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Seeing Julia
I've been here before. I've done this before. At sixteen, I
buried my parents. At twenty-three, my fiancé Bobby. And now, almost four years later, my husband Evan. I'm here again in the after. Here's what I know: death abducts the dying, but grief steals from those left
behind.
Tragedy. Heartbreak. A decade of loss defines her, but an illicit connection to a stranger saves her, yet leaves her questioning her past, her life, and herself, most of all.
When she's at the precipice of her life, looking over the edge and seeing nothing, he saves her from herself. The connection between them stirs something inside that Julia thought she had lost long ago. Still, she questions her ability to start over and wonders if she can move on if it means letting go of her past--a past that seemingly still defines her.
Please be advised that SEEING JULIA contains adult language and adult situations and is not appropriate for young readers. (Mature Young Adult/ New Adult/Adult Fiction)
buried my parents. At twenty-three, my fiancé Bobby. And now, almost four years later, my husband Evan. I'm here again in the after. Here's what I know: death abducts the dying, but grief steals from those left
behind.
Tragedy. Heartbreak. A decade of loss defines her, but an illicit connection to a stranger saves her, yet leaves her questioning her past, her life, and herself, most of all.
When she's at the precipice of her life, looking over the edge and seeing nothing, he saves her from herself. The connection between them stirs something inside that Julia thought she had lost long ago. Still, she questions her ability to start over and wonders if she can move on if it means letting go of her past--a past that seemingly still defines her.
Please be advised that SEEING JULIA contains adult language and adult situations and is not appropriate for young readers. (Mature Young Adult/ New Adult/Adult Fiction)
328 pages, Paperback
First published April 30, 2011
85 people are currently reading
1122 people want to read
About the author
Katherine Owen
15 books585 followersAuthor of the bestselling Truth In Lies series including This Much Is True, The Truth About Air & Water and Tell Me Something True.
Visit www.katherineowen.net to join Owen's new releases email list/newsletter and never miss an announcement about her newest novel releases or book updates and giveaways. Or, sign up directly at http://bit.ly/KOnewsletter.
Onward...
When asked to describe...
Dark. Edgy. Contemporary. Romantic.
Were we describing me? Or my fiction? Sorry. I drink too much...coffee, not enough water.
I swear too much for God and my mother, and I slip these into my fiction. Sorry.
I'm impatient, a perfectionist, a wordsmith, a dreamer, which ends up being good and bad. I'm always writing, just ask my family.
I've written seven novels: Seeing Julia, Not To Us, When I See You, as well as the Truth In Lies series (new adult fiction) including This Much Is True, The Truth About Air & Water and Tell Me Something True. My latest release is The Image Maker in the Hollywood Hearts series. Just released!
If you love angsty, unpredictable love stories, I'm yours. ♥
I'd love to hear from you here or connect with me on Facebook.
Here are my websites: www.katherineowen.net OR www.katherineowenwrites.com for links to books, reviews, my blog, Tumblr, and Pinterest.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 115 reviews
September 16, 2013
5 "I feel your pain, sign me up for a straigh jacket, beautiful" stars
I am a huge Katherine Owen Fan. LIKE HUGE!!!!!!!! I love her writing hard. Everything about her books i love. So what do i have to say about Seeing Julia you ask??? (well you might not have asked, but im going to fucking tell you since you are reading this)
My poor Julia. She sure did have shit handed to her on a stick. I mean this girl couldn't catch a break. She had everything taken from her, over and over and over and over again. I mean, JESUS, give this women a break. She deserved to act exactly how she acted. I mean i woud have jumped off a building, wait thats not very good, i would have checked myself in the looney bin if i had all that happen to me
Now, i think when you read this book, you ether get Julia or you don't and if you don't then I think you need your head fucking examed. but thats me just being me. I loved her and I wll fight to defend her actions. So come at me bitch!!!
I just want to put this out there. I totally called some of the shit. Im like a pro and I got all big in the head, and then fucking bam she bitch slapped me down a peg
The writing was just, no words for how beautiful the writing was.
Highly recommend, I am bias thought, cause I HEART KATHERINE OWEN!!!
i love me some Katherine Owen. putting my big girl panties on and diving in. wish me luck
Read
June 17, 2011I wrote it! "Seeing Julia" is a labor of love. A book that took two years to write, rewrite, and finish. I won the Zola Award and first place in the romance category with the Pacific Northwest Writers Association 2010 Literary Contest with this novel. Enjoy!
May 10, 2012
This was an intense emotional story,from pg 1 i got so gripped in the story,Julia's loss pain grief made me cry-the marriage which she thought was perfect is a sham then the accident,she is trying to collect herself from all of this then she gets to know of another most hurting thing Evan did,she is broken totally but yet again with help of Kimmy,Stephanie she picks herself again,plans out everything and starts to make decisions.
