The Edge of Always - Review

The Edge of Always (The Edge of Never, # 2)

By: JA Redmerski

Expected Publication: November 5th 2013 by Forever Romance

432 pages

Genre: New Adult, Contemporary, Romance

Source: Publisher via NetGalley

( Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository | Booksamillion.com )

*Note: The above links to Amazon, Book Depository, and Booksamillion.com are affiliate links. Affiliate links support giveaways for Somewhere Only We Know.

Goodreads description--He was taking the long road. She was taking the road to nowhere. It just so happened that they led to the same place…

When everything falls apart, love remains . . .

THE EDGE OF ALWAYS

Camryn Bennett has never been happier. Five months after meeting on a Greyhound bus, she and her soul mate Andrew Parrish are engaged—and a wedding isn’t the only special event in their future. Nervous but excited, Camryn can’t wait to begin the rest of her life with Andrew – a man she knows in her heart will love her always. They have so much to look forward to—until tragedy blindsides them.

Andrew doesn’t understand how this could happen to them. He’s trying to move on, and thought Camryn was doing the same. But when Andrew discovers Camryn is secretly harboring a mountain of pain and attempting to numb it in damaging ways, there is nothing he won’t do to bring her back to life. Determined to prove that their love can survive anything, Andrew decides to take Camryn on a new journey filled with hope and passion. If only he can convince her to come along for the ride…

The Edge of Never had some pretty big happenings there at the end, and so I was really stoked about starting The Edge of Always and finding out what happens next. However, when I read the description for The Edge of Always, I felt like it gave too much away. Predicting what would happen in this book was a piece of cake after that. And I don’t think there was anything I ended up being wrong about while I was reading it. Despite that, I still enjoyed The Edge of Always. But I don’t want to ruin anything else with my review that you might not be able to discern from the description so I’ll try to be as vague as I can, which may also result from this review being pretty brief.

While the events of the story didn’t surprise me, the characters kind of did. Just looking back on The Edge of Never and where everything started, Andrew definitely feels like a different person than who Camryn met on that bus months ago. But he’s still the same guy. Andrew and Camryn’s need to not live repetitive, monotonous lives carries through from The Edge of Never to The Edge of Always. Events that happen early on in the book force Andrew and Camryn to need to reconnect, reaffirm, and reestablish all that was good about their relationship in the first book. And they do.

I thought that The Edge of Always was a really sweet book. There was no earth shatter literary genius here, but it was a fast and sweet read. I will say that I was at the 70% mark and I felt like I was at the end and things should be wrapping up. It didn’t necessarily feel drug out, but it also didn’t feel like the pacing was exactly right either.

The Edge of Always get 3.5 Stars from me. I can’t say there was anything wrong with it, but it didn’t blow me away either. Have you read The Edge of Always? What did you think? Let me know!

The Edge of Never - Review

The Edge of Never (The Edge of Never, # 1)

By: JA Redmerski

Published: November 2012 by Createspace

426 pages

Genre: New Adult, Contemporary

Source: Publisher via NetGalley (Thank you!)

( Goodreads | Amazon | The Book Depository | Booksamillion.com )

*Note: The above links to Amazon, The Book Depository, and Booksamillion.com are affiliate links. Affiliate links support giveaways for Somewhere Only We Know readers.

Goodreads description--Sometimes life takes you off course . . .

THE EDGE OF NEVER

Twenty-year-old Camryn Bennett thought she knew exactly where her life was going. But after a wild night at the hottest club in downtown Raleigh, North Carolina, she shocks everyone-including herself-when she decides to leave the only life she's ever known and set out on her own. Grabbing her purse and her cell phone, Camryn boards a Greyhound bus ready to find herself. Instead, she finds Andrew Parrish.

Sexy and exciting, Andrew lives life like there is no tomorrow. He persuades Camryn to do things she never thought she would and shows her how to give in to her deepest, most forbidden desires. Soon he becomes the center of her daring new life, pulling love and lust and emotion out of her in ways she never imagined possible. But there is more to Andrew than Camryn realizes. Will his secret push them inseparably together-or destroy them forever?

Due to sexual content and language, this book is recommended for 17+ – Adult Contemporary Women’s – New Adult Fiction

The Edge of Never is one of those that I read the description over a year ago, added it to my TBR list, and then forgot about it. When I saw it available on NetGalley I jumped on it without even re-reading the description. So I'm not quite sure what I was expecting The Edge of Never to be about especially after the first couple of chapters, but I wasn't expecting a road trip. ROAD TRIP it was!

The description of the book, like many others, seems to me to be misleading anyway. The very beginning of the book only serves to set up the background for why Camryn feels like she needs this road trip so badly. She just needs to get away. She needs to do something that's not a repeat of the previous day. I totally get that. Where Camryn's traveling away from something, Andrew is traveling to something. His father is in the hospital and Andrew is trying to see him before he dies.

I really enjoyed the slow build of the attraction and relationship between Andrew and Camryn. The book is surprisingly told from dual POVs. I only say "surprisingly" because Andrew's first narration doesn't come until you're a decent way through the beginning portion of the book. I wasn't expecting him to narrate at all, but it was a nice surprise.

After their bus ride across the country, these two decide to embark on a slightly more personal road trip. All along the way, they talk, share stories and pieces of themselves with the other, and thus grow their relationship. Some of the topics of conversation were a bit much for me, but hey...whatever floats your boat right?

I was pretty sure I hated Camryn's best friend Natalie after the beginning of the book, but by the end Natalie had redeemed herself. The other secondary characters were just as strong. Even the ones that didn't make major appearances like Blake and Damon, Asher, Aiden, and Michelle. They each had a strong presence, and I hope we get more of the same in book 2.

The Edge of Never ended up having some plot twists that I wasn't expecting, though I did guess them before they were revealed. Despite not being overly original, The Edge of Never hooked me and had me not wanting to put it down. I can't quite tell you how I felt about the ending because I don't want to give it away. It wraps up literally in the last couple 2-4% of the book. I will say that I'm excited about reading book 2, The Edge of Always.

Fans of the New Adult trend will enjoy The Edge of Never. I'm giving it 3.5 stars. Have you read The Edge of Never? What did you think? Let me know!

Waiting on The Edge of Always

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

I read The Edge of Never this past week, and so the obvious choice for my WOW post is book 2.

The Edge of Always (The Edge of Never, # 2)

By: JA Redmerski

Expected Publication: November 5th 2013 by Forever Romance

432 pages

Genre: New Adult, Contemporary, Romance

( Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository | Booksamillion.com )

*Note: The above links to Amazon, Book Depository, and Booksamillion.com are affiliate links. Affiliate links support giveaways for Somewhere Only We Know.

Goodreads description--He was taking the long road. She was taking the road to nowhere. It just so happened that they led to the same place…

Five months ago, Camryn and Andrew, both dealing with personal hardships, met on a Greyhound bus. They fell in love and proved that when two people are meant to be together, fate will find a way to make it happen.

Now, in the highly anticipated sequel to THE EDGE OF NEVER, Camryn and Andrew are pursuing their love for music and living life to the fullest as they always swore to do. But when tragedy befalls them, their relationship is put to the ultimate test. As Camryn tries to numb her pain, Andrew makes a bold decision: To get their life back on track, they’ll set out on another cross-country road trip. Together they find excitement, passion, adventure—and challenges they never could have anticipated.

Sexy. Daring. Dangerous. THE EDGE OF ALWAYS takes you on a ride you won’t forget .

So what are you waiting on this week? Let me know!