Review: The Edge of Us by Veronica Larsen
Note: This ARC was provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.
I'm stunned by the difference between what I dared hope would happen and the reality playing out in front of me. I was an idiot to think there was a chance we could brush off the dust on all we went through and find something new. Instead, I've given her the closure she needed to let me go. And now, the only woman I've ever loved—the woman I still love—turns from me and walks away.
2017 is looking like the year of new-to-me authors, and thankfully, I've been getting more hits than misses. One of those notable hits is Veronica Larsen, whose second chance adult contemporary romance, The Edge of Us, left me astounded in all the best ways possible. Since there's no such thing as a perfect novel, what I will say is that Larsen knows how to weave a story worth reading and her taking the main characters in directions I so wasn't expecting was what had me gobsmacked. There were a few grammatical issues, but they were minor and limited, so they didn't have me itching to grab a red pen—or in my case, a purple pencil—to make corrections. Heck, I'm more than willing to ignore minute editing issues while I'm reading if the overall storytelling is as impressive as this author's.
The Edge of Us is the story of Mila Zelenko, a woman who's achieved her own brand of success because she's worked hard for it. Work, after all, has been her main focus, needing the distraction after the implosion of a relationship she believed was going to end with vows and bands of gold exchanged. But Cole Van Buren never showed up to their wedding eight years ago. He broke her heart, but she's rebounded over the years. So why would he make his presence felt all these years later? Mila isn't interested in hearing anything he has to say. She doesn't need Cole back in her life. What she does need is a good man...someone like her best friend, Andrew Pearson. Mila's head knows that she and Drew would be perfect together. Will she be able to convince her heart?
I read the blurb for this book and thought it was going to go down the same time-tested path that many other second chance romances have before it. But nope, Veronica Larsen more than managed to surprise me with how she chose to let Mila's story play out. There were revelations in this book that had my eyebrows going up and I think I gasped a time or two in shock. You may think you know why Cole didn't show up at the wedding, but I bet more than a few will have been taken aback by the true reason for his being a no-show and why he's stayed away for as long as he has from Mila. What I will say is that the motivations of the characters weren't your typical nefarious kind. That in itself is just one of the many reasons why this novel stood out as much as it did in my eyes.
Speaking of characters, can I just say that I appreciated that no one in this book was overtly evil? Would I say that everyone was nice and sweet? No, but they were, well, human, and that made them come off as human and easy to relate to. Even if our circumstances may not jibe, there were parts of their personalities that I saw bits and pieces of myself, so I could oftentimes comprehend why they would make the choices that they did. I'm not going to say who Mila ends up with, BUT I will put it out there that I really, really, REALLY hope that Veronica Larsen has a book in the offing for the one that she doesn't choose because he's got a story to tell and a happy ending to get to. There's also a supporting character—Grant Kreisler—who I'm looking out for. Suffice it to say, The Edge of Us left an impression and it's one that's got me more than curious to see what this author has slated next. Five-plus stars. ♥
Release Date: 01 August 2017
The Edge of Us is the story of Mila Zelenko, a woman who's achieved her own brand of success because she's worked hard for it. Work, after all, has been her main focus, needing the distraction after the implosion of a relationship she believed was going to end with vows and bands of gold exchanged. But Cole Van Buren never showed up to their wedding eight years ago. He broke her heart, but she's rebounded over the years. So why would he make his presence felt all these years later? Mila isn't interested in hearing anything he has to say. She doesn't need Cole back in her life. What she does need is a good man...someone like her best friend, Andrew Pearson. Mila's head knows that she and Drew would be perfect together. Will she be able to convince her heart?
I read the blurb for this book and thought it was going to go down the same time-tested path that many other second chance romances have before it. But nope, Veronica Larsen more than managed to surprise me with how she chose to let Mila's story play out. There were revelations in this book that had my eyebrows going up and I think I gasped a time or two in shock. You may think you know why Cole didn't show up at the wedding, but I bet more than a few will have been taken aback by the true reason for his being a no-show and why he's stayed away for as long as he has from Mila. What I will say is that the motivations of the characters weren't your typical nefarious kind. That in itself is just one of the many reasons why this novel stood out as much as it did in my eyes.
Speaking of characters, can I just say that I appreciated that no one in this book was overtly evil? Would I say that everyone was nice and sweet? No, but they were, well, human, and that made them come off as human and easy to relate to. Even if our circumstances may not jibe, there were parts of their personalities that I saw bits and pieces of myself, so I could oftentimes comprehend why they would make the choices that they did. I'm not going to say who Mila ends up with, BUT I will put it out there that I really, really, REALLY hope that Veronica Larsen has a book in the offing for the one that she doesn't choose because he's got a story to tell and a happy ending to get to. There's also a supporting character—Grant Kreisler—who I'm looking out for. Suffice it to say, The Edge of Us left an impression and it's one that's got me more than curious to see what this author has slated next. Five-plus stars. ♥
Release Date: 01 August 2017
Date Read: 31 July 2017
Learn more about Veronica Larsen.
Comments
Post a Comment