Rating: 4 Stars Pub. Date: 28-Sep-2021
There are so many good things about this story, Last Time We Loved by Christine Miles, that stuck with me after I finished reading. Written with great plot tension and solid characters, it is one of my favorite stories in this genre I have read recently. Mostly because the story went well beyond the second chance troupe. Definitely much more than your usual fluffy romance and well worth the reading.
Ten years ago, David’s parents were killed in a tragic car accident that left his younger sister paralyzed and in a wheelchair. At the time, he was in college devoting all his energy to music and his girlfriend, Alyson. He abandoned all of that, including Alyson, and became an architect to be able to support his sister Rebecca.
Alyson has tried to move on since David and has become a successful businesswoman with a florist shop that specializes in weddings and parties. The only man in her life currently is her dog and she likes it that way. That is until David, the only man that ever mattered to her, walks right back into her life.
This is definitely a slow burn story. The tension between David and Alyson was palpable. I get that both David and Alyson were traumatized, in different ways of course, after the accident and while I didn’t always agree with their actions, especially David, I could at least see their side of the story. Therefore, there was a lot of hurt that Alyson had to work through before she could forgive David.
The plot was fast paced and the subplots really helped move things along. I thought the drama about Alyson’s floral business and David’s decision of a career path change added to the story. In real life things don’t happen one at a time. In my experience, changes always seem to come in waves and the fact that multiple things were happening at once gave the story creditability.
I liked all the characters in this story. I had a lot of empathy for them, especially David and Rebecca. The tragedy they suffered was so heart wrenching. The author did an outstanding job showing the reader the emotions of the characters and this added a lot of depth to them. The minor characters, though not as fleshed out, also worked well and were an enhancement to the story. The author put a lot of thought behind the characters and it showed. All the characters had a purpose to the story and it all appeared seamless.
Not only is the book a great second chance story, it is also about being able to forgive and the, sometimes necessary, sacrifices one makes in life and ultimately being true to oneself. I recommend this book to those readers who love a complex and thoughtful second chance story. In addition, this would make a great book club choice because of all the themes this book touches on.
I received a free copy in exchange for my honest review.