The Year of Luminous Love

The Year #1

by Lurlene McDaniel

The rolling hills of Tennessee and the picturesque towns of Tuscany provide stunning backdrops for this sweeping contemporary saga, which introduces three devoted best friends facing the challenges of life after high school.

Ciana loves her family's land and the farm they've kept for generations, but it has fallen to her to keep the farm in working order. When she meets a handsome cowboy, she welcomes the diversion and finds herself believing in love at first sight. but their second meeting leaves her questioning her true feelings about everything.

Arie has battled health issues since her childhood, and now she is determined to regain her physical and mental strength. Working with a new horse seems like the perfect solution, but when she confides her deepest secret to a handsome and kindhearted horse trainer—a secret she hasn't revealed to her family or even her two best friends—there are surprising results.

Eden's boyfriend, Tony, is older and has money; he's also jealous and controlling. But she'd much rather stay with him than at home with her unreliable mother. Of course, he can't fill the role her best girlfriends do, and that makes him resentful. As Tony grows more demanding, Eden becomes scared. She must break free from this toxic relationship.

When Ciana finds a new direction for her life—one she'd never dreamed possible—she is able to offer Arie and Eden reprieve from their difficult situations. Together, the three embark on the experience of a lifetime.

Genres: Young Adult, Romance, Contemporary, Realistic Fiction, Fiction, New Adult, Chick Lit

384 pages, Hardcover

First published May 14, 2013

About the author

Lurlene McDaniel (born c. 1948) is an author who has written over 50 young adult books. She is well known for writing about characters struggling with chronic and terminal illnesses, such as cancer, diabetes, and organ failure.


Other places to find her are...
https://www.facebook.com/lurlenemcdan...
http://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/aut...
http://www.youtube.com/user/LurleneMc

Reviews

[Jessica · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is by Lurlene McDaniel. It is called "The Year of Luminous Love." I don't think I need to tell you that this is not a fine literary achievement.

Bad Things: The dialogue is awful. Each character has a hyper-dramatic back story - cancer, abusive relationships, cutting, family troubles - and there are parents with mental illness and drinking problems and then parents that are dead. The book's cast is populated by our three female MCs, their family members, and the beautiful men that appear, one by one, to woo them. Except for the girl with cancer. Nobody wants to woo her. And then - spoiler alert - she dies. The language is drippy and rife with cliches.


Good Things: It's a fairly zippy drama-romance with three female main characters and 1/3 of the book takes place in Rome. The characters are all post-high school and talk and date like they are adults, so if you like adult romance, this might be an alright YA distraction for you. Also, I liked the Southern setting.

Disturbingly Problematic Sex Things - spoilers here, too: One MC tries to keep her passion for a cowboy under control throughout the book... they end up hooking up twice, and both time, he has to pin her down, physically restrain her, and she resists until she realizes that oh, she's super turned on and just goes with it. Gross. Also, cancer girl does get a guy to devirginize her, and the rest of the book she's like "My night with XYZ was the highlight of my life." Never-mind her previous 19 years of existence! First-time sex with someone you're not committed to just THAT mind-blowing, guys.

Neither of these scenarios involve the character who actually IS in an abusive relationship, mind you.

That being said... it wasn't actually too bad to read. It reminded me of an over-the-top ridiculous Bass-Ackwards and Belly-Up or Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants.

[Adrienne Amborski · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well-known teen author, Lurlene McDaniel introduces three friends who each have obstacles to face and dilemmas to solve. The Year of Luminous Love begins a new series introducing Ciana, Arie, and Eden, who are freshly graduated from high school. Arie and Ciana plan to attend college in the fall while Eden is struggling with her prospects as the girlfriend of a high rolling drug dealer. Ciana has inherited the family farm and must decide the fate of the land she now owns in part with her alcoholic mother. Arie has fought cancer since childhood and faces the reality that it could return anytime. Eden, who is involved in a controlling relationship, must find a way to break free. Enter Jon Mercer, a rugged cowboy with a kind heart, who attracts the romantic attention of both Ciana and Arie and the drama unfolds. Using inheritance funds, Ciana decides to treat her friends to an Italian summer getaway. While touring Italy, the girls encounter romantic possibilities and chances to start anew. Enter a charming Australian on a “walkabout”, a wealthy Italian vineyard owner, and an unexpected visit from the handsome Jon Mercer to the lush setting for an engaging read. Unfortunately, the carefree days of Italy come to an end when the girls are confronted with life’s harsh realities. Will Arie’s health fade? Will Eden return to her abusive boyfriend? Will Ciana attend college or remain home to run the family farm?
McDaniel weaves a well written story with characters that realistically embody personalities of contemporary young women. Delivered in true Lurlene McDaniel style readers will need to break out the tissues. Fans will anxiously await the next installment in this series bound to popular with readers who enjoy romance and drama.

