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Love, Michael: A Story of Enduring Love
Jill is a resilient woman who faces life's toughest challenges head-on. After years of struggle and perseverance, she receives an unexpected request from her past that shakes her to the core.
Her ex-husband Michael left twenty years ago, and now he wants to walk their daughter down the aisle on her wedding day. While Jill agrees, her family despises her for doing so, and what should be a happy day for mother and daughter turns into whispers of failures and regrets. After too many drinks, Jill has no memory of what occurred at the reception and wakes up the next morning with Michael beside her.
After years of wondering what was better than her and her daughter, Jill hears the words she never thought she would. Michael wants a second chance, begging for Jill’s forgiveness…and he proposes! The ball is now in Jill’s court, but before giving in to Michael, she recalls the painful past that made her the strong, resilient woman she is today.
With heartbreak, a second chance at love, and ghostly whispers telling her to follow her heart, will Jill find the strength to open her heart again? Can love truly conquer all? Some second chances are heartbreakingly beautiful.
Her ex-husband Michael left twenty years ago, and now he wants to walk their daughter down the aisle on her wedding day. While Jill agrees, her family despises her for doing so, and what should be a happy day for mother and daughter turns into whispers of failures and regrets. After too many drinks, Jill has no memory of what occurred at the reception and wakes up the next morning with Michael beside her.
After years of wondering what was better than her and her daughter, Jill hears the words she never thought she would. Michael wants a second chance, begging for Jill’s forgiveness…and he proposes! The ball is now in Jill’s court, but before giving in to Michael, she recalls the painful past that made her the strong, resilient woman she is today.
With heartbreak, a second chance at love, and ghostly whispers telling her to follow her heart, will Jill find the strength to open her heart again? Can love truly conquer all? Some second chances are heartbreakingly beautiful.
409 pages, Kindle Edition
Published April 10, 2025
54 people are currently reading
143 people want to read
About the author
Gina A. Jones
25 books117 followersGina A. Jones is an Indiana-based, award-winning author who weaves tales of romance, mystery, and second chances into her books. Her characters are flawed yet unforgettable, seeking redemption in readers' hearts worldwide. She began writing in secret and then took an opportunity to publish her first novel, which became a three-book series. The Secret Series debuted in 2017, winning Best Moments in a Book with Audiobook Obsession. When not writing, she loves spending time with her husband and grandkids. Gardening is necessary because she’s a vegan, and CrossFit is her guilty pleasure.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 89 reviews
February 12, 2023
This book has a great premise - I love second chance romances - but it was so depressing.
A couple who haven't seen each other in almost two decades meet up again at their daughter's wedding. The ex-husband (Michael) is determined to win back his wife (Jill) that based on flashbacks, he never really gave much of a shit about before. I figured something was wrong with him to be this contrite and regretful and of course I was right. The Love, Michael is also in reference to the letters Jill gets from him.
Overall I found this book disappointing. The writing style didn't really appeal to me and Jill just seemed like someone who was coasting through life and I honestly want more out of my MFC's. She never really seemed to move on from her teenage self. Michael fluctuated so much between an abusive asshole in FB's and a sad-sack drip in the current day that I couldn't find anything about him to like or root for.
Spoilers
Poor Jill. She loses her awesome BF Tammy to cancer, and then her now (again) husband Michael as well. I just felt emotionally discontent reading this book and not in a good way. There was no HEA and it left me feeling so unfulfilled and unsatisfied.. The ghostly visits were also something I just couldn't get into. I would rather a live person was actually there helping her along. The book isn't awful but it isn't great either IMO. I guess I just prefer my romances to have a HEA - its part of why I am reading this genre.
A couple who haven't seen each other in almost two decades meet up again at their daughter's wedding. The ex-husband (Michael) is determined to win back his wife (Jill) that based on flashbacks, he never really gave much of a shit about before. I figured something was wrong with him to be this contrite and regretful and of course I was right. The Love, Michael is also in reference to the letters Jill gets from him.
Overall I found this book disappointing. The writing style didn't really appeal to me and Jill just seemed like someone who was coasting through life and I honestly want more out of my MFC's. She never really seemed to move on from her teenage self. Michael fluctuated so much between an abusive asshole in FB's and a sad-sack drip in the current day that I couldn't find anything about him to like or root for.
Spoilers
Poor Jill. She loses her awesome BF Tammy to cancer, and then her now (again) husband Michael as well. I just felt emotionally discontent reading this book and not in a good way. There was no HEA and it left me feeling so unfulfilled and unsatisfied.. The ghostly visits were also something I just couldn't get into. I would rather a live person was actually there helping her along. The book isn't awful but it isn't great either IMO. I guess I just prefer my romances to have a HEA - its part of why I am reading this genre.
April 22, 2022
One Emotional Journey After Another
An emotional rollercoaster barely scratches the surface when used to describe this book. Between the "Then" revelations and what's happening with Tammy and others "Now". It's emotionally draining and tissues are required - several tissues. I was in a full-on sobfest a couple of times.
It also created a huge conflict for me. Do I wish for an HEA where Jill chooses herself? Or do I wish for the more traditional HEA where Michael really does become the man that deserves someone as good and caring as Jill?
I have to question if Michael had some sort of mental disease as I listened to this beyond his being completely self-absorbed. I know the cycle of being kind before being abusive - mentally, emotionally, and/or physically - is all too common but the way Michael is portrayed makes me wonder if there's more to it. There are definitely triggers here between the several outlashings and the events of their wedding night.
I wasn't surprised by the ending but that didn't minimize the emotional pull that it had. The epilogue did leave me in a happy place.
I was so caught up in my emotional recovery, I nearly forgot to mention that I listened to the audio book. The narrator is the author and she does a really great job of making you feel every emotion, good and bad.
Story: 5 stars
Narration: 4.5 stars
An emotional rollercoaster barely scratches the surface when used to describe this book. Between the "Then" revelations and what's happening with Tammy and others "Now". It's emotionally draining and tissues are required - several tissues. I was in a full-on sobfest a couple of times.
It also created a huge conflict for me. Do I wish for an HEA where Jill chooses herself? Or do I wish for the more traditional HEA where Michael really does become the man that deserves someone as good and caring as Jill?
I have to question if Michael had some sort of mental disease as I listened to this beyond his being completely self-absorbed. I know the cycle of being kind before being abusive - mentally, emotionally, and/or physically - is all too common but the way Michael is portrayed makes me wonder if there's more to it. There are definitely triggers here between the several outlashings and the events of their wedding night.
I wasn't surprised by the ending but that didn't minimize the emotional pull that it had. The epilogue did leave me in a happy place.
I was so caught up in my emotional recovery, I nearly forgot to mention that I listened to the audio book. The narrator is the author and she does a really great job of making you feel every emotion, good and bad.
Story: 5 stars
Narration: 4.5 stars
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January 15, 2024I HAVE NOT READ THIS BOOK. THIS IS A SELF NOTE TO AVOID!
Monica/daughter showed it was okay to be a cheater/father-MMC to her mother and having abandoned her as his child, her whole life by allowing her father to walk her down the aisle. That is a show of forgiveness. Would she have been okay if her husband Jordan did any of that to her and her child with him? No!
As for Jill/FMC, she was totally lame. Groomed by a much older man while still a minor, and abandoned after cheating on her, for over twenty years! That would be a hard NO for me if he came back wanting me to be his primary care giver just so he can die on me. That would be a second hard NO. Smdh.
I can’t understand why authors write these stories like it’s romance when it’s nowhere near that. I’d classify it as comedic horror. lol.
SPOILER from my FACEBOOK group - NOT by me.
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I don’t do spoilers lightly so you’ve been warned if you continue to read this lol..
I said the book is written in past and present perspective so for the purposes of the “present” timeline, the book starts at the wedding of the daughter of the main characters. It’s been 20 years since the FMC has seen the MMC so she’s understandably nervous but also still angry and bitter over everything that happened. Shes expecting the same old person but is shocked at the man she finds. He’s apologizes over everything that has happened and the grovel begins immediately.
Our first “past” chapter takes us back to the FMC being 17 and meeting the MMC, 10 years older and her brothers friend. She develops what she thinks is a school girl crush but he’s giving out signals he’s interested in more, but then other times treats her like his friends kid sister while talking about and dating someone else. One night she confronts him about this and he admits he has feelings for her and just doesn’t know how to process it which leads to some heavy making out and him being her first. She ends up pregnant. When she tells him, he doesn’t handle it well and the sweet MMC she was used to is now gone. He agrees to marry her to help her finish school and go to college then they will divorce.