Jake:He was a good but hypocrite man.He was angry at Julia for going out with Grant and kissing him when he himself was sleeping around with Savannah to make her pregnant.I am conflicted about his love for Julia,he says he has love Julia from the time he was 17 and kept following her,trying to get her,in this time he was heart broken twice,i completely support his decision when he found out she married Evan he backed out but then when they met again he says he still loves her then how can he go n sleep with Savannah?In one of phone conversations he said "Yes i love you will call you back"if he has feelings for Julia then what is this love talk with Savannah???Never did he confronted Savannah for her lies:(
Savannah:She was B****,selfish greedy spoiled woman,way she rubbed her affair with Evan in Julia's face is so disgusting,when she did it she betrayed Jake cause she was engaged to him,she only cares about money and she proved it also by the end:(I was so happy she left but only thing that disappointed me she was never exposed fully,Jake never confronted her about the note she hid and lies she told,she went away unscathed with her actions.
Evan:Disliked him so much,he was a lousy husband and a coward.
Liked the friendship bond shown between Kimmy-Julia-Stephanie,way these three were always there for each other.It was really hard for me to see that after all the trauma Julia went through she was rushing into another marriage with Jake so soon.
Had few issues but overall a good read
Recommend it.
Jake:He was a good but hypocrite man.He was angry at Julia for going out with Grant and kissing him when he himself was sleeping around with Savannah to make her pregnant.I am conflicted about his love for Julia,he says he has love Julia from the time he was 17 and kept following her,trying to get her,in this time he was heart broken twice,i completely support his decision when he found out she married Evan he backed out but then when they met again he says he still loves her then how can he go n sleep with Savannah?In one of phone conversations he said "Yes i love you will call you back"if he has feelings for Julia then what is this love talk with Savannah???Never did he confronted Savannah for her lies:(
Savannah:She was B****,selfish greedy spoiled woman,way she rubbed her affair with Evan in Julia's face is so disgusting,when she did it she betrayed Jake cause she was engaged to him,she only cares about money and she proved it also by the end:(I was so happy she left but only thing that disappointed me she was never exposed fully,Jake never confronted her about the note she hid and lies she told,she went away unscathed with her actions.
Evan:Disliked him so much,he was a lousy husband and a coward.
Liked the friendship bond shown between Kimmy-Julia-Stephanie,way these three were always there for each other.It was really hard for me to see that after all the trauma Julia went through she was rushing into another marriage with Jake so soon.
Had few issues but overall a good read
Recommend it.
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November 21, 2024
PPFF Rating: 5/5 Stars
Not angsty but an emotional read (if that even makes a difference).
The thing is, I've been trying to stay away from the whole New Adult genre which is why I've been reading a lot of Romantic Suspense lately. The former has become so much predictable, what with all the f**ked up characters and rollercoaster of emotions, not that I don't like reading them, usually. Anyway, a good read is a good read so it primarily doesn't matter much what genre a book is but it does make a whole world of difference when a story is so well-written. And this book is definitely that - beautifully written, that is - and so much more.
Granted, I do think the circumstances of the story are quite unbelievable, and I mean that in the literal sense. But then again, somehow, I do believe in the whole concept of the book. It's heartbreaking, the characters are captivating, and Katherine Owen's words so haunting. It's also quite a lengthy book and normally, I'd either feel frustrated or annoyed at all the angsty push-and-pull dance thing going on but with Seeing Julia, I appreciated all the emotional upheaval that it has caused me to feel.
Right from the start, I can't help but root for Julia. She's lost her parents, her fiance (Bobby) and her husband (Evan) and to think she's only 27. With the help of her inner circle and her one-year-old son, she tries to move forward with her life, to learn how to trust, be happy and love again. And there's a cute little twist to the story... :)
The writing is gut-wrenching and oh so beautiful and they don't sound superfluous at all. In retrospect, I don't really mind how cliche and predictable NA books are but with most of them, I would usually get the feeling that the angst elements are too forced and drawn out that I'd end up rolling my eyes at how much of a fluff they actually are. Thus, my love/hate, hit or miss reaction to the genre.
What I love most about this book is that it made me feel so much. If I was the crying type, I would have cried a few times (for the record, I think the last book that made me really cry was Nicholas Sparks's Message in a Bottle and that was ages ago), I laughed at the few precious lighthearted moments, and I was also jealous of Julia's inner circle of friends - how much they gave importance to their friendship and how loyal they were to one another. But surprisingly, although I was sad and affected, I never felt depressed. I guess the book still had a way of making me feel hopeful even after every devastating thing that happened. Brilliant writing, I'm telling you.
A lot of people might hesitate to read this story, maybe fearing that it would be too heavy but I promise, the emotional journey is absolutely worth it. ;)
***Check out my blog: Press Pause, Fast Forward
Not angsty but an emotional read (if that even makes a difference).
Here’s what I know: death abducts the dying, but grief steals from those left behind.
The thing is, I've been trying to stay away from the whole New Adult genre which is why I've been reading a lot of Romantic Suspense lately. The former has become so much predictable, what with all the f**ked up characters and rollercoaster of emotions, not that I don't like reading them, usually. Anyway, a good read is a good read so it primarily doesn't matter much what genre a book is but it does make a whole world of difference when a story is so well-written. And this book is definitely that - beautifully written, that is - and so much more.
Granted, I do think the circumstances of the story are quite unbelievable, and I mean that in the literal sense. But then again, somehow, I do believe in the whole concept of the book. It's heartbreaking, the characters are captivating, and Katherine Owen's words so haunting. It's also quite a lengthy book and normally, I'd either feel frustrated or annoyed at all the angsty push-and-pull dance thing going on but with Seeing Julia, I appreciated all the emotional upheaval that it has caused me to feel.
