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True Love Story #2
Both Sides Now
Just as she was flowering into her teens, life uprooted Dawn from the tanned crowds and sunny beaches of southern California. It transplanted her into rainy, rural Washington, where she strove to adjust, mature and thrive. Love came to Dawn--and was ripped from her by events and manipulations she could not control. But Dawn had a core of steel. An emotional castaway, she battled grimly through life's trials and sorrows, safeguarding her heart against further ravages. Then love reached out to Dawn once more--if she could find the courage and spirit to grab it with both hands, and this time, never let go. This is her story.
204 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 9, 2013
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 148 reviews
January 28, 2015
This book was odd. One minute she loved him and the next she listened to her Mom but never really said why she felt so compelled to have follow her moms orders. He says in the book that her Mom died so we never know why she all the sudden didn't like Shawn and lied. I thought for sure she had a thing for him. The details about when they got back together the marriage etc were awful. So boring I ended up just skimming the pages to the end. I was hoping for more out of this book but realized I was literally reading a teenagers details of her boyfriend from that period. Waste of time.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 21, 2015
I love a good memoir, that said, this one was somewhat flat. First person writing is tricky, and it came off badly in this book. While the story was compelling enough, the connection was lacking. There was no depth. The clincher was the lame details about the wedding and honeymoon. I think the fact that they reconnected and married was sufficient information. Very ineffective writting. This one reads like a college essay.
July 14, 2013
Having loved the author's first book, Feels Like the First Time, I purchased this book within minutes of getting the post that it was available. I then proceeded to read the entire book in one sitting.
There is something about his writing style that just propels me forward and makes it impossible to take a break from his books. I'd occasionally notice the percentage of the book that I'd read so far (on my Kindle), and I was constantly surprised by how high the number was. It didn't feel like I had been reading the book long enough to be 59%, 72%, 83% finished.
Shawn Inmon's first book was the history of his relationship with his first and only true love, Dawn. This book is also the history of his relationship with Dawn, only this time it's her story. As the title says, we have both sides of the story now, and now it feels complete.
As satisfying as it was to hear the story from both perspectives, I'm left feeling bereft because now I have no more of Shawn's material left to read. Write your next book quickly, Shawn! I'll be waiting.
There is something about his writing style that just propels me forward and makes it impossible to take a break from his books. I'd occasionally notice the percentage of the book that I'd read so far (on my Kindle), and I was constantly surprised by how high the number was. It didn't feel like I had been reading the book long enough to be 59%, 72%, 83% finished.
Shawn Inmon's first book was the history of his relationship with his first and only true love, Dawn. This book is also the history of his relationship with Dawn, only this time it's her story. As the title says, we have both sides of the story now, and now it feels complete.
As satisfying as it was to hear the story from both perspectives, I'm left feeling bereft because now I have no more of Shawn's material left to read. Write your next book quickly, Shawn! I'll be waiting.
March 11, 2019
I don't read Romance but
Normally I can't stomach the genre of romance novels. They always seem to clean cut and perfect, but this, this story was perfect. I laughed, got teary, hated the parents, and then felt my heart melt. I highly recommend to anyone to read this love story
Normally I can't stomach the genre of romance novels. They always seem to clean cut and perfect, but this, this story was perfect. I laughed, got teary, hated the parents, and then felt my heart melt. I highly recommend to anyone to read this love story
December 14, 2014
By my sorority sister!
December 2, 2013
This book is unlike anything I've read before. When I first started reading, I was a bit confused. For whatever reason, I had totally confused this book for something else. But as I went on I realize, that "This is a True Story" actually meant it was a true story. And it literally blew my mind. Reading a romance is one thing. But this is something else entirely. To think that this actually happened? Crazy stuff. I could not imagine having to go through something like this. But through the eyes of Dawn, I was amazed. I may not be the best judge of maturity because I'm rather young myself. But she was portrayed as a decent teenager. Despite wanting to see a boy her parents disapproved of (for whatever reason), she didn't really rebel. It's not like she was partying and getting drunk. She did sneak around to see him, but what else was she supposed to do?
