Release Date:   May 17, 2015

Genre:   Contemporary Romance, Mystery/Suspense, YA

Silas races against time as more truths unravel, while others twist tighter together. “Where are you, Charlie?” Never Never: Part Two is the continuation of the Never Never series.

Have you read the first book in the Never Never Series?  You absolutely HAVE to!!!  This series must be read in order.  I’m 100% hooked and cannot get enough – check out my review of Never Never Part One!

Title:   Never Never  (Never Never Series Book #1)

Author:   Colleen Hoover & Tarryn Fisher

Genre:   Contemporary Romance, Mystery/Suspense, YA

Best friends since they could walk. In love since the age of fourteen. Complete strangers since this morning. He’ll do anything to remember. She’ll do anything to forget.

 

Never Never: Part Two by Colleen Hoover

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

*ARC Given to Blog for Honest Review*

4 “Never forget” “Jamais Jamais” Kisses

It’s official…I now need to move into both Colleen Hoover and Tarryn Fisher’s brains. I’ll split my time evenly between the two…but I’m almost positive I cannot live without the influence of their brilliance in my world. If I thought I enjoyed Never Never Part One…Never Never Part Two up’d the ante…a lot. I don’t know what kind of witchcraft or jedi mind tricks they have cast upon me…but it’s totally and completely working and I don’t know what I’m going to do with myself after the third book. FYI…in case you weren’t aware…Never Never Part Two is the second book in a series…and this is a series that absolutely must be read in order!

Silas Nash…wow…yeah, I am totally 100% in love with him now…and once again, I still don’t even know that much about him. Maybe it’s because we get more of him in Part Two then we do in Part One…maybe it’s because of everything that’s happening, he’s kind of turning into the accidental hero if you will, but everything he’s saying and doing is just wonderful and I can’t get enough of it. I definitely know it has something to do with Charlie’s reaction to him…especially at the end…that was just all I needed in the world – and in the grand scheme of things it’s relatively minor, but it spoke to me. At this point, all of the stuff I don’t know about him seems inconsequential because I know this Silas…and this Silas is blowing me away more and more.

‘It seems so natural to think thoughts that contain the word I. But each of my thought are hollow and weightless, because the world “I” is attached to no one. No name, no face. I am…nothing.’

Charlize Margaret Wynwood …her personality is totally growing on me. Charlie is a little rough around the edges…she’s not sweet or typical…she’s unique and edgy and sassy and it works for her. I’m finding how much of a perfect counterpart she really is to Silas and the balance they bring to each other is magical. And it’s funny because as much as I loved getting more Silas…I did, in fact, miss Charlie. Her chapters weren’t necessarily long but I found I got more from them then I was expecting…especially her dreams – I kind of want just a chapter of her dreams.

‘I reach up to touch my face, smiling a little. He loved me. He was so…full of life. I lie back down, wondering what happened to him and if he’s the reason I’m here. Why hasn’t he come to find me? Can a person forget that kind of love?’

How is it possible for me to fall in love with two characters that I don’t know that much about? I don’t know their histories…how they grew up…what made them who they are…I know bits and pieces and secondhand information, but all the core information that I usually get from my characters is just…not there with Never Never…and ya know what? It works. How??? I don’t know…and I don’t care. The only thing I can give credit to is the genius talent behind Colleen Hoover and Tarryn Fisher. I bow down to their greatness and applaud them for concocting one of the best plots ever. I am still in awe of the writing…their two different styles blend perfectly and effortlessly together and they’re quickly becoming one of my favorite writing duo’s. I’ve always said that if the writing is strong enough it can make me believe anything…it’s why I’m a fan of insta-love and ass hole hero’s who redeem themselves and all the unthinkable scenarios that “in theory” should not work…but do. Add Never Never to the list…because while I may not know much, I adore everything I do know and regardless of what happens in book 3, this has been one of the most captivating series I’ve ever read.