What I just write is not just one past chapter, keep that in mind. It’s intertwined with present chapters which I really liked because you as the reader get to see him being such a jerkoff then in the present, he’s trying so hard to make up for his past wrong doings.
As the past chapters move on over the course of the three and half years of their marriage, we see how hard the FMC works to be a good wife and mother despite being so young, and how the MMC continues to hurt her. He’s emotionally and mentally abusive, he takes her against her will on their wedding night (trying to write that in the nicest way possible considering what happened), there’s one incident of physical abuse, she has no proof of cheating initially but he’s gone every weekend with no contact. One weekend near the end of the pregnancy she surprises him with a weekend away. They get in a fight, and he takes off with another female right in front of her. She leaves upset and goes into labor. He misses the birth of his daughter. Once he finds out the daughter is born he goes to the hospital to say he’s sorry, swears nothing happened with that woman and vows to be a better man and husband. He has moments where he tries but then something just sets him off.
What leads to their divorce is her finding out that when he’s been traveling for work over the last few months, he’s been living with another woman.
With the MMC out of their lives the FMC attempts to move on and becomes engaged to someone else but has major trust issues as you can imagine and ends up ending that engagement. She dates over the years but nothing really comes of it.
The book continues in the present and time passes since the wedding. The couple reconciles and end up remarrying. He’s a completely different man and husband this time around. Their daughter has a baby and they are so happy being grandparents. The MMC needs to go away for business and is acting really weird about everything and while he’s away, doesn’t really call her so all those old feelings of hurt and betrayal come back. When the MMC returns he’s still acting weird. The FMC does some digging and finds a females number in his pocket and calls. She ends up finding out the number is for his oncologist. A couple years prior to the wedding he had been diagnosed with cancer and that was the catalyst that really made him realize how short life is and that his one great love got away and he was going to get her back if he survived this. So that’s what he set out to do. This time around things didn’t turn out well and he ends up passing away. But our FMC does get her hea with the man she had been engaged with previously. It turns out that everything truly happened exactly how it was supposed to.
Monica/daughter showed it was okay to be a cheater/father-MMC to her mother and having abandoned her as his child, her whole life by allowing her father to walk her down the aisle. That is a show of forgiveness. Would she have been okay if her husband Jordan did any of that to her and her child with him? No!
As for Jill/FMC, she was totally lame. Groomed by a much older man while still a minor, and abandoned after cheating on her, for over twenty years! That would be a hard NO for me if he came back wanting me to be his primary care giver just so he can die on me. That would be a second hard NO. Smdh.
I can’t understand why authors write these stories like it’s romance when it’s nowhere near that. I’d classify it as comedic horror. lol.
SPOILER from my FACEBOOK group - NOT by me.
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
I don’t do spoilers lightly so you’ve been warned if you continue to read this lol..
I said the book is written in past and present perspective so for the purposes of the “present” timeline, the book starts at the wedding of the daughter of the main characters. It’s been 20 years since the FMC has seen the MMC so she’s understandably nervous but also still angry and bitter over everything that happened. Shes expecting the same old person but is shocked at the man she finds. He’s apologizes over everything that has happened and the grovel begins immediately.
Our first “past” chapter takes us back to the FMC being 17 and meeting the MMC, 10 years older and her brothers friend. She develops what she thinks is a school girl crush but he’s giving out signals he’s interested in more, but then other times treats her like his friends kid sister while talking about and dating someone else. One night she confronts him about this and he admits he has feelings for her and just doesn’t know how to process it which leads to some heavy making out and him being her first. She ends up pregnant. When she tells him, he doesn’t handle it well and the sweet MMC she was used to is now gone. He agrees to marry her to help her finish school and go to college then they will divorce.
What I just write is not just one past chapter, keep that in mind. It’s intertwined with present chapters which I really liked because you as the reader get to see him being such a jerkoff then in the present, he’s trying so hard to make up for his past wrong doings.
As the past chapters move on over the course of the three and half years of their marriage, we see how hard the FMC works to be a good wife and mother despite being so young, and how the MMC continues to hurt her. He’s emotionally and mentally abusive, he takes her against her will on their wedding night (trying to write that in the nicest way possible considering what happened), there’s one incident of physical abuse, she has no proof of cheating initially but he’s gone every weekend with no contact. One weekend near the end of the pregnancy she surprises him with a weekend away. They get in a fight, and he takes off with another female right in front of her. She leaves upset and goes into labor. He misses the birth of his daughter. Once he finds out the daughter is born he goes to the hospital to say he’s sorry, swears nothing happened with that woman and vows to be a better man and husband. He has moments where he tries but then something just sets him off.
What leads to their divorce is her finding out that when he’s been traveling for work over the last few months, he’s been living with another woman.
With the MMC out of their lives the FMC attempts to move on and becomes engaged to someone else but has major trust issues as you can imagine and ends up ending that engagement. She dates over the years but nothing really comes of it.
The book continues in the present and time passes since the wedding. The couple reconciles and end up remarrying. He’s a completely different man and husband this time around. Their daughter has a baby and they are so happy being grandparents. The MMC needs to go away for business and is acting really weird about everything and while he’s away, doesn’t really call her so all those old feelings of hurt and betrayal come back. When the MMC returns he’s still acting weird. The FMC does some digging and finds a females number in his pocket and calls. She ends up finding out the number is for his oncologist. A couple years prior to the wedding he had been diagnosed with cancer and that was the catalyst that really made him realize how short life is and that his one great love got away and he was going to get her back if he survived this. So that’s what he set out to do. This time around things didn’t turn out well and he ends up passing away. But our FMC does get her hea with the man she had been engaged with previously. It turns out that everything truly happened exactly how it was supposed to.
December 15, 2019
Words that spoke volumes...
Based off of true events, Jones has created a heart wrenching piece that lures you in and spits you out mercilessly, left feeling drained and wired simultaneously.
Before I go and spill this books guts and gush about how it made me feel, I'd like to say one thing.
I'm shook.
Now, that that's out of the way...
The entire novel covers relationships ranging from easy to super fucking difficult, slice of life, drama, past and present events that tie up together nicely, being young and being old, regrets and taking things for granted, and a ton of other life factors that most people experience at some point in time, whether they're ready or not.
This book isn't meant to be loved or hated. I believe it was meant to resonate, to harness emotions all along the spectrum, express both the good and bad qualities life has to offer and the sweet and bitter characteristics everyone has.
Because nothing and nobody is perfect. Although this novel seems pretty close to what perfection looks like.
Based off of true events, Jones has created a heart wrenching piece that lures you in and spits you out mercilessly, left feeling drained and wired simultaneously.
Before I go and spill this books guts and gush about how it made me feel, I'd like to say one thing.
I'm shook.
Now, that that's out of the way...
The entire novel covers relationships ranging from easy to super fucking difficult, slice of life, drama, past and present events that tie up together nicely, being young and being old, regrets and taking things for granted, and a ton of other life factors that most people experience at some point in time, whether they're ready or not.
This book isn't meant to be loved or hated. I believe it was meant to resonate, to harness emotions all along the spectrum, express both the good and bad qualities life has to offer and the sweet and bitter characteristics everyone has.
Because nothing and nobody is perfect. Although this novel seems pretty close to what perfection looks like.
March 1, 2020
Love, Michael...
Redemption may be free, but oh, is it costly.
This book has a way of ripping your heart out. All the more so because portions of it is based on the author’s real life. The pain, the betrayals, the emotional upheavals seem too much for a person to handle, let alone experience.
It’s funny how regrets go unrealized until someone stares death in the face. Its then that selfish and callous choices made start implanting themselves into the mind and thoughts of the guilty. It’s then that they start reevaluating their life … past, present and future.
For some it will be too late… and for others, they will get a second chance to right their wrongs — or at least, try too. It won’t be easy.
Below is how I see the characters in this book:
Michael: He reminds me of the book, ‘The Two Faces of Eve’. He was literally two different men. First we meet ’young’ Michael. He was a pretty despicable man most of his life. He knew exactly what he was doing, who he was hurting and basically flaunted his betrayals in front of his wife. Then years later we meet ‘older’ Michael. He is forced to wake up and smell the roses. He realizes life is not one big party catering to his whims and desires. Older Michael is faced with reliving the pain, the anguish, the emotional torture he so easily dished out when he was ‘young’ Michael. He now becomes ‘remorseful’ Michael. He not only knows exactly what he did as Young Michael, but he feels the pain and anguish deep within his soul. But is it too late to right 20 years of wrong?
