After losing her parents in a brutal and horrific tragedy, Ally moves to a secluded house in the mountains of Colorado. For two years, Ally has gotten through her very routine life by giving into her fears, living alone.
Ian is grieving the recent death of his young fiancé. Unsure of how to move on, he moves into a house in the mountains just down the shared drive from Ally, where he wants nothing more than to be by himself.
When Ally finds herself needing help for the first time in two years, she has no choice but to turn to Ian. Together, Ally and Ian are forced to deal with their own fears to get them through the next few weeks. What they never planned on was the deep feelings they would develop for each other, but is it enough to bring them back from the pain of their pasts?
Taryn is a USA Today Bestselling Author who is also a lover of books and wine, usually enjoying them together. Writing has been a way for her to step away from chaotic reality and live a bit through her fun and sometimes damaged characters. You will almost always find a Happy Ever After at the end of her stories. She can't help it, it's an addiction. She enjoys spending time with her friends and family, but cherishes those quiet nights after everyone is asleep when she can curl up on the couch to read with her geriatric dog. (Shh, don't tell...He's not supposed to be on the couch.)
This was a great story, I read it in less than a day (however it is less than 200 pages.) it's written in 1st person, each chapter dedicated to the two main characters, I actually really like this format, and it was well executed as the author doesn't lose your interest going over the same territory twice. It dealt with some serious issues and showed the braveity, strength and endurance of the human spirit.
That's where the good review ends, which is my reason for 4 stars. The ending feels a bit like dribble, it's too drawn out, perfect, and a bit ( for lack of a better word) icky. The beginning and middle were intense and engaging and then the ending went all soft and pointless and a bit drawn out. If you love a mushy romance and want a happy ending, you won't be disappointed.
Taryn Pendleton is no doubt a talented author, I look forward to reading more of her books.
This is a great story. The idea behind it really touches your heart and makes you feel for the characters.
That being said, it was hard to follow at times. It may be the format of the Kindle edition but the paragraphs were grouped together oddly. His quotes meshed with her quotes and at times, it was hard to figure out who "I" was (since the author wrote in first person for both characters).
I wish that it flowed a little better but that didn't take away from the story enough to bother me.
I love that both characters were able to get a second chance after being faced with such heartache!
This was a free borrow from kindle and I liked it. I like the message I got out of it. It was that in order to get over your own grief and worries you need to get out and serve someone else.
When I downloaded this book I was expecting full on depression, a little courage, and finally some trust-leads-to-relationship-however-is-still-kinda-suicidal. But what I get is super unexpected. The book went directly from Antarctica-Cold to Volcanic Lava-HOT to pretty-in-pink. Let me explain:
Ally went to Just outside of Durango, CO to be secluded from the world because of something horrific that happened to her parents. She never expected to have anyone near her living space, until she almost runs into IAN.
Ian is that one guy every girl dreams about. Totally loyal to his fiance even in her deathbed. He, like Ally is seeking seclusion, finds himself in the woods of Colorado to be alone to work. He never expected to run into a tiny person terrified of all things crowded places.
One night Ally finds her self seeking help from every-girl's-dream neighbor because of her extremely painful tummy/vomiting pains. Ian decides to help her and VIOLA! a relationship is made.
The emotions these characters have and a little too extreme. Like too black and white. If this were to really happen, these two people would have a hundred thousands shades of gray. However, in this author's perfect world, that's not happening.
Don't get me wrong. This is an adorably-cute fantasy about finding a true-true love. Definately not reality. The emotion spectrum is widely spread out yet does not have anything to fill the void. There's: DEPRESSED<~~~TRUST~~~>HAPPY and that's not how things work.
"No matter how dark the night, somehow the sun rises once again and all shadows are chased away." ~David Matthew Click
It was a quick ok read, for something this short I expected to finish right away, but I wasn't that into it so it took me longer. It was very focused on their grief that they never really came to life in my head. Two broken people, given a shot at a second chance and bring each other back to life when they just about gave up.
I simply couldn't get into this book. The dialogue was stilted, with constant use of people's names. The repetition of the 'song' throughout the story was increasingly irritating and I gave up counting how many times Ally had to be helped to the bathroom. That girl really has a bladder problem!
The idea was sound, and I would have enjoyed it more if Ian and Ally had been more believable. As it was, they were little more than 2 dimensional characters. There was virtually no conflict in the story, nothing to make me hold my breath in anticipation. In the end I simply didn't care.