‘Figure out what you did with the Charlie I fell in love with. And when you find her, I’ll be here. I told you before I’ll never stop loving you. I’ll never forget what we have.
But lately, it seems that you’ve forgotten’

Remember the mind fuck from Part One? Yeah…well it only magnified with Part Two…but trust me it’s getting better and better with each click of my kindle. For every clue or piece I thought I had figured out…twenty more questions popped up in its place. It was both wonderful and made me want to scream…in a good way, I promise. I really don’t know how it’s possible for someone who despises not knowing things to love how much I don’t know with this book…but it’s all part of the fantastic mind-fuck package. The build of this series is fantastic…I couldn’t love it any more if I tried because even with the list of things I don’t know, I’m still feeling the anticipation building naturally and I am quickly becoming addicted to this anticipation. The feelings it is giving me is completely overwhelming my desire to know. Once again the balance of the mystery/suspense with the romance/relationship between Charlie and Silas is perfection! Just one more reason why I can’t get enough.

‘This.
This must have been why I felt an unwavering need to find her. Because until this very second, I didn’t know Charlie wasn’t the only one missing. When she disappeared, part of me must have disappeared right along with her. Because this is the first time I feel like me— like Silas Nash— since the second I woke up yesterday.’

I am so uncontrollably into everything that is going on with this series it’s not even funny. I never want it to stop…I honestly hate the fact that there is only one book left – my stage five clinger tendencies are kicking in full force! Obviously I need answers…duh…but it’s not even about that anymore. The way everything has come together…I don’t know how everything is going to wrap up in one more book…and even once it’s wrapped up…I have a feeling I’m going to want more from Charlie and Silas. They’re absolutely amazing characters and I don’t know if I’ll ever get enough of them.

View all my reviews

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Colleen Hoover is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Slammed, Point of Retreat, This Girl, Hopeless, Losing Hope, Maybe Someday, and Finding Cinderella. She lives in Texas with her husband and their three boys. Please visit ColleenHoover.com.

I am a real life villain, truly. I drink sick amounts of Starbucks. Most of the time my hair smells like coffee. I was born in South Africa, and lived there for most of my childhood. I moved to Seattle just for the rain. Rome is my favorite place in the world so far, Paris comes in at a close second. I read and write more than I sleep. When I was eleven, I wrote an entire novel about runaway orphans, using only purple ink. I am addicted to Florence and the Machine and will travel to see concerts. I love scary movies and giraffes. I spend way too much time on Facebook. Meet you there?…

Genre:   Contemporary Romance, Mystery/Suspense, YA

Best friends since they could walk. In love since the age of fourteen.
Complete strangers since this morning.
He’ll do anything to remember. She’ll do anything to forget.

Are you ready for the next part of Silas and Charlie’s story???  I know I am!

Title:   Never Never Part Two  (Never Never Series Book #2)

Author:   Colleen Hoover & Tarryn Fisher

Release Date:   May 17, 2015

Genre:   Contemporary Romance, Mystery/Suspense, YA

Silas races against time as more truths unravel, while others twist tighter together. “Where are you, Charlie?” Never Never: Part Two is the continuation of the Never Never series.

 

Did you see Silas’s Love Note from Valentine’s Day?

Keep reading to see the full Love Note!

 

My name is Silas Nash, and this Valentine goes out to the girl I’m trying to find. According to the information I found in her wallet, her name is Charlize. However, the notes I found in my car show that I sometimes refer to her as Charlie. Also–according to my notes–I’m madly in love with her. So Charlie, if you get this message, I miss you. I think. I love you. I think. And WHERE THE HELL ARE YOU?

Never Never by Colleen Hoover

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

*ARC Given to Blog for Honest Review*

3.5 “Charlie baby” “Never never” “trees” “pearls” Kisses

I am not going to lie, from the moment I heard about this book I was beyond excited. You cannot tell me that two of my favorite authors ever are writing a book and not expect me to flip out a little. Plus the synopsis? Get out of here. My grabby hands were out of control. But I was nervous…because I didn’t want my expectations to be so high that I hyped it up past a reasonable point. I should know by now that when dealing with Colleen Hoover and Tarryn Fisher, I should always anticipate greatness, because they never cease to amaze me.