The pain is too much, the loss too great. There is no more before, and the after is too devastating. There isn't enough of me left to go on. Grief has stolen too much of me now.
Right from the start, I can't help but root for Julia. She's lost her parents, her fiance (Bobby) and her husband (Evan) and to think she's only 27. With the help of her inner circle and her one-year-old son, she tries to move forward with her life, to learn how to trust, be happy and love again. And there's a cute little twist to the story... :)
The writing is gut-wrenching and oh so beautiful and they don't sound superfluous at all. In retrospect, I don't really mind how cliche and predictable NA books are but with most of them, I would usually get the feeling that the angst elements are too forced and drawn out that I'd end up rolling my eyes at how much of a fluff they actually are. Thus, my love/hate, hit or miss reaction to the genre.
And, here’s what I know: I’m not drowning anymore. I can’t see my island; he’s gone forever from me now, but I’m standing on life’s shore again. I am here.
What I love most about this book is that it made me feel so much. If I was the crying type, I would have cried a few times (for the record, I think the last book that made me really cry was Nicholas Sparks's Message in a Bottle and that was ages ago), I laughed at the few precious lighthearted moments, and I was also jealous of Julia's inner circle of friends - how much they gave importance to their friendship and how loyal they were to one another. But surprisingly, although I was sad and affected, I never felt depressed. I guess the book still had a way of making me feel hopeful even after every devastating thing that happened. Brilliant writing, I'm telling you.
There was before. And, there was after.
A lot of people might hesitate to read this story, maybe fearing that it would be too heavy but I promise, the emotional journey is absolutely worth it. ;)
***Check out my blog: Press Pause, Fast Forward
January 29, 2013
I liked the story but it drug out a bit long. I was also a bit alarmed by the number of grammatical errors, missing words and typos in an book by this author. Any good editor should have caught those and apparently she had 3 different people edit this book,but it had mistakes it should not have in it. Also, for such a young age for the principle characters (around 27) they all seemed to have accomplished a great deal for already having graduate degrees and/or being doctors. It made the story a bit of a stretch.
January 11, 2015
Wow! I think I have read all of Katherine Owens books and just like I expected she delivers the biggest emotional rollercoaster a in her stories! Just when you think the characters are going to get their act together she tears them back down! My mind kept asking "are we there yet?", "when will you give them a break?" But in the end the hours of emotional torture are completely worth it!
A reader is never disappointed at the end of Katherine's books!
A reader is never disappointed at the end of Katherine's books!
August 6, 2013
How do you deal with the fact that death happens every so often in your life? How do you deal with grief?
This book is a masterpiece of emotions, of the fight that someone has to do to survive. It's gripping, it's emotional--but it also has its cute moments. And who doesn't like a little romance here and there?
This book is a masterpiece of emotions, of the fight that someone has to do to survive. It's gripping, it's emotional--but it also has its cute moments. And who doesn't like a little romance here and there?
September 16, 2014
****4 Finally Found Love Stars****
What powerful story of loss, love and coming to terms with life. Julia had so much heartache in her life that you can’t help but root for her and her happiness. This story was filled with growth, learning and finding where you belong.
What powerful story of loss, love and coming to terms with life. Julia had so much heartache in her life that you can’t help but root for her and her happiness. This story was filled with growth, learning and finding where you belong.
July 9, 2011
This is one of those "read in one-sitting" books. Loved it!
August 25, 2011
There was before. And, there was after.
Before was magical, embraced promise,
and bequeathed good things.
Before was for the innocent.
After was the haunted, and relinquished all promise. (pg 5)
'Seeing Julia' has one chapter of before; the rest is after. The after starts with Julia at her husband's funeral. And this is where I began to cry. Katherine Owen is able to write Julia's story with so much emotion that I was almost overwhelmed. Reading it is a truely emotional ride! Julia tells us her story in first person present so each feeling, each action is immediate and real to the reader. We follow Julia through loss and grief and through the agonizing process of trying to redefine herself as a 27 year old widow and mother to seven month old Reid. Julia's 'inner circle' of close friends becomes her strength when she can find none in herself. They hold her up and pull her through.
For some reason, I expected 'Seeing Julia' to be a fluffy, unreal romance novel. I don't know where I got this idea but I couldn't have been more wrong, 'Seeing Julia' is so much more. It is deep and real and full of emotion and pain and friendship and love. I can't say enough good about it. The main characters in the novel are very well developed and the story is easy to follow and read. I could feel Julia's pain from the beginning and I could also see the inner strength that she was struggling to reach. At first I wondered at her relationship with Jake, husband Evan's best friend. The intensity of her feelings for Jake seemed out of place considering the circumstances, but as we become privy to what is really going on in Julia's mind and how her grief is affecting her, understanding dawns. The reader begins to accept this relationship for what it is as secrets are revealed and Julia's past is explored.
If there is a negative about this book it is the lack of development of the relationship between Julia and her nanny, Lianne. For playing such an important role in Julia's life, Lianne remains a shadow in the story. She just seems to be a convenient plot ploy so that Julia has more freedom to grieve without having to think of Reid. I would have liked her to have more substance.
