Review: No Regrets by Nicky James
Note: This ARC was provided by the author via Enticing Journey Book Promotions in exchange for an honest review.
"I'm not going to watch you die. I'm going to help you live. You've made a list and I plan to use every day you are capable to help you fulfill all those things on it. We will tick off as many as we can. I want to love you, and hold your hand, and kiss you, and make love to you. When we can't do those things anymore, then I just want to hold you in my arms until you have to say goodbye. Every minute you have left on this Earth, I will love you. Let me love you."
Nicky James is a new author to me but after having read her latest release, believe you me, she's going to be one I'm keeping my eye on. No Regrets doesn't make you promises it doesn't keep. James makes it a point to inform you from the get-go that what you're getting is not your typical fairy tale-like happily-ever-after. If anything I'd call the ending we get here a happy-for-now kind of ending, but then, if we're being realistic and honest here, don't all books have that kind of ending? We don't know what awaits the main characters after "The End" and if books are meant to be reflections of real life, then No Regrets is a pretty honest look at what life is like for a cancer patient who's accepted what the rest of his life--regardless of the remaining length--is going to be like and then unexpectedly discovers the one thing that he never thought he would ever have for himself: true and binding love.
You would think that at twenty-six, someone like Landon Johnston would have so many more adventures and misadventures to experience. But all it took was one diagnosis and Landon knew his life was changed forever. He's created a bucket list for himself, one that he hopes to work his way through with the time he's been given. From bungee jumping to visiting revered tourist stops, there are the usual and the unique. The one thing that isn't on his list? Meeting someone like twenty-three-year-old law student and Detroit resident Abel Matheson and then having him kinda-sorta-maybe stalk him all the way to Canada after their two-night stand. Abel is persistent and has no plans of going anywhere until he can convince Landon that what they've got is something worth exploring. As drawn to Abel as he may be, Landon believes that no man would want to get stuck with someone dying of cancer.
This was an advanced reader copy so I'm going to set aside my qualms regarding editing issues (and I've got my fingers crossed that everything that needed fixing was appropriately taken care of). My rating is based on the story and the characters and how this book made me feel. I've read books with one or both of the main characters going through a health crisis, and yes, more often than not, they survive to ride off into the sunset with their beloved. It's rare that the story ends in mourning, something that I wouldn't necessarily mind. In the case of No Regrets, the note Nicky James gives readers at the beginning of the book is more than sufficient in allaying whatever fears certain readers may have. But even though you have an idea how it'll all end, the journey to that ending is what makes this inspiring tale more than worth reading. No Regrets isn't about dying; it's about LIVING. Five-plus stars. ♥
You would think that at twenty-six, someone like Landon Johnston would have so many more adventures and misadventures to experience. But all it took was one diagnosis and Landon knew his life was changed forever. He's created a bucket list for himself, one that he hopes to work his way through with the time he's been given. From bungee jumping to visiting revered tourist stops, there are the usual and the unique. The one thing that isn't on his list? Meeting someone like twenty-three-year-old law student and Detroit resident Abel Matheson and then having him kinda-sorta-maybe stalk him all the way to Canada after their two-night stand. Abel is persistent and has no plans of going anywhere until he can convince Landon that what they've got is something worth exploring. As drawn to Abel as he may be, Landon believes that no man would want to get stuck with someone dying of cancer.
This was an advanced reader copy so I'm going to set aside my qualms regarding editing issues (and I've got my fingers crossed that everything that needed fixing was appropriately taken care of). My rating is based on the story and the characters and how this book made me feel. I've read books with one or both of the main characters going through a health crisis, and yes, more often than not, they survive to ride off into the sunset with their beloved. It's rare that the story ends in mourning, something that I wouldn't necessarily mind. In the case of No Regrets, the note Nicky James gives readers at the beginning of the book is more than sufficient in allaying whatever fears certain readers may have. But even though you have an idea how it'll all end, the journey to that ending is what makes this inspiring tale more than worth reading. No Regrets isn't about dying; it's about LIVING. Five-plus stars. ♥
Date Read: 23 March 2017
Learn more about Nicky James.
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