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Review
4.5 stars!
Oh, I loved this book! A deliciously angsty best-friends-to-lovers story that spans ten years of slow-burning build-up. It’s fun, sexy, emotional and heartfelt, with few twists along the way, and is such a gorgeous romance.
Archie and Noelle become friends when their parents buy a summer home together in Maine. They had met before, but hadn’t had much to do with each other, and 18 year old Noelle doesn’t think much of Archie, but when they’re co-housed for the summer, they actually get to know each other and grow to become close friends. They share laughs and confidences, and can be honest and open with each other like they can’t with anybody else. And when Noelle asks her new friend to help her explore her sexuality, Archie is all for it.
It’s slow going, but hot and sweet, and it’s clear that there’s more than friendship between these two, and they know it too. But before things can really happen between them, life happens, and they are forced to go their separate ways. They stay in touch over the years, and while they remain close, they never get back to where they were that summer. And their personal circumstances mean that they’re never in the right place to explore their mad chemistry, and all of the feelings they have for each other.
It’s not until years later that we truly see them together again, when life throws them another twist, sending the story into a direction I was not expecting, and putting all that is between to the ultimate test. It’s surprising and intense, and I thought it was a really unique direction to take the story, and I loved watching Archie and Noelle deal with it all.
It’s an intriguing and unexpected journey for these two, and as much as I love these characters, parts of this book are SO frustrating. There were so many times I wished they had just TALKED TO EACH OTHER, but like the characters say – love is messy. People are flawed, and they don’t always get it right, and though it was angsty, the joy of this book was watching them figure it all out, work through it, and find their way back to each other where they belong.
“You’re the bookends of my life: my first love and my last love.”
I listened to this as an audiobook narrated by Erin Mallon and Jacob Morgan, and while I sometimes find Mallon a bit dramatic, Morgan is perfection as always. I was fully invested in the story, and listened to the audiobook in a day, desperate to know what was going to happen.
I loved this story. More angsty than I usually go for, but well worth it.
4.5 stars!
About the Author
Penelope Ward is a New York Times, USA Today and #1 Wall Street Journal bestselling author of contemporary romance.
She grew up in Boston with five older brothers and spent most of her twenties as a television news anchor. Penelope resides in Rhode Island with her husband, son, and beautiful daughter with autism.
With over two million books sold, she is a 21-time New York Times bestseller and the author of over twenty novels. Her books have been translated into over a dozen languages and can be found in bookstores around the world.
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