Synopsis:

In her early thirties, Elizabeth Gilbert had everything a modern American woman was supposed to want—husband, country home, successful career—but instead of feeling happy and fulfilled, she was consumed by panic and confusion. This wise and rapturous book is the story of how she left behind all these outward marks of success, and set out to explore three different aspects of her nature, against the backdrop of three different cultures: pleasure in Italy, devotion in India, and on the Indonesian island of Bali, a balance between worldly enjoyment and divine transcendence.

Favorite Lines:

“You gotta stop wearing your wishbone where your backbone ought to be.”

“There are only two questions that human beings have ever fought over, all through history. ‘How much do you love me?’ and ‘Who’s in charge?’ Everything else is somehow manageable. But these two questions of love and control undo us all, trip us up and cause war, grief, and suffering.”

“Just as there exists in writing  a literal truth and a poetic truth, there also exists in a human being a literal anatomy and a poetic anatomy. One, you can see; one, you cannot. One is made of bones and teeth and flesh; the other is made of energy and memory and faith. But they are both equally true.”

“People think a soul mate is your perfect fit, and that’s what everyone wants. But a true soul mate is a mirror, the person who shows you everything that is holding you back, the person who brings you to your own attention so you can change your life.  A true soul mate is probably the most important person you’ll ever meet, because they tear down your walls and smack you awake. But to live with a soul mate forever? Nah. Too painful. Soul mates, they come into your life just to reveal another layer of yourself to you, and then leave.”

“Dante writes that God is not merely a blinding vision of glorious light, but that He is, most of all, l’amour che move il sole e l’altre stelle…’The love that moves the sun and the other stars.'”

“He says all Americans are like this: repressed. Which makes them dangerous and potentially deadly when they do blow up.”

“Destiny, I feel, is also a relationship–a play between divine grace and willful self-effort. Half of it you have no control over; half of it is absolutely in your hands, and your actions will show measurable consequence. Man is neither entirely a puppet of the gods, nor is he entirely the captain of his own destiny; he’s a little of both.”

“And love is always complicated. But still humans must try to love each other, darling. We must get our hearts broken sometimes. This is a good sign, having a broken heart. It means we have tried for something.”

“Bhuta ia, dewa ia…Man is a demon, man is a god.”

My Opinion:

I first read this book back in high school; almost 6 years ago. I remember that it had resonated very deeply with me and almost mystified me with the words Gilbert had painted across the pages. This book is her journey of rediscovery after a divorce and depression that leave her questioning who she is and her purpose in life. Gilbert heals her wounds in what starts as a desperate grasp at survival and transforms into a a life experience so powerful that it resonates with millions world-wide.

I had recently stumbled across some old quotes I had written down from the book all those years ago and decided I would like to reread it and see if I still felt the same way towards it that I did all those years ago. I have since discovered that while it still is an excellent read and I would still recommend anyone and everyone reads it, I have become far more experienced and jaded with the world than I was at the age of 15. As I had said, I remembered being mystified and in awe of Gilbert’s experiences and was envious of her adventures and epiphanies. Rereading the book, I am still envious and slightly mystified but I have since developed my own sense of beliefs and was able to relate to Gilbert as an equal rather than follow behind and hang on to her every word. Now, please don’t take that as I didn’t enjoy the book or that it still wasn’t inspiring to read because it most certainly was. All I am saying is that as I have matured, so too, have my views on the world.

This book still resonates very deeply with me in terms of struggling with difficult life situations and trying to find ways to enjoy life to the fullest for yourself (not selfishly). Of course, I’m not a middle-aged woman going through a divorce but everyone has their own issues that they have to work out and learn to live with. I’m quite jealous that Gilbert had the opportunity to travel the world and enjoy new foods, new languages, and new teachings.

Something that I loved about this book is Gilbert incorporated some history of the places she was visiting into the mix and used excellent details to make the reader feel as if they were traveling right along side her. She also is very raw about her feelings and how crippling her depression really was, as well as, how awe-inspiring her feelings were to experience happiness and devotion. I would view this as a difficult task, to be so open with strangers. At the same time, that is exactly what I am doing on this blog; being more open with strangers as they read my thoughts typed out for whomever chooses to read them.

