Review: A refreshingly well-written story about two hurt people finding redemption and hope in each other
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 04 21, 2014
Twenty-year-old Emma still blames herself for the death of her parents, convinced that their tragic accident was her fault.  Revisiting the city where they died is the last thing she wants to do, but when she’s roped into being the maid of honor at her best childhood friend’s wedding, she finds herself on a plane back to the home she left behind.Jake is becoming an expert at avoidance, intent upon running from the memory of his ex — right into the arms of far too many available women.  A wedding is the perfect opportunity, filled with beautiful women wearing rose colored glasses and their hearts on their sleeves.Neither one of them is looking for a relationship, but the first thing they find is the last thing they’re looking for…The Verdict...I wasn’t sure about this one, since heavy angst isn’t usually my thing, but it was put together so well that I couldn’t stop reading.Emma’s guilt is practically a character of its own, and it’s impossible not to feel for her, especially since the author does such a great job of making us understand how incredibly much Emma’s family meant to her.  On the surface, she’s the wrong fit for Jake, but their chemistry is undeniable, and with his recent heartache, they really are perfect for each other.  Emma tries to keep her pain below the surface, but it colors everything she does, and emerging from that numbing darkness isn’t easy.Jake is impossible not to love, even if he’s handling his own pain by going with that typical male reaction — closing himself off to the possibility of kindling something new.  But despite his efforts, there’s a pull toward Emma that he just can’t resist, and they both find themselves struggling to overcome what weighs them down.What I thought would be a somewhat typical love story turned out to be a character mystery, at times heavy in guilt and pain, and at other times rich with family and friendships.  Neither Jake nor Emma played to the standard romance novel bits I expected, and their story kept me guessing throughout.  Getting By is a refreshingly well-written story about two hurt people finding redemption and hope in each other.***FicCentral received this book from Xpresso Book Tours for free in exchange for an honest review. Even so, we're far too opinionated to let a freebie influence our thoughts or the contents of the reviews we post here.