Review: That One Day by Josie Witter (That One #1.5)

Note: This ARC was provided by Give Me Books Promotions in exchange for an honest review.

That One Day is the companion novel to That One Night and is the second release in the That One series penned by Josie Wright. There's some overlapping between the events here and those in its predecessor, but we do find out what Ben Gibson was doing in the eighteen months he was gone. After Ben finds out that the father he grew up wasn't his biological father and that his mother has been keeping the truth from him for twenty-five years, Ben gets drunk in his best friend's house. There, he finds solace and comfort in the arms of his best friend's younger sister, Frankie Gilbert. But the secret he's learned is a weight that's already beginning to overwhelm him and he does the one thing he can think of: run away. Heading down to Arizona to find his father, Ben is filled with anger at his parents and at guilt at how he left things with Frankie. He's unsure of what lies ahead, but he knows that he can't even contemplate being with the one girl he cares about if his life is in shambles. But by the time he gets it together, will it be too little, too late?

Let me start with the things I liked about this book. This wasn't a rehashing of everything that took place in the first book and simply told in Ben's point-of-view. Yes, we get that as well, but just enough to set the story and then, of course, what happens when he and Frankie see each other again. This answers the question as to how life was for Ben while away from his parents, his best friend, and the girl he couldn't claim as his own but already owned his heart. He had his struggles and there were so many emotions swirling around in that head of his. Discovering that the father you knew wasn't really your "real" father and then learning that your biological father was in a mental institution due to his breakdown after your mother left, taking you away with her. Now, if you've already read That One Night, you already know how Ben's reunion with his father turned out and the kind of impact it had on Ben and later, Frankie and their son Archer. I felt for Ben because no one needs to have that much hurt and confusion burdening one guy.

As much as I believed the story was a moving one, this book suffers from the same thing its predecessor did--lots of fillers. It was like reading one person's daily journal and after awhile, it got tiresome and I needed to take several breaks. I felt bad about it because there really is a good story that was being shared but all the humdrum stuff was unnecessary. Honestly, I'd rather have a shorter read packed with story and character development than a longer read with a few ups but more flatlines. There were also some issues I hope were noticed during the editing process, issues that were reminiscent of the first novel as well. The good, though, does outweigh the not-so-good. If you overlook the other stuff, you'll see that you've got a main character who suddenly finds himself wanting to know a part of himself that he never knew was missing only to realize that everything he needed and wanted was there all along. We also see get Ben and Frankie after book one's epilogue and I look forward to Dave Gilbert's book. That One Day gets 3.5 stars. ♥

Release Date: 06 May 2016

Date Read: 06 May 2016

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