Because she's actually a real person, it's hard to evaluate her character. But I didn't know she was a real person for the beginning of the book. And I was impressed with how her character was portrayed. Did she have flaws? Of course, she's human. The way she blindly accepted what her mother and boyfriend told her was terrible. But she was young, naïve, and fed a bunch of lies. Who wouldn't have believed their mother as a teen? In the 70's? You really have to keep these things in perspective. Dawn grew up trusting her mother. Of course she's going to believe her.
And considering this was written by Shawn, I have got to say. I think he did an excellent job. I feel like I know Dawn and what she went through. Even though she hated him for such a long time.
Were there a few details left out? I'd definitely say so. It doesn't say too much about Dawn's daughters, or Shawn's daughters. In a way, it makes sense. The book is about Shawn and Dawn, after all. But still. Considering it is a real story, it'd be nice to have everything on the table. Including children and grandchildren.
The exes were talked about, though. So that filled in a few blanks and that was nice background.
The other major hole was: why? Why were Dawn's parents so against Shawn?
It's something that should have been explored, questioned, discovered. But the reader is left as clueless as the writer and his wife. Because Dawn didn't even know she had been lied to when her parents died. She had no way of knowing, much less a way of finding out why. It's sad, but it's life.
Literally.
This is most definitely not a romance. Maybe it's the fact that it's real is why I love it so much. It's a true testament to real love. Beautiful doesn't even begin to cover it. Everything was against them and yet, they ended up together. A little late?
Nah, I don't think so. I think it was perfect.
Holes in the story? Sure. But there are holes in life, too.
Overall, wonderfully written. It was a touching story that I will keep with me forever.
Rating: 5 stars
Why: well-written and true to the heart; seemed to accurately portray Dawn and Shawn and their incredible journey
Recommendation: anybody who enjoys a good love story
Because she's actually a real person, it's hard to evaluate her character. But I didn't know she was a real person for the beginning of the book. And I was impressed with how her character was portrayed. Did she have flaws? Of course, she's human. The way she blindly accepted what her mother and boyfriend told her was terrible. But she was young, naïve, and fed a bunch of lies. Who wouldn't have believed their mother as a teen? In the 70's? You really have to keep these things in perspective. Dawn grew up trusting her mother. Of course she's going to believe her.
And considering this was written by Shawn, I have got to say. I think he did an excellent job. I feel like I know Dawn and what she went through. Even though she hated him for such a long time.
Were there a few details left out? I'd definitely say so. It doesn't say too much about Dawn's daughters, or Shawn's daughters. In a way, it makes sense. The book is about Shawn and Dawn, after all. But still. Considering it is a real story, it'd be nice to have everything on the table. Including children and grandchildren.
The exes were talked about, though. So that filled in a few blanks and that was nice background.
The other major hole was: why? Why were Dawn's parents so against Shawn?
It's something that should have been explored, questioned, discovered. But the reader is left as clueless as the writer and his wife. Because Dawn didn't even know she had been lied to when her parents died. She had no way of knowing, much less a way of finding out why. It's sad, but it's life.
Literally.
This is most definitely not a romance. Maybe it's the fact that it's real is why I love it so much. It's a true testament to real love. Beautiful doesn't even begin to cover it. Everything was against them and yet, they ended up together. A little late?
Nah, I don't think so. I think it was perfect.
Holes in the story? Sure. But there are holes in life, too.
Overall, wonderfully written. It was a touching story that I will keep with me forever.
Rating: 5 stars
Why: well-written and true to the heart; seemed to accurately portray Dawn and Shawn and their incredible journey
Recommendation: anybody who enjoys a good love story
September 1, 2013
Both Sides Now is the follow-up to Feels Like the First Time and is told through Dawn’s perspective of a long and tragic courtship that “ends” in a relationship that has been strengthened much like a forged weapon battered by a blacksmith’s hand. I haven’t read the first book, and I don’t feel like I needed to have read it before this one since there is a full story in here.
This is a true story, which is one reason why reading about their relationship is so compelling. The characters are real, the emotional burdens are heavy, the love is raw, and the betrayals are heartbreaking. The people in the story aren’t perfect and have many flaws much like all of us, which helps make the story so relatable.
