***4 ‘Meeting is Enough’ Stars***
The cover was the lure and the mysterious love letters and novel were the hook (also, I do love me some chocolate and Earl Grey tea). And I have to say that I ended up enjoying Josie and Elias’s somewhat unconventional, but absolutely fascinating journey of self discovery.
And that’s what this book really is about. Yes, there is romance, and it does play a role in their lives and their evolution, but this story is really about Josie and Elias finding themselves through words. They’ve both been through a lot and are at a crossroads in their lives ~ Elias’s as he is writing the letters and novel and Josie when she happens upon them ~ and how with each letter, and chapter written and read they evolve and grow. Sometimes their “growth” isn’t in a necessarily positive direction, but each step opens them up to more possibilities until they truly find themselves and their happy.
I know that doesn’t explain much, but doing more than that may possibly ruin their journey for you, so I must remain vague.
But what I will be a bit less vague about is how this book is written because I think it’s important. As I have just learned, this book is written in the epistolary style meaning that it is written via letters, texts and emails and there is a novel in the mix, so outside of the texts there is a lot of monologue-ing going on. Some may not enjoy that style of writing and while I’m not always a fan of extensive monologues, in this instance I quite enjoyed it. Many moons ago I read a contemporary series that was based almost entirely around emails and texts when both were still somewhat “new” and I loved it and the same goes for this book. Through the various means of correspondence I got a good feel for all of the characters that inhabited the novel and all that they were going through and if anyone were to ask me to boil it down to a simple description (which maybe I should have done at the star) I’d tell them to look at this like you are reading a memoir.autobiography/diary in a mix of mediums.
This is my first read by the author and I will definitely be looking to read more by her. The writing was engaging and I enjoyed the multiple POV’s. I did find that at times the pacing did slow, but my interest in finding out how things worked out for everyone kept me turning those pages. Also sometimes the time jumps were a bit...sudden ~ though that can be chalked up to this not being the final version ~ but all in all, a great read. As for the supporting cast of characters. I loved Faith, Oliver, Norman, Martha and all of the others who populated this story. I do wish there was a little more to the ending BUT it still had me grinning and happy with how everything worked out.
~ Copy provided by the publisher via NetGalley & voluntarily reviewed ~
2020: Chocolate and Earl Grey tea can’t fix Josie De Clare’s horrible year. She mourned the death of her father and suffered a teen-life crisis, which delayed her university plans. But when her father’s will reveals a family-owned property in Northern England, Josie leaves London to find clarity at the secluded manor house. While exploring the estate, she discovers two-hundred-year-old love letters written by an elusive novelist, all addressed to someone named Josephine. And then she discovers a novel in which it seems like she’s the heroine…
1820: Novelist Elias Roch loves a woman he can never be with. Born the bastard son to a nobleman and cast out from society, Elias seeks refuge in his mind with the quirky heroine who draws him into a fantasy world of scandal, betrayal, and unconditional love. Convinced she’s his soulmate, Elias writes letters to her, all of which divulge the tragedy and trials of his personal life.
As fiction blurs into reality, Josie and Elias must decide: How does one live if love can’t wait? Separated by two hundred years, they fight against time to find each other in a story of her, him, and the novel written by the man who loves her.
Release Date: February 2nd, 2021
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Caroline George is the multi-award-winning author of Dearest Josephine (HarperCollins) and other YA fiction titles. She graduated from Belmont University with a degree in publishing and public relations, and now travels the country, speaking at conferences and writing full-time. A Georgia native, Caroline aspires to one day host The Great British Baking Show and delights in being best known for writing the phrase, “Coffee first. Save the world later.” Find her on Instagram @authorcarolinegeorge and Twitter @CarolineGeorge_.
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