Julia's story will stay with me for a long time. I'm a little sad that this is a stand alone book, I would like to spend more time with all of the characters involved. As it is, I look forward to reading more by Katherine Owen.
Before was magical, embraced promise,
and bequeathed good things.
Before was for the innocent.
After was the haunted, and relinquished all promise. (pg 5)
'Seeing Julia' has one chapter of before; the rest is after. The after starts with Julia at her husband's funeral. And this is where I began to cry. Katherine Owen is able to write Julia's story with so much emotion that I was almost overwhelmed. Reading it is a truely emotional ride! Julia tells us her story in first person present so each feeling, each action is immediate and real to the reader. We follow Julia through loss and grief and through the agonizing process of trying to redefine herself as a 27 year old widow and mother to seven month old Reid. Julia's 'inner circle' of close friends becomes her strength when she can find none in herself. They hold her up and pull her through.
For some reason, I expected 'Seeing Julia' to be a fluffy, unreal romance novel. I don't know where I got this idea but I couldn't have been more wrong, 'Seeing Julia' is so much more. It is deep and real and full of emotion and pain and friendship and love. I can't say enough good about it. The main characters in the novel are very well developed and the story is easy to follow and read. I could feel Julia's pain from the beginning and I could also see the inner strength that she was struggling to reach. At first I wondered at her relationship with Jake, husband Evan's best friend. The intensity of her feelings for Jake seemed out of place considering the circumstances, but as we become privy to what is really going on in Julia's mind and how her grief is affecting her, understanding dawns. The reader begins to accept this relationship for what it is as secrets are revealed and Julia's past is explored.
If there is a negative about this book it is the lack of development of the relationship between Julia and her nanny, Lianne. For playing such an important role in Julia's life, Lianne remains a shadow in the story. She just seems to be a convenient plot ploy so that Julia has more freedom to grieve without having to think of Reid. I would have liked her to have more substance.
Julia's story will stay with me for a long time. I'm a little sad that this is a stand alone book, I would like to spend more time with all of the characters involved. As it is, I look forward to reading more by Katherine Owen.
July 14, 2011
While I was reading this novel, and posting my progress, I had only one word."Compelling". This is a story about a woman who married a man one month after meeting him! She is very much in love, pregnant and on top of the world. Evan has a somewhat "unhealthy" attachment to his dead wife,whom she has an amazing resemblance to. She can live with that. One stormy night her life as she knew it is gone. It was so hard to read the chapters about her decline into grief, pain and despair. After the funeral she is taking far too many pain kllers, and far too much alcohol. She is rescued by her husband's best friend the mysterious Jake Winston.Their relationship consists of encounters that are filled with dislike, anger, but there is some strange "pull" that keeps them coming back.
She goes to Paris with her son, whom she adores, and her best friends, for a trip that is all about healing and getting back on her feet. After a few months she is working again, healthier, and has a better outlook. She then finds out about problems with her husband's estate that her "inner circle" is trying to protect her from. It's time to go home.
On her son's 1st birthday, they are having a big party, filled with her best friends. The next betrayal comes and brings her nearly to her knees. She leaves,feeling she has to have time to herself to ponder her life. She is much stronger now...all she wants is a life with her son, as he IS her life. This is a wonderful story that shows the strength of a woman, and mother, and the priceless love of friends. I couldn't put it down.
She goes to Paris with her son, whom she adores, and her best friends, for a trip that is all about healing and getting back on her feet. After a few months she is working again, healthier, and has a better outlook. She then finds out about problems with her husband's estate that her "inner circle" is trying to protect her from. It's time to go home.
On her son's 1st birthday, they are having a big party, filled with her best friends. The next betrayal comes and brings her nearly to her knees. She leaves,feeling she has to have time to herself to ponder her life. She is much stronger now...all she wants is a life with her son, as he IS her life. This is a wonderful story that shows the strength of a woman, and mother, and the priceless love of friends. I couldn't put it down.
May 2, 2013
There were echoes of 'When I See You' in 'Seeing Julia' for me, since that's the order in which I've read them, although 'Seeing Julia' was written first. Many many similarities in the two stories. I really liked this one, although to be honest, it felt like the hero Jake and the heroine Julia were on a merry go round in their budding relationship, going in circles for most of the first half of the story, having the same conversations and reactions to each other. And then Savannah enters the picture and that's when, for me, the story made me sit up and say Oh yeah now we're getting somewhere. I love a character who is so over-the-top outrageously hateful and hurtful who I can hate with glee. Her appearance changed everything for Julia and Jake and made me really like this story. Like 'When I See You' it is filled with so much angst and so much hope, which I love, and certainly not a typical romance novel, thank goodness. Loved all the characters, although sometimes I felt like I was in the middle of a 'Sex And The City' episode [and I'm not saying that's a bad thing]. I recommend this as a good read, and once again, kudos to the story teller.
September 26, 2024
A very beautiful book. Recently, I've had trouble reading romance, because many of them aren't written very well in my opinion. This one, fortunately, is an exception. What I like most about it is the language. It's not the kind of language I usually find in this genre and I just loved that. There was great detail, there was a lot of love, drama, EVERYTHING you need. There were moments when I thought it was too much of a cliché, like Evan having an affair or the quick marriage after finding out that Julia was pregnant. But those are small points and for the most I really enjoyed it.
