Synopsis
Once, Julie dreamed of a life filled with love and laughter. Now, in her mid-forties, she faces a starkly different reality. She’s single, lonely, and reeling from breaking her hard-earned sobriety in front of her family and friends.
Opting for self-recovery over romance, Julie dives into planning her best friend Kate’s wedding. However, sharing this task with the irritatingly cheerful best man, single dad Luke, proves to be an unexpected challenge.
As Luke’s persistent kindness chips away at her icy exterior, a friendship forms, stirring a longing she’d sworn to suppress. But with self-forgiveness as her biggest hurdle, and her past ready to sabotage her future, can Julie confront the shame and trauma that have darkened so much of her life and find the courage to love again? Or will her demons shatter both her and Luke’s hearts in the process?
My Review
Julie has one of the biggest challenges ahead of her and that is to stay sober. With her brother and best friend getting married Julie volunteers to help plan the wedding as a distraction. But is sobriety something that Julie can hide from?
When I finished reading this book I felt like I’d been on a journey with Julie to overcome her struggles. I thought the storyline was well written and deals with the subject of alcohol in a very sensitive way. I think that anyone who has struggles with alcohol, the impact that it can have on their lives and their relationships with others will relate to some of the things Julie deals with in the story. The timeline of the story moves between the past and the present. In the past the wedding organisation is in full flow and in the present the reader is presented with e-mails from Julie to Luke which suggests that something has happened but it isn’t clear what.
I would describe Julie as a very brave character. She’s very open about the fact that she has a problem with alcohol and doesn’t shy away from the subject. She decides to take positive action to stay sober and decides to distract herself with wedding preparations. The catalyst for this change is something that happened at Ben and Kate’s engagement. The only issue though is that Julie is making this change not for herself but for others in her life because she felt like she was a burden on them. As Julie learns the journey to sobriety isn’t an easy one so she decides that she won’t enter into a relationship with anyone. But then this is complicated by Luke.
The first meeting between Julie and Luke was definitely one that made a big impression. They first interact at an AA meeting when Julie is in the early stages of her sobriety journey and is feeling a bit overwhelmed. She has an outburst at the meeting and leaves, thinking she will never see any of the group again. Then she meets her brother’s best man who happens to be Luke. As they’re both helping to plan the wedding they start to spend time together. Julie and Luke do make a very interesting pair. Julie is very guarded about her feelings and she doesn’t open up to anyone. Whereas Luke is the opposite and likes to speak openly. It’s this openness and honesty that he uses to get to know Julie better. The more time they spend together, they realise that they have a connection and one that is more than friendship.
It was very interesting to follow Julie’s journey of growth and becoming a new person. Julie had to face that alcohol played a big part in her life. When she consumed alcohol Julie left her inhibitions behind, saying things and doing things that she wouldn’t necessarily do. But as Julie learns she can still be sociable and have a good time without alcohol and in some situations where people suggest one drink won’t hurt, Julie stands her ground and doesn’t give in to peer pressure.
Author Bio
Jamie Anderson is based in Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada. A proud Canadian and Saskatchewanian, she wanted to set her first two novels in the place she was born and raised.
She’s been writing for as long as she can remember, and has been reading for longer than that. She lives happily with her mountain of books, her TV and her two plants.
You can read Jamie’s first novel Someone to Kiss here: https://mybook.to/someonetokiss
Social Media Links
https://linktr.ee/jamieandersonwrites
https://twitter.com/jandersonwrites
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