I wanted to conquer the world.
She wanted to gaze at the stars.
It’s been twelve years since I last saw Scottie Rucker. A grim prognosis has upended my life, and no amount of my hard-earned money can fix it. So, after leaving a note on the nightstand, I search for my first love—I search for life.
When I find her in Austin, working at a quaint general store and living in an RV behind it, those twelve years vanish. She’s exactly how I remember her.
Scottie thinks our reunion is a small-world coincidence, and I’m not ready to tell her the truth. After we rekindle our friendship, she convinces me to work part-time at the store while she pursues her budding relationship with Koen, a welder and the grandson of a customer.
Scottie’s ability to live in the moment is exactly what I need. But how do I convince her new boyfriend that I’m not his competition? And what happens if my heart changes its mind?
It took me a minute to gather my thoughts on this one, and I’m not going to lie - it wasn’t easy, but that’s signature JEA, and exactly why I love her writing. I'm not sure I'll be able to articulate this one well because I'm still pretty raw, but just know that I couldn't love this book more. This one will take up what little space I have left on my bookshelf, because this one was a rock solid emotional jolt straight to the heart - but I will have it signed because I hope this story will never leave me. I hope I reference it in my thoughts and actions often.
Scottie is her own person - and if we all had a Scottie in our life, this world would be a better place. She’s so devout in her beliefs that she made me stop and think on many different levels, and I absolutely loved that about her. Her wisdom was not necessarily other worldy, but it can easily be described as old-soul reminiscent. She had a heart of gold and she was most definitely the bright spot in the whole book for me, no matter how bleak it got. I found myself looking to her for some wisdom and insight.
"Countless memories of our summer together have permanent space in my mind."
Price gave me so much to LOVE in life, but with a deeper perspective. Hindsight is always 20/20, yet circumstances don't always align with our thought processes and given Price's predicament, his demeanor and knowledge was a breath of.....no, a walk on cool grass. Refreshing insight, and a deep and meaningful dance with fate. I honestly and truly loved the hardest truths I learned from him and loved watching him learn with each page I turned. Hard, but loved.
When I find her in Austin, working at a quaint general store and living in an RV behind it, those twelve years vanish. She’s exactly how I remember her.
Scottie thinks our reunion is a small-world coincidence, and I’m not ready to tell her the truth. After we rekindle our friendship, she convinces me to work part-time at the store while she pursues her budding relationship with Koen, a welder and the grandson of a customer.
Scottie’s ability to live in the moment is exactly what I need. But how do I convince her new boyfriend that I’m not his competition? And what happens if my heart changes its mind?
REVIEW: 5 EMOTIONALLY LADEN STARS
"But when you let your mind step outside social boundaries, the rules lose meaning, and love feels limitless."
As usual, go in as blind as you’re comfortable going. Try to avoid any reviews, because they’re going to inevitably give away the very essence of the journey that’s needed in order to watch Price, Koen, and Scottie's world develop as it should. There’s so much to discover while reading this book, and the organic way that JEA wrote it and delivered it needs to be experienced firsthand - in real time.
I read this.
I felt this.
I am broken...
I am broken...
But I am once again in love with yet another JEA book that upended my safely beating heart, stole the safety net of the sanctity of my innermost thoughts - and left me crying for days while looking at life with a whole new perspective I didn't think I was missing out on. My heart may have skipped a few beats, but not in the manner it's used to.
It took me a minute to gather my thoughts on this one, and I’m not going to lie - it wasn’t easy, but that’s signature JEA, and exactly why I love her writing. I'm not sure I'll be able to articulate this one well because I'm still pretty raw, but just know that I couldn't love this book more. This one will take up what little space I have left on my bookshelf, because this one was a rock solid emotional jolt straight to the heart - but I will have it signed because I hope this story will never leave me. I hope I reference it in my thoughts and actions often.
"Baby, you're going to be a fucking tornado in my life."
Scottie is her own person - and if we all had a Scottie in our life, this world would be a better place. She’s so devout in her beliefs that she made me stop and think on many different levels, and I absolutely loved that about her. Her wisdom was not necessarily other worldy, but it can easily be described as old-soul reminiscent. She had a heart of gold and she was most definitely the bright spot in the whole book for me, no matter how bleak it got. I found myself looking to her for some wisdom and insight.
"Countless memories of our summer together have permanent space in my mind."