July 20, 2012
Literary masterpiece. This book would be an amazing read for psych majors. It's... deep. Love, loss, mental breakdown, grief, karma, revenge, and at last happiness. I read this book in one night. I could not put it down. The heavy emotions suck you in. I highly recommend this novel and I will read it again.
September 19, 2013
Love the story, love the characters.... I really enjoy a book that you have to read every word & sometimes re-read a paragraph. That may seem a little odd but I read alot & some books / authors just capture your attention. This is one of those. Heartbreak, love, hope & trust is all here. As well as alone in the after...such a very lonely place in time.
December 5, 2011
Loved this story! Though i was really sad that Julia had went through all that pain but really happy that she found her happiness with Jake in the end :D
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 31, 2012
A very introspective book. I get that Julia is full of grief and confused and had bad things happen to her, but she was way too self-absorbed and not nearly as proactive as she could have been. I actually liked the story somewhat, enjoyed the writing style, and sympathized with Julia, loved Kimmy, and thought Dr. Brad was hilarious. But what peeved me was that the baby, Reid, was a prop who was shunted off to the nanny and other friends. He was always conveniently asleep when the Julia wanted to get hot and heavy with Jake, her dead husband's best friend, and never caused any trouble as far as waking up and interrupting a kiss, or throwing a tantrum when mother dearest wanted to leave him with yet another caregiver.
The repetition of several mannerisms and sayings got tiresome. Yes, I get it's a code word, but it is used over and over again. The same with the blackjack dealer standdown move. Yes, people use the same gestures, but Julia was fluttering those hands all the time. Jake's drawl and hangdog look also got old fast, and I didn't even think he was so hot or anything, just plain pathetic. The author can TELL us that he's handsome and GQ and all that and describe all his cool clothes, but I couldn't feel any attraction myself. I mean, I'm told that Julia gets this unexplained electric feel, but my emotions were not dragged in where I felt it.
The story was too predictable and the ending went on forever. I didn't feel Jake's dialogues were real. They were too long and full of psycho jargon and not how normal guys talk. And of course, the repeated "I've always loved you." at the end was too eyerolling, especially since we spent most of the book with Julia grieving over her two lost loves, Bobby and Evan.
The book could use a line edit and proofreading. Superfluous commas littered the manuscript to the point of visual distraction and auditory stumbling. I didn't bother to mark, but I think there was a mistaken name or some other obvious swapped word and repeated words that could have been easily caught. Paragraph breaks and action beats did not correlate with the dialogue in places, and sometimes I could not tell who was speaking.
Despite the editorial issues, I still give it a 4 star because I love damaged and flawed characters who overcome their depression and grief. I just wish I could have felt it more in the actions and viscerals and not been told by having the emotions named and identified for me.
The repetition of several mannerisms and sayings got tiresome. Yes, I get it's a code word, but it is used over and over again. The same with the blackjack dealer standdown move. Yes, people use the same gestures, but Julia was fluttering those hands all the time. Jake's drawl and hangdog look also got old fast, and I didn't even think he was so hot or anything, just plain pathetic. The author can TELL us that he's handsome and GQ and all that and describe all his cool clothes, but I couldn't feel any attraction myself. I mean, I'm told that Julia gets this unexplained electric feel, but my emotions were not dragged in where I felt it.
The story was too predictable and the ending went on forever. I didn't feel Jake's dialogues were real. They were too long and full of psycho jargon and not how normal guys talk. And of course, the repeated "I've always loved you." at the end was too eyerolling, especially since we spent most of the book with Julia grieving over her two lost loves, Bobby and Evan.
The book could use a line edit and proofreading. Superfluous commas littered the manuscript to the point of visual distraction and auditory stumbling. I didn't bother to mark, but I think there was a mistaken name or some other obvious swapped word and repeated words that could have been easily caught. Paragraph breaks and action beats did not correlate with the dialogue in places, and sometimes I could not tell who was speaking.
Despite the editorial issues, I still give it a 4 star because I love damaged and flawed characters who overcome their depression and grief. I just wish I could have felt it more in the actions and viscerals and not been told by having the emotions named and identified for me.
July 29, 2012
Check out my other reviews for this book at my blog called Devouring Words
http://escapesrealitylivingbetweenpag...
Review
Seeing Julia has me right from the first chapter. I loved the characters (all of them) they were all so realistic, there is no farce, they weren't perfect but they were amazing. Julia has been through so much ever since she was young and she lost so many people. She a very young widow with she young child battling with her grief and what she finds out after. Will she find love? Will she ever have a normal life? Will she be able to come out her grieving shell and become a mother to her child? Will she be able to prove to herself that she is fine? Or will she keep saying absolutely and hide her feelings, her fear and from herself?
They are so many questions but will she find the answers to them, than find out by reading Seeing Julia you won't regret it. It stupendously written and it flows just perfectly. Am I ever glad that I stumbled across from this, hell yeah!
My Thoughts
This book actually teaches so much the title SEEING JULIA practically tells you the basic meaning sometimes you will see the same thing over and over again but do you really see it. Do you truly know who or what your seeing? Do you really know your friends, someone you keep meeting but pushing that someone away. Julia wanted some to really see her what killed her was the people who knew her died besides her friends who held her hand and helped her when she needed them the most.