The writing matches the thought processes as you would imagine Dawn would act over time. As a young child, you feel her frustrations at moving, and then at a teenager, you can feel the unfairness she feels with being the new girl at high school and dealing with overprotective parents. Finally, when older, you feel that sense of survival as an adult accepting life’s burdens and responsibilites. It’s so easy to sympathize with her and see why she does what she does.
At the same time, and I don’t know if this was intentional by the author or not, I can also sympathize with the forces trying to keep the two apart from each other. While three years doesn’t seem like a big deal when your both adults, when one is still a child, three years is a huge period of time. It’s easy to see why others worried about Dawn for anyone who had a high school girl friend date a guy in college. On the other hand, it’s so sad seeing it from Dawn’s perspective, because Dawn and Shawn were mature enough to see that they really loved each other. It wasn’t just puppy love for them, as evidenced thirty-plus years later.
Both Sides Now isn’t a memoir about fantastical people doing fantastical things; it’s about two people, who could be any one of us, falling in love and facing challenges in getting their happily ever after. I’m amazed that they let us in so deeply into their souls and see the hard and seemingly impossible decisions that had to make. This is a heart-wrenching read that I recommend to anyone who enjoys a raw and fascinating story of “true love”. This is a 5 out of 5 for me.
(Originally posted on my blog; I was given a gift copy in exchange for an unbiased and honest review.)
This is a true story, which is one reason why reading about their relationship is so compelling. The characters are real, the emotional burdens are heavy, the love is raw, and the betrayals are heartbreaking. The people in the story aren’t perfect and have many flaws much like all of us, which helps make the story so relatable.
The writing matches the thought processes as you would imagine Dawn would act over time. As a young child, you feel her frustrations at moving, and then at a teenager, you can feel the unfairness she feels with being the new girl at high school and dealing with overprotective parents. Finally, when older, you feel that sense of survival as an adult accepting life’s burdens and responsibilites. It’s so easy to sympathize with her and see why she does what she does.
At the same time, and I don’t know if this was intentional by the author or not, I can also sympathize with the forces trying to keep the two apart from each other. While three years doesn’t seem like a big deal when your both adults, when one is still a child, three years is a huge period of time. It’s easy to see why others worried about Dawn for anyone who had a high school girl friend date a guy in college. On the other hand, it’s so sad seeing it from Dawn’s perspective, because Dawn and Shawn were mature enough to see that they really loved each other. It wasn’t just puppy love for them, as evidenced thirty-plus years later.
Both Sides Now isn’t a memoir about fantastical people doing fantastical things; it’s about two people, who could be any one of us, falling in love and facing challenges in getting their happily ever after. I’m amazed that they let us in so deeply into their souls and see the hard and seemingly impossible decisions that had to make. This is a heart-wrenching read that I recommend to anyone who enjoys a raw and fascinating story of “true love”. This is a 5 out of 5 for me.
(Originally posted on my blog; I was given a gift copy in exchange for an unbiased and honest review.)
July 16, 2014
To find out your husband’s brain cancer has returned after eighteen months in remission on the day you deliver premature twins seems insurmountable and surreal. But this is exactly where Nancy Sharp’s true story starts.
This poignant memoir is beautifully written in short, powerful chapters that mirror the shock and heartache of caring for and losing a beloved husband while showing the resilience of the human spirit.
With a raw honesty and authenticity, Nancy brings us into her intimate experience of falling in love, going through in-vitro fertilization, a husband’s cancer diagnosis then juggling family, home and career while watching the love of her life fade away after his cancer returns. Her first person point of view of speaking to her husband and reflecting upon her own feelings brings the reader close to her and all she is experiencing.
“ I love the easiness of our relationship, and how relaxed I am with you. There is not need to analyze our status or what we mean to each other. Never once do I question the way you care, never once do I doubt you. We are sure about each other. Before you even utter the words, I read your mind: I want to marry her. Somehow it seems ordained that we be together. And this is what I told Joanie and my mom the first time you called me: “I just met the man I’m going to marry.”
The brevity of the chapters, as she describes in her Author’s Note, reflects her own grieving process of facing the painful realities in manageable doses.
This powerful memoir is about giving love and life your all then moving on with grace and strength to build a new life after loss and grief. It is a stunning tribute to the beauty of love and the resilience of the human spirit.
