Emma Hawthorne has lived her mundane life wishing and waiting for something extraordinary to happen to her.
When Alastor, a handsome stranger, literally collides into her, Emma's life quickly goes from boring to anything but! Then, a catastrophic diagnosis derails all of Emma's plans and dreams of finally finding love.
Emma and Alastor make a pact to spend forever together, no matter what. Unfortunately, Emma can't keep her end of the bargain.
How far will Emma go to prove her love? What horrors are worth saving her soul mate?
Vanessa Kramer lives in Blue Springs, MO with her husband, two sons, and cat. Being a lifelong fan of reading and writing, Vanessa has always had a passion for storytelling. She enjoys coffee, being outdoors, and spending time with her family. Her favorite author is Stephen King and loves reading horror, thriller, and mystery the most. You can find updates on Vanessa's events, works-in-progress, ask about TW and other info on Facebook under "Vanessa Kramer Author" and on TikTok, Instagram, and Threads @vanessakramerauthor
The first half of the book would have gotten one star, but the second half got interesting enough to give it five stars. Would heavily recommend a better editor, as the book was full of misspelled words and poor grammar. Still pretty good, though.
I had mixed feelings with this one. I really enjoyed the idea of this book but struggled to get on board with the FMC as I felt that she was very whingey... (I realise I must sound horrid given the life she had BUT it seemed like she was grateful for nothing and that bothered me) THAT BEING SAID, given the ending, I have a feeling all that is about to change and I'm actually very intrigued as to what the next book has in store for us. It could be awesome.
This was not my typical book. However, it was actually really good. I cant say what genre this is. But overall, it was good. It was about Emma. A Girl with Chrones disease. She had her parents who made her feel like they always hovered and worried about her. One day she meets a guy named Alaster. He actually hits her while shes on her bike. And from there, they hang out more and more and end up dating. She hides the fact she is bleeding when she uses the bathroom which ends up hurting her later. She has to get a colonostomy bag which she hates but Alaster makes her feel better. She eventually dies from her disease on top of cancer. But before she died, her ans Alaster made a suicide pact. But she died before it could happen. She goes to heaven and is terrified for Alaster. She is greated by a childhood best friend and she meets a man named Durham who helps her navigate hell to find Alaster. But to find out, he is actually the first son of God and the first demon to Lucifer. He used her to make her commit suicide and she learns Sam went to the dark side. Sam gets killed when she tried to do the right thing in the end and save her. But she spends her days now in the water. Durham is killed. And she ends up becoming a death angel.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
‼️TW discussion of:‼️ Homophobia Conversion therapy Rape Cancer journey Abuse Death Grief
Review:
WOW WOW WOW. This book took a TURN. Not a turn but multiple i was not expecting.
This book follows Emma Hawthorne, a female affected by Crohn’s Disease. Struggling to live her life to the fullest she finally gets the chance to go back to college. Through the exciting journey she bumps into Alastor. A mysterious and charming man she ends up head over heels for. Together they navigate their new lives together, even when Emma’s health takes a dark turn.
I absolutely loved Alastor and Emma together from the start. The interactions the two had with one another made me giggle and kick my feet. However, as the book took a dark turn the story captivated me more than I thought it would. Very serious topics were discussed in the book. Through it all I’ve been on a complete rollercoaster of emotions; as if I was experiencing it with the characters. Both the joyful and tragic journey. Second half of the book was very quick and fast paced. Definitely worth the read.
I absolutely loved this storyline and the world she built around Heaven/Hell and the concept. Stellare job there, it was wonderful. And SOO different. You'll have to read it to understand it, which I highly suggest that you do read this one. The second half of the book was by far my favorite.
One thing that didn't resonate with me was the FMC's age. I actually in my head made her younger. The actions and just the way she was naive about a lot put her much younger in my head. I think even if from a small town, still her actions and thoughts are just off.
The other thing that I wish there was more of was a build-up of the relationship so you could really invest more in her relationship with Alastor and Emma, because I couldn't get into any feels regarding them, and I think I needed that for the second part of the story. Too quick, not enough. But might be something to do with that age issue I was having.
I am looking forward to the next book, great ending. It's a perfect YA read. Again, loved the Heaven/Hell concept!!
This has The Good Place/Dead Like Me (Netflix) vibes, and I’m here for it! Such an interesting story based off of the author’s nightmare… a complete work of fiction, but still makes ya think!
Emma struggles with chronic conditions but meets Alastor in the midst of it all, and he turns into one of the reasons she wants to live! But, the disease takes over, and on her hunt for her true love, she takes a journey to a world she may not return from.
This book was a slow burn for me, but one that completely sticks the landing at the end. The front half of this book is a story about young love battling the complications of everyday life. Then once you hit the halfway point the author metaphorically pulls the rug out from underneath you. Sending you into a completely new world full of fantastical characters and settings.
This book is NOT what I expected in the best of ways. I will admit that the first few chapters were kind of meh for me (I don't read a lot of modern romance so that may be a personal preference). But it does set up the second half of the book BEAUTIFULLY.
Which, Merlin's Beard! I did not expect that. I don't want to spoil it, but the main character goes on a hell of a hero's journey. Her character development is absolutely incredible to see and I love how the author takes us on an absolute wild ride. I am so stoked for the second book to see where it goes!
Trigger warnings: Chronic illness Death Cancer Abandonment Religious things
This is my first time actually leaving a review for a book since I normally just read and move on to the next one in my TBR but this one stuck with me. Downloaded both the first and second book as part of a free promotional ebook giveaway months ago. Just now finished reading through both and I absolutely loved them. Very excited to see that the author is about to release the third book since the second one ended on such a big cliffhanger and left me wanting more!