My heart made it’s choice, and it chose you.”
Hello friends! Welcome to my blog. I am back with the first book review of July for you! 🫂 It is incredibly hot in Turkey, I cannot go out without bathing myself with sunscreen, a cap and everything that covers my skin; I simply cannot handle this much heat. One good thing is that I swim regularly, still, so water helps me a little. Today’s book is another fiction/romance from Colleen Hoover, and I am not surprised anymore, but I like her books. I truly do. I have seen so many weird comments about the book on Reddit, most of them were saying that it “glorifies” cheating, so no matter which part you are in, I want to say that I simply cannot see any case of glorification because all this book is about both of our characters being in unhealthy relationships and feeling like complete sh*t for actually feeling something for each other, so if you do not agree, just skip this post and I will see you in my next one! Without further babbling, let’s get into the review. There may be some spoilers so read accordingly as well! 🎀
When you start thinking that you have everything life throws something to your face. Whether it is the brutal reality or simply the things that you refuse to see that happen around you. This is exactly what happens to our main character Sydney throughout the book. Sydney has everything. A good job, school and a boyfriend. She lives with her best friend, and she has an amazing neighbour who plays the guitar on his balcony every single night. Yes, she shouldn’t feel like she is drawn to him but she is and I can only imagine how good his music is. Everything she thinks she immediately changes on her 22nd birthday.
She learns that she is living with a cheater. Not living with a cheater, but she is cheating with her boyfriend. After finding herself face-to-face with her new reality, Sydney leaves the home and is now all alone. This is where our main male character comes into the story. Yes, he is this amazing boy who plays the guitar every single night as she listens to him however, we now learn who he is. His name is Ridge, an inspired musician who is also deaf. ridge is a man who finds himself with music. Although he’s unable to feel the music, he has such amazing talent that helps him to make music no less than those who can hear it. They bond once Ridge decides to help her to get on her feet. She thought it was living with them, with his other two housemates. And oh my God, isn’t this relationship so complicated. Sydney was recently cheated and got rid of the excuse she had. Ridge on the other hand has been in a relationship with this amazingly well-written girl called Maggie. I really liked her character throughout the book and although I was rooting for Sydney and Ridge to be together, at some point, I wanted Maggie to dump him so that she could live without heartbreak. Of course in Colleen Hoover’s books, lots of heartbreak and tears happen all the time so I wasn’t expecting her to be easy on my heart in this book.
They both feel something for each other, and this is killing them. They hate being cheaters, and although they do everything to prevent it, they are feelings to grow and flourish. Sometimes you cannot control how you feel. This is the reality. You do not always have the power to overcome the emotions that are within you. Not always have the power to change your heart’s desires. And I understand the comments about this book saying that cheating should never be a trope, but let’s be honest with each other. Cheating is one of the most disgusting things that you can do to someone however it is also a part of life. I wish it wasn’t. But it truly is. What I liked about these characters specifically was the fact that they tried. they tried so hard to overcome all of these feelings they had. They were mindless people who gave up on everything. No, they both tried to keep Maggie safe.
As the book unravelled the plot, I got more into their characters and the development they had throughout the pages. I know there is a second book and I also know that it is going to end happily however I do not want to read it at the moment. I want to keep them in my memory with the last pages. With the acceptance that they had for each other. For eagerness that they had for their future. I felt like a second book wasn’t really necessary in the series, but I feel like the author wanted to give Maggie closure as well. I can understand this, but for now, I want to keep them in my memory with the beautiful concert, the blue dress, and the kindness in their words. Again, I am going to be honest I did not see anything in the book that glorified cheating. If anything I thought the exact opposite because I was ready to get rid of his feelings to keep Maggie so that she wouldn’t go through a heartbreak. I think it was the main thing that made me think that the author just wanted to write fiction about something real, which is unfortunately cheating.
Nevertheless, I’ve really enjoyed the book. I’m not going to lie, and although I am holding the second book on hold right now, I highly suggest that you read this one. Until I see you in my next blog, please take care and stay safe.💕
Luster of Books 