3.5

I usually don't enjoy books that kick off and then go back in time. It just feels a little frustrating that it's not linear. In this case, the author actually made it quite easy because the back story was quite engaging.

I would have scored this higher but the reconnection didn't quite deliver enough for me.

It's Sam's final year of college and she's got full life. She's got a long term boyfriend, she's been accepted into medical school, and she's got great friends. But when she meets Kirby her whole world turns upside down and she learns a lot about herself and about love. Their love doesn't have a place in her life at this time, and it's not until decades later when the two meet again and with time and circumstances changing maybe their love is still destined to be.

This is actually my first book by Jaime Maddox and I enjoyed this book for the most part, the writing was a really nice style and the whole atmosphere in the book was light and fun and really resonated as a first real love. I found some of the pacing and the balance between past and present a little off. The summary made me think this would take place more in the present but the bulk of the story happens in the past where I think their romance really shines while the present time was a little bland. Sometimes the characters acted a little disjointed for me but overall I really enjoyed all the characters and liked seeing their evolution from their younger selves.

I received an ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This by far was one of the best I have read. I love the fact she took care of the twins and found love in the end when the timing was right. This is one that so Many moms can relate to.

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That’s in exchange of an honest review that I received an ARC of "Love Changes Everything" by Jaime Maddox from BSB (via NetGalley).
So, here it is !!!

My rating : 2 ⭐️

I have several of Jaime Maddox’s older books in my e-library but that’s the very first time that I’m able to read something by this author. (I haven’t had time to dicover her work yet …)

Based on the plot, the story was supposed to focuses on 49 years old Dr. Samantha "Sam" Brooks who’s having a late midlife crisis and is being deposed for a (maybe) lawsuit & on Kirby Fielding, Sam’s lawyer for this (maybe) lawsuit and also the woman with whom Sam had a brief but dazzling affair just before starting medical school over two decades ago…
So … What the hell was that ???

The book begins in present time, and, honestly, I liked it … BUT, unfortunately & sadly for me (and probably for a lot of other readers, very quickly arrives the "flashback" … well, if we can call this like that at this level since the story focused on the past occupies at least the 2/3 of the book … and, then, something like 50 pages before the end, back to present time. It makes the way the book is written not very interesting to me, since the author spends too much time on totally non-relevant details during a very short time frame (if I get everything right here, it’s covering only a 4 short weeks = 30 days period of time in the young MCs' life -- from the Tuesday they met at the softball tryouts to the Tuesday Sam's mom collapsed which pushed Sam to end things with Kirby the day after...)
Seriously, if you remove all that stuff ( = all the detailed scenes about the young MCs with whom you are NOT able to connect because they are very young adult, almost still girls), there is very little substance left from Sam and Kirby’s past relationship. As a matter of fact, all the annoying and useless details are more like fillers than anything else to me , even the " I Love Yous" … And about what happens in present time, it’s even worst !! There’s absolutely no substance at all about Sam and Kirby’s current relationship … How could it be and how could we know a thing about the MCs and connect with them, since it’s rushed… Whereas it would have been interesting to have some THERE, there’s a cruel lack of details … That was really boring to read about the young version of the MCs, so boring that the reading has become painful to me and I almost DNF the book...

OK, you get the picture : The book is clearly divided into two parts … But those two parts, the way they are presented in there, don’t make sense to me. I really don't see the point in the actual detailed part about the meeting and the fling that followed taking 2/3 of the novel which makes it a YA book!!! And given the actual building of the book ( at least that wasn't an action movie, such building of scenario would have emptied the theatre in no time…), I guess I won’t be the only one thinking that the MCs’ reunion and their reaquintence is too rushed, so, totally unbelivable. How could it be when what which would have taken a huge part of the book takes only 50ish pages and, so too many things fall miraculously into place with a total lack of angst and no depth.
Don't get me wrong, I don't mind a flashback or two but here, that's too much. In my opinion, it would have made more sense to have a 1/3 (or less, only ¼ would have been even better) of the book being "Part one"/ prologue about the young MCs in 1993 (a very short version of their meeting and what happened between them) and, then, a 2/3 (or even better ¾ ) "Part two" about the older MCs being reunited in present time. It would have avoided to totally break the flow and allowed a way much better character development (right now, it’s pretty poor), some real action and, in the end, a way more balanced and logical book with some depth... And … Maybe it would have been great (and more honest) to inform the readers about the mostly YA aspect of the novel. If I had known I wouldn't have requested the book since, the YA stories are not my cuppa, at all.

