It is ironic. I was intrigued by the idea of this book, but it failed to live up to both my hopes and expectations.
Perhaps it was an inevitable outcome for me, watching how characters separated by two decades could possibly fall in love with each other before being torn apart by circumstances beyond their control.
While the idea of this story had solid roots, the way it read at times aggravated me and left both my mind and heart in a state of confusion. The characters were well developed and authentic. But the manner in which they interacted with each other, even presuming that some of their choices were influenced by delirious passion, was disconcerting and off-putting to me. I take full responsibility for that comment, since I am not one to usually appreciate explicit intimacy in a novel. And there was certainly more than a sprinkling of explicit intimacy throughout these pages. At times, it became redundant and excessive, in my humble opinion.
But what put me off the most about this aspect of the story was how wildly the mood of a scene changed in a single sentence. It went from a sentimental outpouring of emotions to vulgar and explicit language that made me feel as though I was reading a steamy romance on steroids.
The erratic swing from heartwarming to crass left me with a bitter taste that detracted from my immersion in the story.
The message shared throughout this novel and reinforced at its completion redeemed the shortcomings I experienced, but it lacked the ability to make this a novel that I would consider returning to for another read at a time in the future.
There are obviously many readers who found this book riveting, and perhaps the controversy confronted in this novel naturally creates a division of opinions. But for me, although the idea of this book was intriguing, the execution of the storyline and specifically the inconsistency in how the characters treated each other from an emotional and physical standpoint from moment to moment was ultimately what disappointed me the most.
Dave’s Rating: ☕️☕️
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