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Lost and Found
Delaney Curtis just broke up with her boyfriend and moved halfway across the country to start her life over, a life that does not include men, especially not her perpetually grouchy neighbor, Oliver. He calls her ugly, hates her clothes, and has a trail of women leaving his apartment.
Oliver Webber can't seem to stop insulting his new next door neighbor, the unnervingly sweet Delaney. He plans to stay far away from her and everyone else and lick his wounds after unrequited love. Except he keeps running into Delaney, and she's so fun, and kind, and pretty. Before long, he's making up excuses to spend time with her.
Soon they're in the middle of a blossoming friendship. But when exes come back to find Delaney and Oliver, they both need to figure out if love is a losing proposition, or worth the gamble.
Oliver Webber can't seem to stop insulting his new next door neighbor, the unnervingly sweet Delaney. He plans to stay far away from her and everyone else and lick his wounds after unrequited love. Except he keeps running into Delaney, and she's so fun, and kind, and pretty. Before long, he's making up excuses to spend time with her.
Soon they're in the middle of a blossoming friendship. But when exes come back to find Delaney and Oliver, they both need to figure out if love is a losing proposition, or worth the gamble.
Kindle Edition
First published October 20, 2013
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 49 reviews
October 1, 2015
This is a really hard book to rate. Why you ask? Because there was a lot of stuff to love... and then a lot of stuff not to love.
We have Delaney (a.k.a. Lane or Laney), a young woman who has just broken up with her cheating TV star boyfriend and moved into a new apartment. Thanks to a skin issue that causes her to have "patches" of discoloration and a bitch-faced mother (who is seen once and never heard from again, rather unsatisfactorily), not to mention the actions of her dickhead ex, Laney is rampant with insecurities. She still thinks she loves her cheating ex because he's beautiful and she's not (or maybe doesn't think she is -- it was hard to tell if Laney was actually beautiful and just didn't realize it because of her skin problems or if her friends just loved her so much they only saw the beautiful). Then we have Oliver, Laney's new neighbor, a good looking doctor playboy who is in love with his brother's fiancee.
This book has some great commentary on love and appearances and expectations and heroes. The author did an excellent job in making sure both of her characters had very real flaws, which is something not a lot of romance authors think to do. Unfortunately, particularly with Laney, these flaws made it very hard to love the characters. I didn't respect Laney for a large part of the book. She was willing to go back to her cheating asshat ex simply because she didn't want to be alone. I hate those women and I don't want to read about them. I get that there are esteem issues, but I can deal with an FMC that would rather be alone while thinking her cheating asshat ex is the best she can do, but not with one who is willing to upend her life to go back and continue to be a doormat for him. I really just have very little sympathy for that kind of woman. Also, later in the book when things are getting weird between Laney and Oliver, in an effort to avoid him, Laney gives her dog away so she won't have to see him. Seriously? She gets this dog earlier in the book from the pound (so clearly the dog is going to have abandonment issues) and then she just gives it to one of her best friends so she doesn't have to walk it. It's implied that it isn't a permanent thing, but that's pretty horrible and selfish dog owner behavior.
Not. Cool.
I was a bit more tolerant of Oliver (which is odd for me because I tend to be harder on the males than the females in these stories). I got why he was the way he was, with his hero complex and his almost courtly love for his future sister-in-law. And again, I liked the way the book didn't shy away from his flaws, or try to turn his hero complex into something more admirable.
Unfortunately, something about the writing never really connected with me. A lot of the action happened off page. I don't mean the sex scenes (although anyone looking for smut needs to be aware that those were off-page too), but conversations and emotions. I feel the book would have benefited from getting some of Laney's conversations with her cheating ex -- as it was, it's mentioned many times after he visits her that she is still texting him, but then the whole thing is dropped. I get that for Laney he wasn't important, but it felt like her eventual apathy toward her ex should have been brought up. Also, there were some pretty important conversations with Mia that really should have been on-page (in my opinion). As it was, a lot of the emotions I should have been connecting with just weren't there and it felt like I was reading... well... words on a page. There were odd non-sequiturs and frequently, when I thought a character should have been reacting to something another one said (this was usually in the conversations between Oliver and Laney), there was no reaction at all, only to find out pages later, that the character had responded to something completely different.
