I made a very unwise decision with this book - I picked a 4oo page book to me my literary adventure for waiting rooms. That was not very bright of me since this book is rather complex, starts out super heartbreaking (I almost cried in a doctor's office...) and it's one long read.

This story really pulled at my heart strings! Clare was in a coma and her husband left her for another woman and had children with said woman. For me, that was the worst betrayal and totally made me hurt for Clare. There is a bit of a happy ending for Clare since she goes on to find another love, but man it still haunted me throughout this whole book. Clare did a better job at coping than I did! For me, that totally made this book feel so much worse than it was. Even though this book is well written and Marie Force has done an excellent job with crafting this story, the whole time all I could think of was "Screw Jack!" with an army of angry people with pitchforks.

And before you say it, yes - that's clearly unreasonable.

Alongside Clare's new love story, we follow her daughter Kate. What's so special about her story? Oh man, she's an eighteen year old virgin going after a 45 year old man. That was even stranger for me. I was pulled in and had my heart ripped to shreds due to Kate's father, and now this girl is going after a much older man? It seemed so weird... This book was full of two very strong tropes that can definitely be triggering for people. This story is not finished in this book, FYI.

Clare and Aiden have a rather lovely story. It's a redemption story for sure and I'm glad Clare isn't just the victim in this story.

My negatives:
1. The first half of this book DESTROYED me. I felt so bad for Clare! I hadn't read the first book in this series so I didn't fully know what I was getting into. I needed a book to read and it was free - I liked the description and figured it'd fall into my wheelhouse. I was so depressed from this book that I literally had to put it away for a month before I could go back to it. It just made me feel so bad and I do not like books making me feel bad - books are my escape from the cruelties of the world. That being said, it's still a good book but NOT FOR ME. Definitely not for me. Yes, there's a happily ever after and some lovely scenes in the second half of this book, but the first half made me not like this book at all.

2. Love develops FAST in these books. It's not a con for me, but some readers absolutely hate it. Be warned fellow readers... Be warned...

3. Andi. That's all I can say. I really dislike Andi for really dumb reasons. She's all upp-ity up, but in my mind she stole someone's husband, got pregnant and is now living the dream. Clare was in a coma, not dead, and you swoop in and make her life miserable? Sure, she's not supposed to be the villain but she didn't feel like the hero to me either. It's a weird dynamic that probably played out weird for me because I haven't read her book (the first novel).

4. I didn't totally know what was going on with the story because I didn't read the first book. This book gives you some good hints but I probably would have liked this story more and understood it if I read the first book.

My positives:
1. Marie Force is a beautiful writer. I love her style and prose! I would love to read more by her, but I need positive books. I'll have to do some further research before I jump into her other novels for that reason. I would definitely recommend her though if you aren't as faint as heart as I am!

2. This is a wonderful "redemption" novel. Clare "gets what she deserves" after having some really awful times. Marie does a very good job making this story end on a high note.

With all of my positives and negatives, I have to say that this book is good but not for me as a reader. So, I hate to say it... but I have to give it a low star rating. This book put me in an awful mood and made me feel ridiculously sad.

That should not pull you away from this book though. As a reader, I didn't enjoy it but you probably will! This book has some wonderful romance, it gives Clare a second chance at love and and pull at your heart strings pretty darn good! I'd highly recommend this book if you love those types of plot lines, but I... alas... do not.

One out of five stars.

I found this book for free on Bookbub. ( )

I liked the Aidan and Clare story, but did not like Kate's story at all. ( )

This was supposed to be Clare's story but actually it was Kate's story. Still, it was an interesting read that took several turns I wasn't expecting. If you like to follow a series this is a entertaining read. ( )