Charlize Margaret Wynwood…such an elegant name, I like it. Charlie is…unique. For the most part I liked her…but I can’t guarantee I would have liked the old-Charlie. I don’t mean that in a bad way…I don’t have to like everybody, but there are tendencies and traits that the old-Charlie had, that the new-Charlie hasn’t picked up yet and I’m kinda hoping she doesn’t. New-Charlie is…open, inquisitive, guarded to a point but it feels like it’s more out of self-preservation than anything. Between Charlie and Silas…I’d say she’s got a rougher time of piecing herself together…even more so because of the guarded thing, but I did enjoy getting to know her. I feel the times she truly shines and I connect with her the most is when she is around Silas.

‘She’s beautiful, but in a shameful way. One I’m not sure I’m supposed to appreciate. Everything about her is captivating, like the aftermath of a storm. People aren’t supposed to get pleasure out of the destruction Mother Nature is capable of, but we want to stare anyway. Charlie is the devastation left in the wake of a tornado.’

Silas Nash…I’m so close to falling in love with Silas, and I don’t even know that much about him. This boy has an amazing personality that even not knowing as much about him as I would like to cannot stop the fact that he is just flat out wonderful. What I do know…he’s kind, sweet, genuine…determined…thoughtful, he’s not perfect but he clearly tries his best. He’s hilarious…I love his sense of humor…it was really easy to be drawn to Silas, he’s magnetic like that. Silas is…like an open book, he’s really easy to read (that was an unintentional pun, I promise!)…and the one of the few things I know about Silas is how he feels about Charlie.

“Why are you smiling?” she asks, three miles into our drive.
I didn’t realize I was. I shrug. “Just thinking.”
“About what?”
I glance at her and she’s waiting for my answer with an impatient frown. “I was wondering how the old Silas ever broke through your hard exterior.”
She laughs. “What makes you think he did?”
I would smile again, but I don’t think I’ve stopped. “You saw the video, Charlie. You loved him.” I pause for a second, then rephrase. “Me. You loved me.”
“She loved you,” Charlie says, and then smiles. “I’m not even sure if I like you yet.”
I shake my head with a soft laugh. “I don’t know myself very well, but I must have been extremely competitive. Because I just took that as a challenge.”
“Took what as a challenge? You think you can make me like you again?”
I look over at her and give my head the slightest shake. “No. I’m gonna make you fall in love with me again.”

Holy mind fuck batman…I felt like I was on the insane journey with both of them and it was amazing. I love mysteries and puzzles and trying to figure stuff out – it’s not even an intentional thing, it just how my mind works now, so reading Never Never was like discovering something I didn’t even know I wanted. I really liked the balance of mystery to romance…because they’re both so intertwined, I don’t think one could have survived without the other. I also enjoyed the way things were revealed…it’s really easy to get frustrated when you don’t know all the facts and details, so there has to be kind of a give and take with wondering WTF is happening to getting clues and piecing stuff together. The way everything worked out was spot on for me…I was hooked and eating up every detail, falling in love with Charlie and Silas individually and together.

“Let’s get out of here,” he says. “Go do something that doesn’t belong to Charlie and Silas. Something that’s ours.”
“You’re talking about us like we’re body invaders.”
Silas closes his eyes and tilts his head back. “You have no idea how many times a day I think about invading your body.”

I have been intentionally vague on a lot of the details of Never Never because it’s not an easily explainable book without revealing something and there is so much about NN that really needs to be experienced firsthand. I love this plot so much, it’s kind of ridiculous – and this is coming from a girl who hates not knowing things. A small part of me is throwing a huge tantrum wanting to figure it out and know all the answers…but I’m really enjoying the ride and the experience. There is a lot to be said for letting go and just hanging on for dear life…it’s very freeing and for the most part it’s making me appreciate the story and characters so much more. The whole story line is incredibly unique and original…I’ve read my fair share of books and I’ve never read anything like this – it’s captivating, engaging and addictive. Colleen Hoover and Tarryn Fisher separately blow me away every. Single. Time. I read one of their books. Combined…it’s like all the planets have aligned to create this perfect book universe where my brain is in its happy place. Sometimes when two authors join forces it can feel like it…the flow is off, pacing is just not there, it’s just not cohesive. Completely not a problem with these two…everything about Never Never works brilliantly.