This wasn't a bad book at all -- it was a cute little romantic... well I won't call it a comedy because beyond some cute banter, it didn't really try to be funny, but it wasn't really a drama either. So I guess a cute little romantic something. And again, the author had some really fantastic thoughts regarding several subjects that you don't see very often in romance novels. I love that she didn't shy away from the fact that for all of Laney's insecurities, she was extremely appearance-motivated. But that's really what it felt like -- two characters, not people being brought alive from the electronic pages of my Kindle. I really enjoyed it and found it hard to put down, but in the end, this was one that could have been so much better.
(Plus, this subject bears repeating: I don't care how broken-hearted you are, you don't give your dog, who you adopted from the pound only a few months ago and is starting to get used to you, away because it's just too hard (read: you're too self-absorbed) to see your ex when you walk her.)
We have Delaney (a.k.a. Lane or Laney), a young woman who has just broken up with her cheating TV star boyfriend and moved into a new apartment. Thanks to a skin issue that causes her to have "patches" of discoloration and a bitch-faced mother (who is seen once and never heard from again, rather unsatisfactorily), not to mention the actions of her dickhead ex, Laney is rampant with insecurities. She still thinks she loves her cheating ex because he's beautiful and she's not (or maybe doesn't think she is -- it was hard to tell if Laney was actually beautiful and just didn't realize it because of her skin problems or if her friends just loved her so much they only saw the beautiful). Then we have Oliver, Laney's new neighbor, a good looking doctor playboy who is in love with his brother's fiancee.
This book has some great commentary on love and appearances and expectations and heroes. The author did an excellent job in making sure both of her characters had very real flaws, which is something not a lot of romance authors think to do. Unfortunately, particularly with Laney, these flaws made it very hard to love the characters. I didn't respect Laney for a large part of the book. She was willing to go back to her cheating asshat ex simply because she didn't want to be alone. I hate those women and I don't want to read about them. I get that there are esteem issues, but I can deal with an FMC that would rather be alone while thinking her cheating asshat ex is the best she can do, but not with one who is willing to upend her life to go back and continue to be a doormat for him. I really just have very little sympathy for that kind of woman. Also, later in the book when things are getting weird between Laney and Oliver, in an effort to avoid him, Laney gives her dog away so she won't have to see him. Seriously? She gets this dog earlier in the book from the pound (so clearly the dog is going to have abandonment issues) and then she just gives it to one of her best friends so she doesn't have to walk it. It's implied that it isn't a permanent thing, but that's pretty horrible and selfish dog owner behavior.
Not. Cool.
I was a bit more tolerant of Oliver (which is odd for me because I tend to be harder on the males than the females in these stories). I got why he was the way he was, with his hero complex and his almost courtly love for his future sister-in-law. And again, I liked the way the book didn't shy away from his flaws, or try to turn his hero complex into something more admirable.
Unfortunately, something about the writing never really connected with me. A lot of the action happened off page. I don't mean the sex scenes (although anyone looking for smut needs to be aware that those were off-page too), but conversations and emotions. I feel the book would have benefited from getting some of Laney's conversations with her cheating ex -- as it was, it's mentioned many times after he visits her that she is still texting him, but then the whole thing is dropped. I get that for Laney he wasn't important, but it felt like her eventual apathy toward her ex should have been brought up. Also, there were some pretty important conversations with Mia that really should have been on-page (in my opinion). As it was, a lot of the emotions I should have been connecting with just weren't there and it felt like I was reading... well... words on a page. There were odd non-sequiturs and frequently, when I thought a character should have been reacting to something another one said (this was usually in the conversations between Oliver and Laney), there was no reaction at all, only to find out pages later, that the character had responded to something completely different.
This wasn't a bad book at all -- it was a cute little romantic... well I won't call it a comedy because beyond some cute banter, it didn't really try to be funny, but it wasn't really a drama either. So I guess a cute little romantic something. And again, the author had some really fantastic thoughts regarding several subjects that you don't see very often in romance novels. I love that she didn't shy away from the fact that for all of Laney's insecurities, she was extremely appearance-motivated. But that's really what it felt like -- two characters, not people being brought alive from the electronic pages of my Kindle. I really enjoyed it and found it hard to put down, but in the end, this was one that could have been so much better.
(Plus, this subject bears repeating: I don't care how broken-hearted you are, you don't give your dog, who you adopted from the pound only a few months ago and is starting to get used to you, away because it's just too hard (read: you're too self-absorbed) to see your ex when you walk her.)
