By: Clare Leslie Hall
“But the only thing that matters is finding the right person to spend the rest of your life with. However you get there.”
Beth and her husband Frank live a quiet live on a farm. And even though they have experienced tragedy, as long as their past stays there, they are fine. But a dog attacks their sheep one day and her brother in law, Jimmy, kills the dog. The dog belongs to none other than the son of Gabriel Wolfe, Beth’s first love from when she was a young girl and the man that broke her heart. She agrees to help him out and watch his son, Leo, so he can work. Now she’s pulled back into Gabriel’s life and there’s space in her marriage. Jealousies rear their ugly head and someone dies. Beth has a choice to make.
I saw this book everywhere, and it made me want to read it. I went into this book blind, not really knowing what it was about. I just knew that so many people LOVED this book. Well, here I am on outlier island once again. It’s not that I didn’t like it, or that there was anything particularly wrong with this book. In fact, quite the opposite. The storytelling was fantastic. The author is really talented. The depth of emotions in this book is so great. I didn’t know how I felt about Beth, I didn’t know what I would do in her shoes, I wasn’t sure which decision I thought she should make, or which one she was going to make. The ending surprised me, I didn’t see that coming at all.
I just didn’t connect with this book the way that I wanted to. While their emotions were deep, I emotionally didn’t connect with them myself. These characters were realistic and messy, and usually I love that and connect well to that. Unfortunately, I just didn’t here. And it has nothing to do with the writing, the author, or the story. Really, this is a situation were I can truly say “It’s me, it’s not you.”
Maybe I wanted to feel more tension between Beth and Gabriel, maybe I wanted to feel more of a reaction from Frank. I don’t know. It was just all okay for me. Anyway, like I said, I’m on outlier island here. Still give this book a try! I bet you’ll like it better than I did!
Publish Date: March 4, 2025
Find the book here.
*This post contains an affiliate link. I earn a small commission if you purchase the book through this link.
Book Addict Book Blog 