‘When we lock eyes, I feel like I’m meeting a brand new side of her. A side of her without resolve. A vulnerable side. A side that’s allowing herself to feel something. I want to grin and ask her how it feels to be in love, but I know teasing her in this moment would piss her off and she’d walk away and I can’t let that happen. Not right now. Not when I finally get to catalog an actual memory with all the numerous fantasies I’ve had about her mouth.’

So…the dreaded cliffy – honestly, did it make me want book 2? Yeah…duh. But…that’s the point! I mean the last 10% I couldn’t read fast enough and getting to those last few sentences when so much is coming together and I was basically holding my breath for what was going to happen next. It was awesome…and I’m so beyond ready for  Never Never Part 2…insanely excited to see what Colleen and Tarryn do with the story next and ready to continue my mind-fuck journey with Charlie and Silas. #BringItOn

View all my reviews

Colleen Hoover is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Slammed, Point of Retreat, This Girl, Hopeless, Losing Hope, Maybe Someday, and Finding Cinderella. She lives in Texas with her husband and their three boys. Please visit ColleenHoover.com.

I am a real life villain, truly. I drink sick amounts of Starbucks. Most of the time my hair smells like coffee. I was born in South Africa, and lived there for most of my childhood. I moved to Seattle just for the rain. Rome is my favorite place in the world so far, Paris comes in at a close second. I read and write more than I sleep. When I was eleven, I wrote an entire novel about runaway orphans, using only purple ink. I am addicted to Florence and the Machine and will travel to see concerts. I love scary movies and giraffes. I spend way too much time on Facebook. Meet you there?…

Two strangers.

Two broken hearts.

One night to set each other free.

Almost dying from an undiagnosed heart condition means every second of your life is a precious gift to be guarded.

Lena Pettitt was born a miracle.

And her parents never let her forget it.

Even if that daily reminder kept her from experiencing the one thing they were trying to protect most--her life.

Gabriel Martinez’s heart has been ripped out.

His pride has been stomped on.

Oh, and he now has an arrest record that’s caused an even bigger rift between him and his DA mother. All for a love that wasn’t really true.

Now he’s exiled to his grandmother’s, working on his late grandpa’s old Corvair when a shivering girl knocks on the garage door. Lena, left alone for the first time ever, has locked herself out of her house--in the snow. Gabe knows he could help this girl get back inside her house--but that may mean missing the next train to Boston to pick up the part he’s spent eight weeks tracking down. She can wait for him at his grandmother’s or…

A few hours, an aluminum valve cover, and some strong coffee later, neither Gabe or Lena can feign disappointment when they race to the station and arrive just as the last train home from Boston is pulling out.

As jaded as he is, Gabe can’t deny the fact that he’s excited to spend the night exploring a city he knows nearly every corner of, with a girl who sees magic in the simplest things.

Lena has been waiting for her tiny world to crack open her entire life. Now that it’s finally happened, she finds the only thing she can focus on is the unexpected tour guide who opens her eyes to possibilities she never imagined.

All they have is this one night, together, under the bright moon in a city full of hidden beauty.

It’s one night that will change how they see the world and the paths their hearts will take forever.

Even the Moon Has Scars by Steph Campbell
on October 28, 2014
Genres: Contemporary, Romance, YA
Goodreads

Two strangers.

Two broken hearts.

One night to set each other free.

Almost dying from an undiagnosed heart condition means every second of your life is a precious gift to be guarded.

Lena Pettitt was born a miracle.

And her parents never let her forget it.

Even if that daily reminder kept her from experiencing the one thing they were trying to protect most--her life.

Gabriel Martinez’s heart has been ripped out.

His pride has been stomped on.

Oh, and he now has an arrest record that’s caused an even bigger rift between him and his DA mother. All for a love that wasn’t really true.

Now he’s exiled to his grandmother’s, working on his late grandpa’s old Corvair when a shivering girl knocks on the garage door. Lena, left alone for the first time ever, has locked herself out of her house--in the snow. Gabe knows he could help this girl get back inside her house--but that may mean missing the next train to Boston to pick up the part he’s spent eight weeks tracking down. She can wait for him at his grandmother’s or…

A few hours, an aluminum valve cover, and some strong coffee later, neither Gabe or Lena can feign disappointment when they race to the station and arrive just as the last train home from Boston is pulling out.