So after reading this book I wrote a poem that just describes Julia and what she feels.
Inner Demons
Passing through each day
Blindly doing what needs to be done
Mechanically
Smiling a fake smile
Each time someone asks me
Am I okay
I reply with the brightest
fake sunny smile
ABSOLUTELY
Nothing is wrong
I am keeping it together
No one who knew me caught on
To message I had
Which was NO
I am not okay
I have to keep myself tact
If I break down
I will lose what little I have
I waiting for some to
See me
Who I really am
My imperfections
My fears
And still stay with me
FOREVER
A song that I was listening to while I was reading Seeing Julia it just felt right so here it is:(check my blog its there)
http://escapesrealitylivingbetweenpag...
http://escapesrealitylivingbetweenpag...
Review
Seeing Julia has me right from the first chapter. I loved the characters (all of them) they were all so realistic, there is no farce, they weren't perfect but they were amazing. Julia has been through so much ever since she was young and she lost so many people. She a very young widow with she young child battling with her grief and what she finds out after. Will she find love? Will she ever have a normal life? Will she be able to come out her grieving shell and become a mother to her child? Will she be able to prove to herself that she is fine? Or will she keep saying absolutely and hide her feelings, her fear and from herself?
They are so many questions but will she find the answers to them, than find out by reading Seeing Julia you won't regret it. It stupendously written and it flows just perfectly. Am I ever glad that I stumbled across from this, hell yeah!
My Thoughts
This book actually teaches so much the title SEEING JULIA practically tells you the basic meaning sometimes you will see the same thing over and over again but do you really see it. Do you truly know who or what your seeing? Do you really know your friends, someone you keep meeting but pushing that someone away. Julia wanted some to really see her what killed her was the people who knew her died besides her friends who held her hand and helped her when she needed them the most.
So after reading this book I wrote a poem that just describes Julia and what she feels.
Inner Demons
Passing through each day
Blindly doing what needs to be done
Mechanically
Smiling a fake smile
Each time someone asks me
Am I okay
I reply with the brightest
fake sunny smile
ABSOLUTELY
Nothing is wrong
I am keeping it together
No one who knew me caught on
To message I had
Which was NO
I am not okay
I have to keep myself tact
If I break down
I will lose what little I have
I waiting for some to
See me
Who I really am
My imperfections
My fears
And still stay with me
FOREVER
A song that I was listening to while I was reading Seeing Julia it just felt right so here it is:(check my blog its there)
http://escapesrealitylivingbetweenpag...
December 17, 2011
For Julia there is the 'before' and the 'after'. In the before part she has her parents and the unbelievably handsome boy who gives her, her first kiss. In the ‘after’ she loses her parents, then her fiancée and then her husband. Now she is afraid to love and let anybody get too close, for fear of losing them too. All this sets her on a course of battling grief, self-discovery and unearthing of secrets which turns her entire way of thinking upside down.
A romance with a whole lot of depth, “Seeing Julia” is not the kind of book you want to read in a hurry. To experience the depth of the emotional turmoil caused by the devastating losses Julia suffers in her life, you'll probably find yourself rereading large portions of the book. The in-depth descriptions of her heart-wrenching sense of loss, is balanced by the beautiful caring nature, and actions, of friends.
The story is masterfully written in a first person present tense perspective. It brings the reader in very close contact with the thoughts and feelings of the main character. I effortlessly identified with Julia's desire to be a normal person, doing normal things, in a normal life. All she wants is to be seen for who she is and not as the widow of the highly successful businessman, Evan Hamilton. Above all, she wants to spend her life caring for her son and securing a future for him. But getting to that point, she has to undergo a journey of self-discovery.
Realistic characters always impress me and in this book they are plentiful. The way in which Julia's friends supported her throughout the ups and downs of her life, was heartwarming and enduring. No matter what happened in Julia’s life, her inner circle of friends were always there to not only support her emotionally, but to also take an active role in her business affairs, and also in her love life.
I recommend this novel to all who enjoy a highly emotional story that tugs at your heart strings with a main character who shows remarkable growth throughout the book. “Seeing Julia” rightly deserves its 5 stars! (Ellen Fritz)
A romance with a whole lot of depth, “Seeing Julia” is not the kind of book you want to read in a hurry. To experience the depth of the emotional turmoil caused by the devastating losses Julia suffers in her life, you'll probably find yourself rereading large portions of the book. The in-depth descriptions of her heart-wrenching sense of loss, is balanced by the beautiful caring nature, and actions, of friends.
The story is masterfully written in a first person present tense perspective. It brings the reader in very close contact with the thoughts and feelings of the main character. I effortlessly identified with Julia's desire to be a normal person, doing normal things, in a normal life. All she wants is to be seen for who she is and not as the widow of the highly successful businessman, Evan Hamilton. Above all, she wants to spend her life caring for her son and securing a future for him. But getting to that point, she has to undergo a journey of self-discovery.
Realistic characters always impress me and in this book they are plentiful. The way in which Julia's friends supported her throughout the ups and downs of her life, was heartwarming and enduring. No matter what happened in Julia’s life, her inner circle of friends were always there to not only support her emotionally, but to also take an active role in her business affairs, and also in her love life.