June 21, 2014
Lovely. A lovely story. Admittedly, I spent a lot of time angry with both Delaney (for not seeing how much she was loved and how beautiful so many believed she was) and Oliver (for general assholery and for not... reading Delaney's mind, I guess). But I think the characters' flaws is what makes them more real and relatable. An excellent read that I devoured in less than a day and look forward to reading again. And again.
October 28, 2013
As I'm writing this, I'm still having an internal battle about whether I should give this a 3 or a 4 but I think I'm going to stick with a 3.5-star rating for this one. Though this book made me SO FRUSTRATED - over Delaney's too doormat personality, Oliver's indecisiveness, Delaney's prick of an ex, Oliver's (complicated) unrequited love and both their stupidity to see what's right in front of them - I couldn't put it down. In all fairness, the plot was interesting or maybe I was just a glutton for suffering. In any case, I couldn't help but root for the both of them to finally have their happy ending.
October 23, 2013
It's pretty rare that I read a book like this and actually genuinely like all of the characters and care what happens to them. Sure, some of them were SUPER FRUSTRATING (I can never relate to characters who lack self confidence), but they were all still likeable. Even the minor characters had layers, like a seven layer dip. I put this in a binder so I could pretend it was VERY IMPORTANT WORK DOCUMENTS, but so badly wanted/needed to finish it that I took it home anyway. Thanks for creating such an enjoyable world to escape to, now please write more :)
October 27, 2013
The writing in this was done well with several laugh out loud moments but I think the characters and their friends were very inconsistent. One minute the friends are telling Delaney she should stay away from jackass Oliver and then they say no, don't stay away and try him out & get naked with him. This goes back and forth through the majority of the book which got real old, real fast and even confusing. Plus, the interaction between Oliver and Delaney annoyed me. They kiss, then one will say this is wrong and leaves. They kiss again, the other one says they can't do this and leaves. Back and forth of this got very frustrating. Again, I liked the writing style and see lots of potential for this author, but I just think the execution of the story wasn't very realistic or even natural.
October 24, 2013
I finished this book with a happy sigh of contentment, and more than a few blushing thoughts of those early days of love/lust when you just can't keep your hands off the person across from you. Delaney & Oliver (and most of their friends) are flawed people, who keep making mistakes & misjudging others and themselves. Delaney is incapable of seeing herself as she is. Oliver is incapable of saying the right thing. But their chemistry builds and builds and then it's just a matter of seeing where it takes them.
June 20, 2015
My original review was going to be 934 pages of my life I'll never get back; however, the last chapter redeemed the entire book. I seriously didn't like any of the characters except, possibly, the dog.
October 23, 2013
Smart, fun and sweet romance. I wanted to immediately start reading it again when it was over.
October 24, 2013
I just stayed up past midnight to finish this despite the fact that I have to work tomorrow and I have two small children.
September 1, 2020
I was looking for something fun and fluffy, so I picked this up. Started out with an interesting premise and a great sense of humor, but became repetitive to the point of disbelief and frustration by about halfway through. After that, all of the characters were the worst. I actually was okay with the asshole male love interest because he was by far better than the manipulative, controlling friends. The insecure female love interest was an interesting character until her insecurity became all of what she was. By the end, I didn't even want the two of them to end up together. I was hoping for at least a few good naughty scenes out of this, but all of those cut away just after the shirts come off. Overall disappointed, which is a bummer, since it had a strong start. Ending it at the halfway point would have kept all the repetitive nonsense from dragging out so painfully long.
September 23, 2017
*I received this book for free in a Goodreads giveaway*
Overall I found this to be a cute little romance book that I flew through. I liked that both of the main characters spent most of this book in love with other people. I also really liked how the main character went through a lot of self-growth and talks about different kinds of love. There also problems I had with book and it was a bit cheesey at times. However if if you are looking for light romance story with a somewhat realistic twist, check this out.
Overall I found this to be a cute little romance book that I flew through. I liked that both of the main characters spent most of this book in love with other people. I also really liked how the main character went through a lot of self-growth and talks about different kinds of love. There also problems I had with book and it was a bit cheesey at times. However if if you are looking for light romance story with a somewhat realistic twist, check this out.
July 8, 2019
I was originally was going to give this book 3 stars because it had all the feels for a good story but, Laney gave her dog away so Oliver wouldn't know she was still living across the hall from him. She GAVE her dog away.
October 25, 2013
http://bookwhorebr.blogspot.com.br/20...
*Review in Portuguese and English.*
Confesso que eu não conhecia a autora e escolhi o livro pela capa *cover whore*. Comecei a leitura sem saber nada sobre o livro.