As jaded as he is, Gabe can’t deny the fact that he’s excited to spend the night exploring a city he knows nearly every corner of, with a girl who sees magic in the simplest things.

Lena has been waiting for her tiny world to crack open her entire life. Now that it’s finally happened, she finds the only thing she can focus on is the unexpected tour guide who opens her eyes to possibilities she never imagined.

All they have is this one night, together, under the bright moon in a city full of hidden beauty.

It’s one night that will change how they see the world and the paths their hearts will take forever.

I’m in LOVE with this cover.  I want to frame it and gaze fondly at it every day.  It’s just gorgeous…and just wait till you read the excerpt!  I’m so excited to get my hands on this one…

“So what happened?” Lena asks. She takes another sip of her drink, then rests her hand on the laminate countertop near mine. I want to focus on that. How close she is. How close she’s allowing me to be to her for the first time tonight. What I don’t want to be doing is talking about my ex-girlfriend. “Why aren’t you together anymore?”
Making love to her was like sleeping with a starfish.
She loved the thrill of a political protest more than she actually loved me.
She was happy to see me hauled off to jail for her cause, because it added a little drama to her life.
“I don’t know, I guess you can only make exceptions for people for so long before they all just sound like excuses.”
“You, or her?”
I suck in a quick breath before answering, “Maybe both?”
She stares down at her wrist, spinning the blue beads on her bracelet as she says, “But you loved her.”
It isn’t a question.
I nod slowly. “I did.”
“And now–”
“Now, I’ve moved on.” I shrug.
“Have you really?” Lena asks. “Because when she hugged you–”
I don’t really understand why we have to talk about this. So we ran into Jemma, it doesn’t mean the entire relationship needs to be rehashed over pie. Doing that will only lead to me having to discuss my arrest, and that’s not something I want to talk about with the girl who looks at me with those big brown eyes that scream trust and understanding and all the things I don’t even come close to deserving from someone.
I turn my barstool toward her, brushing her knee with my own. The simple touch is more electric and intimate than sex with my starfish ex.
“Look, Lena,” I say, as I wrap a straw wrapper around my index finger. “This isn’t something I want to get into.”
“You’ve asked me a bunch of questions tonight,” she presses.
That’s fair. I’ve spent the last several hours trying to drag every bit of information I can out of this crazy mysterious, beautiful girl.
Our server comes by the table to refill our drinks. “Can I just get the check?” I ask, hopeful she’ll just let it drop after a change of venue.
“I’m not finished,” Lena says, motioning to her half-eaten piece of pie.
“I’m ready to go,” I say.
“Oh, because I asked you a question you don’t want to answer now?” she demands.
“No, Lena. I’m just ready to go.”
“Liar,” she mumbles under her breath. It’d be cute if it weren’t so damn accurate.
I pull out my wallet as soon as our check arrives and hand over my debit card.
“I’m not a liar,” I say, it comes out more harsh than I intend. “It’s just–being in love doesn’t define you. No matter what romantic idea you have in your head, love doesn’t go to the most deserving. It’s not something you collect, like, the more the better. Love isn’t a trinket passed down. It’s a wound left behind. Love changes you, but not always in a good way. It’s a goddamn scar.”

Steph Campbell grew up in Southern California, but now lives in the hot, humid south. She has one husband, four children and a serious nail polish obsession. When she’s not writing or taking care of her brood, she’s reading or scouring travel sites, always ready for life’s next adventure.

]]> https://truestorybookblog.com/2014/09/24/even-the-moon-has-scars-by-steph-campbell-excerpt/feed/ 1 10606 https://truestorybookblog.com/2013/11/04/making-faces-by-amy-harmon-blog-tour/ Mon, 04 Nov 2013 15:30:01 +0000 https://www.truestorybookblog.com/?p=2384

Title: Making Faces

Author: Amy Harmon

Genre: New Adult Contemporary Romance

Expected Release Date: October 20, 2013

Blog Tour Organized By: Cristina’s Book Reviews and Vilma’s Book Blog

Ambrose Young was beautiful. He was tall and muscular, with hair that touched his shoulders and eyes that burned right through you. The kind of beautiful that graced the covers of romance novels, and Fern Taylor would know. She’d been reading them since she was thirteen. But maybe because he was so beautiful he was never someone Fern thought she could have…until he wasn’t beautiful anymore.

