Review: Butterfly Dreams by A. Meredith Walters


Note: This ARC was provided by Random House Publishing Group - Loveswept via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

“Stop thinking about what could happen later and focus on what’s happening here. Now. With me.” I ran my thumbs along the curves of her cheeks.


       “Laugh with me.” I kissed the side of her neck.


       “Dance with me.” I pulled her shirt aside and kissed her shoulder.


       “Smile with me.” I kissed her temple.


       “Love with me.” I ran my hands down her arms and laced my fingers through hers. I leaned in and kissed her mouth. Her lips parted and she let out a little sigh as my tongue found hers. I gripped her hands tightly, holding her. I wanted her to hear me. To listen. And I swallowed her tears. One at a time.


       “Live with me,” I pleaded.


Corin Thompson has known for years that she was destined to die early. She more than aware of how traitorous one's body can be, and before you know it, death has claimed you. She watched both her parents die consecutively of each other and her greatest fear is to have to suffer a prolonged, painful demise. She goes to her doctor regularly, seeking answers to the aches and pains that her body feels, but no one can seem to find anything wrong with her. Regardless of what to so-called experts are telling her, she knows her time is coming and she hates having to wait to die. Then she meets someone who's already experienced death and lived to tell about it. He makes her feel. He makes her want. He makes her need. Beckett Kingsley's medical condition is all too real and Corin's new greatest fear is death taking Beck again.

Butterfly Dreams is a standalone contemporary romance novel from bestselling author A. Meredith Walters. This also happens to be very first A. Meredith Walters read and after finishing the book, I totally get why so many readers have fallen in love with her stories. Corin Thompson and Beckett Kingsley both know what it's like to have death knocking on one's door, but they've experienced it from opposite perspectives. Corin lost her parents within a couple of years of each other, while Beckett survived a heart attack that he never saw coming. Those events changed their lives in different ways--Corin has become an extreme hypochondriac and is plagued with anxiety attacks; Beckett can no longer engage in sports he used to love and is forced to refrain from physical activities that could lead to over-exertion on his ailing heart. 

Both Corin and Beckett have fears when it comes to dying, but they deal them in remarkably contrasting ways. Corin's life is virtually built on those fears while Beckett chooses to live in spite of them. The fact that Beckett is facing an actual health issue while Corin's are psychosomatic in nature makes for a fascinating character study. It's easy to brush off Corin's anxieties and think that she should just chill out, but her fears are real too her and belittling them would certainly be a step in the wrong direction. Beckett's presence in her life allows her to see disease from a completely distinct perspective and gives her the opportunity to appreciate their similarities and, more importantly, differences in handling health woes. Even with Beckett's heart condition, he still maintains hope and levity, both of which he inspires in Corin.

It's difficult to find something I didn't like about this book, but I must admit that if I had to choose my most favorite thing about it, it would have to be Beckett Kingsley. Just like what he did for Corin, he made me smile and laugh, but he also made me tear up. Goodness, if the guy isn't in the running for book boyfriend of the year, he should be. Corin may have been abrasive at times, but he stood by her, refusing to give up on the girl that captured his attention and ensnared his heart. Their love story has become one of my favorites this year, but another great thing about this book was that it was also about family and how the support that we get from them is one of the cornerstones of our lives. If you're looking for a heartwarming romance this long holiday weekend, give Butterfly Dreams a shot. It's a five-plus-star read. ♥

Date Read: 23 November 2015

Learn more about A. Meredith Walters.

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