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A review by vixdag
How Still My Love by Diane Marina
5.0
How Still My Love by Diane Marina is exactly the type of romance I will never get tired of. It is full of emotion, passion, extreme highs and extreme lows: with a happily ever after that I can bask in for days.
Beth grudgingly goes out on a blind date arranged by her best friend Laurel. She hates being set up and she is still feeling the residual pain from her last, very toxic relationship. However, when she meets Toni she is immediately smitten and the feeling is mutual. The two date and get to know each other and fall contentedly in love. Their relationship is perfect until Toni brings up her desire to have a baby. Beth knew that Toni wanted to have children but she had never really seen that as part of their future. When Toni presses the subject, their relationship starts to unravel, leading to a very dramatic and painful breakup. Both women are left completely heartbroken and when Toni moves on, Beth begins to wonder if her life will ever feel whole again.
The book is told in the first person from Beth’s point of view. I usually don’t care for first person narration because I never feel like I get to know the other main character. This wasn’t the case here. Ms. Marina crafts two very three-dimensional characters. Their personalities just come to life so clearly and they were engaging as well as relatable. Beth and Toni are both captivating and wonderfully flawed. All the supporting characters were also very vibrant. This made the world the book is set in feel very realistic.
I really liked that Ms. Marino let this story unfold over the course of several years. In most romance books, the whole story unfolds and reaches it’s happily ever after over the course of a few months. By stretching this out over several years, I could really see the growth in each character and believe in the love they share. It’s much more than love at first sight and I appreciate the work that goes into that.
I am a sucker for a romance that gets messy and takes me on an emotional ride. I found myself cheering for these women as well as talking out loud to myself while reprimanding them. By the end of the book, I was smiling from ear to ear just wishing I could give everyone involved a group hug. I really loved this book.
Beth grudgingly goes out on a blind date arranged by her best friend Laurel. She hates being set up and she is still feeling the residual pain from her last, very toxic relationship. However, when she meets Toni she is immediately smitten and the feeling is mutual. The two date and get to know each other and fall contentedly in love. Their relationship is perfect until Toni brings up her desire to have a baby. Beth knew that Toni wanted to have children but she had never really seen that as part of their future. When Toni presses the subject, their relationship starts to unravel, leading to a very dramatic and painful breakup. Both women are left completely heartbroken and when Toni moves on, Beth begins to wonder if her life will ever feel whole again.
The book is told in the first person from Beth’s point of view. I usually don’t care for first person narration because I never feel like I get to know the other main character. This wasn’t the case here. Ms. Marina crafts two very three-dimensional characters. Their personalities just come to life so clearly and they were engaging as well as relatable. Beth and Toni are both captivating and wonderfully flawed. All the supporting characters were also very vibrant. This made the world the book is set in feel very realistic.
I really liked that Ms. Marino let this story unfold over the course of several years. In most romance books, the whole story unfolds and reaches it’s happily ever after over the course of a few months. By stretching this out over several years, I could really see the growth in each character and believe in the love they share. It’s much more than love at first sight and I appreciate the work that goes into that.
I am a sucker for a romance that gets messy and takes me on an emotional ride. I found myself cheering for these women as well as talking out loud to myself while reprimanding them. By the end of the book, I was smiling from ear to ear just wishing I could give everyone involved a group hug. I really loved this book.