Making Faces is the story of a small town where five young men go off to war, and only one comes back. It is the story of loss. Collective loss, individual loss, loss of beauty, loss of life, loss of identity. It is the tale of one girl’s love for a broken boy, and a wounded warrior’s love for an unremarkable girl. This is a story of friendship that overcomes heartache, heroism that defies the common definitions, and a modern tale of Beauty and the Beast, where we discover that there is a little beauty and a little beast in all of us.

He didn’t know how to make her understand that she was so much more than just pretty. So he leaned forward and pressed his mouth to hers. Very carefully. Not like the other night when he’d been scared and impulsive, and smacked her head against the wall in his attempt to kiss her. He kissed her now to tell her how he felt. He pulled away almost immediately, not giving himself a chance to linger and lose his head. He wanted to show her he valued her, not that he wanted to rip her clothes off. And he wasn’t sure when it came right down to it that she wanted to be kissed by an ugly SOB. She was the kind of girl that would kiss him because she didn’t want to hurt his feelings. The thought filled him with despair.

She let out a frustrated sigh and sat up, running her hands through her hair. It flowed through her fingers and down her back, and he wished he could bury his own hands in it, bury his face in the heavy locks and breathe her in. But he’d obviously upset her.

“I’m sorry, Fern. I shouldn’t have done that.”

“Why?” she snapped, startling him enough that he winced. “Why are you sorry?”

“Because you’re upset.”

“I’m upset because you pulled away! You’re so careful. And it’s frustrating!”

Ambrose was taken back by her honesty, and he smiled, instantly flattered. But the smile faded as he tried to explain himself.

“You’re so small, Fern. Delicate. And all of this is new to you. I’m afraid I’m going to come on too strong. And if I break you or hurt you, I won’t survive that, Fern. I won’t survive it.” That thought was worse than walking away from her and he shuddered inwardly. He wouldn’t survive it. He had already hurt too many. Lost too many.

Fern knelt in front of him, and her chin wobbled and her eyes were wide with emotion. Her voice was adamant as she held his face between her hands, and when he tried to pull away so she wouldn’t feel his scars, she hung on, forcing his gaze.

“Ambrose Young! I have waited my whole life for you to want me. If you don’t hold me tight I won’t believe you mean it, and that’s worse than never being held at all. You better make me believe you mean it, Ambrose, or you will most definitely break me.”

“I don’t want to hurt you, Fern,” he whispered hoarsely.

“Then don’t,” she whispered back, trusting him. But there were lots of ways to cause pain. And Ambrose knew he was capable of hurting her in a thousand ways.

Ambrose stopped trying to pull his face away, surrendering to the way it felt to be touched. He hadn’t allowed anyone to touch him for a long time. Her hands were small, like the rest of her, but the emotions they stirred in him were enormous, gigantic, all-consuming. She made him shake, made him quake inside, vibrate like the tracks under an on-coming train.

Her hands left his face and traveled down the sides of his neck. One side smooth, the other riddled with divots and scars and rippled where the skin had been damaged. She didn’t pull away, but felt each mark, memorized each wound. And then she leaned forward and pressed her lips to his neck, just below his jaw. And then again on the other side, on the side that bore no scars, letting him know that the kiss wasn’t about sympathy but desire. It was a caress. And his control broke.

Making Faces by Amy Harmon

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

*ARC Given to Blog for Honest Review*

4.5 “Kites or Balloons?” “Victory is in the Battle” “B S” Kisses

Wow…so I knew going into reading this book that I was going to cry. I even had fair warning that it was going to be an ugly cry. So you think I would be prepared…right? Yeah…no…not so much. Pretty much not at all. Nothing could have prepared me for that. Oh…and I have to state this for the record – the “B S” in my ‘kisses’ – not the B.S. you’re thinking! 🙂 I really don’t know what else to say except wow…however that wouldn’t be a very good review…but seriously this story covers 10+ years, so many different relationships and little details…so let’s see what I can come up with.

