Review: A beacon of amazingness
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 05 12, 2014
Nowhere But Here is Renee’s BEST work yet!!! I feel somewhat traitorous against her Sweet Thing series because I fell madly for Mia and Will’s story and I take absolutely nothing away from those books. However, I must confess that beyond that, I do not feel an ounce of shame about expressing my praise for her work in this novel.Jaime and Kate’s story turned me into complete mush. I felt like a version of Chris Angel, levitating above sturdy ground and floating through my very own bubble. As soon as I began and up until the very end of the book, the noise around me vanished and no one seemed to exist. Nothing else mattered but me and the words on the pages of my e-reader. Kate narrates in its entirety and boy, does she share her story beautifully. I felt as if she took grasp of my hand and took me along her travels- both in the physical and psychological sense. I was provided with an abundant array of details, from the hustle and bustle that Chicago offered to the serene and rustic feel of NapaValley. Kate had me wrapped up in her world.I held such admiration for her character. She was unsuspectingly magnetic; quick minded and altogether witty, she had me laughing during many, many instances. I was especially drawn to her during her darkest moments which really surprised me the most. All of the credit goes to the author because honestly, it is much easier to be attracted to a happy, go lucky character but I feel that you get to really know a character’s strength when they are most vulnerable as those are the most honest times. Now, while Kate’s inner workings are completely exposed during her darkest moments, Jaime’s character is best expressed in the light. This guy is just so genuinely good and I love Renee Carlino for proving that good guys don’t always finish last. She gave us Will Ryan and now she lays this fascinating man on our feet. My school girl tendencies were front and center, in high salute each and every time he spoke, in each look and each touch he gave Kate. Pure and simple, I fell in love.As a blogger, there are many books out there that have kept me entertained, those that have sped up my heart rate, those that have lightened my mood, and those that are incredibly libido inducing I thought I had immaculately conceived. I relish all of these sorts of books because they give such a magical purpose; they allow us to travel outside of realities. However, there are books like this that come few and far between. Books like this one which leave a permanent mark and one that is so thought provoking, you come out with more than just a temporary love affair with fictional characters.Nowhere But Here is prolifically inspiring. There are so many eye opening messages splayed across the pages and in a way, I found this to be a sort of self-help book, told exceptionally well through Kate’s eyes and her journey to self-discovery.So not only did I fall hard for Kate and Jamie and their story of love, but I also came out of this with so much more. I am in 100% agreement in the belief that there is that one person who stirs our soul, the one person who makes us realize that life is incredibly fulfilling and the one that reminds us that if we just really took the time to look around, we’d find that life is pretty damn amazing.Renee Carlino’s consistent in her God given writing skills and she  gives us something special with this book. I thank her for giving me something I could rehash over and over again.So ladies (and gents) this is why I review, this is why I blog. It is because of authors like Renee who write books like this that make me forget all the petty and negativity. Being enraptured by stories like Kate’s and Jamie’s make me forget how dog tired I am and instead, takes me to my happy place where I come out reinvigorated.P.S. She also gives us Sweet Thing lovers something special in Nowhere But Here.