A few other things (not exhaustive list) which bothered me …
°° Sam is such a cliché : she is from a conservative and strict Catholic family, she has a boyfriend, but she fall in love (or so we are said) with a girl and is possessed by the "insta-pornstar effect" on her very first intimate encounter with the very same girl… Sam is questionning her sexuality, or so we are told … but, personally, I don’t think she questionned it too strongly … Why would she do that ? It could have led her to be truly herself (being gay, even more if the person is closeted, never prevented anyone to become a doctor, right ???) … that would have been such a shame …nope ??
°° Of course, since there’s a very religious upbringing, there’s the homophobic/bigot manipulative mother who uses her heart condition (the same heart condition she simply ignored for years) to emotionally bully her daughter, a child she should have loved unconditionally...
°° Sam's aggravating denial about her feelings about Kirby and her cowardice … her refusal to be herself taking the form of her stupid promise to her mom... Gosh !!! Seriously, Sam is really NOT a likeable MC and all the useless drama coming from her … Yuk!!
°° What to say about the totally ridiculous arguments such as "I’m Catholic, I can’t get divorced" or the "It’s complicated" .. Duh !! Like a lot of other things in the novel, it does not make sense to me … An example ?? => She couldn't get divorced but she could cheat on her husband (yep .. sleeping around while still married, in the eye of the Church, that's cheating... nothing less … and cheating, that’s a sin !!! )
°° In addition to too many details about irrelevant things, there are some repetitions which weakens even more the already poor narrative.
°° the rushed ending is a HFN, not a HEA...


If I had to make a very short and quite different version of my review, it’d be something like this :
- Did I enjoy this book? => Sadly … Nope ! It’s a book of very little interest.
- Did I find the characters believable? => Sadly … Nope !
- Is this book now included in my "must be re-read"-list? => Nope !
- Will I purchase the paperback? => Nope !
- Would I read another book by this author? => Yes. Since that’s the first time I was able to read a novel by Jaime Maddox, I don’t want to stay on this very disappointing experience & I’d like to give her, at least another chance.
- Would I recommend this book => I’ll let people use their free will to read the novel, or not …

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While in college, Dr. Samantha Brooks had a short but torrid affair with Kirby Fielding. But then she didn't have the courage to pursue the relationship any further. Now in her late 40s, with a failed marriage and twin boys who are about to leave for university, Samantha is in a better place. Until a deposition for a lawsuit makes her cross paths again with Kirby, who is now her lawyer. Sam feels the attraction again but will Kirby risk her heart for Sam once more?

This is a second chance romance set during two time periods: one in the 90s and the other in present time. The book starts in the present and after the mains meet again, it goes back in time in a long flashback that extends for more than half of the novel to finally come back to the present. I admit that the way the past and present stories were featured didn't help to hold my interest. Maybe if both stories were intertwined it would have made the plot move forward in a more dynamic way.

The past story is set in the 90s, which was around the time I came out so it brought me back to some painful memories of how society was less accepting of homosexuality then, but that's hardly the author's fault. However, as I couldn't connect with the main characters, I didn't find myself invested in their love story either. I couldn't empathise with them. So when the plot fast-forwarded to the present, I had already lost interest in seeing them together.

Funny enough, I found the medical and legal parts of the plot more interesting than the romance which doesn't surprise me as the author is a doctor herself. Ms. Maddox is very good at describing the issue of opioid addiction which she covered in-depth in her novel 'Hooked', which was written loosely based on one of her relatives' experience with drug addiction. The few medical scenes featured in this book made me wish that Ms. Maddox would write medical romances. If she did, I'd read them in a heartbeat.

Overall, an OK second chance romance lacking in the chemistry department. 3.5 stars.

ARC provided by the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

See all my reviews at www.lezreviewbooks.com

I'm late to the party on this, so I won't rehash the present day-with-flashback aspect that many others have covered, but it totally worked for me. Sam's experience of "what on earth is going on with me?" as a 22-year-old reminded me in vivid detail of my own time in high school. I was lucky to not have the added issue of Catholic guilt, but certainly it just wasn't discussed in my family for a couple of decades.

It's obvious that Jaime Maddox spent more than a month or two writing this book because of the level of detail and the superb characterization of the early '90s. An author really can't get too detailed for my taste, so I was quite impressed with this story. In fact, it was heading for five stars from me, but I would've enjoyed more time after Sam and Kirby reunited. Perhaps we'll be treated to a sequel?

Love might change everything, and in some occasions it takes time for it to happen. This is a second chance romance and may not be for everyone, as a long part of the book shows us how things did not work out.
I liked the book, but I got kind of bored at some point when talking about the past, so I had to take a break and come back to it later, something that is not usual for me.
Other than that, Sam and Kirby are strong and well driven women, and that is always nice to find on a book!

