The Summer We Fell by Elizabeth O’Roark
Elizabeth O’Roark has this amazing ability to make me enjoy tropes that I would otherwise hate. I am not a fan of dual timelines and generally don't enjoy anything that feels like a love triangle, but lo and behold, I absolutely loved this book and couldn’t put it down!
This book actually felt a lot like a Jennifer Hartmann book to me. I don’t like dual timelines because the past timeline shows the MCs falling happily in love but you know there’s something awful coming. I think the reason I didn't mind the dual timeline in this story is because the past timeline didn't really feel all that happy from the start. You just knew from the beginning that things weren't going to go well for our main characters and that we were all in for an emotional tumultuous ride. It was hard to see the path to the HEA but I loved both main characters and their brokenness and tragic stories so much, I just wanted them to be happy and find a way to one another.
I don't want to say too much about this story and risk ruining the reading experience, but just know that the way that Luke really saw Juliet and championed for her always was absolutely swoon-worthy. And Juliet's unfailing support of him and all of the things he loved, even if it all happened in much quieter ways, was just as special. If you love protective heroes and ALL THE ANGST, I think you’ll love this forbidden second chance romance, too.
“You’re the bird,” he says softly, …”You’re something wild and magnificent, and he has no idea how to take care of you, so he spends all his time making sure your cage is secure because he has no idea what else to do. And that’s why this kills me, Juliet. Because I think I do know how to take care of you, and I want to take his place so bad that it f***ing hurts to look at you sometimes.”
If you’ve read the Devil series, you’ll get to see some of those characters in this story, too! And you’ll have already met Juliet in The Devil and the Deep Blue Sea.
Thank you to Valentine PR and Elizabeth O’Roark for an advanced copy!
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