I recommend this novel to all who enjoy a highly emotional story that tugs at your heart strings with a main character who shows remarkable growth throughout the book. “Seeing Julia” rightly deserves its 5 stars! (Ellen Fritz)
May 19, 2012
This is the story of Julia. A woman broken by tragedy. She has lost her parents, her first true love and now her husband has heartbreakingly died as well. All this to the backdrop of a never forgotten first kiss in Athens just before her parents were killed. After a shocking accident/suicide attempt after her husbands funeral her life seems to go downhill and she must sort out her priorities and get things back together for the sake of her baby son. With the help of her close friends and therapist she begins to do just that. Will she find love again or is she destined to only know sadness?
This was a very well paced story. It was quite long but I didn't notice as I ate up the pages on my Kindle. What Julia had to go through was well handled and never dissolved into melancholy. I felt for her as she reeled from blow to blow and breakdown to breakdown to emerge a stronger woman with the help of her best friends and therapist. All the while in the background is the on again off again friendship with the mysterious Jake. Does he hold secrets to her past? I laughed and I cried during the reading of this book. At times I wanted to slap Julia but the ending made it all worth it. This is a great book for fans of Jodi Picoult and the like.
I received a complimentary copy of this book in order to review.
This was a very well paced story. It was quite long but I didn't notice as I ate up the pages on my Kindle. What Julia had to go through was well handled and never dissolved into melancholy. I felt for her as she reeled from blow to blow and breakdown to breakdown to emerge a stronger woman with the help of her best friends and therapist. All the while in the background is the on again off again friendship with the mysterious Jake. Does he hold secrets to her past? I laughed and I cried during the reading of this book. At times I wanted to slap Julia but the ending made it all worth it. This is a great book for fans of Jodi Picoult and the like.
I received a complimentary copy of this book in order to review.
September 10, 2012
Grab a box of tissues to read this absolute heart/gut wrenching love story that can only be told by Katherine Owens, a truly gifted writer.
Julia has know more heartache in her 27 years than most people have experienced in a lifetime; having to deal with the death of both her parents, her fiancé and now her beloved husband Evan. At the very lowest point in her existence, she meets Jake, her husband’s best friend, who until this point, she’s never met before. Jake helps her through her darkest hour and continues to give his help and support, but at what price to Julia? Julia has mixed feeling towards Jake; she’s drawn to him and at the same time feels guilty for having these feeling. Jake is also struggling with his feeling for Julia, because, for Jake, things are complicated. In order to move forward with her feeling for Jake, Julia must reflect back on her marriage to Evan and come to the realization that things were not as they seemed and Evan was as perfect as she wanted him to be.
Julia has know more heartache in her 27 years than most people have experienced in a lifetime; having to deal with the death of both her parents, her fiancé and now her beloved husband Evan. At the very lowest point in her existence, she meets Jake, her husband’s best friend, who until this point, she’s never met before. Jake helps her through her darkest hour and continues to give his help and support, but at what price to Julia? Julia has mixed feeling towards Jake; she’s drawn to him and at the same time feels guilty for having these feeling. Jake is also struggling with his feeling for Julia, because, for Jake, things are complicated. In order to move forward with her feeling for Jake, Julia must reflect back on her marriage to Evan and come to the realization that things were not as they seemed and Evan was as perfect as she wanted him to be.
April 26, 2014
I have been devouring Katherine Owens books and it has been interesting reading them out of order in terms of when she wrote them. You can see a theme with her books. She writes with alot of feeling and many of her characters carry around alot of grief and internal angst.
This book is no different...it is enlightening, a slow build. You will not get insta-love from any of her books. You will get insta-chemistry...but is that not the best kind? Her characters, especially the men are instantly loveable and the women are strong even in their weaknesses. They just don't seem to know it in their weakest moments.
This is a story of searching for that one person who you feels knows you deeply, thinking you've found it and realizing that the person who does has really been there all along. I love that Katherine fit a bit of a villian in this book....and loved seeing Julia rip her a new one!
I am impressed that this one of her first books....bravo! (a little late, but better late than never I say!)
This book is no different...it is enlightening, a slow build. You will not get insta-love from any of her books. You will get insta-chemistry...but is that not the best kind? Her characters, especially the men are instantly loveable and the women are strong even in their weaknesses. They just don't seem to know it in their weakest moments.
This is a story of searching for that one person who you feels knows you deeply, thinking you've found it and realizing that the person who does has really been there all along. I love that Katherine fit a bit of a villian in this book....and loved seeing Julia rip her a new one!
I am impressed that this one of her first books....bravo! (a little late, but better late than never I say!)
March 22, 2015
Katherine Owen is my go-to author when I'm craving a meaty story with angst. I save her books on my TBR until I want a book that will deliver so many feels I lose my breath. And then, like every time I read one of her amazing books, I'm only a few pages in when I'm berating myself for deliberately inflicting such intense, heart wrenching emotions from myself through reading the story.
