Helloooooooooo book lovers! It’s Friday šāāļø any fun plan for the weekend? This review is for all my Christian girlies looking for more Christian romances!
āļøbooks about books
āļøtemporary amnesia
āļøchristian romance
āļøa dash of suspense
Iām always eager to read more Christian fiction, so when I came across this book, I was ready to dive right in.
What is it about?
What if you could experience the love of a lifetime twice?
Esme Jenkins has a story to tell.
After being left at the altar, she sets off for her honeymoon in Bora Bora alone, on a mission to find a certain spark to hoist her from the dregs of her insipid life. That spark blazes into her world in the form of a shirtless, giant of a man rescuing her from an attempted kidnapping. When the offender escapes, Esmeās savior vows to stay by her side until the creep is caught. As the days tick by, the pair fall into a whirlwind romance Esme never expected to experience.
But thatās just fiction.
Because when Esme Jenkins was in Bora Bora, she lost three years of her memory in a freak accident, including ones made during that week on the island. Two years later, sheās seeking to publish the story that wonāt vacate her brain. The serendipity? The agent seeking to represent her looks identical to her male main character. (Goodreads)
The premise sounded fun, and I was hooked to see how the story would unfold. Esme was a wonderful character ā a dreamer and a fighter, even if she struggled to see herself that way. That made her feel all the more real and relatable, with her inner battles and hopes. I really loved her for it. The MMC was charming and, as Esme herself said, a true book boyfriend.
I enjoyed the writing style; it’s easy to read, captivating, funny, and engaging. The small-town vibes were spot on, and I loved how faith, prayer, and Scripture were naturally woven into the story. This was my first Drew Taylor book, but it wonāt be my last. Iāll definitely check out her backlist, and I’ll definitely continue this series because I need Branda and Vanceās story!
That said, there were things I struggled with. Mainly, Noah as Esme wrote him in her novel. I couldnāt warm up to him ā he often came across as a walking red flag. I understand and respect the authorās beliefs, and I agree that love is a choice. But the insta-love here felt far too rushed. Esme and Noahās relationship read more like instant physical attraction than true love. Telling someone you love them after only four or five days is brutal, in my opinion, and I couldnāt buy into it. Honestly, if it had happened to me, I would’ve run the other way ā and Iād tell any of my Christian girlies to do the same!
Noah also felt contradictory at times. I do appreciate how Taylor addressed female struggles and temptations ā that honesty is needed. But the frequent innuendos and sexual undertones in Noah and Esmeās conversations clashed with what they were saying about faith, and it didnāt quite make sense to me. Real-life Noah seemed a bit better than Esmeās fictionalised version, but since we never actually saw the real way they met and fell in love, I was left feeling unconvinced.
Still, Drew Taylorās a great writer and talented storyteller. We absolutely need more Christian authors like her, and Iām looking forward to reading more of her work.
Thank you, NetGalley and the publisher, for the ARC. All opinions are my own.
love, Lin