Fern Taylor…how can I describe Fern. She’s the ugly duckling…the quite little girl that is overlooked…the tiny girl with braces and glasses and wild red hair…the nobody that desperately wants to be a somebody. Fern is the epitome of what every girl does not want to be in high school…she’s smart and funny, but nobody aside from her cousin Bailey and her best friend Rita would even know that because they don’t bother to pay any attention to her. But Fern has so much to offer…she may not be the standard for gorgeous on the outside but she could not be more beautiful in my eyes. She’s caring and giving…sweet and nurturing…loving and thoughtful. She’s a pastor’s daughter…the miracle child her parents thought they would never have…she’s a good girl, just filled to the brim with goodness, like I don’t think she has a mean bone in her body, it’s just not in her nature. She’s so likeable it’s ridiculous. I could talk all day about Fern…she’s just a million different kinds of amazing.

“I just wish life was more like my books,” Fern complained, trying to hoist both her and Bailey’s backpacks on her narrow shoulders as they left school for the day. “Main characters never die in books. If they did, the story would be ruined, or over.”
“Everybody is a main character to someone,” Bailey theorized, winding his way through the busy hall and out the nearest exit into the November afternoon. “There are no minor characters.”

Ambrose Young…Brosey…for the record, love his nickname – prolly a little bit more than I should honestly love a name. He’s Hercules. 🙂 (there’s a story there…I love that too) He’s the town superstar…a wrestling god with a mountain of expectations to live up to and even more pressure that he puts on himself. It also doesn’t hurt that he’s tall, dark and handsome…but unfortunately that just goes along with the ‘perfect package’ that everyone sees…and expects. His past is…complicated…it has to do with parents, and it’s messy, sad and frustrating and I won’t go into detail suffice to say it’s not something a child should have to deal with…but what can you do. Ambrose has lots of layers…on the surface he’s this gorgeous guy that every girl wants and every guy wants to be friends with…but he’s a lot more than that. He’s a leader…he’s got more than just physical strength…he’s smart (smarter than most people probably give him credit for IMO)…he’s deep…there’s just so much to Ambrose that you wouldn’t expect. I felt like Brosey internalized a lot…not that he didn’t have anyone that he could talk to…he had his dad, he had close friends, he had Coach Sheen (the wrestling coach and Bailey’s dad)…but…for his own reasons, Ambrose kept things to himself. But he did open up to Fern…I liked she got to see sides of him no one else got to.

‘Everybody who is somebody becomes nobody the moment they fail.’

I cannot not talk about Bailey. Bailey is crucial in this book. Bailey Sheen is Fern’s cousin and best friend…and is about ten times more amazing then Fern is (and we’ve already established that Fern is pretty freakin amazing…). It’s hard to talk about Bailey and not tear up because a lot of my sadness came from Bailey and the things that happen with him. (and when I said a lot…I mean 99% of my sadness) Bailey has Duchenne muscular dystrophy…so while Fern is her parents miracle child…so is Bailey to his parents. Bailey might not be a part of the couple, but he is so a main character in my eyes. This story would be been great without him…with Bailey…it’s out of this world. You cannot read about Bailey Sheen and not take away something from his character. He makes me want to be a better person. And now I must stop talking about him before I break down into tears.

‘“You okay, B?”…
“Nah. Tonight’s one of those nights, Fernie.”
“Too much reality?”
“Way too much reality.”
“Me too,” Fern said softly, and felt her throat close against the emotion that rose in her chest. Sometimes life seemed particularly unfair, unduly harsh and beyond bearing.’

This was a different kind of read for me. I really don’t even know if I could call it a true romance because the romantic aspect is so secondary to the other aspects of the story. It’s more about Ambrose and Fern and the different struggles they go through before finally finding each other. Even when they did find each other, the other events that happened kind of overshadowed their relationship, at least it did for me. It’s not that their relationship was intentionally not made the focus or anything…there is just so much more to this story then the two of them getting together. Really, I fell more in love with Fern and Bailey’s relationship then I did with anything else in the book. In the end, it was Fern and Ambrose, but from page one it was always Fern and Bailey. I loved their connection and friendship.