Foi uma boa surpresa!
Delaney Curtis é uma mulher com baixa estima e que está saindo de um relacionamento que a afastou dos amigos, de sua carreira e de seu lar.
Ao voltar pra casa ela se encontra com Oliver Webber, seu vizinho é mal humorado, mulherengo e que não tem filtro entre o que ele pensa e o que ele fala.
Ele realmente fala coisas horríveis pra ela.
Como ela não tem expectativa de ser tratada bem pelas pessoas ela aceita os insultos dele e tenta evitar encontrar ele o máximo possível.
Mas como os dois moram no mesmo corredor e a porta dos apartamentos são de frente uma para outra eles acabam se encontrando seguidamente.
Ele é um sujeito horrível e um imbecil... cada vez que ele a encontra ele a trata cada vez pior.
Delaney é um doce de pessoa e as amigas adoram ela. Ela trata a todos com delicadeza e gentileza.
Inclusive o vizinho imbecil e mal educado.
Oliver acaba se sentindo mal com a situação e começa uma amizade com Delaney.
Eles passam a correr juntos e a passar algum tempo conversando e assistindo tv.
Oliver está enfrentando um dilema, ele está apaixonado pela futura esposa do irmão dele. O casamento está se aproximando e ele não sabe o que fazer.
Delaney está sendo perseguida pelo imbecil do ex noivo que a traía com várias mulheres.
Como ela se acha indigna do amor das outras pessoas ela está pensando em voltar para o ex namorado, mesmo sendo tão maltratada por ele.
Acontecem várias situações que acabam colocando Oliver e Delaney como par na festa que antecede ao casamento do irmão dele.
A noiva resolve cancelar o casamento e confessa que ela está apaixonada pelo Oliver. Ele está confuso e se sentindo mal com toda situação.
Delaney aceita que jamais será amada pelo Oliver, afinal ela não é bonita o suficiente e a mulher pelo qual ele é apaixonada é estonteante.
Eles resolvem ser somente amigos... mas as coisas não saem como eles planejam.
Mal entendidos, ciúmes, interferência dos amigos, preconceito... tudo acaba interferindo no relacionamento deles.
Apesar de tudo eles acabam se entendendo e é muito legal acompanhar a jornada deles.
Gostei da leitura e recomendo!
-----------------
I confess that I did not know the author and I chose the book by its cover (*cover whore*). I started reading without knowing anything about the book.
It was a nice surprise!
Delaney Curtis is a woman with low self esteem and that is coming out of a relationship that drove her away from her friends, her career and her home.
Upon returning home she meets Oliver Webber, your neighbor is in a bad mood, womanizer and who has no filter between what he thinks and what he says.
He speaks really horrible things to her.
As she has no expectation of being treated well by people she accepted the insults and tries to avoid meeting him as much as possible.
But as the two live in the same Hall and the door of the apartments are opposite to each other they end up running into each other all the time.
He is a horrible guy and a jerk ... each time he finds her he treats her worse and worse.
Delaney is a sweet person and her friends love her. She treats everyone with courtesy and kindness.
Including the neighbor jerk and rude.
Oliver ends up feeling bad about the situation and begins a friendship with Delaney.
They run together and spend some time chatting and watching tv.
Oliver is facing a dilemma, he's in love with his brother's future wife. The wedding is approaching and he doesn't know what to do.
Delaney is being stalked by ex-boyfriend asshole who cheated on her with several women.
As she thinks she is unworthy of the love of other people she's thinking about going back to her ex-boyfriend, even being so mistreated by him.
Happen several situations that end up putting Oliver and Delaney as a couple at the party before the wedding of his brother.
The bride resolves to call the wedding off and that she's in love with Oliver. He's confused and feeling bad about the whole situation.
Delaney agrees that will never be loved by Oliver, after all she is not pretty enough and the woman he is in love with is stunning.
They decide to be just friends, but things don't go as they plan.
Misunderstandings, jealousy, interfering friends, prejudice ... everything just interfering in their relationship.
After all they end up getting along and is really cool keep up their journey.
I enjoyed the read and recommend!
*Review in Portuguese and English.*
Confesso que eu não conhecia a autora e escolhi o livro pela capa *cover whore*. Comecei a leitura sem saber nada sobre o livro.
Foi uma boa surpresa!
Delaney Curtis é uma mulher com baixa estima e que está saindo de um relacionamento que a afastou dos amigos, de sua carreira e de seu lar.
