ISBN-10: 1477820442
ISBN-13: 978-1477820445
Vivienne has been in love with David since the moment she met him at the tender of age of 12. Being 6 years younger than him never stopped her from dreaming of one day winning his heart.
David has adored his little sister’s best friend since she drew a picture of him while sitting at the dining room table eating a gang of Oreos. And he’s not the only one. His entire family loves her and considers her one of their own. When David’s mom passes away, he goes away, harboring a deep family secret that he promised her on her deathbed that he’d never reveal. When he returns home, he comes not only bringing peace offerings for his sudden and unexplained absence, but he brings along a girlfriend as well.
David and Vivienne, or Vivi as she’s called, have always had a special friendship outside of the one with his family. He’s always been sensitive about her feelings for him, which made it even more difficult for Vivi to see him with a woman for the first time. Understanding that she must now move on and give up her dreams of ever being in a relationship with David, Vivi tries to enjoy herself on their trip to his family’s beach house. Although she’s always been like a sister to him, and he has girlfriend Laney in tow, David realizes that the feelings he has for the now older Vivi are more than sisterly affection.
Beck created memorable characters, full of love, flaws, and charm. The relationship between David and Vivi evolved over years, and was painted with such care and emotion that I never felt like their romance was established just for the sake of the story needing to follow the rules of a romance. Although David’s family, the St.James’ were close, they each had their own demons to battle and the sibling friction was realistic without being overly dramatic. The pace was good, the flow easy. I appreciated the development in the characters and how the conflict’s resolution was over time, and not a quick fix. The secondary characters fit in nicely, drawing enough attention without overshadowing the main characters, and the subplots left me looking for a sequel, or more.
This is the 2nd Beck book I’ve read (the first was In the Cards) and I loved them both. I look forward to reading more of her work.
Rating system: Cups of coffee – the less the better
0: You won’t need any coffee to stay up for this one. It’s intriguing enough all on its own.
1: You’ll stay up late, but not all night. Brew one cup.
2: You’ll read as long as you’re not tired. If you are, two cups should do the trick.
3: I hope you got plenty of rest; you’ll need it, or at least 3 cups.
4: If the cable goes out, read the book. It’s better than nothing, I guess. Oh, don’t forget your brew!
5: Find anything else to do- it doesn’t matter what it is. Don’ty waste your coffee. Too much caffeine is bad for you.
My rating: 0 cups of coffee
This is a great review! Based on your review alone makes me really want to read this book. You’re really good with words!
Thanks! It’s a really good book. You should definitely read it.