Jill: My heart went out to her. She not only was young, gullible and inexperienced, but had no support team at home. At 17 she becomes pregnant and basically is in a forced marriage. No nice, fancy wedding of a girl’s dreams for her. Michael may marry her, but he has no intention of honoring her. He blames his vey young teenage bride for everything. Mind you, she’s 17 and he is 27, but it’s all Jill’s fault. Her parents tend to do the same. Jill would be all alone if it weren’t for her best friend Tammy. It was easy to understand Jill’s lack of trust. No one but Tammy stood by her when it counted.
Tammy: What a beautiful woman, lady and friend. She was true family. She stood with Jill through thick and thin. And when the tables were turned, Jill stood with Tammy too.
Monica: Hats off to Jill for rearing such a wonderful daughter. I would like to know how Monica felt when Michael confessed ‘all’ to her. After all, it’s better to deal with resentments early on rather than be in denial and have them boil over later in life. I would liked to have heard Michael’s confession to his daughter, heard his remorse and pain in telling her. I just kept wondering how she just suddenly seemed to have that daughter-father love when he never, ever was around for her in those important growing years.
Cami: Honestly speaking, I saw her as trash. I know that’s harsh but she had absolutely no redeeming qualities. She had no qualms about luring Michael into a divorce. She was an entitled, scheming, manipulative phony who was cold and calculating. She needed a HUGE comeuppance. I so wish we could have seen, at least, a little of that in this book. And what on earth was she doing being on the BOD of Michael’s business?
Drake: Loved Drake. Didn’t understand Jill’s behavior after the proposal. Drake tried his best but Jill chose to not hear him or talk to him. She was wrong and suffered the consequences for it, but so did Drake and Monica. Talking would have nothing to do with trust issues. Her paranoia and stubbornness came at a high price.
👁 OBSERVATIONS AND QUESTIONS:
✓ Where were Michael’s parents? Family? Did they know nothing about their granddaughter? They never are mentioned. What sort of role did they play in Michael’s life?
✓ Old Michael can make all the excuses in the world about Young Michael, but lets’ face it, young Michael cared nothing for her. His choices and actions were proof. So why now? How could he be in love with her? He didn’t care about the pain and hurt he caused and literally rubbed it all in her face…. his cheating, his callousness, his emotional abuse. And NOW, yeas later, he’s back saying he loves her????? I mean, how? He just didn’t wake up one day and say it’s time for me to love my wife. What happened? What was his story, his thoughts, his ‘come to Jesus moment’? You don’t spend 20 years ignoring someone you love. Love does not behave the way ‘young’ Michael behaved. Was ‘old’ Michael’s come to Jesus moment really out of fear, out of guilt? Yes, life and death issues will cause reevaluation, but it doesn’t suddenly restore love…. Actually restore is the wrong word here because you can’t restore what you never had. Remorse is good for redemption, but it’s a far cry from love. Yes, he could grow to love her, see her value and know his sins, but to suddenly confess love after 20 years of abandonment….. don’t think so.
✓ I’d love to know more about Monica and Michael’s two year ‘meet ups’. More detail about how they grew to have such a loving father-daughter relationship.
✓ And honestly, her dad was every bit as cruel as Michael.
✓ I found my own heart bleeding for everyone in this book …. except Cami. I was left with many questions concerning her, especially her and Michael’s relationship after they parted ways. Yes, it was said it was all business…. but come on, really? You have a two+ year affair, divorce your wife and after the affair ends you let her stick around for business purposes?
Cami had her nerve bringing that letter to Jill. There were other ways to get that letter in Jill’s hands. After all, Jordan now was running the company. Also, did Cami read that letter before giving it to Jill? Did she know what was inside that letter? Nope, Cami wasn’t my favorite. She never sought forgiveness, never saw she did anything wrong. As I said earlier, she was callous, selfish and manipulating.
Book needs a good copyeditor ...too many typos or misused words
Redemption may be free, but oh, is it costly.
This book has a way of ripping your heart out. All the more so because portions of it is based on the author’s real life. The pain, the betrayals, the emotional upheavals seem too much for a person to handle, let alone experience.
It’s funny how regrets go unrealized until someone stares death in the face. Its then that selfish and callous choices made start implanting themselves into the mind and thoughts of the guilty. It’s then that they start reevaluating their life … past, present and future.
For some it will be too late… and for others, they will get a second chance to right their wrongs — or at least, try too. It won’t be easy.
Below is how I see the characters in this book:
Michael: He reminds me of the book, ‘The Two Faces of Eve’. He was literally two different men. First we meet ’young’ Michael. He was a pretty despicable man most of his life. He knew exactly what he was doing, who he was hurting and basically flaunted his betrayals in front of his wife. Then years later we meet ‘older’ Michael. He is forced to wake up and smell the roses. He realizes life is not one big party catering to his whims and desires. Older Michael is faced with reliving the pain, the anguish, the emotional torture he so easily dished out when he was ‘young’ Michael. He now becomes ‘remorseful’ Michael. He not only knows exactly what he did as Young Michael, but he feels the pain and anguish deep within his soul. But is it too late to right 20 years of wrong?
Jill: My heart went out to her. She not only was young, gullible and inexperienced, but had no support team at home. At 17 she becomes pregnant and basically is in a forced marriage. No nice, fancy wedding of a girl’s dreams for her. Michael may marry her, but he has no intention of honoring her. He blames his vey young teenage bride for everything. Mind you, she’s 17 and he is 27, but it’s all Jill’s fault. Her parents tend to do the same. Jill would be all alone if it weren’t for her best friend Tammy. It was easy to understand Jill’s lack of trust. No one but Tammy stood by her when it counted.
Tammy: What a beautiful woman, lady and friend. She was true family. She stood with Jill through thick and thin. And when the tables were turned, Jill stood with Tammy too.
Monica: Hats off to Jill for rearing such a wonderful daughter. I would like to know how Monica felt when Michael confessed ‘all’ to her. After all, it’s better to deal with resentments early on rather than be in denial and have them boil over later in life. I would liked to have heard Michael’s confession to his daughter, heard his remorse and pain in telling her. I just kept wondering how she just suddenly seemed to have that daughter-father love when he never, ever was around for her in those important growing years.
Cami: Honestly speaking, I saw her as trash. I know that’s harsh but she had absolutely no redeeming qualities. She had no qualms about luring Michael into a divorce. She was an entitled, scheming, manipulative phony who was cold and calculating. She needed a HUGE comeuppance. I so wish we could have seen, at least, a little of that in this book. And what on earth was she doing being on the BOD of Michael’s business?
Drake: Loved Drake. Didn’t understand Jill’s behavior after the proposal. Drake tried his best but Jill chose to not hear him or talk to him. She was wrong and suffered the consequences for it, but so did Drake and Monica. Talking would have nothing to do with trust issues. Her paranoia and stubbornness came at a high price.
👁 OBSERVATIONS AND QUESTIONS:
✓ Where were Michael’s parents? Family? Did they know nothing about their granddaughter? They never are mentioned. What sort of role did they play in Michael’s life?
✓ Old Michael can make all the excuses in the world about Young Michael, but lets’ face it, young Michael cared nothing for her. His choices and actions were proof. So why now? How could he be in love with her? He didn’t care about the pain and hurt he caused and literally rubbed it all in her face…. his cheating, his callousness, his emotional abuse. And NOW, yeas later, he’s back saying he loves her????? I mean, how? He just didn’t wake up one day and say it’s time for me to love my wife. What happened? What was his story, his thoughts, his ‘come to Jesus moment’? You don’t spend 20 years ignoring someone you love. Love does not behave the way ‘young’ Michael behaved. Was ‘old’ Michael’s come to Jesus moment really out of fear, out of guilt? Yes, life and death issues will cause reevaluation, but it doesn’t suddenly restore love…. Actually restore is the wrong word here because you can’t restore what you never had. Remorse is good for redemption, but it’s a far cry from love. Yes, he could grow to love her, see her value and know his sins, but to suddenly confess love after 20 years of abandonment….. don’t think so.
✓ I’d love to know more about Monica and Michael’s two year ‘meet ups’. More detail about how they grew to have such a loving father-daughter relationship.
✓ And honestly, her dad was every bit as cruel as Michael.
✓ I found my own heart bleeding for everyone in this book …. except Cami. I was left with many questions concerning her, especially her and Michael’s relationship after they parted ways. Yes, it was said it was all business…. but come on, really? You have a two+ year affair, divorce your wife and after the affair ends you let her stick around for business purposes?