Ao voltar pra casa ela se encontra com Oliver Webber, seu vizinho é mal humorado, mulherengo e que não tem filtro entre o que ele pensa e o que ele fala.
Ele realmente fala coisas horríveis pra ela.
Como ela não tem expectativa de ser tratada bem pelas pessoas ela aceita os insultos dele e tenta evitar encontrar ele o máximo possível.
Mas como os dois moram no mesmo corredor e a porta dos apartamentos são de frente uma para outra eles acabam se encontrando seguidamente.
Ele é um sujeito horrível e um imbecil... cada vez que ele a encontra ele a trata cada vez pior.
Delaney é um doce de pessoa e as amigas adoram ela. Ela trata a todos com delicadeza e gentileza.
Inclusive o vizinho imbecil e mal educado.
Oliver acaba se sentindo mal com a situação e começa uma amizade com Delaney.
Eles passam a correr juntos e a passar algum tempo conversando e assistindo tv.
Oliver está enfrentando um dilema, ele está apaixonado pela futura esposa do irmão dele. O casamento está se aproximando e ele não sabe o que fazer.
Delaney está sendo perseguida pelo imbecil do ex noivo que a traía com várias mulheres.
Como ela se acha indigna do amor das outras pessoas ela está pensando em voltar para o ex namorado, mesmo sendo tão maltratada por ele.
Acontecem várias situações que acabam colocando Oliver e Delaney como par na festa que antecede ao casamento do irmão dele.
A noiva resolve cancelar o casamento e confessa que ela está apaixonada pelo Oliver. Ele está confuso e se sentindo mal com toda situação.
Delaney aceita que jamais será amada pelo Oliver, afinal ela não é bonita o suficiente e a mulher pelo qual ele é apaixonada é estonteante.
Eles resolvem ser somente amigos... mas as coisas não saem como eles planejam.
Mal entendidos, ciúmes, interferência dos amigos, preconceito... tudo acaba interferindo no relacionamento deles.
Apesar de tudo eles acabam se entendendo e é muito legal acompanhar a jornada deles.
Gostei da leitura e recomendo!
-----------------
I confess that I did not know the author and I chose the book by its cover (*cover whore*). I started reading without knowing anything about the book.
It was a nice surprise!
Delaney Curtis is a woman with low self esteem and that is coming out of a relationship that drove her away from her friends, her career and her home.
Upon returning home she meets Oliver Webber, your neighbor is in a bad mood, womanizer and who has no filter between what he thinks and what he says.
He speaks really horrible things to her.
As she has no expectation of being treated well by people she accepted the insults and tries to avoid meeting him as much as possible.
But as the two live in the same Hall and the door of the apartments are opposite to each other they end up running into each other all the time.
He is a horrible guy and a jerk ... each time he finds her he treats her worse and worse.
Delaney is a sweet person and her friends love her. She treats everyone with courtesy and kindness.
Including the neighbor jerk and rude.
Oliver ends up feeling bad about the situation and begins a friendship with Delaney.
They run together and spend some time chatting and watching tv.
Oliver is facing a dilemma, he's in love with his brother's future wife. The wedding is approaching and he doesn't know what to do.
Delaney is being stalked by ex-boyfriend asshole who cheated on her with several women.
As she thinks she is unworthy of the love of other people she's thinking about going back to her ex-boyfriend, even being so mistreated by him.
Happen several situations that end up putting Oliver and Delaney as a couple at the party before the wedding of his brother.
The bride resolves to call the wedding off and that she's in love with Oliver. He's confused and feeling bad about the whole situation.
Delaney agrees that will never be loved by Oliver, after all she is not pretty enough and the woman he is in love with is stunning.
They decide to be just friends, but things don't go as they plan.
Misunderstandings, jealousy, interfering friends, prejudice ... everything just interfering in their relationship.
After all they end up getting along and is really cool keep up their journey.
I enjoyed the read and recommend!
April 23, 2015
This book was just adorable. Within seconds I fell in love with the characters, was laughing and crying, and was immediately rooting for the budding couple. The writing was spot on-- I didn't see any glaring errors. The plot was really well paced. Often you find books that nothing happens, or its just action. This had the perfect pace, interesting but well developed. The main character shared some of her feelings, but still in a way that let you make your own conclusions. I think my favorite part was just how sweet and somewhat misguided the female lead was. One of those characters whose not naive, but you still just want to give her a big hug. There was definitely a lot of tension between the characters, and sometimes they could be jerks to each other... But not so much that I held a grudge against them. Quite simply, it was a really well fleshed out, interesting, captivating read.
