Review: Breathtaking and beautiful read!
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 05 11, 2014
Absolutely breathtaking! This story is amazing and when I finished it left me with chills. Have you ever read a book and when you finished, you have to just take a moment to let it sink in? You may even look around and realize that you were completely caught up in such an amazing fictional world that you had forgotten about everything and anything around you. Well that was Loving Mr. Daniels for me. It was so good that I immediately went back and re-read some of my favorite parts, even the heartbreaking ones. I absolutely adored this story, loved the characters, the writing, the poetry and especially Mr. Daniels!So let's begin with Daniel Daniels a/k/a Mr. Daniels. He's a musician, an English teacher and lover of books (swoon!). I would describe Daniel as quirky, smart, kind and sexy without trying to be. Ashlyn is a 19 year who has recently lost her twin sister, Gabby to Leukemia. She's of course sad, and after the funeral she is sent to live with her father while her mother copes and grieves the lost of Gabby. Both Daniel and Gabby are both a little broken and have suffered loss. The two have a brief encounter in a train station where they bond over Shakespeare and music. The interaction between them is very innocent and sweet, but there's certainly a spark.They share a beautiful night and the connection and chemistry surprises them both. Unfortunately, when Ashlyn begins her senior year at a new school in a new town, they are in for an even greater surprise when Ashlyn discovers that Mr. Daniels is her English teacher. They can't be together, but how can they not? They are forced to deny what they both feel for each other."Was I dating my English teacher? Was what we were doing truly unethical? Falling in love? Could falling in love ever be wrong?"This is a student/teacher romance, but it is certainly not the main focus of the story. This story touches on many themes such as love, loss, grief, healing and acceptance. The secondary characters are amazing. They each have such an important working part in the overall story along with their own lessons and struggles. Although Ashlyn's twin sister Gabby has died, her character is intertwined within the story and her presence is felt. I feel like I know her. Equally the way Ashlyn honors her sister's memory is both inspiring and heartbreaking at times."I think you're beautiful." I whispered, echoing what he's said to me in a text many weeks back. "And I don't mean your looks. I mean your smarts, your protectiveness, your brokenness. I think that's beautiful."The Shakespeare theme, the amazing characters, beautiful writing that touches on real topics makes this one impressive story. The tender love journey between Daniel & Ashlyn is sweet and one to envy. Mr. Daniels is someone who you can easily fall for and swoon over. But equally I really liked Ashlyn. Even through her brokenness, she's smart, witty and definitely a lot stronger than she thinks.This story questions the basic idea of being in love with someone at the wrong time. Also can loving someone truly be wrong? I LOVED every minute of it! It's quite a journey and tissues will be needed. This is one of those stories that you revisit from time to time and it never gets old. It was a perfect read to me and easily a top favorite of 2014. I highly recommend this book to all. I am truly impressed with Brittainy C. Cherry's writing and am interested in reading her other work and any future work(less)