Lost on the Way - Review

Lost on the Way (West Side, # 4)

By: Isabel Jolie

Publication: September 21st 2020 by Noctivity, Inc.

246 pages

Genre: Adult, Contemporary

Source: Publisher via Edelweiss (Thank you!!)

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Goodreads description--They were friends—just friends. Now they’re something else entirely…

Jason

I remember everything about the day I met her. I might have asked for her number, but I had bigger things to think about that day than trying to score a date.
I remember everything about the second time we crossed paths. By then, she had a boyfriend. Of course, she did. A girl like Maggie Gray Thompson wouldn’t stay single long.
It’s hard to believe freshman year passed ten years ago. Now Maggie’s my best friend, my family. A friendship like ours, it’s irreplaceable. When we buried Adam, I stood by her. When my cancer returned, she stood by me.
Then, in one night, I throw that friendship away.
Maggie

Last night was the best—and worst—night of my life.
He made it clear he only wants a friendship. Then last night happened.
And now he knows how I feel.
Some part of me knows he’ll always see me as his best friend’s girl. He can’t look at me without seeing Adam.
Jason is my best friend. I love him with everything I have—mind, body, and soul.
The problem? His love for me isn’t that kind of love. And that’s okay. I can live with that.
I can’t lose him. If he wants to stay in the friend zone, I’ll need to somehow accept that and move on. Find someone else to love. I know it’s true.
But convincing my heart…well, that’s another story entirely.

I've found in the past that I struggle with reading while pregnant. Mostly in the past, this has been because I find myself more easily annoyed with the characters and plot. For some reason during this pregnancy, I don't feel that's been the case. What I have struggled with this time is being at a loss for words when it comes time to review a book. So bear with me while I sort out my thoughts.

I don't think I went into Lost on the Way with any particular expectations. It's the 4th book in a series where I haven't read the prior books, but since each book is about a different character, I didn't feel like I'd be missing anything by coming in mid-series. More than anything I've been craving either contemporary or historical fiction. Mostly because these two genres tend to focus on love stories. And that's about it. I haven't been in the mood for other genres as much. So with those expectations Lost on the Way got the bill.

The book description pretty much spells out the entire book, and not much happened outside of what I expected. There were definitely no surprises.

Maggie and Jason have pretty much been in love with each other for years, but have refused to move past the friend zone. Maggie is all for it but Jason is dragging his feet for various reasons. I found myself being annoyed with Maggie. I wanted her to stand up for herself sooner. These types of relationships where one character is open to more and the other isn't reciprocating can be draining to me even when the end result is that the other character wises up eventually. It was obvious Jason wanted more as well but his reasons for not moving forward weren't so obvious. Their journey was one I read quickly, but I also found myself rolling my eyes quite a bit.

My biggest frustration with Lost on the Way was the commentary about faith in a higher power, namely God. I'm always going to take issue with times I see characters or authors portray God in a negative way. Much could be said in opposition to the statements made within the story, but I'm not going to preach a sermon right now. Just know, I disagree with all that was said about God and faith within this book.

In the end, Lost on the Way was no more than what I expecting it to be. I found the characters a little grating but only slightly. The commentary and disparaging remarks about God and faith didn't endear me to the story, characters, or author. I wasn't surprised or particularly impressed with any aspect of Lost on the Way, but I did read it quickly which is always a good thing. Lost on the Way gets 3 Stars. Have you read Lost on the Way? What did you think? Let me know!