[Skandia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Arie, Ciana and Eden - three lifelong friends, three girls fresh out of high school in small town near Nashville, Tennessee. Three girls from very different backgrounds, with different dreams and everyday problems.
Arie fighting with a fatal disease, Ciana is left alone tending the family farm and indifferent mother, Eden struggling to find a way out of poisonous relationship and dealing with bipolar mother. Their friendship is their strength and way to enjoy life, be young and happy for as long as they could.

A beautiful story about friendship that makes the joys of life doubled and the grief divided. The kind of friendship where the sacrifices you make for a friend and not asking for anything back even when it breaks your own heart. About love, dreams, happiness, secrets and sorrow.

[Ash Helms · Rating 3 out of 5]

Super cute young adult adventure of 3 best friends and their struggles of family, friends, and love. Tears were shed.

[Jessica · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was over the moon excited to read this book. Not only is the cover gorgeous and it was described as an Eat Pray Love for teens, but I am also a huge fan of Lurlene McDaniel. So I had huge expectations that this one would be a super awesome read, but it was just too unrealistic for my taste.

Arie, Eden, and Ciana are best friends that have recently graduated from high school and they've all got some pretty big problems. Arie is fighting cancer, Eden is dealing with a bipolar mom and a possessive boyfriend, and Ciana has to run her farm with an alcoholic mother. The girls go off to Italy to forget their troubles, hoping to find love and life in the middle of their hectic pasts.

The first thing that stopped me from loving this book were the main characters. I just didn't really care about any of them and it was pretty unbelievable that ALL of them would have really horrible lives. Seriously, how come Arie has the only good family? BOTH Ciana and Eden have horrible mothers and don't even have a dad. I think that's just putting on the problems a little too thick. Also, what's up with the names? I had no idea how to pronounce Arie or Ciana during the entire book. And Eden is definitely not a normal name. Why do the characters have to be so different in their lives and their names?

Going onto the story, that was pretty unbelievable as well. I really didn't like the insta-love between Jon and CIana, and then all she could do was think of him, even when she was across the world. And then some 29-year-old gorgeous hot-shot Italian decides he's in love with her? Yeah, sure. It seemed like all the girls got guys no problem and it was kind of annoying. Then, the dialogue was pretty unbelievable at times, especially their excessive use of similes. Just thinking of the things they said being spoken out loud was pretty unbelievable.

While the idea behind the story of three best friends discovering life and love was a really intriguing idea, it fell way short when actually reading the book. With characters I didn't really care for and an unrealistic plot and dialogue, I was more annoyed than happy when reading this book. Some parts were pretty good, but overall I had expected a lot more from this book.

[Brittany Durrant · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought “The Year of Luminous Love” was a good book because I liked how it was written, and how it was written in more than one person’s point of view. There are three main characters: Ciana, Arie, and Eden. They all have battles of their own but they help each other through it. Ciana gets a large sum of money and with that money she was able to give her and her friends the trip of a lifetime.

The book is told in three points of view: Ciana,Arie, and Eden.
Ciana cares for her family a lot especially her grandmother. They’ve lived on a range and her grandmother was kept that range for generations. Her grandma gets ill and she puts Ciana in charge of the ranch. Someone offers to buy it and Ciana’s mom wants her to take up on they offer, so now Ciana has a lot to think about.
Arie has battled cancer all of her life so when she goes into remission her family, her friends and even herself are all grateful. Now, she is determined to get her physical and even mental health back up.
Eden has an older controlling boyfriend, but he has a lot of money to support Eden and himself. People have told her to stay away from him ever since she met him, but she doesn’t listen because she’d much rather be with him than her mom who is unreliable due to her mental problem, drugs and alcohol.

This book took place in mostly the rolling hills of Tennessee but in the middle of the book it takes place in the towns of Italy. Tennessee is where all three girls have lived all of their life, and all three of them have always wanted to visit Italy and tour it.