Cami had her nerve bringing that letter to Jill. There were other ways to get that letter in Jill’s hands. After all, Jordan now was running the company. Also, did Cami read that letter before giving it to Jill? Did she know what was inside that letter? Nope, Cami wasn’t my favorite. She never sought forgiveness, never saw she did anything wrong. As I said earlier, she was callous, selfish and manipulating.
Book needs a good copyeditor ...too many typos or misused words
August 10, 2019
I do not even know where to begin! I fell In love with this author's writing while reading the Secret series. Love, Michael brought it to a whole different level. Wow, just wow!! I could feel the emotions with each character. I felt the worry, the hurt, the sadness, the happiness, the hope, the regret.
I actually listened to the audiobook, which Gina narrates herself. She does an amazing job. I feel that it made it all the more special because she could express her own thoughts of how the story goes, the tones, the sound. I could feel that she put her everything into it.
If I could give this book 10 stars I would! it deserves it! I recommend this book to anyone and everyone. it is a "must listen to" in my opinion!
I actually listened to the audiobook, which Gina narrates herself. She does an amazing job. I feel that it made it all the more special because she could express her own thoughts of how the story goes, the tones, the sound. I could feel that she put her everything into it.
If I could give this book 10 stars I would! it deserves it! I recommend this book to anyone and everyone. it is a "must listen to" in my opinion!
July 6, 2023
Depressing albeit believable story. I kept hoping this would be my kind of read (groveling hero second chance story) but it wasn't. The hero didn't grovel so much as constantly talk of regret. I couldn't relate to the protagonist; if my guy had done half of what he pulled on her I would be hard pressed to ever apologize to him, but our leading lady would say sorry for every little thing - if she said something slightly wrong or effected the vibe or was too negative - by the end of the story I felt like she didn't know how to take up space and that made me sad. She was a lifesaving nurse and single mom and I didn't see any of the empowerment I would hope to see from someone who came out of something really difficult in order to survive and give her daughter a beautiful life.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 12, 2023
DNF @ 2%
Michael is a fucking predator. The FMC gets pregnant at 17 to a man 10 years older than her and I’m supposed to root for this relationship. EW!
Michael is a fucking predator. The FMC gets pregnant at 17 to a man 10 years older than her and I’m supposed to root for this relationship. EW!
December 11, 2025
I'm not sure what the point of this book was. It was pain and misery, right till the very end. I felt like I was being emotionally manipulated, and for nothing!
Not classifying this as a romance.
Not classifying this as a romance.
August 2, 2019
Jill thinks of years past as her daughter Monica prepares to marry. The positive pregnancy test, the ultrasound showing us she was a girl, the day she was born. Her first birthday, her first day of school, I am pretty sure that was the day she learned about divorce. Her first crush, her HS graduation. Than today- which will be the last day of only her and me. It hurts, but it feels good to know she has a man-jordan- who loves her to death. Than it’s time for pictures But Monica tells her bridesmaid Chelsea she wanted a minute with her mom. It shocked me that her father came today and Monica is worried it will bother me. But I reassured her that I was fine. Than the pictures are taken and Monica wants a lot of her and I. I wonder how my smile will be when she poses with her father- a stranger. Than the photographer stood at the door and said Michael wants pictures of Monica and me. It’s been twenty years since we last saw each other. Michael said my name and reached for my hand. I wondered was this a joke? Than after some pictures of the tree of us Michael asks for some pictures of us two. He had dropped thirty grand on the wedding Monica had reached out to him on Facebook and asked if he would come to the wedding. Next thing I knew he told her the sky was the limit. Than- her brother Scott picked her up from school and said he had to stop to see a friend from college-Michael. Jill was seventeen. She had dozed off in the car and then Scott introduced her to Michael. He was gorgeous. What seemed like a chance meeting turned into a life of michael coming and going the rest of my life. As i watched Monica go down the aisle on Michaels arm I felt my whole messed up life with him was worth it. Scott had stepped in to be Monica dad for the moist part and was suppose to walk her down the aisle I hoped he’d keep it together until the reception was over and Monica and Jordan were gone. I had learned from Michael the worst thing you could ask of another was let me love you.
I had mixed feelings on this book. I loved Jill’s and Monica’s relationship. But I would have liked a different ending. I also would have liked Jill to have a little more backbone. At times this dragged for me but I still read on. I don’t really like going back and forth between past and future a lot. I didn’t understand Jill actually feeling hope at the wedding after all Michael had put her through. Why did Monica contact her father when she had a loving uncle her was her father figure as well as her grandfather? I could see wanting to meet him but at your wedding? Anyway I also hate cheating and lying and all the pain it causes. I just thought it was a little cold the way Monica ignored her uncle and went to her father. But this was a pretty good book putting all that aside but far from a favorite. As you can tell I had mixed feelings on this book.
I had mixed feelings on this book. I loved Jill’s and Monica’s relationship. But I would have liked a different ending. I also would have liked Jill to have a little more backbone. At times this dragged for me but I still read on. I don’t really like going back and forth between past and future a lot. I didn’t understand Jill actually feeling hope at the wedding after all Michael had put her through. Why did Monica contact her father when she had a loving uncle her was her father figure as well as her grandfather? I could see wanting to meet him but at your wedding? Anyway I also hate cheating and lying and all the pain it causes. I just thought it was a little cold the way Monica ignored her uncle and went to her father. But this was a pretty good book putting all that aside but far from a favorite. As you can tell I had mixed feelings on this book.
June 23, 2024
This book goes back and forth from THEN and NOW. The h has BBS which is a massive no from me. How the H treated the h in then "then" was worse than rotten trash. In the "now"? She quickly falls at his feet. He didn't do anything to get her back, but clearly there was no need to work at getting her back because she's a doormat of epic proportions.
December 12, 2023
All I can say is Wow! This story blew me away. It was heart wrenching, emotional, and had all the feels. I love a second chance love story and this did not disappoint. It was beautiful and heartbreaking and I loved it! Well worth the read.
June 14, 2020
Jill And Michael’s Emotional Journey Is Devastatingly Beautiful. Sometimes Love Is Found At The Wrong Time With The Right Person, And The Consequences Are Crushing.
Jill Hudson, seventeen, was captivated by Michael Danforth when she first saw him in the parking lot of his apartment building. He was her brother’s friend from college and a full decade her senior. He was too old for her but common sense had nothing to do with her attraction to him. And when he looked at her she almost thought he felt the same. But she knew better, because as her brother Scott explained, Michael could and did sleep with any girl her wanted. It confused Jill when Michael flirted with her one moment and went on a date the next. But eventually they kissed, and later, despite the fact that he kept fighting his attraction to her, knowing it was wrong, he took her innocence as they consummated their relationship.
Michael had plans. He enjoyed late nights, women, and adventure. He had no plans for marriage. Professionally, he was an engineer. He was from nearby Indiana, but he met Scott at Michigan State where he received his master’s degree. A job at Whirlpool brought him to St. Jo, Michigan, but that was only ever a stepping stone for Michael. His goal was Seattle. Boeing was based there, and that was where he could get a job in aviation engineering.
Michael and Jill carried on a secret affair and he seemed crazy about her. But when Jill became a pregnant teen everything changed. Michael fought against anything that tied him down, and the last thing he wanted was to marry Jill or have a child. He didn’t want her to keep it. He reluctantly married her with the intention of helping her through nursing school then moving on, and everything after their wedding day became an arrangement.
Fast forward about twenty-five years. Monica Danforth is marrying Jordan York, the man of her dreams. Jill is so happy for her daughter and sees Jordan’s sincere love for her. The wedding day will be a dream come true for Monica, but for Jill the day will be a challenge because the man she and her daughter haven’t seen in twenty years, Michael, will be walking Monica down the aisle. And apparently he has done well for himself in their decades apart. He is now the owner and CEO of Danforth Jet Center. He has stepped into his father role, despite his complete absence from Monica’s childhood, and is paying for Monica’s wedding.
Jill never did remarry. She once considered marrying Drake Daniels, but it ended when memories of Michael got in the way. The damage their relationship had done to her colored her outlook on men and she had grown skeptical; she would not allow a man to destroy her again. It was easy to choose to make Monica the center of her life. It was a safer choice. So when Michael shows up at Monica’s wedding with the patience of a saint and declarations of everlasting love, Jill is rightfully angered because her Michael had never been capable of loving anyone but himself.