SUMARY: Delaney has just moved back from California to her hometown. After leaving her movie star, cheating boyfriend, all she wants is to leave a nice quiet life. Oliver, her next door neighbor, can't seem to stop insulting and annoying Delaney. All he wants is to wallow over his unreturned love, yet Oliver can't seem to leave Delaney alone. Can he get over his secret, broken heart? Can Delaney learn to trust again? Does he feel for her what she's beginning to feel for him?
the not-so-best-parts: I really loved Delaney, but I wasn't so keen on her friends. I get being protective and loving, but sometimes they were condescending a rude. Looking out for your friends is a lot different than telling them that they're making all the wrong decisions and shouldn't trust themselves. But the good news is the friends' dialogue really only reflects Delaney's emotions, and they do have a few sweet moments. Only warning-- once I reread the end of the book, I loved it. But don't skim it, cause you realize a lot of emotion ad detail in the last chapter.
the best parts: Delaney was just so likable. She was very sweet, innocent and kind. Oliver was just one of those characters that immediately grew on you. And he turned out to be rather sweet. I actually liked the complexity of his character and his confused emotions: it made me think more of him. They also had a rather slow beginning, which made it all the better when they realized how much they truly meant to each other (very dramatic but fun to read). Note, the relationship was not bring me flowers, the world is perfect. Lots of confused and misplaced feelings-- good stuff!
If you're looking for a sweet (well, not quite sweet.... it's complicated), well written, ACTUALLY INTERESTING story, this is your book. Definitely a nice reread with great lead characters. Lots of spite, confusion, and development of character. Lots of self esteem issues, trust issues, commitment issues, and emotional issues. It was just a read that you couldn't put down and would be excited to pick back up.
SUMARY: Delaney has just moved back from California to her hometown. After leaving her movie star, cheating boyfriend, all she wants is to leave a nice quiet life. Oliver, her next door neighbor, can't seem to stop insulting and annoying Delaney. All he wants is to wallow over his unreturned love, yet Oliver can't seem to leave Delaney alone. Can he get over his secret, broken heart? Can Delaney learn to trust again? Does he feel for her what she's beginning to feel for him?
the not-so-best-parts: I really loved Delaney, but I wasn't so keen on her friends. I get being protective and loving, but sometimes they were condescending a rude. Looking out for your friends is a lot different than telling them that they're making all the wrong decisions and shouldn't trust themselves. But the good news is the friends' dialogue really only reflects Delaney's emotions, and they do have a few sweet moments. Only warning-- once I reread the end of the book, I loved it. But don't skim it, cause you realize a lot of emotion ad detail in the last chapter.
the best parts: Delaney was just so likable. She was very sweet, innocent and kind. Oliver was just one of those characters that immediately grew on you. And he turned out to be rather sweet. I actually liked the complexity of his character and his confused emotions: it made me think more of him. They also had a rather slow beginning, which made it all the better when they realized how much they truly meant to each other (very dramatic but fun to read). Note, the relationship was not bring me flowers, the world is perfect. Lots of confused and misplaced feelings-- good stuff!
If you're looking for a sweet (well, not quite sweet.... it's complicated), well written, ACTUALLY INTERESTING story, this is your book. Definitely a nice reread with great lead characters. Lots of spite, confusion, and development of character. Lots of self esteem issues, trust issues, commitment issues, and emotional issues. It was just a read that you couldn't put down and would be excited to pick back up.
October 29, 2013
A delightful chick-lit read. The exact book you'd want to pick up if you're heading to the beach for a weekend, had a rough week and need to unwind, or just want a reason to stay up all night and devour something by the light of a tiny book lamp.
The book isn't perfect - there are some inconsistencies among the supporting characters (I didn't always believe Ursula's and Emily's positions), the fast pace of character introduction in the beginning got a bit confusing, and I thought there could have been more differentiation between Oliver's and Delaney's voices. That being said, I can't deny the fact that I didn't want to put this book down and got made fun of by my partner for reading while brushing my teeth and getting dressed. I ultimately stayed up until all hours of the night to read the last 3/4 of the book in bed. Oliver and Delaney are compelling characters and have stayed with me. While others have bashed each of them for either too much insecurity or too much jerkiness, I was drawn to both of them and thought they'd be folks I'd want to hang out with (which was great - I have trouble reading books where I don't like or don't care about the characters). There were also some great plot twists and very satisfying dramatic irony. The back and forth between Oliver and Delaney was perfect - witty banter, a love/hate relationship complete with longing glances, tormented internal monologues, and just the right amount of "now I love her/him, but she/he doesn't love me" Reminiscent of Jane Austen in the best way. I'm looking forward to Van Hakes's next book!
