Series: N/A
Author(s): Sarah Jio
Edition: eBook, 240 pages
Genre: Adult, Contemporary/Romance
Published: February 7, 2017
Rating: ★★★☆☆
I received this book for free via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Synopsis
From the New York Times bestselling author of Blackberry Winter and The Violets of March comes a gripping, poignant novel about the kind of love that never lets go, and the heart’s capacity to remember.
While enjoying a romantic candlelit dinner with her fiance, Ryan, at one of Seattle’s chicest restaurants, Kailey Crane can’t believe her good fortune: She has a great job as a writer for the Herald and is now engaged to a guy who is perfect in nearly every way. As they leave the restaurant, Kailey spies a thin, bearded homeless man on the sidewalk. She approaches him to offer up her bag of leftovers and is stunned when their eyes meet, then stricken to her very core: The man is the love of her life, Cade McAllister.
When Kailey met Cade ten years ago, their attraction was immediate and intense everything connected and felt “right.” But it all ended suddenly, leaving Kailey devastated. Now the poor soul on the street is a faded version of her former beloved: His weathered and weary face is as handsome as Kailey remembers, but his mind has suffered in the intervening years. Over the next few weeks, Kailey helps Cade begin to piece his life together, something she initially keeps from Ryan. As she revisits her long-ago relationship, Kailey realizes that she must decide exactly what and whom she wants.
Alternating between the past and the present, Always is a beautifully unfolding exploration of a woman faced with an impossible choice, a woman who discovers what she’s willing to save and what she will sacrifice for true love.
Writing
I always love her writing. It is flowery and lyrical. It is also readable. You will read it, and understand it the first time around. You do not have to go back and read again and again for you to be able to get the sentence. I love how the music was imported into the story. It plays into the romantic between Cade and Kailey while they were seeing each other. I love how Sarah tried her best writing the feeling of Seattle music scene in the 90s. The link to the Spotify link is down below.
One thing that attracts me with Sarah’s writing is how well she was able to weave the story together, the present and the past. The chapters would go back and forth with the present and the past.
Sarah herself said she was inspired to write this story after bumping into someone that she knew years ago that ended up being homeless. That moment never left her and was telling her to write the story as you see today.
Plot
This book is more character driven. The plot is lacking in some aspect. The plot itself feels like it needs to be polish up more because something is missing. There are unanswered questions about some of the directions that the book went into such as how did Cade lived for ten years and what happened truly with Cade. This book could be so much more.
When Kailey found out about Cade, she was determined to help because she was still in love with him, and that he was homeless and brain damaged. Now, I am not sure if it was a good representation. I need to research more and see if it is or not. Be aware when you read this book.
Characters
There are two main characters, Kailey and Cade. They fell in love and dated for a while. They met while Kailey and her best friend, Tracy were at a bar. The character development for both main and side characters was spot on. They were engaging and they felt real.
Kailey is engaged to Ryan. It is obvious on how much both Cade and Ryan loved Kailey but it is also obvious on how much more Kailey loves Cade. It was shown by how Kailey made her decisions when it comes to Cade.
Overall
Overall, this is a good book but not her best. It was predictable. The story is touching and heartbreaking. I am happy to say this is one of these books that does not end on a bad note, at least. One good thing that I took out reading this book is when it comes to homeless people, we would assume wrong about most of them when in reality, it was a good reminder to be more sensitive.
If you want to read a book of hers, I would suggest The Violets of March, her debut novel, and The Bungalow. These are my favorites of hers. I love Sarah Jio’s covers. It is always beautiful and it always tells a story.
I give this novel three stars out of five.
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