5+ Stars.

Straight on my favourite shelf.One of my top two reads this year!





This book is special,I mean really special.
I loved everything about it and just didn't want it to end.
This Author's writing is stunning.Her words,her story telling,her characters-to say I was blown away is an understatement.

The story follows the lives of three characters,Alex,Val, and Jav.Introduced when they are young and spanning over three decades it's a truly amazing story of how their lives cross paths.

-it's about family( not always pretty ),

-it's about friendship,

-it's about love,loss,

-such an emotional journey,as they fall,pick themselves up again and make mistakes that have a devastating effect on their lives at times,

-the Historical elements were very well told and the way one particular event is incorporated into the story was beautifully written but so sad that it stole my breath away.

To anyone that reads mainly MM romance I urge you to give this one a chance,you won't be disappointed and there is a MM element that was so powerfully portrayed-the emotions were raw but so real.

As I neared the end I had no idea how things would play out but it turned out to be just right for the story.And it's Jav's story next....that man had me swooning throughout the whole book!

This is,quite simply,a stunning piece of writing that will stay with me for a long time.

Cannot recommended highly enough!!

This review has been posted on DirtyBooksObsession

 

I am so thankful that this book was brought to my attention. It is definitely my favorite read of 2016 and the best I've read in a long time (that's saying something because I read a lot). I loved everything about it. I had many smiles and tears along the way. My heart squeezed and soared.
The story follows main characters and the people in their lives for several decades, from childhood to middle age. It's a tale of connected families. Death, love, tragedy, war, hope, lust, friendship, parenthood, PTSD, prejudice, pain, culture, family, loss, happiness, sexuality, marriage...basically every human emotion and state of being are covered. The story is told from several points of view, two being an American refugee from Chile who lost most of his family and a Dominican American who was disowned by his family. The cast is from all walks of life, ages, races, etc. The storyline was completely original for me. It's a novel about living and all the ups and downs and snapshot moments and bigger pictures. Issues don't always tie up neatly or quickly. Just like reality sometimes the tone is heartbreaking, bittersweet, beautiful or magnificent.
I'm still so deep in the feels that I can't get it out of my head. This author truly has a gift. There are a lot of good books out there, but finding something that touches me on this level is a rare unicorn. Bravo!

Full Tilt - Emma Scott,Suanne Laqueur A bittersweet love story that you can see coming, but love nonetheless. I really enjoyed some of the language and for being a heavy book, appreciated that it seemed to disengage from the intensity every so often. This is part 1, but something tells me I will have ended up just fine without #2.