Full disclosure: I'm a long time avid reader of Chris Van Hakes's blog and was waiting expectantly for this book.
The book isn't perfect - there are some inconsistencies among the supporting characters (I didn't always believe Ursula's and Emily's positions), the fast pace of character introduction in the beginning got a bit confusing, and I thought there could have been more differentiation between Oliver's and Delaney's voices. That being said, I can't deny the fact that I didn't want to put this book down and got made fun of by my partner for reading while brushing my teeth and getting dressed. I ultimately stayed up until all hours of the night to read the last 3/4 of the book in bed. Oliver and Delaney are compelling characters and have stayed with me. While others have bashed each of them for either too much insecurity or too much jerkiness, I was drawn to both of them and thought they'd be folks I'd want to hang out with (which was great - I have trouble reading books where I don't like or don't care about the characters). There were also some great plot twists and very satisfying dramatic irony. The back and forth between Oliver and Delaney was perfect - witty banter, a love/hate relationship complete with longing glances, tormented internal monologues, and just the right amount of "now I love her/him, but she/he doesn't love me" Reminiscent of Jane Austen in the best way. I'm looking forward to Van Hakes's next book!
Full disclosure: I'm a long time avid reader of Chris Van Hakes's blog and was waiting expectantly for this book.
November 4, 2013
I enjoyed this book a lot, possibly because I needed to read a comforting love story and that's what I felt like this delivered. While there could have been some more polishing and revision (especially during the last 1/4 of the book), what was here was great raw material and a skillfully handled style by a writer who I think is a master storyteller and will continue to develop into a strong writer of romances. I struggled between 3 and 4 stars here, because while I loved reading it, there were some obvious places where there was room for improvement (pacing at the end, for example). Is there a 3.5 star option???
October 30, 2013
Honestly, I just loved this book.
I have been reading this slowly, until I found myself up early and I just couldn't put it down!
The characters are quirky but well developed. The story isn't so convoluted that I have trouble figuring out the characters' motivations but it isn't just simple and straightforward. I found myself wanting to know more about each storyline. I will say I loved the male lead more than the female, which is a change from how I felt early on. I'm not sure what that says about me though!
I found myself highlighting passages and quotes that I loved and looking at how much I had left, wishing there were more.
The read just made me happy.
I have been reading this slowly, until I found myself up early and I just couldn't put it down!
The characters are quirky but well developed. The story isn't so convoluted that I have trouble figuring out the characters' motivations but it isn't just simple and straightforward. I found myself wanting to know more about each storyline. I will say I loved the male lead more than the female, which is a change from how I felt early on. I'm not sure what that says about me though!
I found myself highlighting passages and quotes that I loved and looking at how much I had left, wishing there were more.
The read just made me happy.
April 2, 2014
i have two complaints on this book #1 there is not description on what this book is about. i put this to read and tried to win this in a give away. i didn't so i had my library get it. by the time i got it i had forgotten what it was about. nothing on the back in the front or in the back cover to give you a brief description of the story.
#2 both of the characters seemed to be always down on themselves she thought she was ugly and was obsessed with how people and things looked and he kept dubbing himself as a commitment phobic man whore?
but in general i liked the book after i was finished i still kept thinking about the story wanting more.
#2 both of the characters seemed to be always down on themselves she thought she was ugly and was obsessed with how people and things looked and he kept dubbing himself as a commitment phobic man whore?
but in general i liked the book after i was finished i still kept thinking about the story wanting more.
November 3, 2013
It's been a long time since I stayed up past my bed time to finish a book, but it happened with this one. I picked it up thinking I'd just read a little until I was ready to fall asleep and found myself turning page after to page to get to the end. And I was still thinking about it the next day. It almost felt like the characters were people I actually knew, and I was concerned about them throughout the book and so happy for them at the end. I can't wait to see what Chris Van Hakes comes up with next!
November 21, 2013
So, I liked this. I really did. I read it in a couple of days, and stayed up well past my bedtime on several of those nights.