Jill and Michael’s emotional journey is devastatingly beautiful. Sometimes love is found at the wrong time with the right person, and the consequences are crushing. Some synchronicity is at play as the story unfolds. It is an emotional rollercoaster that will rip at your heartstrings and build you back up before its conclusion. It is almost impossible to imagine in the midst of it, but the story does end on a positive note. There are tears throughout (at fourteen points by my count). The story is nicely written. The plot is very complex. The story is powerfully woven, alternating between past and present. The characters are deep and well-developed. I rate this book 4.5 stars.
Jill Hudson, seventeen, was captivated by Michael Danforth when she first saw him in the parking lot of his apartment building. He was her brother’s friend from college and a full decade her senior. He was too old for her but common sense had nothing to do with her attraction to him. And when he looked at her she almost thought he felt the same. But she knew better, because as her brother Scott explained, Michael could and did sleep with any girl her wanted. It confused Jill when Michael flirted with her one moment and went on a date the next. But eventually they kissed, and later, despite the fact that he kept fighting his attraction to her, knowing it was wrong, he took her innocence as they consummated their relationship.
Michael had plans. He enjoyed late nights, women, and adventure. He had no plans for marriage. Professionally, he was an engineer. He was from nearby Indiana, but he met Scott at Michigan State where he received his master’s degree. A job at Whirlpool brought him to St. Jo, Michigan, but that was only ever a stepping stone for Michael. His goal was Seattle. Boeing was based there, and that was where he could get a job in aviation engineering.
Michael and Jill carried on a secret affair and he seemed crazy about her. But when Jill became a pregnant teen everything changed. Michael fought against anything that tied him down, and the last thing he wanted was to marry Jill or have a child. He didn’t want her to keep it. He reluctantly married her with the intention of helping her through nursing school then moving on, and everything after their wedding day became an arrangement.
Fast forward about twenty-five years. Monica Danforth is marrying Jordan York, the man of her dreams. Jill is so happy for her daughter and sees Jordan’s sincere love for her. The wedding day will be a dream come true for Monica, but for Jill the day will be a challenge because the man she and her daughter haven’t seen in twenty years, Michael, will be walking Monica down the aisle. And apparently he has done well for himself in their decades apart. He is now the owner and CEO of Danforth Jet Center. He has stepped into his father role, despite his complete absence from Monica’s childhood, and is paying for Monica’s wedding.
Jill never did remarry. She once considered marrying Drake Daniels, but it ended when memories of Michael got in the way. The damage their relationship had done to her colored her outlook on men and she had grown skeptical; she would not allow a man to destroy her again. It was easy to choose to make Monica the center of her life. It was a safer choice. So when Michael shows up at Monica’s wedding with the patience of a saint and declarations of everlasting love, Jill is rightfully angered because her Michael had never been capable of loving anyone but himself.
Jill and Michael’s emotional journey is devastatingly beautiful. Sometimes love is found at the wrong time with the right person, and the consequences are crushing. Some synchronicity is at play as the story unfolds. It is an emotional rollercoaster that will rip at your heartstrings and build you back up before its conclusion. It is almost impossible to imagine in the midst of it, but the story does end on a positive note. There are tears throughout (at fourteen points by my count). The story is nicely written. The plot is very complex. The story is powerfully woven, alternating between past and present. The characters are deep and well-developed. I rate this book 4.5 stars.
December 8, 2019
Oh my shattered heart, not sure how to review this one! I just finished reading Love, Michael, by Gina A. Jones and my emotions are all over the place. This beautiful novel is told from Jill’s POV and switches back and forth between the present and past tense. Beginning with their daughter Monica’s wedding day, Michael has returned to walk his daughter down the aisle, and as Jill quickly learns, to make-up for the heartache he caused them both in the past. The author then flashes back to when they first met when Jill was seventeen years old and the story meanders between their history together and Michael’s reappearance into their lives.
Have the Kleenex handy for this one because Jones’ exceptional writing and this touching story will give you all the feels from good to bad. First, I have to admit that Michael and Jill’s past was eerily similar to my first marriage, so reading this was amazingly difficult at times. The author mentions that some of this story was based on her actual events in her life, so I feel like we need to get together over a bottle of wine and compare notes. But although there are heart-wrenching moments in this novel regarding Michael and Jill’s relationship, there are just as many beautiful moments when he returns years later.
Jones’ characterization was incredible in this novel, however, I truly had a love/hate relationship with both Michael and Jill. The younger version of Jill was so frustrating because of the things she tolerated, however, the older version of Jill was, at times, just as frustrating because of the walls she had built around her heart. The younger Michael was a complete ass, but as I continued to see the positive changes in him later, I couldn’t help but fall in love with him a little. I think the switching between time periods is the only reason I was able to like Michael at all. If their story would have been told in order from beginning to end, I would have hated him too much to care about the different man he later became.
As it states on the cover, this is truly a story about regrets, wanting, and getting second chances, but also about a third, fourth, fifth, and even more chances. But an even more prominent theme is love itself and how it can endure regardless of time, mistakes, and disappointment. Love, Michael is romantic, emotional, powerful, and is one of my favorite novels that I have read in a while. I highly recommend this story of love and forgiveness, but prepare yourself for some ugly crying. This was my first time reading Gina A. Jones, but certainly will not be my last.
*Thanks to NetGalley and Dragonfly Books for providing this review copy in exchange for my honest opinion!
Have the Kleenex handy for this one because Jones’ exceptional writing and this touching story will give you all the feels from good to bad. First, I have to admit that Michael and Jill’s past was eerily similar to my first marriage, so reading this was amazingly difficult at times. The author mentions that some of this story was based on her actual events in her life, so I feel like we need to get together over a bottle of wine and compare notes. But although there are heart-wrenching moments in this novel regarding Michael and Jill’s relationship, there are just as many beautiful moments when he returns years later.
Jones’ characterization was incredible in this novel, however, I truly had a love/hate relationship with both Michael and Jill. The younger version of Jill was so frustrating because of the things she tolerated, however, the older version of Jill was, at times, just as frustrating because of the walls she had built around her heart. The younger Michael was a complete ass, but as I continued to see the positive changes in him later, I couldn’t help but fall in love with him a little. I think the switching between time periods is the only reason I was able to like Michael at all. If their story would have been told in order from beginning to end, I would have hated him too much to care about the different man he later became.
As it states on the cover, this is truly a story about regrets, wanting, and getting second chances, but also about a third, fourth, fifth, and even more chances. But an even more prominent theme is love itself and how it can endure regardless of time, mistakes, and disappointment. Love, Michael is romantic, emotional, powerful, and is one of my favorite novels that I have read in a while. I highly recommend this story of love and forgiveness, but prepare yourself for some ugly crying. This was my first time reading Gina A. Jones, but certainly will not be my last.
*Thanks to NetGalley and Dragonfly Books for providing this review copy in exchange for my honest opinion!
September 19, 2025
THIS IS A RAGE READ UNLIKE ANY OTHER!!! Spoilers!!
Until Michael, was a really tough read. I had so many emotions. The FMC, Jill was 17 when they met and Michael 27……and yes in my eyes he was a predator, I will explain why as I go with quotes and my pov.
My review isn’t an overview of the book, but my scattered thoughts whilst I was reading.
Whilst I appreciated the ‘then and now’ chapters, it didn’t save me from from feeling like Michael was a master manipulator. 20years it took him to try to ‘fix’ everything…..twenty years!!!
The fact that others around Jill encouraged her later on as well left a bad taste.
There were so many creepy, predator, grooming and abusive moments (I don’t say this lightly either).
Quotes:
Michael said he was glad I was his first because he could teach me all the things he liked, and I was on a sexual journey of self-discovery with him as my teacher
“Oh, I see. That’s cool. I respect that—you don’t need a date or boyfriend to define you. I find that honorable in you upcoming girls.”
“What the hell does that mean? Is it all my fault? You’re nothing but a fucking prick tease. Flaunting your sweet ass around me like candy. What the hell did you think I’d do?”
There was nothing likeable about Michael. Jill was the same love sick fool at 17 and then the same at 39. Why? Just why! There was nothing to hold me to the characters, to make them likeable or relatable. I actually understood Jill more at 17 than I did at 39. At 17 he basically groomed her and then at 39, he love bombs her to make her forgive him. He did nothing for that moment of forgiveness…..there was no hashing it out…no storyline to get to the deep route of his issues. He basically gave her a few compliments, declared his love for her after leaving her for twenty years and BOOM, her legs were open.
I actually don’t mind age gap romance, but not with the words that came out of Michael’s mouth. He kept photos and notes from his conquests at high school and deflowered girls…..who does that!!
