By: Jaden Wilkes
Published: July 30, 2013
Source: ARC from Netgalley, given by publisher for review (Thanks!)
(Goodreads / Amazon
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Summary:
Sarah Miller is known as a dreamer in her stifling Mennonite community, but she's hiding something from them all. A simple wish to avoid the strictly enforced life path expected of her...early marriage, babies, and work on the farm.MY REVIEW:
She wants more, so much more. Education, travel, love...sex...
A chance at university hundreds of miles away is too much to pass up, so she follows her best friend Naomi and decides to take her future into her own hands.
She had no idea this decision would change her in ways she never imagined, will the one person she falls in love with hold her back from everything she ever wanted?
***As with all my work, this novel is intended for those 18+. It is New Adult.***
I know there are a few other popular contemporary romance books that have an Amish setting/theme but I have yet to read them. So for me, this was a nice background change to a contemporary romance story. I enjoyed the perspective of the MC Sarah, as she tries to break away from the overbearing strict nature of her parents and their Mennonite community. In breaking away she learns to live more fully in her eyes, embracing new things and to see things from a new perspective, allowing herself to learn how she feels and thinks instead of being ruled by the traditions of her family. In this new way of living she also has to learn some lessons the hard way, and heartbreak is sure to follow when we open our hearts up to people. Starting out as a naive girl she really develops into a strong young woman who learns to chase after whatever she finds passion in.
Tyr (pronounced Tear) is a mystery to Sarah but as their friendship grows she begins to break down some walls he has and an all consuming romance begins to build.
The journey that both Sarah and Tyr begin to take is incredibly hot, passionate, and flawed in some ways. Both have a lot to overcome from family expectations. Paving ones own way in life is easier said than done.
Personal irritation: I have a growing frustration and irritation with the overdone addition of gay characters in a story. It's beginning to feel like every story has to have a gay character in it in some way and typically in the books I read (since I don't read gay/lesbian fiction) it's a side character, such as the best friend. I have noticed this trend in YA and NA fiction and it's just annoying. Some themes are just overdone IMO, and this is one of them.
Favorite Quotes:
"He was the most infuriating and frustrating and amazingly delicious man she'd ever met but she would never let him know it."
"Mistakes happen, you make bad choices sometimes, but they don't dictate who you are. You can grow from them, but never let them define you."
"You know, people say love is like falling, but I've never thought of it like that. True love is like drowning, but it won't last unless you remember how to swim."
I'm looking forward to seeing where the next part in the journey takes these characters in Like Drowning (Surfacing #2).
Final Rating - 4 stars
This post is part of the ARC Thursday feature on Words Fueled by Love.
A Mennonite setting sounds really interesting! I've never read a YA book (or any book, actually) with that kind of story setting and don't know much about the culture (aside from what I've seen on Breaking Amisha haha). Sounds like this'll be an interesting one to pick up!
ReplyDelete- Allie @ Little Birdie Books
YAY for your first Amish/Mennonite book! Glad you enjoyed it! Don't know that I'll be picking it up based off the frustration you listed though.
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