I loved reading the story from the POV of both main characters. But oh man, they both irritated me. All the assuming about does he really love me of course not I'm ugly, or is she going back to her ex, or is he still pining for that girl, and god forbid they TALK about actual facts and feelings.
But yeah. It was fun, and I'll keep reading books by this authorr for sure!
I loved reading the story from the POV of both main characters. But oh man, they both irritated me. All the assuming about does he really love me of course not I'm ugly, or is she going back to her ex, or is he still pining for that girl, and god forbid they TALK about actual facts and feelings.
But yeah. It was fun, and I'll keep reading books by this authorr for sure!
May 19, 2014
Overall I liked the book. there was some funny moments and sweet ones but Delaney in many parts got on my nerves with her insecurities. I agree with many of the reviewers in that the characters were not consistent and therefore not great supporting characters. It ended abruptly with no clear indication whether Oliver is ready for a real relationship or if Delaney can truly accept herself before she can accept Delaney. There is still much growth to be done by the characters and I really wish there is a second part to this story.
November 14, 2013
A really delightful example of enjoyable, romantic chick lit. I had the whole "COULDN'T PUT IT DOWN" experience with this novel, which I haven't had for a very long time. The two main characters are so fun and well-crafted and human, and this was sweet/sexy/romantic without pushing any of my annoyance buttons. It's just $2.99 on Kindle, which seems like some kind of crazy good entertainment deal to me.
December 4, 2013
I liked this book for many of the reasons that other reviewers did not. Yes, some of the characters were annoying. Yes, I wanted to grab them and shake them. But isn't that the mark of a good author, to make you care so much about the characters that you want to bitch-slap some sense into them? I've known people like each of the main characters, people who stay In relationships past their usefulness. I have, in fact, done that myself in the far far distant past. Excellent read!
November 11, 2014
The character of Delaney is a fully formed, nuanced character and her personality is one that I completely can identify with. It was so wonderful to see her throughout this book transform from a doormat (her words) to someone who can and will stand up for herself. She has a "two steps forward, one step back" kind of journey, but there is definite progress both with and outside of her relationship with the hunky across-the-hall doctor neighbor. Heart warming!
October 24, 2015
So So Good
I don't care what name that put on this story(chick lit) or not this is just plain old good.This was such a well written story and well rounded.This is such a wonderful story that you can relax into like an old friend.I love the fact that the centers around two people who are so afraid to reach for more that they are willing to let the other go.This is a story for your girlfriends and your bookshelf.
I don't care what name that put on this story(chick lit) or not this is just plain old good.This was such a well written story and well rounded.This is such a wonderful story that you can relax into like an old friend.I love the fact that the centers around two people who are so afraid to reach for more that they are willing to let the other go.This is a story for your girlfriends and your bookshelf.
December 12, 2015
The title made me think that this was a second chance at love between Oliver and Delaney. But it wasn't like that at all. She has a skin problem that is very noticeable. With that in mind she doesn't believe that she could still be beautiful. So she has let men define her thru that problem. Oliver not knowing, even though he is a doctor, Gallagher ugly the first time they met. The story was slow reading for me, the reason for 3 stars. By the story line was good.
October 24, 2013
Really, really great book. From neighbors to friends to almost lovers then back to being friends and the cycle begins... Love how their relationship evolved even though it's kinda frustrating how they, especially Oliver, can't seem to make up his mind to what he really wants. Absolutely love this book!!!
October 29, 2013
This is the first book I've read in a VERY long time that has been so compelling that I couldn't put it down. The characters are compelling, the plot has some surprising twists and turns, the dialogue is original, smart, and engaging and doesn't succumb to the formulaic saccharin schlock of so many other romance novels. An excellent debut from Chris Van Hakes; can't wait to read her next one!
January 28, 2014
Would recommend: Eh
This isn't my genre of choice, but I know the author, and I won a copy, so, here we are. I can totally see why others like romance books like this, but it's not my deal, so I'm not raving about the book. I thought this was fine, a perfectly fine romance. If that's up your alley, by all means, this will not disappoint.
This isn't my genre of choice, but I know the author, and I won a copy, so, here we are. I can totally see why others like romance books like this, but it's not my deal, so I'm not raving about the book. I thought this was fine, a perfectly fine romance. If that's up your alley, by all means, this will not disappoint.
October 27, 2013
Lost and Found is just I look for in this type of book. It had likeable, real characters and the will they/won't they plotline kept me engaged throughout the story. I felt connected to both Delaney and Oliver from the beginning--like I was personally invested in the outcome of their story.
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