This poignant memoir is beautifully written in short, powerful chapters that mirror the shock and heartache of caring for and losing a beloved husband while showing the resilience of the human spirit.
With a raw honesty and authenticity, Nancy brings us into her intimate experience of falling in love, going through in-vitro fertilization, a husband’s cancer diagnosis then juggling family, home and career while watching the love of her life fade away after his cancer returns. Her first person point of view of speaking to her husband and reflecting upon her own feelings brings the reader close to her and all she is experiencing.
“ I love the easiness of our relationship, and how relaxed I am with you. There is not need to analyze our status or what we mean to each other. Never once do I question the way you care, never once do I doubt you. We are sure about each other. Before you even utter the words, I read your mind: I want to marry her. Somehow it seems ordained that we be together. And this is what I told Joanie and my mom the first time you called me: “I just met the man I’m going to marry.”
The brevity of the chapters, as she describes in her Author’s Note, reflects her own grieving process of facing the painful realities in manageable doses.
This powerful memoir is about giving love and life your all then moving on with grace and strength to build a new life after loss and grief. It is a stunning tribute to the beauty of love and the resilience of the human spirit.
August 30, 2013
My Rating: ★★★★
My Thoughts:
Shawn Inmon and his wife Dawn wrote a beautiful and true story of their relationship. I know my serious romance readers are scoffing at me right now but give me a second to explain. Although the story was their real life story, it read like a fiction romance tale. There were people that you rooted for and others...well...they just made you want to reach through the pages of the book and smack them. The story was heartbreaking and heartwarming and shows the honest-to-goodness power of love. AND...it's a HEA (happily ever after)! Who can turn their nose up at a happily ever after.
Ratings Detail:
Rating for female protagonist: 4★
Rating for male protagonist: 4★
Steam Level: 2.5★
Plot Viability: 4★
General Storyline: 4★
Story Ending: 4★
Ease of Reading: 4★
Book editing: 4★
Cliffhanger: No
Overall rating: 4★
For more of my reviews visit The BookChick Blog
VERY GOOD: The characteristics of a 4 star book include: a great story; I loved the characters; and there was an interesting plot and unique story elements; there may have been a few odd things kept the story from being amazing. I would read it again and I would recommend it to a friend.This book was provided by the author for an honest review.
My Thoughts:
Shawn Inmon and his wife Dawn wrote a beautiful and true story of their relationship. I know my serious romance readers are scoffing at me right now but give me a second to explain. Although the story was their real life story, it read like a fiction romance tale. There were people that you rooted for and others...well...they just made you want to reach through the pages of the book and smack them. The story was heartbreaking and heartwarming and shows the honest-to-goodness power of love. AND...it's a HEA (happily ever after)! Who can turn their nose up at a happily ever after.
Ratings Detail:
Rating for female protagonist: 4★
Rating for male protagonist: 4★
Steam Level: 2.5★
Plot Viability: 4★
General Storyline: 4★
Story Ending: 4★
Ease of Reading: 4★
Book editing: 4★
Cliffhanger: No
Overall rating: 4★
For more of my reviews visit The BookChick Blog
September 13, 2016
There are thoughts we all have but rarely utter. One of the scariest of these thoughts comes when we allow ourselves to love fully- when we look at our beloved and think, "what if this person dies on me?" We feel panic at the idea of it; we flush with shame at the selfishness of it; we knock wood; we un-think it; we look the other way.
In Both Sides Now, Nancy Sharp offers her readers a deal: if they are willing to open themselves up to facing their own fears of loss, she will share her journey of loving, losing and living again. In this way, Both Sides Now is a dialogue - for, to pick it up, the reader must agree to be vulnerable. It is as if Ms. Sharp is saying, "If you are willing to come with me to this place where we talk about those unspoken fears of loss, I will share my experience with you." This is a contract well worth entering, for within her journey, lie innumerable truths - about love, about anxiety, about pain, and about living. Her loss is universal in that it could happen to any one of us. Her triumph is full of hope.