‘Could you belong to someone who didn’t want you? Fern decided it was possible, because her heart was his, and whether or not he wanted it didn’t seem to make much difference.’

There is so much emotional struggle packed into this book…and different levels. If you’re wanting a light, fluffy, happy read…this is not the book for you. But if you want a book that will make you work for that HEA…and you want to see the journey and the process of two people coming together…then you will find no better book. I have to be honest, this book is a slow burn…there is no insta-love here, this is not about instant gratification and you will not see Fern and Ambrose in a happy place until the last 1/4th of the book. That’s not to say that there aren’t happy parts…there are…but they are fleeting. Like the love notes and their either/or game, I got these little moments that make me smile and eased the pain of the tough stuff. And like I said, this book isn’t really focused on the two of them, it’s more about them growing up, their friendships and relationship around them. I guess that’s one thing that I was missing out on a little bit is that they had so much work to do to get to a happy place in their relationship, it would have been nice to get to see them thrive and enjoy that more.

‘“You are still beautiful,” Fern said softly, her face turned to his. He was quiet for a moment, but he didn’t pull away or groan or deny what she’d said.
“I think that statement is more a reflection of your beauty than mine,” Ambrose said eventually, turning his head so he could look down at her.’

I did have to adjust a little bit to the writing style, it’s pretty different style POV for me. I don’t even know what to call it…because it is narrated…but sometimes we slip into the characters thoughts, but it’s not constant and you never know who’s head you might be in – and you might only be in that person’s head just once, but obviously the main thoughts are from Ambrose and Fern. The head-bouncing while sometimes confusing is done with purpose…whatever fact or tid-bit you might be gaining is pertinent for what’s going on…it was just a little jumpy at times and took me a couple of chapters to figure out the flow. It also bounces back and forth between past and present…the past is usually short little flash-backs, which are nice…I liked that, and once again, it always tied in somehow with what was going on. Aside from the little flashbacks, the story was chronological…following them from their senior year in 2001 thru to the present. I have to say though, the characters in this book are flawless…each one is so well developed it made my head spin. The writing is detailed and Amy paints a very clear picture both visually and emotionally. I was never lacking with an emotional connection to the story and being an emotional reader, I loved that.

“True beauty, the kind that doesn’t fade or wash off, takes time. It takes pressure. It takes incredible endrance. It is the slow drip that makes the stalactite, the shaking of the Earth that creates mountains, the constant pouding of the waves that breaks up the rocks and smooths the rought edges. And from the violence, the furor, the raging of the winds, the roaring of the waters, something better emerges, something that would otherwise never exist.
“And so we endure. We have faith that there is purpose. We hope for things we can’t see. WE believe that there are lessons in loss, power in love, and that we have within us the potential for a beauty so magnificent that our bodies can’t contain it.”

While my heart is still a little tender, and it was a completely exhausting emotional journey, I did thoroughly enjoy Making Faces. My heart is full of loss, love, beauty and the power we have as humans to impact someone’s life, even in the smallest of ways. I feel like I have barely scratched the surface because there are so many details to this story…the impact religion has on the characters and story line, the influence of the 9/11 attacks, the transitions the characters go through…there is just so much that can be taken away from this book.

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Amy Harmon knew at an early age that writing was something she wanted to do, and she divided her time between writing songs and stories as she grew. Having grown up in the middle of wheat fields without a television, with only her books and her siblings to entertain her, she developed a strong sense of what made a good story. Amy Harmon has been a motivational speaker, a grade school teacher, a junior high teacher, a home school mom, and a member of the Grammy Award winning Saints Unified Voices Choir, directed by Gladys Knight. She released a Christian Blues CD in 2007 called “What I Know” – also available on Amazon and wherever digital music is sold. She has written five novels, Running Barefoot, Slow Dance in Purgatory, Prom Night in Purgatory, the New York Times Bestseller, A Different Blue and coming October 20, Making Faces. Check out Amy’s website.