While Gilbert was in India, she searched for devotion and new discovery into a higher power. This was without a doubt, my favorite part of the book because I have a fascination with a higher power. Gilbert ventures through this part of her life through meditation and prayer. This interested me because I have been raised in a (nonpracticing) Christian family. I am used to hearing about going to church and praying rather than sitting in a temple and meditating. If I were to pick a religion for myself it would be something along the lines of what Gilbert experienced, meditating within your own mind to find a God. Gilbert does point out in her book, in a multitude of ways, that everyone’s definition of God is different and can be called different things. There is no one set God or one set religion that is right or wrong. It seemed to Gilbert that God was in everyone and everything. Rather than a physical manifestation of a single being, God was the energy in the universe. You will have to read the book for your own interpretations but I found all of it very appealing and hope to continue to further educate myself based on the teachings in the book. I think we could all use a look at the bigger picture and perhaps a better grasp on faith (no matter your definition of it).

The only thing I wish, and this is me being selfish, is that she had expanded upon her time in Indonesia; her journey to find balance. It is there that she meets her current husband, I wish that she had expanded upon their relationship more. I see it as an important aspect of the book simply because at the beginning of the story she is going through the loss of a marriage and at the end of the story she is meeting her current husband; she has gone full circle. I found this ironic (and interesting) considering a teaching she had learned about while in Indonesia is that the Universe is a circle. Heaven and Hell are the same place, both are filled with love, but you get through one with happiness and through the other with sadness. Gilbert’s life goes full circle. Literally in the sense of starting in a marriage and ending in a marriage but also emotionally, she started off unhappy and ends up happy and balanced. She has written another book that goes into more detail about her relationship with the man who is now her husband. It is on my “to read” list and will hopefully fill my interest as to what happened after Indonesia.

Summary:

Overall, I would recommend this book to anyone who is even slightly curious about what there is to possibly learn out there in the world. It opened up so many doors and invoked so many thoughts and feelings within myself that leave me wanting to seek out answers to all of my questions. Readers live through all of Gilbert’s experiences and lessons, hopefully taking some lessons off the page and incorporating them into their lives; I know I did. This book enlightened me and shed light on teachings and possibilities that I am excited to explore further. Perhaps I will even go on my own journey of self-discovery someday. Fingers crossed!

 

Eat, Pray, Love

---

Synopsis:

Ivy Morgan hasn’t been feeling like herself lately. Not like anyone can blame her. After all, being held captive by a psychotic fae prince hell-bent on permanently opening the gates to the Otherworld is bound to leave some mental scars.

It’s more than that, though. Something dark and insidious is spreading throughout Ivy, more powerful than she could ever imagine… and it’s coming between her and the man she’s fallen deeply in love with, elite Order member Ren Owens.

Ren would do anything to keep Ivy safe. Anything. But when he makes a life altering choice for her, the fallout of his act has far reaching consequences that threaten to tear their lives apart. If Ivy is going to have any hope of surviving this, she must put aside the hurt and betrayal she feels, and work with not only those she loves, but with an enemy she would rather kill than ever trust. War is coming, and it soon becomes clear that what Ivy and Ren thought they knew about the Order, themselves, and even their enemies, has been nothing but a cluster of dangerous, deadly lies. Ivy knows she must be more than just brave to save those she loves–and, ultimately, to save herself.

Because behind ever evil fae Prince, there’s a Queen…

Favorite Lines:

“I love you, Ivy. You know that? There’s only been you. There will only be you.”

“I’d rather have you pissed off at me for the rest of your very long life than to allow the world’s brightest fucking star to go out. You can hate me today and tomorrow, but at least you’ll have a tomorrow, and I’ll make damn sure you have a whole bunch of them to be angry with me.”

“Why? Because I had a new life motto. It was simple. Get my shit together.”

“I’m looking at you, Sweetness. Always am even when my eyes aren’t on you.”

