Review: A beautiful short story that I wish was longer. Don't miss out on this one.
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 08 17, 2013
This story was only 77 pages, but I really wanted it to be longer. I needed it to be more. I enjoyed this novella a lot. I will read it again. Our main characters Sophie and Sam have a thing for each other. Problem was Sophie was 16 and Sam was 21, so a relationship was out of the question as far as Sam's mom was concerned. And to boot, if Sam tried anything, his mom would cut him off for good. But ten years has past and a lot has has happened in that space of time. Sam and Sophie stumble upon each other in a Starbucks and find those feelings have never gone away.I really liked this story. I don't read a lot of rekindled love type reads, so this was a change in pace for me. Sophie and Sam were great together. I love all the back story Gray has given us on both of them especially Sophie. Sophie knows her feeling for Sam haven't gone anywhere, but she is very afraid to take that next step because of her last relationship. Things ended badly and has scarred her a bit, so she dedicates her life to her work by taking up a nursing job in Africa. Sam on the other hand is in a relationship with a woman named Lola. Things aren't going great, but his feelings for Sophie have opened his eyes.The story was very interesting because it didn't play out how Hollywood would have done it. From the blurb, my first thought was "The Proposal". But Gray didn't do that exactly. She didn't drag out the inevitable. No offense to The Proposal though, that is one of the few romantic comedies I actually enjoyed. But Sam pretty much comes out with it. He wants Sophie to be his pretend girlfriend for the family 4th of July celebration, but says after that, he wants to really be with her. But Sam doesn't know why Sophie is hesitant. We uncover a lot at the family get togethers. A lot of secrets get revealed, but they do bring closure which I liked especially with Sophie and her cousin Drew. There was quite a wedge between them and I liked how that was handled. I also like that we get to really meet the parents. Sophie's dad was a favorite. I was surprised by Sam's mom. She is the reason Sam and Sophie have stayed away from each other. We see that this was a bit of a learning experience for her and my opinion of her changed. I ended up liking her.I highly recommend this for anyone looking for a sweet, short, and sexy read. Sam and Sophie were so steamy together. Damn, I really should get a pool house, a lot of great things seem to happen in one. The story moved fast so we don;t see all we would want, but Gray did a great job with this story. Although I would have liked more on the Lola/Sophie past. It is clear Lola was a bully, but I just got the feeling there was more than the fact that she was with Sam. Maybe it is just my mind going a million miles a minute. I don't know. Nonetheless, this is definitely a novella worth checking out.