Reverse by Kate Stewart is live, and it’s my favorite read of 2022!

 

 

A steamy star-crossed lovers, rockstar romance with all the feels!

A heartstopping romance with a delicious blend of love, passion, heartache and angst, of music, healing and forgiveness, of following your dreams, and finding where you belong. It’s all of those things and more, and I am without words to fully convey all of the feelings that I went through while reading this book or how much I adore it.

 

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Blurb

Thirty years ago, my father became the other half of a broken love story.

A relationship he’s kept hidden for decades.

Upon unearthing his secret through a series of emails in our paper’s archives, I began my search for the truth. Haunted by my father’s love story, and in my quest for answers, I never imagined I would discover a love of my own. Or that my love for Easton Crowne would be key in discovering the reason behind what split our parents up.

Doomed from the start and knowing the havoc our relationship would inevitably wreak on our families, I could never have prepared for the toll it would take or the cost of the truth.

But in order to find our ending, we had to go back to their beginning.

My name is Natalie Butler, and this is my star-crossed love story.

 

 

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Watch the Reverse trailer here
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Review

6 epic stars

Holy wow. I don’t even know what to say. Nothing I do say will give justice to this incredible book or my tangible reaction to it. It’s a heartstopping romance with a delicious blend of love, passion, heartache and angst, of music, healing and forgiveness, of following your dreams, and finding where you belong. It’s all of those things and more, and I am without words to fully convey all of the feelings that I went through while reading this book or how much I adore it.

This book is the second in the Bittersweet Symphony Duet, a second-generation follow-on story from the incredible Drive (another book which completely rocked my world). You absolutely MUST read Drive before you start this book, and beware that this review may be a little bit spoilery for the first book – which you want to read without knowing anything, so if you haven’t read it, get on it now!

Natalie is a journalist working hard to achieve her dream of taking the reins of her beloved father’s magazine when she discovers lost emails that reveal an incredible love story from her father’s past. Completely captivated and needing to know more, she hunts down somebody who may have answers. Easton is a private and guarded musician with a rare talent, who is about to become a worldwide phenomenon. When Natalie contacts him out of the blue he is initially furious at the invasion in his privacy, but he agrees to meet with her, and from that first moment, something between them just clicks. They shouldn’t get along, but they do, and on a depth that takes them both by surprise. They talk about life, about their goals and their dreams, and they help each other find something within themselves that they didn’t even know they were missing. It’s a connection that neither of them has ever experienced, they get each other in a way that nobody ever has, and their few days together will change both of their lives forever.

 

 

What started as a tentative friendship becomes so much more. The chemistry is insane, the connection is undeniable, and their want for each other is a visceral thing. Their circumstances are difficult, with the complexity of their parents’ history, and the different trajectories of their life, bound to cause problems, but what is between them is too great to ignore.

“I can’t fall for you, Easton,” she whispers hoarsely. “I’ll lose everything I’ve worked for…my whole life is in Austin, my future.”
“You’re already mine,” I declare, knowing that it’s the truth for us both.

 

 

I loved watching this romance unfold! It’s raw, passionate and real, playful, honest and wickedly sexy, with so much emotion and an incredible depth to everything between Natalie and Easton. I could feel every moment of it, and I fell madly in love right alongside these two.

Our souls clicked seamlessly together before our bodies ever aligned, and it can no longer be denied or undone.

She’s under my skin, fueling my days, lightning in my veins. I’m already gone.

The romance made my heart absolutely sing. I honestly can’t remember a time when a single scene has made me cry tears of joy over the sheer beauty of a couple’s love for each other. There are moments in this book that are utterly breath-taking in their emotion, and I could not get enough of these two together.

“The type of love that defies rationality, that trumps all reasoning, that’s uncontrollable.”
“We have that.”

But with that epic love, comes epic heartbreak, and when the inevitable drama and angst came, I broke. I hurt, I cried, my stomach was in knots and I couldn’t believe what was happening. Natalie and Easton go through so much, and there were times when I wanted to shake them both – as well as others in the story. They have a lot that they need to work through, and they go through so much, and once again I felt SO damn much!

It’s an emotional rollercoaster, and Kate Stewart writes it beautifully, with dizzying highs and devastating lows! I don’t think I’ve ever highlighted a book as much in my life! And the music! Each chapter heading is a song title that connects you to the story. I didn’t listen to all of them, but there are several key scenes in this book where you need to listen along, because it enhances the experience, and there are songs in this book that I will never be able to listen to without being drawn back into this incredible story and those heartwrenching scenes that played out in my mind like I was there witnessing it and feeling it all.

“It’s up to us. It’s our fucking choice.”
“I know.”
“Please don’t let go.”

And all of that turmoil is worth it, because the journey we go on with these characters brings healing after the heartbreak. We get to see them grow and heal, and fight so hard to figure out where they need to be, and I was in swoony heaven when they finally find their much-deserved happy ending. Their love story is just everything.

“Our parents’ story isn’t ours. But in one major way it is – because like theirs, our love is timeless.

And Easton! OMG, Easton! It’s been a while since a fictional hero has stolen my heart as completely, but wow, what an incredible man. Not only is he sweet, generous, thoughtful and pure sex (I mean… damn!), but the way he fought for his girl – with romance, wit, passion, music and sheer determination had me swooning madly.

“Think of what you’re asking me because I know exactly what I’m asking of you,” his voice cracks with emotion. “This is me fighting dirty for us both, so please just admit it so I can give you the best parts of me, because I want every fucking part of you.”

Characters from Drive are a big part of the story. Natalie and Easton are both incredibly close with their families, and I loved seeing them again. Of course, they’re a big part of the drama and I had mixed feelings towards them all throughout the story, but it’s all a part of the journey, and on the whole, I loved seeing continuation for them, and the opportunity for them to finally find closure. We also get to meet Natalie and Easton’s friends, and they bring so much to the story, and I’m hoping that we get to see some of them in future books because there’s at least one story there just begging to be told.

This book is epic. It’s a long read, but I cherished every word and was captivated the whole way through, reading until the early hours of the morning. It made me laugh, made me cry, and made me love so hard. I cannot gush about it enough. It’s the best book I’ve read so far in 2022, and I know will be a favourite for years to come.

6 incredible stars.

An Advanced Review Copy was generously provided by the author in for an honest review.

 

 

The Bittersweet Symphony Duet

 

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About the Author

 

USA Today bestselling author and Texas native, Kate Stewart, lives in North Carolina with her husband, Nick, and her naughty beagle, Sadie. She pens messy, sexy, angst-filled contemporary romance, as well as romantic comedy and erotic suspense. Kate’s title, Drive, was named one of the best romances of 2017 by The New York Daily News and Huffington Post. Drive was also a finalist in the Goodreads Choice awards for best contemporary romance of 2017. Her works have been featured in USA TODAY, BuzzFeed, and translated in five languages.

Kate is a lover of all things ’80s and ’90s, especially John Hughes films and rap. She dabbles a little in photography, can knit a simple stitch scarf for necessity, and on occasion, does very well at whiskey.

 

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