“The Years of Luminous Love” has a few themes, the main theme is to “Stand up for what you believe in” also “Follow your dreams”. Arie shows this theme a lot because even though she battles cancer on and off she still follows her dream.

I would recommend this book to high school girls because it has a little bit of mature content, and it has a lot of romance in it.

[Carrie Bishop · Rating 5 out of 5]

I devoured this book in 2 days and am anxiously awaiting the sequel, The Year of Chasing Dreams. As with all McDaniels' books, it is dramatic and it made me cry! You'll enjoy a story about friendship, love, courage, grief and loss, and searching for identity. I highly recommend it!

[Laura's Book Addiction]

Eat Pray Love for teens. Sounds good =)

[Jamie Bentley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Couldn't put this book down and I cant wait for the next book in 2014, don't wanna wait

[Christy Witham · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an amazing book. Lurlene McDaniel does a great job writing and as always this book was very easy to get into and continue to read. So excited for the next book to come out!

[Molly Stuckey · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book

[Emma · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not my favorite Lurlene McDaniel book but I enjoyed it as I do with almost all of her books.

[Mandy Perret · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved loved loved this tale of travel, triumphs, tragedy, and friendship. Love is a complicated thing. I loved this book! Can't wait for sequel.

[Megan Kinderman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it. Going to start the 2nd book asap.

[Marianela · Rating 2 out of 5]

Moving.

[Bonnie · Rating 1 out of 5]

I have read a lot of Lurelene McDaniels' books, and they are not exactly filled with surprises. There is usually at least one character who dies, whether by accident or illness, and the main character(s) has to come to terms with this even. Sometimes the death is at the beginning and we are seeing the main characters put their lives back together. Sometimes it is at the end of the book and a long illness that the characters have delt with through the story. I tend to know what to expect when picking up one of her books, and they are oddly books I find comfort in. This book was no exception; however, this book was unique from many of her others, in all the wrong ways.

Spoiler alert: My biggest problem with the book is the love triangle. This is, in my opinion, the laziest, most annoying trope found in YA literature, and so much of what comes out anymore has it. This love triangle was particularly heinous. Two of the three main girls, Ari and Ciena, like the same guy, Jon, but Ciena doesn't let Ari know and tries to ignore her feelings because Ari has had a hard life battling cancer. Meanwhile, Jon likes Ciena, but she insists he keep it quiet, again for Ari's sake. The main girls all end up going to Italy for the months, and they plan to be in Rome for Ari's birthday. This is where Jon becomes a total creep. Ari invites him to come and celebrate her birthday with them, and he accepts to that he can see Ciena. HE KNOWS ARI IS CRAZY ABOUT HIM!! He completely uses Ari to see the girl that he actually likes who has told him to stay away from her. For some reason they think this is "okay" because after Ciena is barely civil to Jon Ari convinces him to hook up with her, so she gets what she wants. On top of this, the third friend, Eden, convinces Ciena that this is okay behavior and he still likes her, but he had to fulfil his urges somehow after Ciena wouldn't talk to him. Then it is all resolved by the end of the book when just before Ari dies she tells Ciena that she found out Ciena and Jon like each other, so they should be together. Crappy people. Crappy relationships. Crappy story. I dragged through this one, and would not recommend it to anyone!

[Sara · Rating 1 out of 5]

Half the time I felt like I was reading a Catherine Anderson novel, except the heroine actually had a decent reason for running away from the man. Ciana's nothing if not a good and loyal friend, but she had all the earmarks of an Anderson heroine minus the traumatic past. That fell to Eden, though she had more salt. And I was relieved we were spared a dramatic "evil ex tracks the girl down and kidnaps her" scene via Tony's (much deserved) murder.

It's not even like Lurlene's never done romances before, 90% of her books have it. I'm just so used to reading nothing but cancer and disease from her! Still, authors branch out all the time.

And these books are tied to Losing Gabriel and Somebody's Baby, it's quite obvious. The town, for starters, plus the same stable where Lani rode in LG.

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

So, I really like the three friends. Basically everything about this book (and really the second one too) was interesting. All the family stuff and relationship stuff and travels. All pretty good. But the two books didn't read like books. They read like a tv series. One thing after another happens to one girl or another. There was so so much going on but there wasn't a clear beginning, middle, and then end. Even by the end of the second book tbh. So it was a good story. Good characters and even plot, but it just read weird as a book to me.

