2.5 Stars

This story follows Rose who, along with her mother, is a victim of domestic abuse at the hands of her father. She clearly is traumatised by years of this abuse and is desperately looking for an escape in whatever way she can. First it is with the mysterious William she finds after sneaking out of her window, then finally going to the police after a vicious attack on her mother by her father and then her studying in Paris. It is clear she is an emotionally vulnerable girl (she's still 17 at the start of the book) and so the introduction of William was concerning to me, knowing this book was labelled as romance as I was worried he would be some magical fix to her home situation which he thankfully was not as it is Rose herself who is finally able to get help and stop the abuse which I think was handled well. However, that being said the romance was still incredibly icky to me honestly as I struggled to see how the ending was romantic in any way. I'll get to that in time but to me this was more of a thriller/ mystery (which I mostly enjoyed) and not romance.

The character of William is definitely interesting and I think if the story was longer and a bit more developed then he could have been even better however as stated I did not see him as a love interest by the end. In my opinion, the ending felt more like a horror due to who William actually is and his prior connection with 'Rose'. I predicted early on that William was actually a ghost so that part of the mystery was not very impactful for me, however the introduction of fate and possible reincarnation of his previous love interest Belle as Rose was gripping and again more time developing William in the novel would have helped boost this impact for me. The horror part comes in the ending of Rose/Belle walking into the ocean to be with William forever. It might just be me, but I found that profoundly tragic but not in a cute star-crossed lovers way but instead more of a siren leading someone to their death way. That is truly what William felt like to me, a restless spirit convincing an emotionally vulnerable woman to her death for his own self fulfilment. I understand that probably was not the intention but that is still how it felt to me and that was really disappointing.

The mystery was also too short as in the end it the old man felt like a deus ex machina plot device as Rose was searching for clues and suddenly this one random old man knows all this important information about William and Belle, as well as where she can get even more information such as their letters and diaries. I did not feel much satisfaction that the mystery was actually solved because it just was. Then Rose over the course of just a few pages convinced herself she was in fact Isabelle, William's lover who he had to leave behind when he went off to fight in WW1, which felt super forced and too quick to be real (even for someone as mentally vulnerable as Rose).

If it is not obvious by now, my main criticism is that this book is too short. Whilst I do enjoy quick reads, I think there was just too much going on in the book for it to feel satisfying in the end as the conclusions felt very rushed, which in my opinion did not fit well with the serious subject matter such as domestic abuse and life after trauma. Rose had the rest of her life to figure out who she is and who William is, she could have even ended up with him eventually in natural death but instead she committed suicide in flowery descriptions and self justification. It was tragic, depressing and far from a happy ending to me. Yes they may find each other in every lifetime, but what good is that if Rose/Belle has to end her life to do so?

On a positive note, the reason I did not drop lower in my rating is that the overall writing was great. It is clear this author has a way with descriptions especially as they often times felt amazingly vivid but unfortunately that was not enough to make the whole story enjoyable for me.

Overall, this book is a quick read and I implore you to make your own conclusions with every book I review and this is no exception. This is clearly some people's kind of book but unfortunately it seems I am not one of those people.

I'm not sure I am the right audience for this book, and I found myself at the end of the novel wishing it were about 100 pages longer. Nevertheless, the writing in this story is beautiful, and I'm absolutely going to be looking into whatever Sara Simic writes in the future!

First there may be some trigger warnings before reading. Alcoholism, abuse and violent outbursts.
This is a story about Rose who has grown up in an abusive, household witnessing her father beat her mother. Rose meets a young fisherman William, who is very kind to her. Someone she can talk to share her dreams with. Is she to follow her dreams or risk losing William to follow her dreams. She dreams of going to Paris to become a famous artist. Yet the pull to William make Rose not want to say goodbye to William. I don’t want to give any spoilers away. This was a quick read.. I really enjoyed reading and would recommend to others.
Thank you to author Sara Simic, The Book Guild Publishing and NetGalley for allowing me to read this ARC for my honest opinion.

This is a quick read. I was hook with the story, I was very interested in since is set in the past and had drama plot going on.,

★5/5★
Perfect for YA Readers and Teen Readers who are into romance〜

(Trigger Warning: mentions of alcohol and abuse)

It starts off with Rose, a talented artist who loves going to the beach meets William and discovered a bond that transcended through time. This book was filled with mysteries that Rose had to discover and eventually finding herself in the process. It’s a light and quick read that literally tightened my chest, made me kick my legs, and feeling all giddy.