Both Sides Now is a smart, honest, vivid memoir that awakens us to the possibilities of healing and growth. Thank you, Nancy Sharp, for taking me there
In Both Sides Now, Nancy Sharp offers her readers a deal: if they are willing to open themselves up to facing their own fears of loss, she will share her journey of loving, losing and living again. In this way, Both Sides Now is a dialogue - for, to pick it up, the reader must agree to be vulnerable. It is as if Ms. Sharp is saying, "If you are willing to come with me to this place where we talk about those unspoken fears of loss, I will share my experience with you." This is a contract well worth entering, for within her journey, lie innumerable truths - about love, about anxiety, about pain, and about living. Her loss is universal in that it could happen to any one of us. Her triumph is full of hope.
Both Sides Now is a smart, honest, vivid memoir that awakens us to the possibilities of healing and growth. Thank you, Nancy Sharp, for taking me there
February 16, 2014
Nancy Sharp is an author who got my attention because I like stories that are not only true, but real. As one who’s experienced death of immediate family members, I was immediately drawn into her intimate book Both Sides Now: A True Story of Love, Loss and Bold Living. I read it in two days, not able to put it down, and then immediately re-read it. Exquisitely revealed, it speaks to a young couple’s passionate beginnings and her realization that she has been dealt the cards of birth and death all at once as she faces raising their new babies alone. Nancy’s account of her husband’s battle with cancer before and after their twins were born is not only heart-striking, but instructive as well. Just when I thought she couldn’t be any more honest in the telling I turned the page to find yet another revelation, reflection, or remembrance that unimaginably extends compassion and sensitivity for the dying. The author impressively paints the scenes of what they and their families (and friends) endure, want and need. Each chapter builds the breadth and depth of joy, pain, anguish, fear, sorrow, hope, devotion, shock, anger, acceptance, renewal. Both Sides Now is about Life and Death and Life, in that order. It doesn’t get any more true and real than this. -- Petra Perkins, Author
July 16, 2013
I had already read "Feels Like the First Time", which is a true story about a lost love told from the guy's (Shawn) perspective. This book is the same story, but told from his lost love's (Dawn) point of view.
I am giving it 5 stars as I did with the first book. It was another hard to put down book, although perhaps not quite as gripping. I was wondering how I would feel had I not already read the previous book. I enjoy the author's writing style in both, but I kept reading the first one wanting to know what happened/how it all worked out - from being separated as teenagers to reuniting as adults.
Because the story itself doesn't change, this second book was more about filling in answers to some of the questions I had about what was going through Dawn's mind and what was happening in Dawn's life as I was reading Shawn's experiences, emotions, and thoughts.
I found myself flipping back and forth between the books to remember how Shawn described / experienced what I was now reading about from Dawn's point of view. That in itself is different from reading any other book, and I really enjoyed it.
I am giving it 5 stars as I did with the first book. It was another hard to put down book, although perhaps not quite as gripping. I was wondering how I would feel had I not already read the previous book. I enjoy the author's writing style in both, but I kept reading the first one wanting to know what happened/how it all worked out - from being separated as teenagers to reuniting as adults.
Because the story itself doesn't change, this second book was more about filling in answers to some of the questions I had about what was going through Dawn's mind and what was happening in Dawn's life as I was reading Shawn's experiences, emotions, and thoughts.
I found myself flipping back and forth between the books to remember how Shawn described / experienced what I was now reading about from Dawn's point of view. That in itself is different from reading any other book, and I really enjoyed it.
August 7, 2014
I read this book and reread this book for about a month. I highlighted passages, shared passages, and even made notes in the margins. I literally couldn't not tear myself away. There were nights I sobbed over this book. My husband was diagnosed with a rare and aggressive form of cancer 2.5 years ago. This story was real for me. We were told, by multiple doctors, there was no hope. My life began to fall apart around me. We also have a son who was born at 30 weeks.
Nancy's writing was often like I was reading my own thoughts. Thoughts and feelings that I knew I had, but didn't necessarily have the words to convey.
I recommend this book to everyone. Not just those that have been touched by cancer, illness and loss, but every. single. person.
Nancy puts reality in this book. Something that so many people are oblivious to.
Nancy's writing was often like I was reading my own thoughts. Thoughts and feelings that I knew I had, but didn't necessarily have the words to convey.
I recommend this book to everyone. Not just those that have been touched by cancer, illness and loss, but every. single. person.
