by DEVNEY PERRY
Happily married to her college sweetheart, Poppy lived a blessed life with the husband of her dreams. Then everything changed. She is no longer a wife. She is no longer the envy of her single friends. Now, people look at her with pity as they whisper a single word behind her back.
Widow.
Years after her husband’s tragic death, years of pain and sorrow and wishing for the life she’ll never get back, Poppy decides to finish Jamie’s birthday list. She’ll do the things he wanted to most. Because maybe, just maybe, if she can complete his list, she can start to live again.
Poppy expects going through the birthday list will be hard. She expects it to hurt. But what she doesn’t expect is Cole. Could the man who delivered the news of her husband’s death and shattered her heart be the one to help her put it back together again?
"When would I find the strength to put the pain in the past and stop letting it tarnish the present?"
Oh gosh, after reading this one, I am a new fan of Devney Perry's, I can assure you of that. This was not my normal read. I usually like a stomach-clenching, gut-twisting read....and this one was NOT that at all. But the way this was written; the way Devney set up the story, gave us the characters, gave us their pain and their happiness, she allowed us to grow with the story and become emotionally involved with each and every one of her characters.
I love stories that perfectly describe fate with fascination and wonder. Fate, when written with heart and believability, is one of my favorite things to read. I loved that this all felt so real, not forced, and the story ebbed and flowed perfectly for me to get caught up and lost in the story. Not only did the characters naturally fall in step with each other, but they came together by happenstance and I loved watching it play out. I've always said things happen for a reason, even when we don't know why things happen, eventually the reason will present itself. This was a wonderful story about the perfection of fate.
"What is one of your weaknesses?"
"You."
Cole was the perfect gentleman and sooo very easy to fall in love with. He was considerate of Poppy and her fears, but helped her step out of her comfort zone with confidence. I think that was my most favorite part about him. He never made her (or let her) feel bad for anything he was doing for her. I just loved their dynamic and how well they complemented each other. The nice thing was, his actions spoke of a man in love, a man that had her best interests in mind and made sure she knew he was there for her, while making her understand he wanted to be a part of everything going on in her world. I loved how symbolic the list was, but also how natural the progression was in their relationship with it originally centering around the list. It was so much fun being able to watch her grow slowly and courageously into something 'more'. She. She grew. She spread her wings. She came out of her shell. She released her guilt. He was always there to encourage, comfort, and catch her. I loved him for it. He just made me smile at how careful and sympathetic he was to her. So swoony.
It seems lately that the normal route of a book always includes some sort of drama, crazy or not, doesn't it? Well, I enjoyed more than anything that this one lacked that kind of eye-roll worthy drama. And I loved it. I could appreciate that the only real drama of the book consisted of emotions. Guilt, happiness, sadness....growth. All of it was really a joy to watch unfold. I loved watching the exchange of....power, for the lack of a better word. From pain to happiness. From sad eyes to happy smiles. Just watching it develop, it allowed the momentum of the story to continue on a steady course. It was just....an easy and very enjoyable read.
I will be honest and say that I thought this one was going to be more emotional than it really was. That's not to say that it wasn't emotional. Devney really told a solid story that kept me engaged the entire time I was reading it, but it also allowed me to dream right along with them as their hearts collided and their lives became one. It was all so enjoyable. I wish I could better describe how wonderful this one was. It was a sigh-inducing read that had me smiling the entire time I was reading it. What a welcome change!! I am so glad I finally read her work. I am already anxiously awaiting Tattered! New to me author; can't wait for more!
~BEE
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~MEET DEVNEY PERRY~
Devney is a USA Today bestselling author who lives in Montana with her husband and two children. After working in the technology industry for nearly a decade, she abandoned conference calls and project schedules to enjoy a slower pace at home with her kids. She loves reading and, after consuming hundreds of books, decided to share her own stories.
Visit Devney's website to sign up for her newsletters and learn more about upcoming books.
~CONNECT WITH DEVNEY~
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I love the review
ReplyDeletePerfect review for a perfect book! These are my thoughts too.
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