Thank you so, so much to Ms. Sara Simic and The Book Guild for my very first arc :)

This book was a very quick read. A young girl, from a troubled home, meets a fisherman who she starts to confide in and has feelings for. This story moved a bit too quickly for me. It made it hard for the relationship to feel real and developed. However, I could see how this short, quick read might appeal to a younger teenage audience.

First of all, thank you so much for trusting me with this ARC. This whole experience feels surreal and such a big step for me! I’m truly honored I got to read this early. Now let’s get into the book ⬇️

This was a very quick read, but oh my, sometimes it didn’t feel like that at all! At first, we are thrown into Rose’s world and her meeting with William, which definitely pulled me in, along with the mystery aspect that unfolds later. However, the pacing felt unbalanced at times, with some parts moving quickly and feeling rushed, while other moments lingered longer than necessary. Combined with my difficulty connecting with Rose, it made it even harder to stay fully engaged and care about her story and journey, even when the plot twists unfolded, like the reveal that William had been lost at sea for years.

In the end, I simply don’t think I was the right audience for this story. I always want to be honest in my reviews, so while this one didn’t work for me, I know it may resonate better with other readers.

This was a very well done ya romance! It had so much emotion in it and I loved how caring the main male character was in this book!📚

⭐️⭐️⭐️ 3/5

before i want to begin my review, i just want to warn that this does have mention of abuse and alcohol addiction. so put that into consideration if it may be triggering for your mental health.

with that said, this is a very quick read. it's not bad at all, i just struggled to get into the story. i just felt like Rose's character wasn't fully fleshed out. the fact that she was drawn to a lone, young man on a boat in the middle of the night made her seem a little dense. most victims in the midst of abuse are wary of people, especially men, but Rose was immediately trusting to William. she starts meeting him in secret in late nights, which is where the plot lost me. because even though he says kind things, i was like... hello? stranger danger!?!? but William's character becomes essential to the main character in the way that he gives her a safe space to unburden herself without judgement. strange, but it all comes together in the end.

despite Rose's naivety, i did like that the author kept her hopes and dreams intact. i think that it shows resilience, especially for survivors of abuse. almost like a reminder that what happened to you doesn't define you, and that you can use your pain to create something beautiful. Rose uses her art to express herself, and the author did well in describing some paintings to convey Rose's aspirations for herself. i found that inspiring. while the author really knew how to bring those paintings to life, i just felt like other descriptions throughout the story were repetitive. some parts also felt rushed, like even with Rose and William's friendship. they're immediately joking around like friends who've known each other far longer than the story started.

nonetheless, it isn't a bad read. i liked the description of the book, but in the end... i just don't think i was the right audience for this. i know a few friends who love that insta-love, will they/won't they, romance books where characters throw caution to the wind; i'll most likely be sure to recommend this to them. i just personally prefer more an in-depth, immersive reading experience. but if you love quick reads like these, then you'll most likely like this more than i did. i thought it was cute for a quick read though.

thank you to the author, Sara Simic, and The Book Guild Publishing for allowing me the opportunity to read an advanced copy via NetGalley. i leave this review of my own volition. all thoughts and opinions are my own.

This was a wonderfully done historical fiction novel, it had that feel that I was looking for and was engaged with the time period element that I was looking for. The characters had that feel that I was looking for and worked in this story and enjoyed the realistic element to this. I was invested in the true love element and how it was used in this storyline. Sara Simic has a strong writing style and was glad I read this, as it was beautifully written.

Growing up in an abusive household witnessing alcoholism turn into violent outbursts and hearing her father beat her mother, Rose
escapes at night and meets a kind young fisherman, William, who's straight talking and kind to her.

An aspiring artist, Rose gets through life dreaming of escaping to Paris to become a famous artist, yet, the pull to William is a strong bond she doesn't want to say goodbye.

With a serious undercurrent to the whole book about abusive households and addiction, where love is not always displayed in a healthy way and showing to have passion to follow your dreams despite adversity is possible.

There was also clever cover imagery and choice of colours tying in the plot line nicely and I enjoyed the characters soulmate style intertwined story too.

This is a book with drama in a new way, it shows a connection between two characters and the struggles they face. It was very good considering it's short but I got into the story and was very interested in everything. It's emotional and deep.