I chose this book because of the blurb so I was expecting a second chance romance between two older women. However, I would say the major part of the book is in the past when the main characters are around 23 years old.

Normally I wouldn't have picked a YA romance as it feels like a lifetime ago but the story of Kirby and Sam transported me the time, all interactions and emotions felt very realistic and could understand why Sam was struggled.

I would have loved for more time in the present and perhaps a little more passion after reconnecting again.

Overall, it is a good read.

A wonderful story about loving someone at different times in life.

This book opens with a 50 year old Sam having a midlife crisis, twin sons heading off to college and she's deposed for a lawsuit. This is when she discovers her lawyer is the same Kirby whom she had a brief affair with before medical school. Kirby is also Sam’s first real love. But Sam didn’t have the courage to follow her heart back then or reach out to Kirby ever since. Kirby at 50 years old, still has that same effect on Sam and Sam wants another shot with her.

This book juxtaposes the experience of a 20 year old girl falling in love with a 50 year old woman falling in love all over again. Not a lot of the book is spent rekindling the relationship between 50 year old Sam and Kirby. Instead a large proportion of the book is dedicated to the love story between the young pre-med Sam and Kirby. And this is understandable because of how people and society have changed over the years. A 50 year old Sam no longer has the same considerations as she did back in those days. Experience has nurtured her to be true to herself and open about it. So her interactions with Kirby are simply straight to the point, no grand gestures needed.

A 20 year old Sam is a different story. She wasn’t quite sure of her sexuality and couldn’t be courageous with her feelings. She struggled to reconcile her newfound sexuality with her own religious upbringing and was forced to manage her uptight Catholic mother. On top of that, both women had to deal with their busy careers and their futures. So Sam ended up choosing everything else over being true to her own feelings.

I'm not sure if love changed things for Sam. If anything, it awakened her. But it took years of self-realisation, time, circumstances, maturity and experiences all put together to change things around this time. To put it simply, its about having a different outcome from loving someone at a different time.

Overall I think the author did a wonderful job putting this story together.

3.5

When I was 16, I went through something similar to what one of the main characters Samantha Brooks went through. You're trying to figure your own sexuality out, as well as school and all other pressures of being a teenager. You meet someone, confused as hell, and have no idea how you're going to tell the parents. I can relate to the story... and it was so frigging hard to read. BUT, at the same time, it was nice, the blossoming romance between the 2 main characters. the feelings they had felt very real.
The story is set into 2 parts. The past and the present. Even tho the past was hard to read, full of prejudices, it was needed to explain why Samantha found it difficult with her own sexuality and found it hard to come out, especially to her family. I would have loved to have known more about Kirby's background etc..
I did feel like the ending was rushed, I think this needed more...

I was given a copy for an honest review.

Oh what a feeling when you have found that someone that you would like to spend the rest of your life with. But what if "the one" is afraid to take the life journey with you. This read about self-discovery, doubt, friendship, family, Catholic guilt, and love. Kirby Fielding, attorney, unbeknownst to her is set to meet the women that walked away 30 years ago. Samantha Brooks, ER physician, unbeknownst to her is set to meet the women she walked away from 30 years ago. Kirby and Samantha are both likable. Kirby knows who she is, a lesbian working in a career that she loves and is good at. Samantha struggles with Catholic guilt. It is important to do the right/straight thing. I can understand the family and general life pressure of presenting and living a straight life.

As the story unfolds, it is presented in two parts: current and 30 years ago. To some extent, that was good. I suppose I preferred that as opposed to moving back and forth throughout the story. Being true to self can be difficult if you feel actual or perceived guilt. What a supportive person Kirby was, wow.

Beautiful read! Loved evening about this book. Sweet, complex, sexy, adventures, and so much more. I will definitely keep tabs on this writers work in the future.

I can't really explain it, while I enjoyed the story, something just felt forced with it. I didn't get lost in it or connect to it as i would have hoped, but the writing was still good and the story flowed well.

I was given a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Do you ever think about your first love, the one that didn't last for so many reasons?

Sam is a talented ER doctor, mother of teenage boys who is happy with her life.

An unexpected legal issue brings her face to face with her past.

Kirby, her first female lover, is the lawyer who will sheppard her through another doctor's malpractice suit. And along the way, relive the very brief, passionate, angst filled romance they shared when Sam was twenty two.

The plot explores coming to terms with your sexuality, making decisions based upon pleasing your parents and the path you take based on those choices.

This is a well written, smoothly paced story.