Seeing Julia had me crying big fat tears within the first chapter. Julia, God has the woman been through the ringer, over and over. I FELT every emotion she did throughout the story, my heart raced, I sobbed, I was angry, and sometimes I was doing/feeling all three at once. Her beauty is in her combined strength and vulnerability. It's rare that I truly feel the emotions a character is having within the story but Katherine's writing made me experience first hand everything Julia felt. Simply put, this book is an emotional masterpiece.
Seeing Julia had me crying big fat tears within the first chapter. Julia, God has the woman been through the ringer, over and over. I FELT every emotion she did throughout the story, my heart raced, I sobbed, I was angry, and sometimes I was doing/feeling all three at once. Her beauty is in her combined strength and vulnerability. It's rare that I truly feel the emotions a character is having within the story but Katherine's writing made me experience first hand everything Julia felt. Simply put, this book is an emotional masterpiece.
September 7, 2011
I thought this was a great book! This book along with Katherine Owen's other book Not to Us, are the kind of stories that get my heart racing, the kind of books I can't put down, because they are written in a way that the reader can really feel the pain of the characters when they loose someone they love or are betrayed by a friend or lover, you also can feel their moments of joy and triumphs. I really like this authors writing style, her stories are interesting and heartfelt.I like that they deal with real life issues such as loosing a loved one,cheating,divorce,cancer,best fiends who love you to death,and best friends that hurt you, and although some might feel the topics are to serious, theese books leave you with a happy satisfied feeling when you finish them.I definitely recomend them, and will be waiting to get Katherine Owen's next book.
July 16, 2012
I really enjoyed reading "Seeing Julia". Katherine Owen is a brilliant writer. Julia has been through a lot in a short amount of time. She lost her parents in Athens, lost her fiancé in Afaghnastan, and recently lost her husband for a trip to the store to get some Advil. Julia runs into Evan's best friend Jake at the funeral. She overdoses on pain killers and Jake saved her life. Jake keeps coming into Julia's life wherever she goes. Julia learns from Savannah that she had an affair with Evan. Julia goes to Malibu to the house that Evan owned and finds Savannah's bathing suit. In the end Savannah is asked to leave the company and everything behind. Julia and Jake end up together. It turns out that Jake has been in love with Julia since he was 15 years old and Julia feels the same way about Jake.
December 30, 2011
I have a really hard time saying that I liked this book - really it was more okay then good. I liked the characters, but really thought Julia needed a swift kick in the butt.
Though it seemed all too wordy at times, the premise of this book wasn't bad at all; woman loses husband, slips into a near disastrous depression at his funeral, survives near suicide, clings to best friends...excuse me, inner circle...finds love in the end after learning of dead husband's betrayal.
There were a few unexpected twists, but really Julia's story seemed to drag on and there were more than a few times when I wanted to grab her by her hair and tell her to cowboy up. Most of all, I despised the type of mother Julia was throughout the majority of the book.
Though it seemed all too wordy at times, the premise of this book wasn't bad at all; woman loses husband, slips into a near disastrous depression at his funeral, survives near suicide, clings to best friends...excuse me, inner circle...finds love in the end after learning of dead husband's betrayal.
There were a few unexpected twists, but really Julia's story seemed to drag on and there were more than a few times when I wanted to grab her by her hair and tell her to cowboy up. Most of all, I despised the type of mother Julia was throughout the majority of the book.
December 4, 2012
Seeing Julia is a beautiful story of love, loss, and friendship. Julia's been dealt a pretty shitty hand with losing her parents, fiancé, and husband all by the age of 27. Left alone as a single mother to 7 month old Reid, Julia has to find the strength to continue to live in her painful existence. Through an amazing inner circle of friends, and an unexpected heart throb from the past, Julia finds the woman she's been hiding for years.
I swear, the freaking blows for Julia kept coming and coming. I loved he relationships with Kimmy and Brad. As obviously I LOVED. Jake. And loathed that evil bitch Savannah. All in all, this was a fantastic book. I stayed up till 4am to finish it because I had to know how it ended. Read it. You won't be disappointed.
July 21, 2013
Whew. This book was emotional! It's amazing how one person can lose so much in her life. This is Julia. It starts off with her parents dieing when she's 16. Then she loses her fiancee in college, and then a few years later, her husband, father to her child. Not only this, but there are other experiences that totally alter/destroy her hold on life.
I don't want to give anything away, but just be ready for alot of emotion. I don't know this author, but either she has went thru the things that Julia went thru, or she's the most empathetic author I've ever read. I've been thru a couple of the things that happened to Julia, and let me tell you, it was as if she was writing what I felt.
I plan on reading this book again, and again.
I don't want to give anything away, but just be ready for alot of emotion. I don't know this author, but either she has went thru the things that Julia went thru, or she's the most empathetic author I've ever read. I've been thru a couple of the things that happened to Julia, and let me tell you, it was as if she was writing what I felt.
I plan on reading this book again, and again.
May 11, 2014
Brilliant!!! 5 plus plus stars!! Katherine Owen is definitely one of my favourite authors!!! The character and storyline development is just fantastic! You can truly relate to the characters in her books and experience their emotional journey with them. The way everything comes together at the end is so amazing! Her writing pulls you in and keeps you glued to your kindle until you finish. This is the second book I have read by Katherine Owen and I can't say enough good things about her writing. If you haven't read one her books you definitely should.
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