My Opinion:

All I can say is holy plot twist. Looking back, there was only one hint that I can think of that showed even a fraction of Armentrout’s plans for the storyline and even then, it might just be my interpretation of events making it seem like a clue.  This book continues with Ivy’s journey of self-growth as she tests the her limits and faces challenges that require her to be strong and persevere. Due to events that happened in the last book, Ivy must come to terms with who she is and how her life will be. Ren is still as sweet and charming as ever in this book. The tenderness he has for Ivy and the way he treats her is honestly one of the sweetest relationships I have ever read about. I think what really makes it is that he has a cocky attitude and swagger that turns into soft and heartfelt with Ivy. I personally saw a lot of character growth with Tink, he steps up in a lot of ways and we see him develop significantly from who he was in the first book.

There were a few things that I didn’t like in this book and its all a matter of opinion. I will try to keep it as vague as possible (like always). I wish there was more about Tink in terms of his talents and his relationships with others. I wish that once the plot twist was exposed, there were more events that followed said plot twist. I also think that the ending was not as final as I would have preferred. It leaves loose ends that could have been tied up or expanded upon in another book. But since this is a trilogy, this is the last one. There will be another book related to the story line, but it will have to do with the Prince, so I believe it is a spin off.

Summary:

Overall, I loved this book; this whole series. It had witty and sarcastic humor that I related to and snickered about. It had romance that made me jealous of a fictional ship. It had sad points that made my heart ache and happy moments that made me smile. It was definitely an emotional rollercoaster but a good one. As I had said in one of my previous reviews, I was already a huge fan of Armentrout and her writing; I think it would be really hard for her to write a book I didn’t love. If you choose to read this book, I hope the plot twist throws you too so it isn’t just me. See if you can find the little hint she might have given us readers about the twist (it was in the last book).

 

Brave

---

Synopsis:

Torn between duty and survival, nothing can be the same.

Everything Ivy Morgan thought she knew has been turned on its head. After being betrayed and then nearly killed by the Prince of the Fae, she’s left bruised and devastated—and with an earth-shattering secret that she must keep at all costs. And if the Order finds out her secret, they’ll kill her.

Then there’s Ren Owens, the sexy, tattooed Elite member of the Order who has been sharing Ivy’s bed and claiming her heart. Their chemistry is smoking hot, but Ivy knows that Ren has always valued his duty to the Order above all else—he could never touch her if he knew the truth. That is, if he let her live at all. Yet how can she live with herself if she lies to him?

But as the Fae Prince begins to close in on Ivy, intent on permanently opening the gates to the Otherworld, Ivy is running out of options. If she doesn’t figure out who she can trust—and fast—it’s not only her heart that will be torn apart, but civilization itself.

Favorite Lines:

“Leaving meant walking away from him, and the mere thought of doing that caused my heart to end up somewhere down near my dangling feet. I loved him. God, I loved him more than I loved pralines and beignets, and that was hardcore, because my love of sugary, sweet things rivaled the most epic love stories known to man.”

“But I had just found Ren. I’d fallen underwater, completely over my head, for him, with him, and I couldn’t do it. I was too selfish. He was…he was mine, and I’d be damned if I lost that too due to things completely out of my control. It wasn’t fair. I…I deserved him.”

“You’re Ivy Morgan…You’re this beautiful, wild, and brave woman. You’re incredibly loyal and I don’ deserve your love, but I’ll take it. I’ll keep it close to me and I’ll never regret a damn second of doing so.”

My Opinion:

All I can say is that this book made my heart hurt; which, of course, was the whole point. There was a huge bombshell dropped at the end of  book one in the series and now, in this second installment of the Wicked Trilogy, Ivy must adjust if she wants to survive. This book was full of further character development and relationships continue to progress as the story goes on. Ivy has always taken care of herself and been level-headed. In this book we get to see a different side of Ivy as she tries to push through the challenges that lay ahead of her and as much as it hurt to see her struggle, I know that it is necessary for her to become a stronger individual overall. It will be interesting to see where she ends up in the next book and how she manages to overcome her obstacles.

Ren is still awesome and sweet and charming in this book, but I will admit that he is 99.9% of the reason my heart hurt and I’m mad at him. Yes, I’m mad at a character in a book. We see Ivy and Ren’s relationship get more serious this time around but then Ren does some dumb stuff (vague, right?) and it directly affects his and Ivy’s relationship. Towards the end of the book, my heart was soothed slightly so yours should be too if you choose to read this, but I will be waiting for the next book for Ren to make it up to Ivy…and me.

