BOOK REVIEW and GIVEAWAY for The Summer We Fell by Elizabeth O'Roark

THE SUMMER WE FELL

by ELIZABETH O'ROARK

He was my boyfriend's best friend—and the bane of my existence. I wanted to hate Luke Taylor. I did hate him. I just never hated him enough.

Now, a decade later, tragedy has brought us back to the place where it all happened—my best times, and my worst.

Our lives have changed, but that pull between us is just as strong as ever.

Only this time, it's more dangerous too.

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REVIEW: 4 STARS

"Luke's the only person who can access all of me. He barely has to try."

I cannot begin to tell you how excited I was seeing that Elizabeth O'Roark was putting out a standalone!! I LOVED her Parallel Duet something fierce - even have it signed on my shelf, so I knew I needed to get in on this action! She was a surprise new-to-me author and I knew I needed to read her again. I missed out on touring her Devil Series, so of course I haven't slipped it into my kindle just yet - but rest assured, that will be devoured eventually. But, a standalone usually has me adjusting my schedule to fit them in from the get-go.

To be fair, when I started seeing the teasers for this one, and the direction I was "feeling" Luke was taking - I was 99% sure I was going to love him. I was wrong - because I 100% love him. He had a protective streak a mile long and it had exactly ZERO boundaries, and I loved that about him!!! He made this book for me. HE had me falling in love with him from the minute I met him.

"People talk about love like it's peaceful, but it isn't, at all. It's turbulent and anxious. It's euphoria and despair."

The pain Luke and Juliet went through! My gosh, the pain of fighting an attraction they knew wasn't a good idea to act on because of all the implications their love alone would have. The pain it would cause. A ripple effect throughout both their lives that would be magnanimous, given the circumstances they were operating under. THIS is the kind of story I live for. A love that you can't have. Can't touch. Can't feel out, because the damage it would cause felt like it would be too hard to get through. This story was also ripe with personal guilt. RIPE. There was always a reason. Always a rebuttal. Always a hinderance to finally seeing the rainbow on the other side. It was exhausting for my heart and mental self...and I loved it!

This type of love story is my crack. I need the despondence the characters are wading through - their need for something that's unattainable yet they need it to survive!! This had all the things I crave because I felt Juliet's drive to just see...just speak to, just hear his voice. It's what kept me keep turning the pages. That kind of nail-biting "would they, should they, could they" angst is my drug of choice and I willingly succumb to the need for more. Which, of course, is why I pick up these types of stories often. O'Roark definitely gifted me another book boyfriend with the strength of Luke's love and devotion.

I did struggle a bit with Juliet - but I honestly think it boils down to my strength at this age watching a girl at her age go through what she did and having the current knowledge to know that "this" wasn't the end of the world for her - even though I *knew* she had to live it to understand and appreciate it, but boy was it tough!! I wanted to tell her to take a bold step forward. I wanted to encourage her to go with her heart because her mind was already there. The need to shake her into letting loose and understanding her perceived ramifications were her own shackles to shake. I was her biggest cheerleader and her harshest critic. She was the strongest doormat I have ever read. Again - RIPE with guilt.

But honestly, my only real issue was the back and forth from past to present. Not that this type of storytelling doesn't work or have its place - because it does and it works often. It just didn't work for me in this circumstance. I was following along easily enough - it just took away from the forward progression I was feeling with each step forward, but I felt like I literally took 2 steps back by going into the past and it halted my mental forward motion. BUT, I loved their love story and I adored how hard Luke loved Juliet and stood by his word and morals. The very truest definition of a man, to me. He stood by his word no matter how elusive it seemed for Juliet to grasp...and that growth was a relief to read. The final submission was glorifying to witness and I smiled as they finally figured themselves out. Phew!!! Mental gymnastics, for sure!

MY FINAL THOUGHTS: I would honestly love to see some other books come from this story - standalones, but definitely interconnected since I don't think one would be able to tell some stories without giving away some of the tension and pain that was prevalent in this book. Elizabeth - please give me Libby's book. PLEASE. I know you will do her justice with a man worthy of her heart and soul. 

"Luke is my sun, my moon, my tide, and I'm tired of fighting his pull."

~BEE

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 ~MEET ELIZABETH O'ROARK~

Elizabeth O’Roark lives in Washington, DC with her 3 children. After many years spent writing scintillating brochures about amniocentesis and heart surgery, she is thrilled to have found a job that allows her to just make s*** up.

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