Thursday, March 6, 2014

Then There Was You - Review


Title: Then There Was You 
(So Much It Hurts Series Book Two)
Author: Melanie Dawn 
Hosted by: The Book Avenue






Chris King never saw it coming…

In some ways, closing the book on my first love was the worst day of life. I was gutted, and yet I was completely at peace with my decision. I walked away knowing that I did what was best for her, unsure if I could ever recover. Little did I know that one concert would change the entire course of my life. There I stood, signing autographs and snapping pictures with fans when a familiar face in the crowd catapulted my mind back in time—Salem Honeycutt, once a balm to my pain and a calm in my storm. Yet again, her smiling face gave me hope. Only one question remained: did she still see me as a wayward teenage boy who was completely off limits, or could she see the man I'd become…focused and driven, yearning for another chance at love?

For Salem Honeycutt, postpartum bliss seemed like a lie...

No one told me that I’d hate my baby when I brought her home from the hospital. No one told me that I’d want to put a pillow over my husband’s head and smother him in his sleep. No one told me that I’d want to slap every person who gave me the ever-so-cliché advice to ‘cherish every moment.’ No one told me that I’d despise my life the minute I became a mother, but I did. Then I met Chris King, the kid who made me want to pull myself up from the dark recesses of my mind and face each day. This kid, whose passion for life and talent for music, touched my soul deeper than I could ever touch his. Chris gave me a reason to live. I was once affectionately known as Mrs. H., Chris’s juvenile detention counselor. This is our story.









 
My Review
 
I loved this story of Chris and Salem!
I was heartbroken for Chris and all the pain he was going through/experienced over the Kaitlyn situation and wanted him to have someone that would love him back with the same intensity that he showed.
The struggle of a new mom is never an easy thing and I think that Melanie did an amazing job describing the difficulties that mom’s go through when talking about Salem’s situation. I will never forget all the sleepless nights that I went through…. and sometimes still do! I could relate to Salem’s character so well! Her aggravations with her husband because he didn’t help out the way he should! I found joy though in the fact that she loved her job so much! She had a bond with each of those kids at the juvenile detention center. Not only did she help them but in turn they also helped her!
“Go,” she urged me. “You’ve planted your roots, now go spread your wings.”
“Goodbye, Salem Honeycutt. You’re one of the best fucking things that ever happened to me. I hope you know that.”
Chris was one of those teens at the juvenile center while Salem was a counselor. There as a special bond between them back then. She taught him that he has so much more to offer in life. You could tell even during this time that they truly had a special connection. They could read each other just by looking into each other’s eyes!
When Salem decided to take her daughter Alexis to Chris’ concert they are backstage for an autograph and she introduces herself and he recognizes her name! It finally dawns on him who is standing there! From there we experience the ups and downs of what happens between Chris and Salem. I don’t want to give too much away… but I would like to say that I don’t think there was anything wrong with the age difference between them. There really wasn’t that much of a difference to begin with…. 6 years max!
This truly is a great story and told from both of their points of view! It is told from both the past and the present and Melanie did a fantastic job!

 
 

Melanie Dawn is a thinker, a dreamer, and a hopeless romantic. When her head isn't in the clouds, she spends her time as a jack of all trades to her family. Melanie resides in the hills of North Carolina with her husband, her three children, and her cat. She enjoys lazy summer afternoons cruising around the lake on the pontoon boat with her family. 

Melanie graduated from UNC-Chapel Hill with a BA in Psychology and earned her MA in School Counseling from Appalachian State University. She spent the first six years after graduate school as a middle school counselor. Those were years she deems as some of the best years of her life. That is, until she had children of her own. The last seven years have been spent as a stay-at-home mom. She has learned some tough life lessons, like what the inner absorbent pellets of a diaper look like scattered in the washing machine. She has also learned the strength of the willpower of a two year old lacking a nap. Through it all, Melanie has learned how to roll with the punches and appreciate the time she has been able to spend at home with her children. 

Now that her last child has started Kindergarten, Melanie is ready to add a new chapter in her life. That chapter begins with her debut novel—So Much It Hurts.




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