That’s Not a Thing by Jacqueline Friedland – 256 pages
ARC from author and SparkPress for an honest review.
Book Blurb:
Meredith Altman’s engagement to Wesley Latner ended in spectacular disaster. When Wesley lost his parents in an accident, mere weeks before the wedding date, he blamed Meredith and left for an open-ended journey to Europe, breaking off their engagement and shattering Meredith.
It was Aaron Rapp, a former Ivy League football player and baby-saving doctor who finally helped lift her heart off the floor. Now a couple of years into their courtship, Aaron and Meredith have just gotten engaged, and she feels her life is on a positive trajectory at last. As they celebrate their engagement at a new TriBeCa hotspot, however, Meredith is stunned to find the restaurant owner is none other than Wesley, the man she is still secretly trying to forget.
Now that Wesley is back in the States, Meredith is bumping into him everywhere, and he clearly still has the feels for her. Before long, she learns that he has been diagnosed with ALS, and her feelings about their past become all the more confusing.
As Meredith spends more time with Wesley and is pulled further under his spell, she learns what kind of man her new fiancé really is—and what kind of woman she wants to be.
My Review: 4 stars
That’s Not A Thing has a cover that jumps out and says READ ME! Reminiscent of the cover for The Light We Lost and also taking place in NYC definitely got me in the mood for a good romance in the city. It did not disappoint!
The blurb shares a lot of info about the storyline, perhaps too much. Learning about the ALS in the book would come as a harder hit to the reader, rather than waiting for it to be revealed. Regardless, there’s nothing better than a love triangle between an old boyfriend and a new one. Let’s face it, I think a high percentage of women and men have looked up their first loves to see how they’ve fared, but I could never imagine that happening in person. Awkward.
Through Friedland’s characters, we are shown over and over again, that love is never easy. Meredith saw what happened between her parents when her mom was sick, even though they weren’t together per se. Caretaking is not a job for the weak, and Meredith learned that on full throttle. There are a few times that I had to suspend belief and just enjoy the book. Aaron allowing the “move in” is one example.
This book has a lot of sadness in it, but it also has a lot of hope. There’s a good sense of paying it forward and taking care of the underdogs. There are also lots of food references if you like foodie fiction. What happened at the end with the wedding was well done and completely believable.
If you’re looking for a book that reads quickly, pulls on your emotions with some heartrending scenes and makes you believe in the power of love, this one is for you!
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