[Jenna Cantino · Rating 2 out of 5]

Maybe 2.5.

This book was somewhat of a train wreck. For the most part the story was alright if you know what you're getting into with Lurlene McDaniel but man, the language was rough. Maybe it's because I'm a Yankee or because they tried to throw in "hip" language but there was some disconnect. Also, the thing that happened in Italy was super cringy to me. The rating got bumped down because of that. Eventually I might continue the series... or just read spoilers because while I do want to know what happens to characters, I'm not sure I can handle a whole other book.

[Ashlee · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have been reading Lurlene McDaniel since I was in grade school. I love everything that she writes. I enjoyed how this story allowed each character to shine in her own way, while also connecting them as the best of friends. Being set in Italy also gave this story a different dynamic. It was great to see strong female characters who weren't afraid to head into the unknown for the vacation of a lifetime.

[Deirdre · Rating 1 out of 5]

This was terrible. I remember reading some Lurlene McDaniel as a teenager and knowing even then that it was not great literature. But this just read like a soap opera. Nobody had any character at all, and some of the things that happened were wildly improbable even in the world of fiction. Would not recommend.

[Melissa McGuire · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had mixed feelings about this book. When they went to Italy I lost interest in this book but the ending had me in tears. It was easy to get attached to these characters

[Craftykim · Rating 5 out of 5]

A good read. Emotional. Left me wanting to read the next one right away.

[Amy Altland · Rating 3 out of 5]

Too sad for me!

[Madison Grace]

The characters were sweet enough, but the story was too slow. DNF.

[Crystal ✬ Lost in Storyland · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm always up for a good Western. If not for the setting, I may not have picked up this novel because of the heavy content, and also because I tend not to pick up novels that advertise dystopic relationships and love at first sight. I'm glad that I gave it a chance because I ended up really liking this novel.

I'm also not typically fond of multiple perspectives. However, it really worked for this novel. Ciana, Eden, and Arie all have something to add to the story. Seeing the world from each of their perspectives help round out the plot, and I enjoyed getting to know them. Some may find this novel overly dark and depressing because they all have issues in their private lives. For me, the girls' problems added to their characters. More importantly, the author made me feel for the characters.

Ciana is the girl who sacrifices herself to protect those she cares about. This also means that she's slow to open her heart, even to her closest friends. She's the girl that I ended up sympathizing with the most. Her life isn't as tough as that of the other girls on the surface level, but she keeps a lot bottled up inside. Arie is the sunny one, the girl that everyone cares about. However, she's been fighting cancer for as long as anyone can remember, and she doesn't know when her time may come to an end. She's sweet and very sheltered because people tend to coddle her, something that she wishes they wouldn't do. Eden is the observant one and a bit of a loner. Being in a difficult place in life, she's seen many of the world's dark sides. I respect her for her personal strength and admire her courage to keep going through life after all that's happened to her.

Plot-wise, there are many threads weaving through the story, and it's almost magical how everything comes together in the end. This is a story about three friends entering the big bad world. They experience many hardships, some most of us will never have to encounter, and yet it's still relatable. At heart, the girls are just that--girls. They want to live, laugh, and laugh. They're not always able to do so, but they make the most out of what life sends them, and they still manage to stay close and happy for the most part.

I recommend this novel to those who enjoy a dark contemporary.

Content: There are some sexual scenes, language, violence, drugs, abuse, cancer, manic-depressive disorder.

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For more of my reviews, visit my blog Imaginary Reads.

[Stephanie A. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lurlene McDaniel has had a GLO-UP. Gone are the cheesy mass market paperback formulas of tragic teen love in hospitals that I gobbled up in junior high. In their place is one exceptional saga, split into two volumes, shelved in YA but essentially New Adult without explicit scenes. Earlier this year, I put that exact request out into the world via social media, and I can't believe The Tragedy Queen herself delivered on what I truly thought was a futile hope.

I fell in love with all three girls and their friendship immediately. I swooned for Jon Mercer, Hot Cowboy. I appreciated Tony as a problem to be solved. I loved the college-postponing trip to Italy. And did I mention how central horses are to this story, even in Italy??

