into sexual content. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy sex between the two main characters, but I want it to happen at a pace that lets them develop feelings for each other before they jump in bed and do the nasty. Kudos to Asher for making that work beautifully.
And lastly, I’ll end off with Nico, Rafael’s eight-year-old son. Nico suffers from retina pigmentosa. A disease that affects the retina and causes that light-sensitive layer of the eye to break down over time, eventually causing vision loss. It is different in every person, along with the rate of deterioration. In Nico’s case it appears to be fairly rapid and how Asher deals with it in this book is wonderful and heart-wrenching. Not just for Nico, but also how it affects his father. Nico is a fully fleshed out, great kid, but with a bit of a temper and stubborn as hell … you know, like father, like son!!!