Hmm... Two horribly broken souls, trying just to survive one day at a time find each other, help each other break down the emotional walls and a bond is formed. This story was not bad, some of the scenes were cut too short, I found that the so called "love" was built too fast and not shown to us readers to witness. The plot had so much potential! If it could be rewritten with more detail and expanded it would be a much better story.
Liked the story idea but the author did too much telling and not enough showing. As soon as things started to heat up btw the characters I found the writing a bit annoying. Like someone who talks too much during sex.
This was such a good story... I felt myself hurt right along with them it was touching to see them come out of their darkness that they were drowning in. The writer did a good job making you fall in love with the characters.
This wasn't to bad. But it was kinda depressing for a good portion of the book. Two broken people who end up finding friendship,trust and another chance at love.
I love this story and devoured it! I listened to it on Audible and it was only 4 hours and 32 minutes which is really short to me. It is written in 1st person alternating between Ally and Ian. I love this type of writing but sometimes in audiobooks it can go really wrong but not this one. Beth Stewart did a fantastic job at portraying both of the main characters. Taryn Plendl is an amazing author and this story just really reaches your heart and gives you all kinds of feels! Ally, after having lived through something horrific and losing both her parents moves away from society into a cabin the Colorado Mountains. She has lived alone, not leaving the mountain for 2 years just working on her artwork and getting by. She runs only at night and cannot sleep at night without having horrible nightmares reliving the moment that changed her life. In comes Ian, he moves to the Colorado Mountains seeking seclusion after the loss of his fiancé. He watched as she transformed into another person and was with her at her deathbed and is still processing all of this. When he buys his cabin the realtor lets him know he shares a driveway with a young lady but he wont have to worry about her because she came to the mountains to get away and he will rarely if ever see her. She happens to be the same realtor that sold Ally her cabin. Fate throws them together when for the first time in 2 years she is sick and needs outside assistance. So she makes her way to her neighbor’s house and asks for help. Ian brings her to the Hospital which is traumatizing for both of them and they create their own shared communication and stick by each others side even though they know little to nothing about each other. This starts their relationship. After Ally is back home Ian has to stay with her to make sure she recovers ok and they form a very close bond. This is an adorable story about two damaged souls learn to cope and move on with the support of each other and build from the ground up. I cannot wait to see what else this writer creates. I was provided this audiobook at no charge by the author, publisher and/or narrator in exchange for an unbiased review via Audiobook Boom
An emotional and heartwarming sometimes heartbreaking second chance at love story. That's not to imply that you are going to spend the whole book being depressed. Your not. Just watching/listening to the characters emotional journey through the story pulls at your emotions.
Ally and Ian were both great characters. Two people who have lived through a devastating event in their lives and have retreated from everyone as a way to cope with their pain, find a second chance at love in each other they were never expecting.
There is a little bit of "steamy" action so if you don’t like any in your books you may want to skip this one.
Beth Stewart did a really good job with the narration. Nice voice. Clearly spoken. Smooth even pace. Good character voices. Very enjoyable .
I was voluntarily provided this free review copy audiobook by the author, narrator or publisher.
This is a sweet sad story. Seeing two people who are so broken so young is truly heartbreaking. Hearing their stories and finding out why they were broken was so horrible, but it also showed how strong they are to have survived and kept living. I really enjoyed Ally and Ian finding each other and putting each other back together. Beth did a great job narrating and helped make this a wonderful story.
This story started out pretty amazing. The 2-person POV format worked excellently, and I was intrigued fairly quickly by the character’s backgrounds. There are many passages that I found meaningful. However, I felt that once you found out why Ally is the way she is, everything became rushed. I expected it to be predictable, so that didn’t bother me, but some of the changes were a little too sudden and out of character. Book before Ally’s secret is revealed is definitely 5 star, but the hurried ending brings down the overall effect.
Love the story of how tragedy brought them together and how the author wrote the book. It does have a couple of sex scenes but otherwise a clean read. The story is written with the main characters switching between with each chapter which can be confusing if you don't pay attention to who the narrator was. Overall a great read!
You people should just read this book yourselves and write your own review on this novel yourself and I really enjoyed reading this book very much so. Shelley MA
I was torn between one and two stars, then I decided to give it two. The idea of the story was good, but it could have been developed a little better. I had an issue with the tenses, because the book started with narration in the present tense, then sometimes it changed from present to simple past within the same chapter - it almost sounded as if the first draft had been written in one tense, then the author had changed her mind and changed it to another tense but forgot to change all of it. It was a bit annoying sometimes. I liked the first person POV for both characters, but the dialogues felt a bit flat, causing the characters to appear very flat too, although I believe the intention of the author was to create two very strong and definite characters in spite of their grief. At least that was what I'd thought when I read the synopsis, but the final result was that they didn't feel very real. I don't like writing bad reviews, but I just wanted to give my opinion, because I feel it's important for an author to know the weak points in her works, so she can make it better. Like I said, the idea of the story was nice, the synopsis hooked me and made me want to read the book, but I was a little disappointed in the end.