Netgalley Review:

I liked the writing style and I thought the dialogue was interesting and true to life. This book honestly gave me slight PTSD to both coming out and dating someone coming out. I think the balance between the present and the past was a bit off and the present seemed easily resolved. Also, the catholicism and weird friend's opinions on queerness was sort of intense, I would have liked more context for that or maybe a final check in on the characters evolution on her sexual orientation. 3 stars.

Another book by Ms Maddox and like all her other books a joy to read.
DR. Samantha Brooks grew up knowing she wanted to be a doctor just like her dad. So she lived the kind of life every parent would be proud of. No late night parties, no staying out too late, no drugs and the best thing, at least for her mother, she was dating Doug. This was the man both Sam and her mother thought she’d marry. Her father died while she was still a teen but her mother reminded her often just how proud he’d be.
But in her final year of college she met Kirby Fielding and started a relationship that lasted only three weeks but it had changed how she saw herself. She wanted to be a part of Kirby’s life but how could she do that when she didn’t identify as lesbian and there was no way in hell would her mother wanted this life for her. Stick with Doug and over time she had her twins but needless to say the marriage did not survive.
Kirby Fielding had already graduated and was working at a local bank. She lived her life out in the open and never thought she’d find herself in a relationship with Sam. She wasn't done with her education either, seeing herself becoming a lawyer. But she couldn't deny the feelings she had for Sam. But could she live her life in the closet. Maybe for the short term but her whole life, she just couldn’t see that happening. She did meet a woman with whom she had two children.
Everything changed when her mother had a health scare. As it was she didn’t want her daughter with Kirby or any other women. Being the only parent Sam had and her being sick her mother made Sam promise her she’d stop seeing Kirby. Didn’t change the fact that they were in love. It was hard to keep her promise but she did. Now twenty years later Sam was sued and the lawyer who was given the task of defending her was Kirby. After all this time did they even have a desire to start again.
Ms Maddox knows how to tell a story, filled with interesting characters and two main characters. Sam and Kirby, people you will find yourself rooting for.
ARC via NetGalley/ Bold Stroke Books

This book had me completely captivated - more so than anticipated. Samantha's personal journey outlined in this book was exceptional. I really felt for her, especially her relationship with her mother and its implications. I was completely enraptured with Samantha and Kirby - I felt like I could feel their chemistry through the pages and really wanted them to have their HEA.

In regard to the book's blurb, I think it could've been clearer that the majority of this book takes place in 1993, when Samantha and Kirby were in their early 20's. The novel overall was written really well. I loved the way Maddox managed to wrangle both time periods together to create this beautiful love story.

My third book from Bold Strokes this month that approaches the traditional romance book differently. I enjoyed the writing, the book construction and the narrative of this one.

We start in the present day with Samantha, an ER doctor, who is being sued. The hospital is providing a lawyer, who turns out to be the woman Samantha had a relationship with in college - Kirby.

A large chunk of the book takes place in 1993, when the pair originally fall for each other in their early twenties. Some of this has a stereotypical homophobic parental trend, but it isn’t done in an overly dramatic way. I enjoyed that we got to know the characters a little in the present day before we made the cut back to their origin story and I liked that we got to see the beginning and the end of the relationship journey at that point.

We don’t spend anytime with them as a couple in the present day except for the epilogue which is a bit of a shame, but nonetheless I felt like the pacing was about right as they explored getting to know each other again. It’s nice to have older characters in wlw fiction. I enjoyed the maturity of the discussions when they reconciled and in the present day discussions around the lawsuit. The tonal difference between the present day and the past to illustrate how both women had grown in themselves was also done really well.

I’d recommend this to any wlw romance fans. It’s structure makes for an interesting read, especially as by not having a traditional chronological structure it escapes the 90% breakup.

I received an e-ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

A great second chance romance where you find yourself rooting for the characters. Samantha and Kirby met when they were in their twenties and then they meet again when they're over fifty. They have great chemistry and still get along well. The main part of the book focuses on them being young and Sam struggling with a conservative Catholic mother who pushes her to break off her romance with Kirby. Sam then moves to a different city to start medical school, marries her high school boyfriend and has kids.

Sam’s struggles are described very realistically and that helps to understand where her choices are coming from. Kirby’s character is calm, very mature and reassuring – so nice. When they meet again the tension is palpable and the chemistry is still there. The ending might not please all readers (as it could have benefited from another chapter or two), but it is certainly open to imagination.

Classic lesbian romance, two women meet but for one its not the right time and so it falls apart and then they meet by chance years later... I really enjoyed the way that this book started with the two main characters meeting and then went back in time to when they first met and fell in love. It's an unusual device and works well, the focus is much more on Dr Samantha Brooks and the challenges she faced when they were first together. When the book returns to the present day though we do find out more about what happened for Kirby in the intervening years. A good story told well.

With thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.