Hey there, bookworms. Happy Sunday! I hope you’re all well (as well and as sane as you can be during this crazy crazy time in our lives). Personally, I’ve been working like a fiend, and somehow trying to split my time between some house projects, reading, blogging, editing my first novel, trying to write two other novels.. and still somehow relax a bit, enjoy myself, and use this time to re-center and re-gain some sanity.
I’ve been reading slower than usual, but still, I’m reading faster than I’m reviewing, so as usual, they’re stacking up, which is good for all of you because then you get a lot of content coming your way. If you could just continue to be the cool people you’ve been all along and be patient with my posting, I’ll love you forever because clearly, I’m lagging a bit.
That being said, let’s just get to it and dive into a new book review! Today I’m chatting about Twice In A Blue Moon by the amazing writing duo, Christina Lauren.
As an adventurous send-off to her childhood, eighteen-year-old Tate Jones travels with her grandmother from their small town in Northern California to London. But the vacation of a lifetime is wonderfully derailed by the appearance of two charming Vermont farmers: grandfather Luther and his handsome grandson Sam.
Sam and Tate fall hard and fast. For two glorious weeks, the couple share their hopes, dreams, and secrets. Sam admits he suspects his grandfather is dying and that this could be the last trip they take together, and Tate reveals that she is the hidden daughter of one of the biggest film stars in the world—a secret she’s never told anyone before.
But when Tate is exposed by a crush of cameras and reporters, she knows she’s been betrayed by the one person she thought she could trust. She is forced to decide whether she will return to her quiet life or embrace being in the public eye. So when Sam reappears in her world more than a decade later, can Tate forgive the past and rekindle the passion they shared on their magical trip abroad? And does she even want to?
This book told such a wonderful story. I loved that I got to enjoy these characters in two critical phases in their lives. When Sam and Tate meet by chance across the pond, their attraction is fairly instant, and they’re both caught up in a whirlwind love that feels to them as if it’s impenetrable to the hard cynicisms of the outside world. Though they were young, something about their story was sweet and old-fashioned. It was nice to see how it all unfolded as they met up for their nightly chats in their garden which became their own private oasis as their bond grew.
I didn’t want to believe it when Tate’s trust is completely betrayed once she opens her heart up to Sam. I felt there either needed to be an explanation as to why they fell apart the way they did, or that things between them weren’t as obvious or as easy as they seemed. He didn’t seem like the kind of guy to break a girl’s trust so easily and leave her emotionally abandoned. I needed to know what happened next!
When they cross paths years later, it’s a whole other ballgame for them. What I adored in this new encounter between them is that there was never a juvenile approach to how they’d move forward. Sam and Tate have a past, and for so much of it, it was a good one, but Tate revealed a deep secret about herself that she had never trusted to tell anyone else, and Sam went behind her back, shattering her heart in the process. Now that they’re working together, they have to figure out a new dynamic and what works best for both of them so they can survive this project.
Years later, and she’s still hurt, but more than anything she wants answers. They’re civil, yet slightly awkward with one another after so much time apart. Tate’s secret is now public and at the forefront of her life. It’s led her in a different direction than she had initially planned when she was just 18. She’s conflicted and can’t decide whether to thank Sam for what he did all those years ago, or scream and cry in his face.
This part of the novel read like a slow burn. Tate and Sam are working and around a group of mutual friends and colleagues, so trying to find the time and opportunity to be alone and get on the same page doesn’t happen quickly or easily. While it was torture for me to wait for them to have a conversation that’s been years in the making, I liked witnessing them as adults trying to navigate their way back to one another through a chapter in their lives that proved to be painful. I almost expected the moment to be explosive, but I really appreciated how once they chatted, they took the time to process and express what they’ve both been keeping bottled up for so long in order to move on. They just had to decide if they’d do that together, or go their separate ways once more.
I loved this whole story. If you’re not new to the blog, you know I never have a bad thing to say about a Christina Lauren book. They always have a fantastic blend of sexy, angsty, funny, and witty when it comes to their novels, both in the plot as well as between their casts of characters. Twice In A Blue Moon is no different. Once we’re out of quarantine, I’d highly suggest tossing this book in your beach bag so you can relax in the sand with this genuinely charming story.
Until next time, bibliophiles, happy reading! Stay safe out there! xx