Really heart-wrenching first half. Second part gets a bit mushy and sweet. Fav quotes: The irony was that often those who felt the most need for control were the ones being controlled by their fears, insecurities, and doubts.
“I know it feels like that, but you are so strong.” “No, I’m not … not at all.” “Of course you are. Strength is in looking back and seeing what you have been through and knowing you were strong enough to make it through. Sometimes it’s not what you have lost, but what you still have—that is what makes life worth living.”
*Spoilerish* My dearest Ally, You changed my life the moment you popped out from the trees. The day I met you was the day the missing pieces of the puzzle all fell in place. I love the way you look at me, the way you kiss me, the way you touch me. I love everything about you, baby, and nothing could ever change that. You are so much more than I could ever hope to deserve. When I look in your eyes I see comfort, when I lay in your arms I feel safe, when I kiss you I feel loved, but knowing you’re the only one for me gives me a hope that I’ve never had before. I love you Ally, with everything I am. Forever yours, Ian
This is a very dark and sad book about a girl who had to see her parents very badly beaten and then killed and they tried to kill her. She lost her friends and family because she didn't know how to cope with what happened she moved into an area where there was no one until some guy moved into the house next to find he was hurting after losing his partner to early. Ally the girl fell ill and asked her neighbour for help. Ian had to take her to hospital but at first he couldn't do but they did it together and they got close. Ian looked after Ally after she left hospital. She finally tells him what happened after he found out. He went home to sort things out with his life only to find out that she pushed him away. They both fell in love with each and Ian pulled Ally out from the dark place and made her live in the real world again.
This book is about Tragedy, Loss, Heartbreak, Survival, Finding Yourself,Trust and Love. This is such a great book, I couldn't put it down.
Ally's life has been shattered after a very heartbreaking tragedy leaves her empty, alone and broken. She has closed herself off to the world and trusts no one. The only thing that she wants is to be left alone to grieve. She discovers that she has a new neighbor and is terrified. She is hoping that he isn't the friendly type because the last thing that she need is for some stranger interrupting her life and routine.
Ian is trying to recover from a very heartbreaking loss. He decides that he is going to remove himself from everyone and everything that reminds him of what he has lost. The last thing Ian expects is to find a friendship with the woman next door. Someone who seems to be just as messed up as he is.
This book drew me in almost immediately. I enjoyed being able to read the story from both of the main character's perspectives. The characters have experienced very different kinds of loss and seem to be almost broken beyond repair. The author does a good job walking the reader through the fear and pain that they each carry. This is not the book to read if you are looking for a light hearted way to spend the afternoon but if you are looking for a story with a little more depth and darkness this is the one for you. This was my first introduction to Taryn Plendl's writing but I plan on reading everything that is available by her.
Fairly quick but enjoyable read. Ian and Ally are two pretty messed up people (admittedly, from some very tragic experiences in their pasts) who unwillingly become dependent/co-dependent on each other and manage to turn those feelings into a deep, lasting love. The book wasn't long enough to develop a really deep connection with either character but they weren't exactly shallow either. I did make the mistake of reading one review that mentioned the overuse of each other's first names, particularly unnecessary since no one else was ever around, which bothered me but I may not have noticed if I weren't looking for it.
Bring Me Back was a beautiful story about two people who were going through a devestating time in their lives and were able to find each other and fall in love. The author wrote the story from both Ally and Ian's perspectives allowing you to see excatly what they are thinking and how they felt. I loved how we were able to see just how each one needed the other without realizing it at first and then watch as they both were able to heal one another as well as fall in love. I absolutely loved this story and highly recommend it.
+ = Loved the alternating POVs. Read in one sitting. Ian was a great hero.
- = I didn't like the way the sex scenes were written. The first one just seemed.. I can't explain it.. Almost like a different person wrote it.. Like the voice of the characters changed.. Like I said can't explain it.
The H/h were so young (IMO) yeah I sound like a grandma... It kinda threw me.
While I love me some epilogue and this one wasn't bad... I wanted a little "more".