Nancy puts reality in this book. Something that so many people are oblivious to.
February 24, 2014
Nancy's story is compelling like many memoirs. It's her writing, though, that sets this book apart. As the director of outreach at a funeral home, I have walked alongside many bereaved people and really thought I understood their feelings. Reading Nancy Sharp's beautifully written memoir allowed me to understand grief in a deeper way. The first section, written in second person, puts the reader inside the story. The coarsely cut pages serve as a metaphor for the jaggedness of grief. Though it's a painful story, Nancy shows readers how to move forward and to create a new normal with bold intention. Both Sides Now teaches the reader to embrace the profound beauty in the happiness and pain that life has to offer.
December 2, 2025
" Until my last breath, I will never leave you" This quote took my breath away! What a beautiful love story!! This is one of my favorite reads and one I must own for my library! I'm so in love with this story!! I'm at a lost for words honestly. With all the time that past, The time they never seen each other and yet the love was still there! Oh my goodness this is a must read!!! Just beautiful!
August 19, 2014
A memoir of first and final love, Dawn is a real life character with both flaws and perfections.
Read full review in the October 2013 issue of InD’tale Magazine.
Read full review in the October 2013 issue of InD’tale Magazine.
May 29, 2017
I'm speechless.
March 27, 2023
In many ways a very sad story but a very satisfying ending. A true story that takes place in WA, some of the areas I've been to. This was a free book for me from BookBubs, read as an ebook.
July 27, 2016
Suitable for a tween, perhaps.
September 12, 2017
A really good book. You can definitely read Feels Like The First Time as a stand alone, but this gives you another perspective. You gain answers to questions that arise, that only Dawn can give. It adds more depth to their wonderful love story. Some people are lucky enough to get second chances ... if so, grab them with both hands! Wonderful story guys :)
February 13, 2025
The whole time I was reading Shawn’s story (Feels Like the First Time) I wondered about Dawn. What was she thinking all this time? Was she devastated when things didn’t work out or had she not cared as much as he did? I was so excited at the end of the book to find out she had written her side of the story. Here it is: it’s all in this eye opening fascinating story. Impossible to put down!
June 1, 2018
Enjoyed it!
I love reading true stories. I believe their love was so much stronger because of the years that had passed between the two proposals. It is always wonderful to know that true, committed love still exists.
I love reading true stories. I believe their love was so much stronger because of the years that had passed between the two proposals. It is always wonderful to know that true, committed love still exists.
December 11, 2019
Love it
I could not put it down. The mom in the story makes me realize what a great mom I have and how I am a good mom to my children because I am raising them to think for them selves.
I could not put it down. The mom in the story makes me realize what a great mom I have and how I am a good mom to my children because I am raising them to think for them selves.
December 12, 2017
Poignant love story.
This is a true love story with bumps in the road that seem insurmountable, but love conquers all for Shawn and Dawn
This is a true love story with bumps in the road that seem insurmountable, but love conquers all for Shawn and Dawn
December 17, 2017
You can read this story before or after Feels Like the First Time. Either way, you will still be amazed at how incredibly touching this true love story is!
May 8, 2018
This is essentially the same story as told from Dawn's point of view.
While the story is pretty decent, I found the writing to be too clinical and unemotional to get me invested in the characters. This is actually a true story, so the feelings should be there, but it just didn't do it for me.
While the story is pretty decent, I found the writing to be too clinical and unemotional to get me invested in the characters. This is actually a true story, so the feelings should be there, but it just didn't do it for me.
January 12, 2019
Romeo and Juliet
I enjoyed this love story. It brought back some of my own memories. These are theroputic in a way. Thanks for the memories!
I enjoyed this love story. It brought back some of my own memories. These are theroputic in a way. Thanks for the memories!
January 18, 2019
Personal account of young love from her perspective. All the misunderstandings, non communication, and parental manipulation. Glad to read the happy ever after=)
January 21, 2019
What an amazing love story..couldn't put it down!
What an amazing love story..couldn't put it down. We could only wish to have loved like these two!
Good book!
What an amazing love story..couldn't put it down. We could only wish to have loved like these two!
Good book!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 148 reviews