Review: Challenging, but rewarding story
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 08 19, 2013
This, along with Wolfe's other book (the very good HAZE) tell a couple of stories. First of all, this is a very obvious evolution of story-telling form. Haze was a very strong story, but there were some problems with pacing and overmuch exposition that slowed it down. BE HERE NOW doesn't suffer from this at all. I love seeing a writer get better with each book, and Wolfe definitely has.On to the story itself.BE HERE NOW is a long book, but not a plodding one. Event after event, all important and relevant, fill these 375-plus pages. The dialog is believable, the situations are very dramatic, but realistic and don't require a huge suspension of disbelief, which is something that bothers me with some new-adult novels. The two main characters are by turns sympathetic, lovable, infuriating, frustrating, and in the end both redeemed, but one thing that stays throughout is a sense of reality. I know these characters, or at least, slightly less BIG versions of these characters and you probably do too.I will say however, that this is not an easy story to read. There are some very intense situations (if the blurb didn't give that away!) and some very nice, steamy love scenes between the main characters. Emotionally, it's an up-and-down ride, with the highs leaving you feeling great and the lows really tremendously upsetting. But, in the end, just as Wolfe promises, there's a satisfying (and, again, realistic) HEA that had me smiling.It is well written, well edited, and the formatting is perfect. Highly recommended to fans of New Adult, or contemporary romance.