I was a bit dicey on the hookups, but I could handwave one under the Dying of Cancer Is The Worst clause, the other didn't involve pants being taken off, and to make it up to me: unrelated to either of them, I got both a "falling asleep in attractive guy's arms" scene AND a "sweetheart you're crying and soaked to the bone; come get those wet clothes off and warm up in these dry ones and we'll talk until you feel better."

McDaniel's trademark Health Crisis angle is still prominent, as Arie tries to keep her childhood cancer in remission, but it isn't the sole / front and center focus by a long shot. There is a lot to do with family, mother-daughter relationships in particular, and Ciana grappling with the weight of heritage and being responsible for upholding the family land and legacy. The toll of an abusive relationship is also addressed, with Eden being probably the most sympathetic girl who has ever dated a drug lord.

Yes, there are still some scenes that feel more like telling than showing (the horse stuff especially feels like someone just got Super Into them and is excited to share what they learned), and maybe she tries to cover more topics than necessary, but honestly? This book unfolds in the same indulgent way I write story ideas to entertain myself, with basically every element I would stuff into a novel if I knew how. Horses, hot guys who know horses, strong female bonding, independent young women making their way, emotional hurt, physical hurt, comfort for both types, a country property and a historic family home? COME ON. Did I mistakenly win some kind of Make-A-Wish??

[Just a person · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love. That is the theme of this book and it is explored in so many ways. It's neat to see the many ways that love can be dysfunctional through the families that hurt one another, and then the sharp contrast of another family who tragedy pulls them together instead of apart and they are close. It also shows the extreme value of friendship and the love it offers.
As usual, Lurlene McDaniel hits the hard and emotional issues, and deals with them with elegance but still in a realistic and easy to relate to way of writing. The characters feel real, and I am able to sympathize with them and want the best for them. It is hard to see them hurting or going through hard things, but I know that the character growth and their journey will be so worth it. They all have their own hard problems, Arie has been sick, Eden used to cut and is in a non-traditional and controlling relationship, and Cialina takes care of her grandma who is sick and from the blurb, we know she is going to die.
Their friendship was a huge draw for me, I appreciated how close they were and how they supported each other. My issue was only that they kept huge secrets from one another at times, and while they may have done it for good reasons, it only caused more pain than they were trying to prevent.
The different kinds of love that they showed was important to, and that relationships can be different things to different people at different times.
I will say though, that if it were just going from the blurb, I don't know that I would have picked this book up, but Lurlene McDaniel is an auto-read and I am glad that I gave it the time.
This is darker than her other works, but still has the same themes and emotional roller coaster type feelings.
The Year of Luminous love has a bittersweet ending that ties up the book well. It leaves quite a few things resolved but open. That is okay though because there is a companion novel that will be released.

Bottom Line: Emotional and powerful novel about friendship, love, grief, pain and healing.

[Kellyflower · Rating 2 out of 5]

Here's how you know where this book is headed, some of the other title's by this author: Telling Christina Goodbye, Six Months to Live, Don't Die, My Love... you see it right?
in the back of the book the author explains why she always writes books like this. (Her son was diagnosed with juvenile diabetes. She wanted to write "inspirational novels") By those titles I don't see those being anything but depressing.
Anywho,
Here's what I don't get, How can the dialogue be so bad in the first half of the book. I mean she's written tons of books. It read like something I wrote when I was in high school. I thought the second half was better , but that may be because I got used to it.
As weird as this sounds, the part of the story I was drawn to was the "love triangle" . And the way it ended makes me want to read the next book in the trilogy.
Some people are gonna love this book, other will be like, meh.

[Christina Santo · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought this book was a little too drawn out. It was good though. The characters were not perfect at all, but there were lots of them. It was kind of confusing. I keep forgetting whose mother was whose. The the main characters all had such cool names. I'm sad that Arie died, but had hoped Tony would die. I don't get why Eden's mom left and left herself in Eden's care. I'm happy that Ciana's family kept the farm. Holy poop. I just realized that three people died in their whole book. Harsh... I loved the fact that the the of them got to go to Italy, but it seemed too easy. Another confusing part. Garrett and Enzo... I kept forgetting which one belief took which girl. I kind of thought it was stupid that Ciana's cowboy was Jon. A little party of me just wanted them to be together for the whole book. I didn't really like the ending. But then I earn the author's now and figured out it wasn't the end. There's another book! It better solve all those unresolved problems, or else....