Tink is still as sassy as ever and has a surprise in store for us readers that makes you wonder what’s next for him in the final book of the trilogy. I really like that his character is so sarcastic, he adds just the right amount of humor to keep you from plummeting into a dark depression.  Something that I love about Armentrout is that she uses a lot of pop culture references in her books and this book is no exception. Tink is the outlet for it a majority of her references and I think that is what makes him so humorous a lot of the time. In this book we see a different side of Tink that makes you realize that there is more than meets the eye with him. I personally didn’t even think I could get more attached to him but Armentrout proved me wrong.

I don’t think there was anything I didn’t like in this book (again). Armentrout can almost do no wrong. Even when she is doing you wrong, she really isn’t. What I mean by this is even though she broke my heart into a million pieces, she will still fix it in the next book…hopefully.

Summary:

Overall, this book didn’t disappoint. I liked it more than the first book and depending on how the last book plays out, I might even like it more than the last book; it will definitely be a hard book to beat. It had so much raw emotion and while it was mostly hurtful emotion, I think that just added to it and made it that much better. I can’t wait for the last book, but I also don’t want the series to end. It’s a catch-22. Until next time, happy reading!

 

Torn

---

Synopsis:

Twenty-two year old Ivy Morgan isn’t your average college student. She, and others like her, know humans aren’t the only thing trolling the French Quarter for fun… and for food. Her duty to the Order is her life. After all, four years ago, she lost everything at the hands of the creatures she’d sworn to hunt, tearing her world and her heart apart.

Ren Owens is the last person Ivy expected to enter her rigidly controlled life. He’s six feet and three inches of temptation and swoon-inducing charm. With forest-green eyes and a smile that’s surely left a stream of broken hearts in its wake, he has an uncanny, almost unnatural ability to make her yearn for everything he has to offer. But letting him in is as dangerous as hunting the cold-blooded killers stalking the streets. Losing the boy she loved once before had nearly destroyed her, but the sparking tension that grows between them becomes impossible for Ivy to deny. Deep down, she wants… she needs more than what her duty demands of her, what her past has shaped for her.

But as Ivy grows closer to Ren, she realizes she’s not the only one carrying secrets that could shatter the frail bond between them. There’s something he’s not telling her, and one thing is for certain. She’s no longer sure what is more dangerous to her—the ancient beings threatening to take over the town or the man demanding to lay claim to her heart and her soul.

Favorite Lines:

“Why couldn’t he say I reminded him of Ariel or something? Then again, Ariel was kind of stupid, giving up her voice for a dude.”

“I entered the kitchen, and my gaze immediately went to the open cabinet door where I kept my cereal boxes. All twelve of them. I liked my variety when it came to cereal.”

“I’m a lot of things, but today I’m your fucking saving grace.”

My Opinion:

Jennifer L. Armentrout (and her other pen names) is one of my favorite authors. I have been a huge fan of her books for quite some time now and am always amazed at how she can have such a wide variety of detailed story-lines where you fall in love with the characters every single time. Being such a fan, I was slightly disappointed in myself that I had not read this book series that started being published back in 2014. While I was searching for a new book series to dive into, I found this book already in my Nook library without any memory of purchasing it; must have been fate. I curled up in bed with every intention of pacing myself (that’s what I tell myself every time) but I couldn’t help myself and ended up finishing it at around 4am. Armentrout didn’t disappoint.

