Friday, October 21, 2016

BOOK TOUR AND REVIEW -- Melody Grace's THE PROMISE!!



“Promise me one thing. Promise me you’ll live.”
Emotional.  Beautiful.  Love.
The Promise by Melody Grace is NOW AVAILABLE!!


Blurb

Claire Fortune arrives in Boston with an old notebook and her best friend’s dying wish – to finish the scribbled bucket list that Hope didn’t have time to complete. Moment by moment, Claire builds a life she never dreamed of – until Theo walks into the coffee-shop one crisp September afternoon, and her careful plans scatter on the winds.

Sometimes a chance meeting can change a life forever.
Sometimes fate knows exactly what we need.

Perfect for fans of ‘Me Before You’ and ‘The Fault in Our Stars’, ‘The Promise’ brings together two people searching for a love that can overcome tragedy. A heartbreakingly romantic novel that challenges us to live – and love - every day as if it were our last.

Review

[Janet]
Amazon/Goodreads Rating:  4.5/5
In Patti's Imagination Rating:  9/10

This book was not an easy read and this review is not an easy write.  I wasn’t drawn into the book, at first and several times almost gave up on it. I'm glad I didn't. The box of tissues and the emotionally haunting feelings that lasted into the next day are proof that this is a 5 star storyline.

This story is told from Claire’s point of view, a nineteen year old girl that has lived a very sheltered life.  Her best friend, Hope, dies of cancer and didn’t have time to finish her bucket list, so she made Claire promise she would finish it for her.  Grief stricken over the loss of her friend, Claire runs away from her hometown and hops a bus to Cambridge, MA.  There she finds a place to live and a job as a barista at the local coffee shop. All big steps for a small town sheltered young girl.

She is finally living and has began to mark things off Hope' bucket list.  She is feeling good about her abilities and enjoying life and then in walks Theo.  Claire's new life turns upside down when he walked through the door of that local coffee shop. When he accidentally sees the list, he decides to help Claire complete her promise. Theo is somewhat mysterious which was intriguing.  He has issues and secrets but so does Claire and  upon learning what they were my interested was peaked and I became attached to these tragic characters.  What happened when those issues come to light was so intense.

These issues and their trying to complete Hope's bucket list made the book start picking up which was around 40% in.  Until then I was really struggling to want to read it, so if you find that to be the same for you, you need to stay with it and grab those tissues for the second part of this book when the surprises start to happen.  

This story touches on very real difficult issues with Hope’s cancer and the question of true friendship and how far would you go to do for someone you love that is dying.  As I said, this was not an easy book to read and if you have lost someone to cancer or know someone going through chemo this may be a little sensitive for you.  You will not be able to get to the last page without needing a box of tissues.  The reader get to see the struggles Claire deals with - death, a new life and a love and her parents, who want a different life for her.  Her dad is more understanding, but I related to why her mom did not understand and wanted her daughter close.  At one point, I was extremely upset that her mother didn’t listen to her daughter's wishes.
This book has left me emotionally wrecked. I would love to have a prequel novella about Hope. Kelsey, her co-worker,  should also get her own book.  There just wasn’t enough of Kelsey and I think her and Hope have more things to say.  This was my first book that I read by this author but it will not be my last. This book has moved me to rethink my lists, like the books that I’ve had sitting on my "to be read" list need to be read.  Even after writing this review, I am still having trouble deciding how to rate this, because with my struggles in the beginning, I think I would give this a 4.5 star rating, yet it became a 5 star read in the end.


Author Information

Hi! I’m Melody Grace, author of the bestselling Beachwood Bay series. Some things about me:

1 I’m a small-town girl turned California beach lover.

2 I spent my childhood with my nose in a book before deciding to try and write one myself. I love all kinds of genres – from thrillers to YA and mystery – but romance has always been a passion of mine.

3 I love pistachio ice-cream, vanilla lattes, bad action movies, and Grey’s Anatomy (yes, I’m still watching… I can’t quit!).

4 I have an uncanny sense of direction. I once drove halfway across Canada without GPS or a map!

5 I have two adorable rascal cats named Bucky and Steve, I rescued them as kittens, and yes, I spoil them rotten.

6 I’m allergic to chocolate 🙁

7 I love sexy, heart-felt reads with strong heroines and swoon-worthy men. Why don’t you check out a couple of my books and meet your new book boyfriends?



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