He also sexually assaulted her when they got married and there was nothing, I mean nothing redeeming about him when they were together in the earlier years. There was no basis to their relationship…..they never had one good moment for me as a reader to grasp onto. It either felt predatory or manipulative, or just down right abusive. He treated her badly, cheated on her and worse. I just can’t grasp what the author was trying to portray or they thought he could be redeemable….even twenty years on.
“You know, Jill, maybe I would give you a little affection if you weren’t such a bitch all the time.”
Jill makes this comment twenty years on……
“You can’t see any beauty in us?” “Yes, I did, Michael. You didn’t.”
Err no, he never did treat her right ever at the beginning. There was nothing ever beautiful about their relationship.
She commented that he had Peter Pan syndrome….that absolutely downplayed his behaviour, words and actions. Like I said, I don’t throw around the abusive comment just as a label. The times early on when Jill thought Michael was changing was him being coercive, not loving. I would’ve been more swayed if he wasn’t like a yo-yo….as soon as he felt Jill pulling away he would treat her nicely for a week or so and then turn on a dime, ignore her, belittle her and then cheat on her.
The age of the fmc changed from 39 to 42 as well and other editing issues.
Did they ever really talk about his earlier behaviour, did he change in those years apart? The fact that he still called her cute twenty years on was meant to be endearing…..it has the opposite effect for me. Jill didn’t know better at 17-21, but she should’ve known better twenty years on. We never really got to read her asking him about their time apart, we never got answers for anything he did. They even joked about how Monica learned the F bomb when she was 3yrs old….this was after Michael got angry, shouted again and turned back into an ahole after a holiday….how can that be funny ??? ……
After throwing the suitcases in the back and I do mean, throwing, I helped him clean the snow off the car before we got inside. “Instead of being mad at the snow, let’s make a snowman when we get home,” I said, doing my best to enlighten the situation. “Jill, I’m not building a fucking snowman.”
He rolled his eyes at me. “Jill, vacation is over. Reality is here, and you need to get these melodramatic notions out of your head. No adult wants to build a snowman.”
What a knob!! There were many many worse moments than this.
Much like Jill, I kept reading to find out if he ever redeemed himself…..nope. This wasn’t a love story….this was a tragedy. A woman who married an emotionally abusive man, to leave and return 20yrs later. Yes he had regrets, but no real meaningful dialogue, other than him love bombing her and saying sorry for how he behaved. There was no identifying that he was emotionally abusive and continously manipulated her. He threw photos of them across the room for goodness sake!!!
The side story with Tammy pulled at my hearts strings and was really well written.
There was a scene towards the end, they were talking a little bit about their history with one of the women he had cheated on her with….they were together again at this point and he was going away on business and Jill was feeling worried.
“Yes, I do. But it is strictly business. Please, don’t ever worry.” How can I not?
This boiled my blood. So Jill is giving him another chance, lets him back in, sleeps with him again etc etc and all of a sudden she’s aware that she still doesn’t trust him…..erm no shit Sherlock! He hasn’t done anything to gain back that trust. So why marry him again when you still have doubts? She ignored all the major red flags at 17, and is still rug sweeping her feelings years later and not addressing everything before going in feet first. Why say yes? Again!! She married him knowing she didn’t trust him….repeating the same mistakes. At this point I’m just rolling my eyes. Just because the author had a plan in mind for the rest of the story, doesn’t make her decision making palatable.
The ending and what Michael was going through didn’t take away any of his past behaviour. it didn’t give Jill a happy ever after, it all just felt tainted by the lack of accountability, especially from Jill. She put up with so much. It wasn’t heartfelt and I never felt one ounce of forgiveness for him. Jill spent her life pining for a man that didn’t deserve her. And for what? Closure? To finally feel loved by him? I understood Michael wanting to make things right, what I didn’t understand is why Jill took him back. she always looked back at their history through rose coloured glasses.
There were timelines that didn’t match up, especially the timelines in the letter right at the end. The dates just didn’t align at all.
I think this was meant to be a redemption, heartfelt, epic love story….but for me it missed the mark entirely. For that to work the couple in the centre need a strong foundation, or at the very least a happy starting point for that to happen….they never did. Forgiveness has to be earned, not given, and he never earned it.
It’s like the author wrote everything to justify all the decisions because she knew the way the story was going to go, but as they say…..the end doesn’t justify the means.
Until Michael, was a really tough read. I had so many emotions. The FMC, Jill was 17 when they met and Michael 27……and yes in my eyes he was a predator, I will explain why as I go with quotes and my pov.
My review isn’t an overview of the book, but my scattered thoughts whilst I was reading.
Whilst I appreciated the ‘then and now’ chapters, it didn’t save me from from feeling like Michael was a master manipulator. 20years it took him to try to ‘fix’ everything…..twenty years!!!
The fact that others around Jill encouraged her later on as well left a bad taste.
There were so many creepy, predator, grooming and abusive moments (I don’t say this lightly either).
Quotes:
Michael said he was glad I was his first because he could teach me all the things he liked, and I was on a sexual journey of self-discovery with him as my teacher
“Oh, I see. That’s cool. I respect that—you don’t need a date or boyfriend to define you. I find that honorable in you upcoming girls.”
“What the hell does that mean? Is it all my fault? You’re nothing but a fucking prick tease. Flaunting your sweet ass around me like candy. What the hell did you think I’d do?”
There was nothing likeable about Michael. Jill was the same love sick fool at 17 and then the same at 39. Why? Just why! There was nothing to hold me to the characters, to make them likeable or relatable. I actually understood Jill more at 17 than I did at 39. At 17 he basically groomed her and then at 39, he love bombs her to make her forgive him. He did nothing for that moment of forgiveness…..there was no hashing it out…no storyline to get to the deep route of his issues. He basically gave her a few compliments, declared his love for her after leaving her for twenty years and BOOM, her legs were open.
I actually don’t mind age gap romance, but not with the words that came out of Michael’s mouth. He kept photos and notes from his conquests at high school and deflowered girls…..who does that!!
He also sexually assaulted her when they got married and there was nothing, I mean nothing redeeming about him when they were together in the earlier years. There was no basis to their relationship…..they never had one good moment for me as a reader to grasp onto. It either felt predatory or manipulative, or just down right abusive. He treated her badly, cheated on her and worse. I just can’t grasp what the author was trying to portray or they thought he could be redeemable….even twenty years on.
“You know, Jill, maybe I would give you a little affection if you weren’t such a bitch all the time.”
Jill makes this comment twenty years on……
“You can’t see any beauty in us?” “Yes, I did, Michael. You didn’t.”
Err no, he never did treat her right ever at the beginning. There was nothing ever beautiful about their relationship.
She commented that he had Peter Pan syndrome….that absolutely downplayed his behaviour, words and actions. Like I said, I don’t throw around the abusive comment just as a label. The times early on when Jill thought Michael was changing was him being coercive, not loving. I would’ve been more swayed if he wasn’t like a yo-yo….as soon as he felt Jill pulling away he would treat her nicely for a week or so and then turn on a dime, ignore her, belittle her and then cheat on her.
The age of the fmc changed from 39 to 42 as well and other editing issues.
Did they ever really talk about his earlier behaviour, did he change in those years apart? The fact that he still called her cute twenty years on was meant to be endearing…..it has the opposite effect for me. Jill didn’t know better at 17-21, but she should’ve known better twenty years on. We never really got to read her asking him about their time apart, we never got answers for anything he did. They even joked about how Monica learned the F bomb when she was 3yrs old….this was after Michael got angry, shouted again and turned back into an ahole after a holiday….how can that be funny ??? ……
After throwing the suitcases in the back and I do mean, throwing, I helped him clean the snow off the car before we got inside. “Instead of being mad at the snow, let’s make a snowman when we get home,” I said, doing my best to enlighten the situation. “Jill, I’m not building a fucking snowman.”
He rolled his eyes at me. “Jill, vacation is over. Reality is here, and you need to get these melodramatic notions out of your head. No adult wants to build a snowman.”
What a knob!! There were many many worse moments than this.
Much like Jill, I kept reading to find out if he ever redeemed himself…..nope. This wasn’t a love story….this was a tragedy. A woman who married an emotionally abusive man, to leave and return 20yrs later. Yes he had regrets, but no real meaningful dialogue, other than him love bombing her and saying sorry for how he behaved. There was no identifying that he was emotionally abusive and continously manipulated her. He threw photos of them across the room for goodness sake!!!