It’s always hard to tell readers what I liked and didn’t like about books without giving away spoilers, but I will try my hardest. Don’t hate me if I let something slip but also don’t make assumptions and predictions based on what I say either. Wicked is book 1 in a trilogy that follows Ivy, a badass female lead who can take care of herself but still shows signs of uncertainty and doubt, as anyone would. It was nice to know that even characters who kick butt still have insecurities like we do out here in the real world. Ivy is a part of a secret group called the Order who hunt down dangers from other worlds that harm humans. These dangers predominantly come in the form of Fae. I thought it was interesting that the Fae are evil when in most books they are the good guys (for the most part). Flash-forward, Ivy meets a guy named Ren and let me just tell you; I dig him. He is a protector who, despite the wicked things that come out of his mouth sometimes, has a lot of respect for women and wants to take care of Ivy. Not only does is he good at what he does job wise (killing the baddies) but he also has a sweet and sensitive side that makes readers, myself included, want to know where they can get a Ren. Being a romantic, it made me happy to see that Ren develops feelings for Ivy and was not a typical play-boy type character while doing it. A VERY important character throughout the story is Tink. I am not going to tell you who Tink is but I will tell you that the sass that comes from him will have you snickering, smirking and rolling your eyes. It was a nice dose of sarcastic humor that really allows for more of a connection with the story. Something that I have come to recognize and love about Armentrout’s writing style is that she writes with a lot of sarcasm and relatable humor and this book is no exception.

I don’t think there was much I didn’t like about this book. As I had said before, I am a huge fan of all of Armentrout’s work that I have read, and I guess you could say that makes me slightly bias (does it?). The only thing I can think to complain about is that I want more; more of Ren and Ivy, more Tink, just more more more. Good thing there are two more books in the series to get my fill!

Summary:

Wicked places us in a world where there is more than meets the eye and introduces us to the ship that is Ivy and Ren. I felt connections throughout the story in different ways, like how much Ivy likes variety in her cereal so much so that she has 12 boxes of cereal on hand at all times or like how despite having a job to support herself and a future seemingly laid out for her already, Ivy still strives to do more with her life; to be more.  The book takes you on an emotional roller coaster through the sad and the happy, through friendship and betrayal, uncertainty, and romance. I know it sounds cheesy and stereotypical, but I promise this book is definitely worth the read. All I can say is that I can’t wait to read the other two books in this series and that I will make no promises to not stay up until 4am to finish them.

 

Wicked

---

Synopsis:
Lake
It was a hot summer day when I met him on the construction site next to my parents’ house. If I’d known then what I do now, would I have kept on walking? Manning was older, darker, experienced—and I’d trusted him when he said the story would only ever be about us. I’d held those words close and challenged fate, but I had lost.

A part of me is still that sixteen-year-old girl squinting up at Manning, but no matter how far I fall or high I soar, I’ll always be a bird without her bear and nothing without him.

Manning
When I close my eyes, I can no longer see her. The decisions I made were to push Lake in the right direction—away from me. But now that she’s gone, would I have made those same choices?

I’d walked away like I was supposed to. I’d kept my distance. I’d bent over backward to keep Lake pure, but she’s no longer that girl, and I don’t know if I can stay away anymore. I only know I don’t want to. She’s still everything I want and nothing I should ever have, but if anyone can move the stars, it’s her great bear in the sky.

Favorite Lines:

“Those early days I met you…it was more like you were the light of my life. Maybe you knew right away that you loved me, but I had to resist it, or I would’ve caused us a lot of problems. The trouble with that, though, is that I fell in love with you anyway…And because I fought it so hard, that love is deep and unshakable. That’s how I know you’re the love of my life. That love is a part of me.”

“Wherever Manning went, I’d follow. If he wanted to live amongst the constellations, I’d move with him around an immovable universe, guided by starlight, and when we got separated, fate would light the path back to each other. Because you couldn’t move the stars–Manning and I were inevitable…”

“I’d trade all the letters I’d longed for from him and never received for the love story he now recited through smoke and snowfall.”

My Opinion:

All I can say is finally. This book is the third and technically final book in the Something in the Way series and it tied together the other two books. I was very happy to see Lake finally get some guts and learn that she wasn’t anyone’s puppet. She moves out and makes it on her own without help from her family or Manning. It really resonated with me because I’ve been very independent for a very long time and I have always worked towards having the mindset that you can do anything you want to do as long as you set your mind to it and no obstacle is too big to overcome. Lake finally realized she is an individual and nothing, not even her family, could stop her from growing into who she was meant to become. That being said, it sucked that she had to experience this personal growth through all the heartache she endured but in the end I felt that it made her that much stronger of a person. Sometimes life changing events need to take place in order to push us in the right direction.

