Do you believe that everyone gets one chance at happiness and love, or are there multiple opportunities out there for everyone? How you answer that question may influence how you feel about Rochelle Weinstein's newest book, This is Not How it Ends.
Charlotte and Philip meet on a plane. At first his privileged attitude and temper tantrum about not getting his reserved first-class seat irritates her, but his good looks and English wit quickly charm her. Their intense conversation for the entire flight leaves her a bit breathless, but given that he leads a far more glamorous life than she does, she doesn't expect that she'll ever see him again.
But fate has a funny way of intervening, and it's not long before they fall in love and plan a future together. They move to Philip's home in Islamorada on the Florida Keys, and while Philip is often traveling all over the world and spending time on his business interests, she starts building a life for herself. When they are together, their love flourishes, but after a while, Philip's time at home becomes shorter and shorter, and he seems more distracted when he is home.
"Had Philip finally gotten bored with me? Was there someone else? Could the ring have been a mistake? The physical distance I could live with, I had lived with, but the emotional distance was something else. I couldn't get him to connect."
Charlotte starts yearning for more than Philip can give her. And then one day, she meets Ben, a handsome single dad, and his young soon, Jimmy, and she starts to realize what it's like to feel needed, to feel constantly cared about and cared for. She fights her attraction to Ben despite the amount of time they spend together (partially because Philip pushes Ben to teach Charlotte how to cook).
When a hurricane passes through Islamorada and Philip is away, Charlotte spends the night at Ben and Jimmy's house, and the storm causes her to reexamine her desires and begin to hope for a different future. But then an unexpected discovery changes the course of her life again, and she decides to make sacrifices for others instead of following her heart. It's a path on which she'll experience some of the highest highs and the lowest lows.
"Each of us felt loss, whether it was through a seed planted inside or one nearby that took root and grew. Loss didn't discriminate, it was a game of chance. Like love. And sometimes even love led to isolation. Loneliness, by definition, is a solitary experience, but I learned painfully fast how loneliness travels through skin and body and binds you to those with similar hurt."
This was a beautifully told, poignant story, and I was hooked from the very beginning. While I saw certain things coming before the characters did (it's amazing how oblivious people can be to things which are right in front of them), I still enjoyed this book immensely. This made me feel a range of emotions, but the book never felt contrived or manipulative in any way.
I really enjoyed these characters, and would love to see what came next for them. That, to me, is the mark of a memorable and fantastic book.
Get Red PR and Lake Union Publishing provided me an advance copy of the book in exchange for an unbiased review. Thanks for making it available!
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