The side story with Tammy pulled at my hearts strings and was really well written.
There was a scene towards the end, they were talking a little bit about their history with one of the women he had cheated on her with….they were together again at this point and he was going away on business and Jill was feeling worried.
“Yes, I do. But it is strictly business. Please, don’t ever worry.” How can I not?
This boiled my blood. So Jill is giving him another chance, lets him back in, sleeps with him again etc etc and all of a sudden she’s aware that she still doesn’t trust him…..erm no shit Sherlock! He hasn’t done anything to gain back that trust. So why marry him again when you still have doubts? She ignored all the major red flags at 17, and is still rug sweeping her feelings years later and not addressing everything before going in feet first. Why say yes? Again!! She married him knowing she didn’t trust him….repeating the same mistakes. At this point I’m just rolling my eyes. Just because the author had a plan in mind for the rest of the story, doesn’t make her decision making palatable.
The ending and what Michael was going through didn’t take away any of his past behaviour. it didn’t give Jill a happy ever after, it all just felt tainted by the lack of accountability, especially from Jill. She put up with so much. It wasn’t heartfelt and I never felt one ounce of forgiveness for him. Jill spent her life pining for a man that didn’t deserve her. And for what? Closure? To finally feel loved by him? I understood Michael wanting to make things right, what I didn’t understand is why Jill took him back. she always looked back at their history through rose coloured glasses.
There were timelines that didn’t match up, especially the timelines in the letter right at the end. The dates just didn’t align at all.
I think this was meant to be a redemption, heartfelt, epic love story….but for me it missed the mark entirely. For that to work the couple in the centre need a strong foundation, or at the very least a happy starting point for that to happen….they never did. Forgiveness has to be earned, not given, and he never earned it.
It’s like the author wrote everything to justify all the decisions because she knew the way the story was going to go, but as they say…..the end doesn’t justify the means.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 20, 2024
Good God. This book WRECKED me. Like sobbing into my pillow so I didn't scare my children type of wreckage. I have a love/hate relationship with second chance romances because sometimes my heart just can't take the beating. So I mentally prepared myself for this and went in expecting heartbreak and betrayal, but my lord, I wasn't prepared for THAT. I truly am at a loss for words on this one. It said at the beginning of the audio version that this is based on the author's actual life. I don't know how to feel about that. If my husband did an eighth of what Michael did, he'd be gone for good. But I am happy that she got her HEA with him as much as she could. And even though it was tough to make it through to it, I loved the epilogue. She deserves the biggest and brightest HEA ever. I hope she's out there living her best life!
Now I'm going to go cry myself to sleep over this. ✌️
Now I'm going to go cry myself to sleep over this. ✌️
May 22, 2025
A story of love lost, new beginnings, second chances, and everything in between. There’s a lot packed into this narrative, some of it heavy, some of it heartfelt. If you’re a hopeless romantic who enjoys stories filled with emotion and redemption, this might be right up your alley. While it wasn’t exactly my cup of tea, I understood the message and can appreciate it for what it set out to do.
February 22, 2020
I had read the book about a year ago and I have to say I got book hangover from it. I’m not going to restate the book’s story since the blurb gives away much of the tone. This is just one of those stories that really got to me and after I finished it I just couldn’t get into another book for awhile. It is so easy to relate to these characters. I really hated Michael for most of the book yet since I’m no teeny bopper anymore. I know how people change with time and regret. This book has so much emotion all the way through. I went through so many different emotions such as the love for a bff. How I handle adversity. How I handle loss. I have had so much advice and opinions all through Jill and Michael’s journey. I understand the story is based on the author’s experience and that makes me sad that she had to live through so much of this. She is so much stronger than I have ever been.
This time I’m reviewing the audio edition and not only did it do all the same for me as reading the story but it was even stronger since the author/narrator really brought the characters more to life. This is one of those stories I will always recommend and remember.
This time I’m reviewing the audio edition and not only did it do all the same for me as reading the story but it was even stronger since the author/narrator really brought the characters more to life. This is one of those stories I will always recommend and remember.
February 1, 2020
Love, Michael by Gina A. Jones was not the book for me. I thought this book sounded so good when I read the blurb. However, as I started reading, there were so many grammatical and editing errors it made it difficult to actually enjoy reading. The book alternates between the past and present, which I liked. Jill is 10 years younger than Michael, and their relationship begins when she is only 17 years old and he is 27. This didn't sit well with me because she is underage when they first get together. She was also a pretty weak heroine, and I didn't feel a great connection between them. Her dad and brother also act poorly, in my opinion, at Monica's wedding, and treat her as if she can't stand up for herself. This book was a bit slow at times, and hard for me to get through. I just couldn't get behind Jill and Michael's relationship. I did think Michael tried to redeem himself, but their entire relationship was just meh to me.
June 20, 2023
I am just passed Tammy’s illness. I’m not sure if I want to finish this book. Michael seems to be the most self-absorbed human being on the planet. He abandoned his wife and child has been gone for many years and shows up and is all of a sudden the nicest man he can be. I don’t believe in that much change in a person unless they had a brain transplant. Also there are a couple of times when she wrote things I have never heard before. His and I’s come to mind. Is that a thing and I just don’t know it. Otherwise it’s pretty well written and does keep your interest but I’m so frustrated with this man that I just don’t know if this is worth finishing.
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August 14, 2025Re read review
I read this book first in 2023. I gave it three stars. Now I’m afraid it’s been downgraded to 0. This 27 year old man gets his friends sister pregnant at 17 marries her cheats on her all three years he stays with them then leaves them high and dry. Fast forward 20 years and the daughter is getting married and wants her father who she had to find on Facebook to walk her down the aisle. WHAT???? Ok so at this wedding the MAN starts to woo the ex wife. This h is such a doormat it’s allowed. It’s sickening. There is a reason of course so don’t want to give the final spoiler away. It’s KU.
I read this book first in 2023. I gave it three stars. Now I’m afraid it’s been downgraded to 0. This 27 year old man gets his friends sister pregnant at 17 marries her cheats on her all three years he stays with them then leaves them high and dry. Fast forward 20 years and the daughter is getting married and wants her father who she had to find on Facebook to walk her down the aisle. WHAT???? Ok so at this wedding the MAN starts to woo the ex wife. This h is such a doormat it’s allowed. It’s sickening. There is a reason of course so don’t want to give the final spoiler away. It’s KU.
June 19, 2023
Gina Wtf was this. I cried at like every chapter for both Jill and Micheal. You did us dirty. Also with Tammy. My God this book was so emotional and not what l expected. This has to be one of my favourite books of all time. This book was greatly written and it had a flow. Some second chance romances l have read only give us how they met and how they broke up but never in depth like this book. But l wish l read the reviews first so l couldn’t go through that heartbreak. Jill and Michael deserved a happy ending despite what Michael did. Other than that 10 stars. I LOVED IT..:)
March 4, 2020
This guy is the king of douche canoes. For all those salivating for a j/p hero, or some bully sort of romance here, save your drool, he isn’t IT. He barely redeemed himself, if at all. Not sorry for what happened to him (yes, blame my cold, cold heart for this). One reviewer said nobody’s perfect. Yes, this guy went all out to prove it.
This only got an extra star because I may have been feeling weepy when I read it.
This only got an extra star because I may have been feeling weepy when I read it.
February 12, 2023
ok
I wish it had come with trigger warning. Not a HEA and deaths involved. Mixed feeling about the book. I felt it played into the typical narrative of women waiting on men, man plays around while young, woman never moves on and then man older and about to die and then the woman there to care for him despite all the wrongdoings. Would have loved to see more expansion on the story line with Drake. Otherwise the book did hold my interest and made an interesting read.
I wish it had come with trigger warning. Not a HEA and deaths involved. Mixed feeling about the book. I felt it played into the typical narrative of women waiting on men, man plays around while young, woman never moves on and then man older and about to die and then the woman there to care for him despite all the wrongdoings. Would have loved to see more expansion on the story line with Drake. Otherwise the book did hold my interest and made an interesting read.
December 8, 2019
I really don’t know what I expected from Love, Michael, but I was left with mixed feelings as I detest lying and cheating and find these attributes impossible to forgive. The story did draw me in, but I really can’t say that I was happy with the ending, and found the emotional rollercoaster somewhat disconcerting. I’m sure others will find this book amazing, but for me it was just OK.
October 14, 2019
Phew. I loved Michael. Then I hated Michael. More than hated Michael... scum of the earth really. Then he redeemed himself mostly. But, I just despised him so much that I didn’t love him in the end.