I will admit that I was not satisfied with some of the loose ends left open from this book. What happens to Corbin? What about Tiffany? Does Lake ever meet up with her parents again? What happens with Lake and Manning? While there are assumptions to be drawn, nothing was set in stone and it was supposed to be up to our imaginations how it all turns out in the future. I also was not a fan that Manning could just pop back in over and over and all was forgiven so easily. I’m happy for the couple but at the same time I was angry with him and I wanted Lake to have more respect for herself, soulmate or not. I would have loved a flash-forward to years down the road and where Lake and Manning end up. On a side-note, Corbin was way too sweet of a soul and deserved so much more than Lake ever gave him. I don’t blame her, but he was too good to her. There is another book planned for the series; fingers crossed it’s that flash-forward I had mentioned.

Summary:

Move the Stars showed us readers what happens when you are forced to push yourself out of your comfort zone, either for the right reasons or the wrong reasons. Lake grew into a strong female-lead in the sense that she stopped taking other people’s crap and living for other people and she started living for herself. In real life, I have had a lot of decisions I have had to make that came down to was I doing something for myself or for someone else. At the end of the day, you can be surrounded by people who will support you and make you happy and they will support any decision you make. The right decision is always going to be the one that makes you happy (as long as you aren’t doing something crazy like robbing banks). Although the road to their relationship was bumpy and frustrating, Lake and Manning ultimately made the right decisions and found happiness in each other and that’s all that really matters.

 

Move the Stars

---

Synopsis:

If I closed my eyes, I could still see them—all blonde sunshine, ocean-blue eyes, and long limbs. The glint of Lake’s gold bracelet. Pink cotton candy on Tiffany’s tongue. My scenery may have changed from heaven to hell, but some things never would: my struggle to do right by both sisters. To let Lake soar. To lift Tiffany up. The sacrifices I made for them, I made willingly.
A better man would’ve walked away by now, but I never claimed to be any good. I only promised myself I’d keep enough distance. If I’d learned one thing from my past, it was that love came in different forms. You could love passionately, hurt deep, die young. Or you could provide the kind of firm, steady support someone else could lean on.

Lake was everything I wanted, and nothing I could ever have. I was nobody before I knew her and a criminal after. The way to love her was to let her shine—even if it would be for somebody else.

Favorite Lines:

“How was it possible to look up and see the same immovable stars I had a year before when so much had changed?”

“I looked up. The night sky spread out behind her. The stars weren’t as clear as they’d been up in Big Bear, but it didn’t matter. She was the only star I saw.”

“Her beauty fucking radiated when she hurt like this. She couldn’t control her pain, so it just seeped out of her.”

“You should have the world. Fuck the world–you should have the universe, the sky, and every star in it.”

“You’ve always known my heart doesn’t function right without you, that food doesn’t taste the same and the air is too thick, and my mind is always wandering back to that night on the lake, because I’m all wrong without you, because I’m in love with you.”

My Opinion:

Book 2 in the Something in the Way series, this books continued the character development that was seen in the first book of the series. It continues to follow the love story of Manning and Lake with the unwanted third point in the love triangle being Lake’s sister. While I would love to be closed minded and say that I don’t like Lake’s sister Tiffany and I think Manning is stupid for keeping her as an option, if I force myself to think more deeply about his motivation and the underlying reasons for Tiffany’s behavior, it’s more complicated than it seems. My ship is clearly Manning and Lake, rightfully so I might add, but Hawkins makes it a point to make readers pause and truly analyze the reasoning behind the characters actions.

Personally, this book made me quite frustrated with Manning because I’m the reader sitting there thinking “What are you doing?!?! Pick Lake! Pick Lake!” As two years have passed in the timeline and its now placed in 1995, Lake is turning 18. There are more Lake and Manning moments now that they aren’t going back and forth wondering what their feelings mean. But be warned, this doesn’t mean they are good moments. With the time that has passed, some subtle and not so subtle changes take place throughout the story that lead up to a quite devastating climax to the book. If you choose to read this, you will know exactly what I am talking about and probably hurt right along with me…and Lake and Manning. Seeing as how it’s only the second book in the series, I hope that Hawkins will have something up her sleeve to soothe us broken-hearted romantics.

