Once again Amy portrayed ordinary persons that could be your neighbors in an extraordinary light.

Synopsis

“In the end, only three things matter. How much you loved, how gently you lived, and how gracefully you let go of things not meant for you.”
– UnknownIt was a big lie. The biggest lie she’d ever told. It reverberated through her head as she said it, ringing eerily, and the girl behind her eyes—the girl who knew the truth—screamed, and her scream echoed along with the lie.
“Are you in love with Noah, Mercedes?” Cora asked. “I mean . . . I know you love him. You’ve been friends forever. We all have. But are you in love with him?”
If it had been anyone else—anyone—Mercedes would have stuck out her chest, folded her skinny arms, and let her feelings be known. She would have claimed him. But it was Cora. Brave, beautiful, broken Cora, and Cora loved Noah too.
So Mercedes lied.
And with that lie, she lost him. With that lie, she sealed her fate.
She was the best friend, the bridesmaid, the godmother, the glue. She was there for the good times and the bad, the ups and the downs, the biggest moments and the smallest parts. And she was there when it all came crashing down.
This is the tale of the girl who didn’t get the guy.

 

Review

This may be an ARC given by the author it has no influence whatsoever in my always honest opinion.

4,5 stars

Once again Amy portrayed ordinary persons that could be your neighbors in an extraordinary light.
She does not write about superheroes saving the world in epic ways. She writes about small people being quietly extraordinary. In a lifelong silent, constant and discreet support.

It’s a daunting review to write as this book had another “feel” to it than other books written by Amy.
Not any less good but the writing is different.
It’s concrete. It’s real and beautiful. I would say it does not fly so high you seem to be in Heaven but rather it walks right alongside you holding your hand like an old constant friend.

The heart of the book is about the power of true friendship. Friendship which is a variation of love. It is perfect and powerful in this story.

Mercedes knew Noah first. They have been best friends since she was eight years old.

Mercedes loves Noah, always have. But she did not claim him before their other friend Cora did.

“Mercedes knew Noah first. She could have said that. She could have called dibs.”

And I wanted to owl with the wolves because it felt so wrong!

Why did she let him go?

Why didn’t she fight for him?

For the boy who was so obviously perfect for her?

Why did she have to be so..so…selfless???

When Cora gets the prize what do you think Mercedes tells her? Is she petty? Resentful?

No Mercedes just tell Cora:

“Take care of him. Love him. He hasn’t had a lot of love, Cora. You know that. He might be the easiest man in the universe to love, because he expects so little. He expects nothing and is grateful for everything. With a man like that, how could you worry about being enough?”

Because Noah is the one you’d want by your side. He is an extraordinary next-door man. Humble. A miracle. He gave so much and expected so little.

When tragedy will hit Mercedes will be the backbone, the strength.

Noah and Mercedes have been each other’s pillar of strength for years and years. These are two selfless characters and I thought that Cora was a very selfish girl.

I have very ambivalent feelings toward Cora. Maybe Amy will be saddened by this but I did not love Cora. I know she had reasons to be selfish. To trump Mercedes. She had bad cards dealt in life. But not everyone with problems is turning selfish like she did! She was jealous and insecure.

“Didn’t you ever notice that whatever you wanted or whatever you set out to do, Cora wanted to do it too?”

I should pity her and I do but when you are rooting for someone it’s like basketball.
Mercedes is MY underdog and she should never have been one to begin with. She should have been the main character of this love story.
I was angry with Mercedes even if I loved her to pieces at the same time. That was until she explained her reason about the most important part by the end.
Then I grasped the endless extent of Mercedes wisdom.

“I never wanted anyone else, Noah. But you loved me because I was strong. I was steady. And having your love and your affection was too important to ruin it with sex and jealousy and childish love triangles. I knew that if I gave up all claim on your body, I could keep your heart. That was the part that mattered most to me.”

Amy just wrote one of the best enduring friendship stories ever written.

Parting notes: first I love how this story is intricately linked to Moses story another favorite of mine. Second read her acknowledgement. I was surprised reading it and never would have guessed…

Recommend it?

 Oh yes!

Have you read any Amy Harmon’s books? Do you plan to?

Thanks for reading and Happy Sunday!

Sophie