Such a story of heartbreak.
🎧🎧#audiobookobsessionreviewer
Such a story of heartbreak.
🎧🎧#audiobookobsessionreviewer
January 29, 2020
Oh My Gosh!!! This audio book of Love, Michael was absolutely fantastic!! I have tears in my eyes writing this. It is truly a heartbreaking account of a past regret and the wonderful opportunity for a second chance come true.It was based on a true story and that in itself was emotional and it was the author, Gina A. Jones that narrated it . As listening to the story unfold, you can hear the utter heartbreak of the past in the voice through Jill one of the main characters. Each chapter goes from the Past to the Present and Jill is telling the story of her and Michael's past and present.
Jill is a senior in high school when she first meets Michael, her brother's friend. But Michael is 10 years older and Jill is recounting her first times meeting Michael. Tammy is another main character and is Jill's best friend since age 4. She plays a big part in the story. Jill and Tammy are nurses at the local hospital and Tammy really helps Jill through her life before and especially after Michael who is another main character. I don't want to give spoilers, but Jill gets pregnant and is left to deal with that. Michael and Jill try to give it a go at parenting, but Michael feels trapped. As the story progress, I really don't like Michael because he is not nice and Jill tries so hard because she loves Michael and their child. I liked listening to Jill's telling of the story, because she is so honest and defeated about the relationship. There is so much detail in the book because it is audio and it gives you a picture of what is happening in that moment.
You will cry, and get angry with Michael and hope that things work out for Jill and Michael and their daughter. There are so many twists and turns within the story, and it is shocking and beautifu. But what I got from the story is that yes, you will have regrets. What person doesn't have regrets, but what really matters, is if you do have that opportunity to get a second chance, please take it. Life is short and you have to live life to the fullest.
I highly recommend reading this!! It is another testament to getting a second chance. It was a beautifully written story told by the author in her own words. I am so glad I had the opportunity to listen to this audio book. It was fantastic and it yes I did cry because I got involved with the characters lives. I heard a quote once that said, "Life always offers second chances." If you are open to them, please take it! Gina A. Jones, you have written a beautiful story.
Jill is a senior in high school when she first meets Michael, her brother's friend. But Michael is 10 years older and Jill is recounting her first times meeting Michael. Tammy is another main character and is Jill's best friend since age 4. She plays a big part in the story. Jill and Tammy are nurses at the local hospital and Tammy really helps Jill through her life before and especially after Michael who is another main character. I don't want to give spoilers, but Jill gets pregnant and is left to deal with that. Michael and Jill try to give it a go at parenting, but Michael feels trapped. As the story progress, I really don't like Michael because he is not nice and Jill tries so hard because she loves Michael and their child. I liked listening to Jill's telling of the story, because she is so honest and defeated about the relationship. There is so much detail in the book because it is audio and it gives you a picture of what is happening in that moment.
You will cry, and get angry with Michael and hope that things work out for Jill and Michael and their daughter. There are so many twists and turns within the story, and it is shocking and beautifu. But what I got from the story is that yes, you will have regrets. What person doesn't have regrets, but what really matters, is if you do have that opportunity to get a second chance, please take it. Life is short and you have to live life to the fullest.
I highly recommend reading this!! It is another testament to getting a second chance. It was a beautifully written story told by the author in her own words. I am so glad I had the opportunity to listen to this audio book. It was fantastic and it yes I did cry because I got involved with the characters lives. I heard a quote once that said, "Life always offers second chances." If you are open to them, please take it! Gina A. Jones, you have written a beautiful story.
November 26, 2023
An emotional journey and in the end you go what?
You want to hate the main male character, you want to scream at the main female character. Jones writes a love story that has more than the normal obstacles to overcome. The story is told solely from the MFC perspective which I think is the weakest pov in the story because Michael doesn't get to reveal any of his perspectives. He just shows that he's a first class jerk with no character, no restraint, no morals. He does reconnect 20 years later. The MFC has been emotionally crippled by the devastation of Michael's narcissistic, selfish resentment toward the marriage. Totally understand her family's protectiveness but she clearly doesn't listen to them with a strong will of her own. She doesn't give herself permission to be happy when Drake enters her life. And she willingly remarries Michael after 20 years with very little persuading. The lack of communication bw the characters throughout the story is disturbing. I wish the story would've explored more of why she ended her engagement with Drake. Why she still remained emotionally stuck in the trauma of her first marriage. Why she allowed herself to fall for Michael's charms when he returns into her life. Personally, she should've scraped the gum (scum) from her shoe. And why did he daughter fall for her father so easily after 20 years of his ignoring them. Was she so mercenary that she could easily accept his role in her life by the $$ he flashes? I could relate to the teen and young adult angst while trying to find oneself. But this story attempts to show growth but it appears there is lots of room for more growth. The ending was too quick. I would've liked to have seen her grow more before she finally enters into a relationship with Drake. That to me would've shown the mature and forever kind of love.
You want to hate the main male character, you want to scream at the main female character. Jones writes a love story that has more than the normal obstacles to overcome. The story is told solely from the MFC perspective which I think is the weakest pov in the story because Michael doesn't get to reveal any of his perspectives. He just shows that he's a first class jerk with no character, no restraint, no morals. He does reconnect 20 years later. The MFC has been emotionally crippled by the devastation of Michael's narcissistic, selfish resentment toward the marriage. Totally understand her family's protectiveness but she clearly doesn't listen to them with a strong will of her own. She doesn't give herself permission to be happy when Drake enters her life. And she willingly remarries Michael after 20 years with very little persuading. The lack of communication bw the characters throughout the story is disturbing. I wish the story would've explored more of why she ended her engagement with Drake. Why she still remained emotionally stuck in the trauma of her first marriage. Why she allowed herself to fall for Michael's charms when he returns into her life. Personally, she should've scraped the gum (scum) from her shoe. And why did he daughter fall for her father so easily after 20 years of his ignoring them. Was she so mercenary that she could easily accept his role in her life by the $$ he flashes? I could relate to the teen and young adult angst while trying to find oneself. But this story attempts to show growth but it appears there is lots of room for more growth. The ending was too quick. I would've liked to have seen her grow more before she finally enters into a relationship with Drake. That to me would've shown the mature and forever kind of love.
March 17, 2025
I was blessed to receive an ARC for this title, and I need to say that Love, Michael captivated me from the very first page.
I loved the time frame of this second chance romance novel. The backstory between Michael and Jill is one of complicated feelings. There's an age difference, but there's also a chemistry that cannot be denied. When Michael comes to her rescue as a last minute prom date, he was a white knight in my eyes. But there's more to Michael . . . a dark side. Add this to the naivety of an innocent teen who is dazzled by this handsome, kind of worldly man who brandishes her with attention and sweetness and what you have is a potent cocktail for heartbreak. Because when real life happens, and decisions have to be made by those who really hold the power, the outcome can be a real eye opener.
And unfortunately, that is what Jill gets when the dust settles. The reality of a forced marriage; the knowledge her husband is a cheating cad, and the eventual end of their marriage serves to make Jill a stronger and determined woman.
Fast forward years later. Jill has rebuilt her life, carved out a career and her daughter Monica is preparing to get married---and she wants her father present. Jill now has to face a man she once loved, a man who left her heart in pieces, and a man who has been absent for the better part of Monica's life. Jill has moved on with a relationship of her own. Then why is she terrified of facing Michael again?
Could it be that there are still unresolved issues between them?
I loved the time frame of this second chance romance novel. The backstory between Michael and Jill is one of complicated feelings. There's an age difference, but there's also a chemistry that cannot be denied. When Michael comes to her rescue as a last minute prom date, he was a white knight in my eyes. But there's more to Michael . . . a dark side. Add this to the naivety of an innocent teen who is dazzled by this handsome, kind of worldly man who brandishes her with attention and sweetness and what you have is a potent cocktail for heartbreak. Because when real life happens, and decisions have to be made by those who really hold the power, the outcome can be a real eye opener.
And unfortunately, that is what Jill gets when the dust settles. The reality of a forced marriage; the knowledge her husband is a cheating cad, and the eventual end of their marriage serves to make Jill a stronger and determined woman.
Fast forward years later. Jill has rebuilt her life, carved out a career and her daughter Monica is preparing to get married---and she wants her father present. Jill now has to face a man she once loved, a man who left her heart in pieces, and a man who has been absent for the better part of Monica's life. Jill has moved on with a relationship of her own. Then why is she terrified of facing Michael again?
Could it be that there are still unresolved issues between them?
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