Summary:

Overall, Somebody Else’s Sky frustrated the crap out of me (in a good way) but still presented me with a lot to reflect on and forced me to once again look at the bigger picture for the deeper meaning to all the actions that take place throughout the story. What I like so much about this series so far is that it isn’t just handing you a love story. The story line is very accurate in the sense that in real life, sometimes we don’t get what we want and sometimes there are so many outside factors that can affect a relationship. Sometimes love isn’t enough and if you want something bad enough, you truly have to sacrifice for it and fight for it. Hopefully, the next book stops taunting us and gives us what we want

 

 

Somebody Else’s Sky

---

Synopsis: 
It was a hot summer day when I met him on the construction site next to my parents’ house. Under the sweat and dirt, Manning Sutter was as handsome as the sun was bright. He was older, darker, experienced. I wore a smiley-face t-shirt and had never even been kissed. Yet we saw something in each other that would link us in ways that couldn’t be broken…no matter how hard we tried.

I loved Manning before I knew the meaning of the word. I was too young, he said. I would wait. Through all the carefully-chosen words hiding what we knew to be true, through his struggle to keep me innocent, and through infinitely-starry nights—I would wait. But I’d learn that life isn’t always fair. That no matter how much you achieve, none of it matters if you suffer the heartbreak that comes with falling for someone you can never have. Because even though I saw Manning first, that didn’t matter. My older sister saw him next.

Favorite Lines:

“There’s no hidden prize or anything. Just understanding that comes with time and age.”

“…but we had this-the stars, the lovers, the night.”

“All this time, I’d thought he was asking me to read between the lines, to hear the things he couldn’t say.”

My Opinion:

I stumbled across this book on a random Facebook sponsored ad. When I went to look it up, I expected it to be another Kindle book that I wouldn’t have access through on my Nook. It was actually available in the Nook store for the low price of $3.99. It was hard to pass up a book as cheap as that and bought it right away because it sounded like a good read for a good deal.

This book is just one in a series of 4 books (so far), I will admit that it was written in a more simple format than I was used to and I finished it in just a few short hours. However, despite being a quick read it was still a well written tale. The story revolves around a girl falling in love with an older guy in the 90s’. It wouldn’t be a romance novel without a love triangle, the girl’s sister is the third piece of the puzzle. I also love love love when they show dual POV, seeing what both characters are thinking brings so much more depth and emotion to a plot. By seeing what she thought about him and what he thought about her, you get to really become a part of the world. Often times, books only show the story play out through one characters eyes; its always a special treat to get to see what goes through both main characters heads. Throughout the story, you see different sides of the characters as more aspects of their pasts and personalities are revealed. Character development is something that I always find interesting throughout stories and I’m a sucker for a quiet, seemingly weak character turning into someone strong and sure about themselves. As the lives of these characters become more intertwined, their character development becomes more predominant.

I can’t tell you what I don’t like about the book without too many spoilers so I will try to be as cryptic as possible and if you read it, you will end up knowing what I mean. If you don’t read the book then just hang in there for a second. I didn’t like the almost stereotypical personality of the sister but I did like the underlying side to her personality. Being a huge romantic at heart, I had difficulty reading about the love triangle when I thought the choice was so clear. The distinction between protection and interest was too wide when I personally feel it should be both. I get the whole forbidden love thing so I understand it was an important aspect of the story, it just rubbed me the wrong way. For those of you who never get around to reading the book, that probably will make no sense to you. But for those of you who do, you’ll see what I mean.

Summary:

Overall, Something in the Way had a lot of relatable aspects to it that forced me to reflect on some of my life experiences and how I have viewed decisions I have made in the past. Having been in a position where I just want to please everyone without making decisions for myself, I feel for the main character and I hope that she will learn to grow on her own just as I have been learning to do.

There are 3 more books (so far) to read in the series and I hope to not only see my ship together but also see the characters develop further into their potential selves. If you do decide to read this book, I urge you to look at the characters and try to understand their actions at a deeper level. This book is definitely a good book for self-reflection if you want to think more deeply or just as a casual, quick read for entertainment; the choice is yours to make but I hope you enjoy it nonetheless.

 

Something in the Way

---