Solid 3.5 Stars
By the time I reached the 46% mark of this book, these were my thoughts...
This story is alright, I guess. So far. But I was hoping forAlessandro's POV and for the story to be told more from his angle. Not Hilary's. Since book 1 is where I met Alessandro and is what got me interested in Alessandro's story in the 1st place. And this "gripping emotion" I've heard that's so paramount in this story, has yet to really show herself. At this point, book 1 was much more intense & emotional.
And for the most part my thoughts & feelings have not changed.
This was a good read. A decent novel. The subject matter/plot, has intense & highly emotional written all over it. But sadly the way things unfolded, and I truly believe this is due to the angle of the way things are presented, that this is why this story didn't really touch me the way I had hoped. There are some deep topics here. Deep issues & circumstances of choices, coming of age, second chances & forgiveness. But the way these things unfold, how they are handled & ultimately rectified come off as way too simple & easy, IMO. And lacking depth.
There was just nothing really emotionally intense going on for me concerning Alessandro & Hilary concerning their past or their present. The plot surrounding them brought seasoning to their circumstances, but sadly this fell short for me as well. As I mentioned above.
Book 1 (A Little too Far) had all of this going for it and more. But most importantly, it made you truly care about all the characters involved. You were invested in their plight. The chemistry was there. Off the charts. You felt the conflict & yearned for things to go another way, while knowing & understanding in your heart why they couldn't. Here? I didn't feel that chemistry or emotional conflict. Especially with the main characters. Everything about it from the emotional to the physical felt a little forced to me. And it only made me wish even more that Alessandro ended up with someone else in book 1. Which is why this one just wasn't a 4 or 5 star read for me :(
I really wish that this story was told from Alessandro's POV.That we saw things unfold in his eyes. That we were front & center with his thoughts & heart. Or at least through a dual POV. With the things that occur in this story I feel this route would have done it more justice. And the unfolding & outcome of it would have been more poignant.
But this is still a decent read/edition to this series. I didn't love itbut I would recommend it. Now having read the Sneak Peak for book 3(A Little too Hot) I'm very curious to see where that one goes :)