Price gave me so much to LOVE in life, but with a deeper perspective. Hindsight is always 20/20, yet circumstances don't always align with our thought processes and given Price's predicament, his demeanor and knowledge was a breath of.....no, a walk on cool grass. Refreshing insight, and a deep and meaningful dance with fate. I honestly and truly loved the hardest truths I learned from him and loved watching him learn with each page I turned. Hard, but loved.
"Every time he hums, I feel it more than I hear it."
I’m irrevocably in love with Koen. Undeniably, hands down - in love. He’s so confident and witty - which really, really works for me. The banter was top shelf delicious in every drop given to me. I could have soaked in him forever and lived drunk on him with never having another care in the world. Ever. He was the literal definition of perfection and a high I seek with all of my book boyfriends. He was all man, with every bit of the alpha male with a caring heart we all love to see - and he was young, so it was natural to him and it read that way from the first meeting to the last page. I freakin' loved him!!
I’m irrevocably in love with Koen. Undeniably, hands down - in love. He’s so confident and witty - which really, really works for me. The banter was top shelf delicious in every drop given to me. I could have soaked in him forever and lived drunk on him with never having another care in the world. Ever. He was the literal definition of perfection and a high I seek with all of my book boyfriends. He was all man, with every bit of the alpha male with a caring heart we all love to see - and he was young, so it was natural to him and it read that way from the first meeting to the last page. I freakin' loved him!!
JEA has a way of encapsulating real life, real troubles, and real love by telling a story that hits me deep in my emotions. The mental aspect of her stories always adds another element to an all around great read. This one spared no feelings…I definitely ran through the gamut of emotions on this one and it just shows me how deep she can write and how much she can bring me in. I’ll read any of her stories. Heavy on the romance, or not, she will always reel me in and show me how diverse of a writer she can be and she proves it with every book I read. With every storyline - believable or not, every single book has made me question the solid ground I walk upon and that makes for some of my favorite reads.
I did have a friend confess to me that she read the ending first because she couldn’t handle the angst (totally side-eying you, my sweet, sweet Jenn), and I knew at that point that I was in for an amazing read. I wasn't wrong, but I couldn't imagine reading the ending first because I feel like that would have taken away the deep breath I took at the end and the final tears that I smiled through. Very important smile, but one of wonderment and bewilderment.
I highlighted so much in this book. The knowledge. The thought provoking experiences. The reality. The painful, harsh reality....oh gosh, it was a brutal walk through the lives of these three and I enjoyed it so much. Sounds morbid, and I don't mean for it to because amongst the tears, I had some pretty good giggles and plenty of smiles surrounded by butterflies in my tummy. Easily one of the most emotional books I have read in a very long time. I have a slightly heavier heart after reading it, but with that it carries a broader perspective on life. I cried quite a bit while reading this because much of it hit very close to home for me on multiple levels. It was an emotionally cleansing read as well, and that's also probably why I cried as much as I did. It was a chance for me to let go and release some emotions with a little more calm than I thought.
It's a very safe bet that I am going to whole-heartedly recommend JEA's books time and time again. I know the emotional upheaval I'm sure to get will always be *everything* I need in a book, but it's also a book worthy of discussion - every.single.time. I love that discussions with my book friends are always spirited when it comes to her books because whether we see the story through the same eye, or a completely different lens - the fact of the matter is, se's a brilliant writer and she's always been able to induce emotions on a level many authors fail to reach with me.
"If loving too much or too many people is my biggest offense, I'll die with no regrets."
ALWAYS,
~B
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AND an alternate cover. I am not usually a fan of alternate covers, but JEA has some beautiful alternatives that aren't run of the mill cartoonish ones that I actually like. This is a hardcover one...
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~MEET JEWEL E ANN~
Jewel is a free-spirited romance junkie with a quirky sense of humor.
With 10 years of flossing lectures under belt, she took early retirement from her dental hygiene career to stay home with her three awesome boys and manage the family business.
After her best friend of nearly 30 years suggested a few books from the contemporary Romance genre, Jewel was hooked. Devouring two and three books a week but still craving more, she decided to practice sustainable reading, AKA writing.
When she’s not donning her cape and saving the planet one tree a a time, she enjoys yoga with friends, good food with family, rock climbing with her kids, watching How I Met Your Mother reruns, and of course . . .heart-wrenching, tear-jerking, panty-scorching novels.
~CONNECT WITH JEWEL~
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