L L Collins

Blake and Lianne have been best friends their entire lives. Ever since they can remember, their families have vacationed together at Sanibel Island. And even though they only see each other for a couple weeks each year, they've formed an unbreakable friendship. Or so Blake thought, until he confessed his feelings to Lianne and she shut him out. For years.

But now, as the two just finished high school and are preparing to start the next chapter of their lives, Lianne decides to give Blake another chance. He might like her like that, but that doesn't mean they need to ruin their friendship. She'd rather have him as a friend with an awkward crush than not at all.

Just before heading down to Florida, Lianne's long-term boyfriend dumps her in the worst way possible. To make matters worse, in the years she's gone without seeing Blake, he's grown up. Her best friend is now seriously good-looking, and she's seriously heartbroken. Finally willing to give it a try, Lianne and Blake enjoy two blissful weeks on the beach. But as Lianne comes to realize that she may very well have been harboring secret feelings for Blake all these years, a horrible turn of events threatens to ruin their new status as a couple.

So, what can I say about Twisted Souls? I liked Lianne, I liked Blake, I hated Ronan. Just like I was supposed to. I thought it was cute that the families supported Lianne and Blake's relationship so much. It was like they'd been waiting for that moment since childhood, and their dreams finally came true. And while the writing wasn't amazing, it was pretty good. I didn't find much to complain about.

What, then, didn't I like? Prepare yourself, because I'm about to get ranty.

One of the reasons I read new adult romances is for the happy endings. I can't think of a single new adult romance I've read that hasn't had a happy ending. The characters get thrown around, their lives fall apart, their hopes and dreams crash and burn... but everything works out in the end. By the time you hit that last page, they are content with their lives. Everything has worked itself out, and the good guys are happy. Always. In every book I've read. EVERY BOOK EXCEPT THIS ONE.

This does not have a happy ending. The characters all end up miserable. They make stupid decisions that could have easily been avoided -- I cannot even sympathize with the stupid things Lianne did. And the adults! How were the adults so awful? Why did Lianne's parents go along with her ridiculous plan to MARRY Ronan, the very guy who made her life miserable? (Side note: Why did she have to marry Ronan anyway? Why not just tell Blake what had happened?) Why did Lianne blindly accept that the baby was Ronan's? Why did the first OB she saw just blindly agree with her that the baby HAD to have been conceived when she was taking antibiotics? (That seemed like such a stupid reason. More believable would have been that in all the excitement at the beach, she missed a pill.) Why did Lianne's parents keep Blake from the wedding? Clearly Lianne would not have married Ronan if she'd known that Blake still cared about her. And finally, that flippant doctor at the end! "Looks like you weren't as far along as we initially thought." I can't. I'm done.

If you like having your heart ripped out and questioning the stupidity of literally every character, maybe you should read this one. Otherwise, steer clear. I'm pretending that it ended when they left the beach.

Final rating: 2.5

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the free copy.

[see all my reviews at the bibliophagist]… (more)

What would you do if you lost the love of your life? Many of us believe we wouldn’t be able to go on and for some, that’s true. What of those who continue to live? L.L. Collins’ Living Again is a poignant story about one woman’s journey to find the meaning of life after death.
As for characterization, we have rich characters. We spend a good amount of time with Kayley and it makes sense since this is her journey. Kayley is a strong character and you will sympathize with her especially when it comes to Alex. We’re not given many scenes with Alex or spend a lot of time remembering him. I questioned why Collins didn’t give us more scenes with him, but in the end, I liked not having him there. It made it easier for us to like Ben and give him a chance. That’s important because if we had spent a lot of time with Alex then it would have been difficult to accept Ben. As you can surmise Ben is Kayley’s love interest. I really liked his demeanor and how open and accepting he was of Kayley and her past. We have several secondary characters who are important. Kayley’s best friend, Emily is the one who encourages her to accept a date with Dr. Yummy, aka Ben. Then we Kayley’s co-worker, Rachel who is there for emotional support. I really liked Rachel and can’t wait to read her story. The one character who stole the show? Kayley and Alex’s daughter, Alexis. The moment she utters the word “daddy,” your heart will melt.

Narration is third person, set in the present along with the use of flashbacks. I liked the mixing of both, but at times a few flashbacks weren’t necessary and were just drawn out. I was ready to move onto the next scene and a flashback would slow down the narrative. That being said, I really did enjoy how Collins incorporated the use. As for the initial conflict, I won’t go into detail because I don’t want to ruin the story, but I think Collins could have played it up a little more. Although there’s a particular scene when Ben and Kayley are not together that was heart wrenching to read.

I debated with the rating between a three and four. I kept leaning towards a three because this is a plot I’ve read before and there’s only one way it can end. I decided on a four because of the journey Kayley and Ben both take. This wasn’t a simple instant love type of relationship, but one where two people had insecurities that had to be faced before moving on. I really liked that Kayley and Ben were upfront and talked. If I have one small complaint about the book, it’s that we don’t get much of Alex’s family in the story. I understand they live in a different state, but I would have liked more interaction with them and Alexis. They sort of felt detached to the story. In many ways, I suppose that mirrors real life. The reason for them connecting is no longer there. I just wish there would have been more between them and Alexis especially since Alexis is their bond. I loved that they were so open with Kayley and Ben’s relationship and that they were comfortable with Alexis calling Ben “dad.” More importantly, I adored how comfortable Ben was with Alex and his legacy and at no point does he act jealous or insecure about him.

L.L. Collins’ Living Again is an emotional tale that make you believe in love again and that a person can have more than one soul mate. Just make sure you have some tissues at hand because you’re going to need it!… (more)