pages: 291
read: 5/10/2019
rating: Y E S ! ! !
book: 37 in 2019
Annika (rhymes with Monica) Rose is an English major at the University of Illinois. Anxious in social situations where she finds most people's behavior confusing, she'd rather be surrounded by the order and discipline of books or the quiet solitude of playing chess.
Jonathan Hoffman joined the chess club and lost his first game—and his heart—to the shy and awkward, yet brilliant and beautiful Annika. He admires her ability to be true to herself, quirks and all, and accepts the challenges involved in pursuing a relationship with her. Jonathan and Annika bring out the best in each other, finding the confidence and courage within themselves to plan a future together. What follows is a tumultuous yet tender love affair that withstands everything except the unforeseen tragedy that forces them apart, shattering their connection and leaving them to navigate their lives alone.
Now, a decade later, fate reunites Annika and Jonathan in Chicago. She's living the life she wanted as a librarian. He's a Wall Street whiz, recovering from a divorce and seeking a fresh start. The attraction and strong feelings they once shared are instantly rekindled, but until they confront the fears and anxieties that drove them apart, their second chance will end before it truly begins.
MY THOUGHTS
RAMBLES:
i still cannot believe that i read this book in about 5-6 hours. i mean, WHAT!!??
and I'm even more shocked that I'm shocked because it is doable, i've read books in a day before. i guess its because i devoured it on the airplane ride back from Mexico.
i found this book through IG and it had great reviews and although that's bit me in the ass before i still went for it and luckily my library got it to me before i took off and for that i am super thankful.
i took this book along with Chelsea's with me on my vacation to Mexico hoping to read them both while i was out there. (they're both fairly small with them being under 300 pages.) i was crazy to think that i would get 2 books read out there considering that i KNEW there was going to be no downtime but i was still optimistic.
i finished Chelsea at like 130 am on my last night out there. and i wanted to get this started so that i could finish on the flight or get close to finishing as much as possible.
we get on the plane; i start reading.
we're delayed like an hr and a half.
i find that they have the Addams Family movie and i want to see it so i tell myself "make it to page 100 and then put it away and watch the movie."
i got to page 100... and i kept going.
I COULD NOT PUT THIS BOOK DOWN!!!!
i did not want to stop reading this story!
before the story starts, you have the author's acknowledgements so you find out right away that Annika has Autism (if ya didn't read it, sorry for the minor spoiler!).
and it is.
100% it is.
in the beginning its basically an introductory period. you're in the present but every other chapter as takes you into the past (i love books like this!).
you get to see how their relationship started and developed and eventually what broke it. but the good thing is that from the beginning you also see the way it starts to get repaired. both with Annika & Jonathan as well as just Annika herself. even though she still has ways to go now that she has Jonathan back in her life.
in the beginning its just that, the beginning. there wasn't too much about it that has you super preoccupied with where the story is going. you're just going with the flow.
THEN!
then you hit a point that makes this story so much more!
so.much.more.
you learn the reason why it ended.
of course they talk it out and its good.
AND THEN!!!!!
oh man.
that final twist it took.
i did not expect that.
i maybe would have seen it coming had i read the titles of the chapters but lets be honest, i still would not have seen that ending coming. (it's just who i am as a human.)
holy smokes.
i did not expect that and it made the story that much more for me.
maybe most caught it but i didn't. but what the author did with this story made my heart burst and my love for this book bloom like no other!
this is the first time that I've been ridiculously bummed that i finished a book in 1 sitting.
i have now experienced my very first book hangover. if i ever thought i had ever had one, i hadn't; this was my first.
such a good book.
ill definitely be buying this one to add to my library!
jump over for spoilers!
thanks for reading.
SPOILERS
straight to the point because this is what happens when you take too long. Annika & Jonathan break up because she had gotten pregnant (and i think she lost it) . it took her into a deeeeeeep depression. so deep that even though she was supposed to move to NYC with Jonathan, she put it off and off and off until he eventually gave up after having tried so hard.
so here they are now, they've ran into each other and they give it another go.
she's in therapy, has gotten out of a bad relationship and is progressing with Jonathan.
they go to a dinner date with i think his friend or coworker or something, i cant remember and that dudes date mentions something about how she also has a cousin with autism or something like that...and Annika loses her shit.
Jonathan tells her that he still loves her and that he's known all along....and she's genuinely shocked; she thought she had always been doing a good job of hiding it from him.
i forget what happens....
Jonathan goes to new york for work.
he is there during 9/11.
he is IN one of the towers.
Annika sees this, freaks out, waits out a couple of days, then decides to drive to new york to find him. its a shocking thing to do because she doesn't drive. she's always been afraid. but Jonathan had been teaching her so it paid off.
on the way to NYC, she comes across a man with a child who were hitchhiking their way to NYC. she picks them up, luckily he's a good man then she drops him off i forget where.
she makes it to NYC and for forever she looks for Jonathan to no avail....and then she finally finds him.
and i think it ends with them dealing with Jonathan's rehabilitation and i guess they end up living happily ever after.
honestly, bad spoilers because here i am typing this 3 months later but really good story. i loved this book so hard!!!!
Post a Comment
thanks for taking the time to read my blog. (: