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The Story of You and Me
How far would you go to save someone you loved?
My name's Sophie and I’m nineteen-years-old. I planned on college, keggers, and cute frat guys—not MS. I told a few people, but they started treating me differently, so now I keep it secret. I probably have many more years to live with this disease, but my grandmother does not.
So I traveled thousands of miles to L.A. to look for healing: stem cell studies, acupuncture, shamanic vision quests. Some therapies were dangerous, but I’d try anything. I’d risk it all because I was fighting for our lives—but I didn’t have the luxury of dating, let alone falling in love.
My first night in L.A. I landed in the middle of a campus bar fight. The most beautiful man I’d ever met, Alejandro, a complete stranger, rescued me. He took me to the ER, drove me to my new home, and even washed my beer-drenched hair. On my second day I got lost in a dicey part of town and was attacked by gang-bangers. I escaped—this time.
So I hired Alejandro to drive me to my appointments; be my bodyguard. He made me laugh again. He sheltered me. My heart started cracking open… I wish I had told him my secret. When I discovered—he hadn't yet told me his...
My name's Sophie and I’m nineteen-years-old. I planned on college, keggers, and cute frat guys—not MS. I told a few people, but they started treating me differently, so now I keep it secret. I probably have many more years to live with this disease, but my grandmother does not.
So I traveled thousands of miles to L.A. to look for healing: stem cell studies, acupuncture, shamanic vision quests. Some therapies were dangerous, but I’d try anything. I’d risk it all because I was fighting for our lives—but I didn’t have the luxury of dating, let alone falling in love.
My first night in L.A. I landed in the middle of a campus bar fight. The most beautiful man I’d ever met, Alejandro, a complete stranger, rescued me. He took me to the ER, drove me to my new home, and even washed my beer-drenched hair. On my second day I got lost in a dicey part of town and was attacked by gang-bangers. I escaped—this time.
So I hired Alejandro to drive me to my appointments; be my bodyguard. He made me laugh again. He sheltered me. My heart started cracking open… I wish I had told him my secret. When I discovered—he hadn't yet told me his...
286 pages, ebook
First published October 20, 2013
77 people are currently reading
1775 people want to read
About the author
Pamela DuMond
61 books385 followersUSA Today Best author Pamela DuMond writes merry mysteries, modern fairytales, and smart romance.
Pam pitched the "Erin Brockovich" story to Hollywood, was featured on “ABC 20/20," is repped for TV/Film/Lit by Italia Gandolfo at GHLiterary.com, and was a contracted writer for Pixelberry Studios.
Pam's books include the hilarious Part-time Princess © 2014 Rom-Com series, Annie Graceland cozy mysteries, Mortal Beloved 'romantasy' time travel, Courtesan "addicting" psychological thrillers, etc. #Iwritemyownbooks
Pam lives in NC where she consumes audiobooks, swims like a mermaid, and is bossed by cats. Sign up for her newsletter at www.pameladumond.com.
Pam pitched the "Erin Brockovich" story to Hollywood, was featured on “ABC 20/20," is repped for TV/Film/Lit by Italia Gandolfo at GHLiterary.com, and was a contracted writer for Pixelberry Studios.
Pam's books include the hilarious Part-time Princess © 2014 Rom-Com series, Annie Graceland cozy mysteries, Mortal Beloved 'romantasy' time travel, Courtesan "addicting" psychological thrillers, etc. #Iwritemyownbooks
Pam lives in NC where she consumes audiobooks, swims like a mermaid, and is bossed by cats. Sign up for her newsletter at www.pameladumond.com.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 86 reviews
September 25, 2013
Healing doesn’t always come the way you think you need it
Cover: Very pretty. 9/10
Plot: Healing in L.A.
Writing style: 8/10
Heroine: 7/10
Hero: 7/10
Jealousy: 1/10
Romance: 8/10
Hotness: 1/10
Ending: 8/10
Extra book Details: Stand alone, HEA. Much more YA than NA.
Overall: Quite close to a road-trip book.
GoodRead's blurb is just not good enough for this book, nearly didn't read it because it just sounded like another generic book; 'they don't wanna fall in love, they both got secrets and they're both broken, but they might fall in love...' Though that does kinda happen... *smiley face* the book is mainly about 19 year old Sophie and her quest to find out if there is some kind of alternative healing that will help her Grandmother through her last years of life.
Sophie has moved 2,000 miles to L.A for the summer. Her grandmother has had MS for 30 years and been in a wheelchair for 5. Now her grandmother is at her worst. But not only that, Sophie has early onset MS. She's going to campus to learn genetics and she's going to travel L.A to become a “voluntary guinea pig for any kind of healing”... “Stem cells. Acupuncture. Vision Quest. Healing prayers. Chiropractic. A medical intuitive. Aura healing. Yoga intensives...”
Sophie is brave, determined and open minded. She meets Alejandro (aka Alex) at a bar on campus her first night there. Alex is a student, a surfer and a 'Driver'. Drivers keep an eye on bar patrons and make sure no-one drives drunk, if they attempt to, then they revoke their keys and drive them home. After being in the middle of a bar fight, Alex takes care of her and drives her home. But after a disastrous time in L.A, getting lost and harmed, Sophie needs help. She can't drive and she needs to get to all her appointments, she calls on Alex to help and hires him as a chauffeur.
Sophie and Alex experience an adventurous friendship. We get to see loads of different places of their travels in and around L.A. Sophie makes lots of new and inspiring friends and she experiences loads of new things. This was what probably made the book a 4 star for me. I really enjoyed the road-trip theme, it progressed well and the descriptions of places and people was written well but not overdone. The dialogue was always interesting and engaging. It was quirky and essential. I didn't fall in love with the characters and that's what knocked it down a star, but they definitely were interesting.
Cover: Very pretty. 9/10
Plot: Healing in L.A.
Writing style: 8/10
Heroine: 7/10
Hero: 7/10
Jealousy: 1/10
Romance: 8/10
Hotness: 1/10
Ending: 8/10
Extra book Details: Stand alone, HEA. Much more YA than NA.
Overall: Quite close to a road-trip book.
GoodRead's blurb is just not good enough for this book, nearly didn't read it because it just sounded like another generic book; 'they don't wanna fall in love, they both got secrets and they're both broken, but they might fall in love...' Though that does kinda happen... *smiley face* the book is mainly about 19 year old Sophie and her quest to find out if there is some kind of alternative healing that will help her Grandmother through her last years of life.
Sophie has moved 2,000 miles to L.A for the summer. Her grandmother has had MS for 30 years and been in a wheelchair for 5. Now her grandmother is at her worst. But not only that, Sophie has early onset MS. She's going to campus to learn genetics and she's going to travel L.A to become a “voluntary guinea pig for any kind of healing”... “Stem cells. Acupuncture. Vision Quest. Healing prayers. Chiropractic. A medical intuitive. Aura healing. Yoga intensives...”
Sophie is brave, determined and open minded. She meets Alejandro (aka Alex) at a bar on campus her first night there. Alex is a student, a surfer and a 'Driver'. Drivers keep an eye on bar patrons and make sure no-one drives drunk, if they attempt to, then they revoke their keys and drive them home. After being in the middle of a bar fight, Alex takes care of her and drives her home. But after a disastrous time in L.A, getting lost and harmed, Sophie needs help. She can't drive and she needs to get to all her appointments, she calls on Alex to help and hires him as a chauffeur.
Sophie and Alex experience an adventurous friendship. We get to see loads of different places of their travels in and around L.A. Sophie makes lots of new and inspiring friends and she experiences loads of new things. This was what probably made the book a 4 star for me. I really enjoyed the road-trip theme, it progressed well and the descriptions of places and people was written well but not overdone. The dialogue was always interesting and engaging. It was quirky and essential. I didn't fall in love with the characters and that's what knocked it down a star, but they definitely were interesting.
January 13, 2015
POV: First-person through the main character, Sophie
Insta-Love: No Love Triangle: No
Cliffhanger: No
Sophie has MS and travels to LA to participate in a stem cell therapy trial. She can't drive and so hires Alejandro (Alex) to drive her around. It's an idea that has not been overused and has so much potential to be hopeful and poignant and a real tear jerker. Sadly, it is none of those things.
Characters:
From the very beginning, I never really connected with Sophie. She's supposed to be this innocent midwestern girl with a lot of gumption who moves to the big city by herself. Instead, she comes off as a girl who thinks she knows it all and does really really stupid things. She's a damsel in distress more than once and the situations she's in are totally of her own making. There are multiple scenes where she refers to how great she is at controlling or rebuffing "Alpha boys." Those scenes really grated on my nerves, too, because most of what she did or said made no sense. Many of the things Sophie says and does are very immature. Her character is much more YA than NA.
On the other hand, I really liked Alejandro. He was sweet and kind and had a great head on his shoulders. Sophie refers to him repeatedly as an "Alpha" boy but I didn't get that at all. He wasn't overpowering or domineering. I could not, for the life of me, figure out why the heck he was so attracted to Sophie. Alex is definitely a swoon-worthy book boyfriend.
Dialogue:
This is one of my biggest problems with this book. I love witty banter between a great couple. I didn't find that between Sophie and Alex. Some of the things said didn't seem to make sense and there never seemed to be a great flow between them.
Plot and Pacing:
The general storyline is a good one. Sophie travels around LA looking for alternative therapies to deal with her MS. Alex drives her around and acts as her protector since she's new to the city and some of the places she needs to go are not in the nicest neighborhoods. She tries everything from massage to acupuncture to vision quests. I enjoyed reading about these and about the growing closeness between Sophie and Alex. There was an awful lot that I didn't like, though. Sophie seems to get in a lot of sticky situations and there always seem to be strangers nearby willing to help her. Many of these situations seemed a little too convenient. There were certain events that seemed to be thrown in just to spice things up instead of to really add anything to the plot and things were wrapped up a little too neatly in the end. Although, if you're a fan of HEA's, you'll probably love that. I like a happy ending, but only when they're realistically so.
Romance:
The romance between Alex and Sophie seems to develop naturally. They are attracted to one another from the start but not in an overpowering "I must jump his/her bones right now" kind of way. They feel each other out and Alex tries to court her a little with these really cute gifts and gestures. They each have a secret. We know what Sophie's is and it's not hard to guess what Alex's is. There's no huge drama or hurt feelings over lies or deceit. They both come clean when the time is right. That was refreshing. There are no explicit scenes really. Any physical stuff is pretty PG-13.
Overall:
I almost quite reading this book more than once. I really only continued because it was a pretty quick read, and by the time I was really fed up I was 90% done. I give this two stars instead of just one because there were some parts that I enjoyed, the romance was sweet and the general idea was good. I did not like or connect to Sophie even though every single person she meets in the book loves her on sight. I found her immature and the situations she gets herself into were borderline ridiculous. I also feel that the dialogue had a tendency to be a little jarring and didn't flow well. I was irritated and frustrated throughout most of the book. This just wasn't for me. There are a whole lot of 4 and 5 star reviews out there, though, so if you're a fan of romance, you may like this more than I did.
Insta-Love: No Love Triangle: No
Cliffhanger: No
Sophie has MS and travels to LA to participate in a stem cell therapy trial. She can't drive and so hires Alejandro (Alex) to drive her around. It's an idea that has not been overused and has so much potential to be hopeful and poignant and a real tear jerker. Sadly, it is none of those things.
Characters:
From the very beginning, I never really connected with Sophie. She's supposed to be this innocent midwestern girl with a lot of gumption who moves to the big city by herself. Instead, she comes off as a girl who thinks she knows it all and does really really stupid things. She's a damsel in distress more than once and the situations she's in are totally of her own making. There are multiple scenes where she refers to how great she is at controlling or rebuffing "Alpha boys." Those scenes really grated on my nerves, too, because most of what she did or said made no sense. Many of the things Sophie says and does are very immature. Her character is much more YA than NA.
On the other hand, I really liked Alejandro. He was sweet and kind and had a great head on his shoulders. Sophie refers to him repeatedly as an "Alpha" boy but I didn't get that at all. He wasn't overpowering or domineering. I could not, for the life of me, figure out why the heck he was so attracted to Sophie. Alex is definitely a swoon-worthy book boyfriend.
Dialogue:
This is one of my biggest problems with this book. I love witty banter between a great couple. I didn't find that between Sophie and Alex. Some of the things said didn't seem to make sense and there never seemed to be a great flow between them.
Plot and Pacing:
The general storyline is a good one. Sophie travels around LA looking for alternative therapies to deal with her MS. Alex drives her around and acts as her protector since she's new to the city and some of the places she needs to go are not in the nicest neighborhoods. She tries everything from massage to acupuncture to vision quests. I enjoyed reading about these and about the growing closeness between Sophie and Alex. There was an awful lot that I didn't like, though. Sophie seems to get in a lot of sticky situations and there always seem to be strangers nearby willing to help her. Many of these situations seemed a little too convenient. There were certain events that seemed to be thrown in just to spice things up instead of to really add anything to the plot and things were wrapped up a little too neatly in the end. Although, if you're a fan of HEA's, you'll probably love that. I like a happy ending, but only when they're realistically so.
Romance:
The romance between Alex and Sophie seems to develop naturally. They are attracted to one another from the start but not in an overpowering "I must jump his/her bones right now" kind of way. They feel each other out and Alex tries to court her a little with these really cute gifts and gestures. They each have a secret. We know what Sophie's is and it's not hard to guess what Alex's is. There's no huge drama or hurt feelings over lies or deceit. They both come clean when the time is right. That was refreshing. There are no explicit scenes really. Any physical stuff is pretty PG-13.
Overall:
I almost quite reading this book more than once. I really only continued because it was a pretty quick read, and by the time I was really fed up I was 90% done. I give this two stars instead of just one because there were some parts that I enjoyed, the romance was sweet and the general idea was good. I did not like or connect to Sophie even though every single person she meets in the book loves her on sight. I found her immature and the situations she gets herself into were borderline ridiculous. I also feel that the dialogue had a tendency to be a little jarring and didn't flow well. I was irritated and frustrated throughout most of the book. This just wasn't for me. There are a whole lot of 4 and 5 star reviews out there, though, so if you're a fan of romance, you may like this more than I did.
January 15, 2015
I love these types of stories. Love them and was so happy to start reading it that I started the minute it was downloaded into my KINDLE. This book made me realize what an important role the main characters, especially the heroine. Sophie has MS and moves to LA for the summer to be on a trial experiment. On her first night in LA she meets Alejandro “Alex” Maxwell Levine. Alejandro is a “driver”. If someone is intoxicated and needs a ride home from a bar, he and three other guys offer patrons a ride home. While Sophie is at The Grill gets hit by a beer bottle by accident and is taken by Alejandro to the hospital. The next day on her way home from seeing a healer, she has a run in with some bad people that make her decide to hire Alejandro to drive her to all her appointments. Alejandro is very persistent to take Sophie out, but Sophie feels that she should not start any type of relationship since she needs to concentrate on her beating the disease. As Alejandro drives Sophie around for different type of treatments, they get to know each other and even though Sophie did not want to fall in love, she cannot help it.
First, I did not like Sophie at all. I have read several books where the heroine rejects the hero a dozen times before she finally accepts any type of invitation from him. And to be honest I love the cat and mouse game with the whole process, but Sophie, I felt was a little mean. I could not understand what Alejandro found cute and endearing in her. Alejandro was just a good person and I felt he put up with a lot. Second, I have two close friends who have suffered with MS for years. I see what it does to a person. I understand that Sophie did not want to just hold on to one option to find a cure for her MS, but she made a promise to the one treatment facility that she would not experiment with other drugs but Sophie does. Sophie starts using other drugs which can really ruin the numbers/results for the trial. I just felt she was selfish and hypercritical. I see what angle the author was trying to take with Sophie, but a lot of her behavior felt wrong. The relationship between Alejandro and Sophie felt awkward. I did not feel the connection. Sophie pushing him away to protect her did not feel like protection but just a bad attitude.
A copy was provided in exchange for an honest review.
First, I did not like Sophie at all. I have read several books where the heroine rejects the hero a dozen times before she finally accepts any type of invitation from him. And to be honest I love the cat and mouse game with the whole process, but Sophie, I felt was a little mean. I could not understand what Alejandro found cute and endearing in her. Alejandro was just a good person and I felt he put up with a lot. Second, I have two close friends who have suffered with MS for years. I see what it does to a person. I understand that Sophie did not want to just hold on to one option to find a cure for her MS, but she made a promise to the one treatment facility that she would not experiment with other drugs but Sophie does. Sophie starts using other drugs which can really ruin the numbers/results for the trial. I just felt she was selfish and hypercritical. I see what angle the author was trying to take with Sophie, but a lot of her behavior felt wrong. The relationship between Alejandro and Sophie felt awkward. I did not feel the connection. Sophie pushing him away to protect her did not feel like protection but just a bad attitude.
A copy was provided in exchange for an honest review.
November 11, 2013
DNF.
So, I don't even think I made it to chapter two.
The cincher was the hospital scene.
Why exactly does someone with a few lacerations that don't even require stiches have to abstain from sexual intercourse until the wounds are healed?
I don't think they are about to spontaneously errupt into infection, espectially since she'll be on 2 types of antibiotics, if she has sex. That was the dumbest thing ever.
Also, I could not take the innapropriateness of the doctor.
He's calling her pretty. Talking about the dangers of having sex until her wounds are healed. Okay, fine. Maybe I could deal with that if he was something of an eccentric, but he just carries on telling them that if they absolutely can't resist, they'll have to reduce themselves to forplay for the next few weeks.
Meawhile, Sophie is still stuttering about how they aren't boyfriend-girlfriend. It was so rediculous, I had to stop.
So, I don't even think I made it to chapter two.
The cincher was the hospital scene.
Why exactly does someone with a few lacerations that don't even require stiches have to abstain from sexual intercourse until the wounds are healed?
I don't think they are about to spontaneously errupt into infection, espectially since she'll be on 2 types of antibiotics, if she has sex. That was the dumbest thing ever.
Also, I could not take the innapropriateness of the doctor.
He's calling her pretty. Talking about the dangers of having sex until her wounds are healed. Okay, fine. Maybe I could deal with that if he was something of an eccentric, but he just carries on telling them that if they absolutely can't resist, they'll have to reduce themselves to forplay for the next few weeks.
Meawhile, Sophie is still stuttering about how they aren't boyfriend-girlfriend. It was so rediculous, I had to stop.
May 25, 2015
I received a complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review.
I never expected this book to affect me the way it did. As an avid reader, I've always come across books where they say love heals. Love heals. I didn't know how powerful those words are until I read The Story of You and Me. It was beautiful, heart wrenching, and completely unforgettable.
"I wouldn't mind catching you every time you fall"
Sophie is currently fighting a debilitating disease at only 19 years of age. She finds her self in California to be part of an experimental drug program in a USCLA Medical study. She is not only fighting this disease for herself, but also for someone she loves. As we all know, life doesn't always go to plan. Life happens in the version of drop dead gorgeous, six foot two, Alejandro Levine. Sophie ends up hiring Alejandro as her driver. But, her secrets are her own. No matter how much she is falling for him. Little does she know that he has secrets too. That he is not just your average college student. When the two collide it is magical, consuming. Watching them fall in love was breath taking. Watching them fall apart was heartbreaking. Eventually Sophie realizes that she was looking for healing in all the wrong places. Alejandro healed her soul. And more. And Sophie? She gave Alejandro a reason to live. Again.
"And that's when he finally kissed me. Sweetly. Slowly. Surely."
THIS BOOK. The synopsis does not do it justice. If you think you know what it is about. You have NO idea. There is so much to this story. If you are reading some other NA book, put it down and start this one right now. Giving away more of it will just be a complete injustice. You need to FEEL this book. LIVE it. EXPERIENCE it. I was captivated by this story the moment I read the first page. Alejandro is like no other character. He completely stole my heart. Besides being devastatingly handsome, he is kind and has the most beautiful soul you will ever encounter while reading a book. Sophie is the most brave heroine you will ever meet. Life hands her a fate that is unimaginable at her age. Yet, rather than save herself, she fights to save someone else.
"I thought of the funny ways our lives twist, turn, and collide. We think something's truly terrible-and it might be-but then something magic happens. You meet someone. You find healing. You fall in love."
Sophie and Alejandro share a bond that is beyond words. Their love knows no boundaries. Their souls are completely attracted to each other. And you FEEL it. It is raw, genuine, all consuming love that these two grow into. Their beautiful story and journey completely inspire you. To love and live hard with everything. This story? THIS is romance. THIS is LOVE. TRUE love. A love that surpasses all. So why four stars? I wanted more. Their story cannot be over. At least not for me.
"I knew that I'd always love him. He'd always hold an exceptional piece of my soul, my heart, my mind. He was my first love. He sheltered me."
This book stole my heart with every word. It was powerful, consumed my mind for an entire day and I am still thinking about it this very next day. When it's love. You know it. You feel it. Just like with Sophie and Alejandro. Both are broken. They think they cannot be fixed until they meet one another. The world makes more sense now that they have each other. Love conquers. Love never fails. Love heals. Always. While this book is a standalone and a completely story, I would just like to say that I truly feel that there is so much more to their story and would love to see more of them.
"And I don't care if you belong to the world. I still want you to belong to me."
"I'll always belong to you."
I never expected this book to affect me the way it did. As an avid reader, I've always come across books where they say love heals. Love heals. I didn't know how powerful those words are until I read The Story of You and Me. It was beautiful, heart wrenching, and completely unforgettable.
"I wouldn't mind catching you every time you fall"
Sophie is currently fighting a debilitating disease at only 19 years of age. She finds her self in California to be part of an experimental drug program in a USCLA Medical study. She is not only fighting this disease for herself, but also for someone she loves. As we all know, life doesn't always go to plan. Life happens in the version of drop dead gorgeous, six foot two, Alejandro Levine. Sophie ends up hiring Alejandro as her driver. But, her secrets are her own. No matter how much she is falling for him. Little does she know that he has secrets too. That he is not just your average college student. When the two collide it is magical, consuming. Watching them fall in love was breath taking. Watching them fall apart was heartbreaking. Eventually Sophie realizes that she was looking for healing in all the wrong places. Alejandro healed her soul. And more. And Sophie? She gave Alejandro a reason to live. Again.
"And that's when he finally kissed me. Sweetly. Slowly. Surely."
THIS BOOK. The synopsis does not do it justice. If you think you know what it is about. You have NO idea. There is so much to this story. If you are reading some other NA book, put it down and start this one right now. Giving away more of it will just be a complete injustice. You need to FEEL this book. LIVE it. EXPERIENCE it. I was captivated by this story the moment I read the first page. Alejandro is like no other character. He completely stole my heart. Besides being devastatingly handsome, he is kind and has the most beautiful soul you will ever encounter while reading a book. Sophie is the most brave heroine you will ever meet. Life hands her a fate that is unimaginable at her age. Yet, rather than save herself, she fights to save someone else.
"I thought of the funny ways our lives twist, turn, and collide. We think something's truly terrible-and it might be-but then something magic happens. You meet someone. You find healing. You fall in love."
Sophie and Alejandro share a bond that is beyond words. Their love knows no boundaries. Their souls are completely attracted to each other. And you FEEL it. It is raw, genuine, all consuming love that these two grow into. Their beautiful story and journey completely inspire you. To love and live hard with everything. This story? THIS is romance. THIS is LOVE. TRUE love. A love that surpasses all. So why four stars? I wanted more. Their story cannot be over. At least not for me.
"I knew that I'd always love him. He'd always hold an exceptional piece of my soul, my heart, my mind. He was my first love. He sheltered me."
This book stole my heart with every word. It was powerful, consumed my mind for an entire day and I am still thinking about it this very next day. When it's love. You know it. You feel it. Just like with Sophie and Alejandro. Both are broken. They think they cannot be fixed until they meet one another. The world makes more sense now that they have each other. Love conquers. Love never fails. Love heals. Always. While this book is a standalone and a completely story, I would just like to say that I truly feel that there is so much more to their story and would love to see more of them.
"And I don't care if you belong to the world. I still want you to belong to me."
"I'll always belong to you."
April 22, 2014
This story was ok, but for the most part it couldn't hold my interest, I had trouble connecting to the characters and many instances in the book felt unrealistic to me.
The main character is on a mission to find a cure for a disease. She is attempting many different methods to find this cure, most are holistic (this is not the part I find unrealistic). Her diagnosis is not all that rare nor unique, yet every healer that she meets takes a special interest in her case and sets aside special time for her wanting to assist in any way possible. There wasn't any validation as to why they were doing this.
There was also an instance in the beginning where the main character acquires a few scratches on her face that do not require stitches, yet she is continuously being referred to a plastic surgeon during the ER visit... why? The same physician also tells her to refrain from sexual activity for a few weeks... again, why?
Overall, the characters felt underdeveloped, and although this book is labeled New Adult, it felt very YA due to the character's maturity levels. This was one of those stories where everyone is attracted to the heroine and she makes some kind of lasting impression within seconds of meeting everyone. Her mission to travel to another state alone, research all these treatments/procedures, and trying to take on this giant task of finding a cure would lead you to believe that she is a strong person with a good head on her shoulders. Nothing is further from the truth.. she is constantly the damsel in distress needing rescuing for just plain naivety and idiocy. She also continuously disobeys the rules and orders for a medical study she is participating in by venturing out to these holistic methods. You would think she would take the study more seriously with her being so focused in finding a cure and after all the time and money she has invested to become a participant in this study.
I know I've been ranting a little, but this story was not all bad. One of the things I liked about the story was Alejandro. His story was unique. Even though, Sophie continuously referred to him as her "alpha boy", he seemed to be pretty genuine, selfless, and considerate. I never really understood what about Sophie attracted him,... he stated the norm "you're not like all the other girls" after talking to her for about 5 minutes, but I'm not sure what positively differentiated her from others. Though I felt like they lacked chemistry, I did feel a strong friendship with them and they were pretty honest with each other most of the time about the secrets they were trying to keep hidden from the world.
This book has quite a few high ratings, so just because I didn't like it doesn't mean you won't!
The main character is on a mission to find a cure for a disease. She is attempting many different methods to find this cure, most are holistic (this is not the part I find unrealistic). Her diagnosis is not all that rare nor unique, yet every healer that she meets takes a special interest in her case and sets aside special time for her wanting to assist in any way possible. There wasn't any validation as to why they were doing this.
There was also an instance in the beginning where the main character acquires a few scratches on her face that do not require stitches, yet she is continuously being referred to a plastic surgeon during the ER visit... why? The same physician also tells her to refrain from sexual activity for a few weeks... again, why?
Overall, the characters felt underdeveloped, and although this book is labeled New Adult, it felt very YA due to the character's maturity levels. This was one of those stories where everyone is attracted to the heroine and she makes some kind of lasting impression within seconds of meeting everyone. Her mission to travel to another state alone, research all these treatments/procedures, and trying to take on this giant task of finding a cure would lead you to believe that she is a strong person with a good head on her shoulders. Nothing is further from the truth.. she is constantly the damsel in distress needing rescuing for just plain naivety and idiocy. She also continuously disobeys the rules and orders for a medical study she is participating in by venturing out to these holistic methods. You would think she would take the study more seriously with her being so focused in finding a cure and after all the time and money she has invested to become a participant in this study.
I know I've been ranting a little, but this story was not all bad. One of the things I liked about the story was Alejandro. His story was unique. Even though, Sophie continuously referred to him as her "alpha boy", he seemed to be pretty genuine, selfless, and considerate. I never really understood what about Sophie attracted him,... he stated the norm "you're not like all the other girls" after talking to her for about 5 minutes, but I'm not sure what positively differentiated her from others. Though I felt like they lacked chemistry, I did feel a strong friendship with them and they were pretty honest with each other most of the time about the secrets they were trying to keep hidden from the world.
This book has quite a few high ratings, so just because I didn't like it doesn't mean you won't!
February 16, 2014
I gave this book 5 Stars out of 5 because I loved the fact that the Story was based around Sophie a young woman ( and her Nanna) from the Midwest of America with MS who travels to LA to research Healing Techniques that will help with MS as well as to take part in a stem Cell research project at USCLA but meets and falls in love with a Local boy.
Sophie was a really good character because to begin with she was a girl who was closed off to loving anyone, as she's scared of loosing people, and absolutely focused on finding something that will cure her Nanna's (and her) MS but gradually she opens her heart up to Alejandro, as well as the Kitten that she adopts, ultimately falling in love with both of them.
Alejandro was a lovely character who you couldn't help but fall in love with. To begin with he was a very closed off angry young man who thought he was a monster due to an accident that he had been involved in several years before in which one of his friends was killed but through the book as he falls in love with Sophie he begins to heal himself as he opens up to Sophie about what happened. Throughout the book he's a strong and supportive person when it comes to Sophie and all his friends.
It was the love story between Sophie and Alejandro as well as all the things that happened to Sophie while she was in LA that was addictive and made it impossible for me to put it down.
Sophie was a really good character because to begin with she was a girl who was closed off to loving anyone, as she's scared of loosing people, and absolutely focused on finding something that will cure her Nanna's (and her) MS but gradually she opens her heart up to Alejandro, as well as the Kitten that she adopts, ultimately falling in love with both of them.
Alejandro was a lovely character who you couldn't help but fall in love with. To begin with he was a very closed off angry young man who thought he was a monster due to an accident that he had been involved in several years before in which one of his friends was killed but through the book as he falls in love with Sophie he begins to heal himself as he opens up to Sophie about what happened. Throughout the book he's a strong and supportive person when it comes to Sophie and all his friends.
It was the love story between Sophie and Alejandro as well as all the things that happened to Sophie while she was in LA that was addictive and made it impossible for me to put it down.
February 24, 2014
*ARC given in exchange for my honest review*
I give this book a 4.5. Sophie is a 19 year old girl with MS. It's a disease that also effects her grandmother so she decides to go to LA to join the USCLA Medical Study to heal her disease. She also goes around to different healers as well to try anything that will help. Her first night there she ends up in the middle of a bar fight and gets hurt. That is when she meets Alejandro.
Alejandro is a 21 year old "driver." After he helps Sophie during the bar fight he takes her to get her cuts bandaged up. After seeing how difficult it is traveling in LA and being attacked by a member of a gang she hires Alejandro to be her personal driver. After spending time with each other they both fall in love. Sophie has a hard time because she doesn't think he deserves to be with someone who will eventually die, but he has a secret too and they both end up getting through it together.
The author did a great job writing this book. Its heartfelt and its something I think a lot of people can relate too.
I give this book a 4.5. Sophie is a 19 year old girl with MS. It's a disease that also effects her grandmother so she decides to go to LA to join the USCLA Medical Study to heal her disease. She also goes around to different healers as well to try anything that will help. Her first night there she ends up in the middle of a bar fight and gets hurt. That is when she meets Alejandro.
Alejandro is a 21 year old "driver." After he helps Sophie during the bar fight he takes her to get her cuts bandaged up. After seeing how difficult it is traveling in LA and being attacked by a member of a gang she hires Alejandro to be her personal driver. After spending time with each other they both fall in love. Sophie has a hard time because she doesn't think he deserves to be with someone who will eventually die, but he has a secret too and they both end up getting through it together.
The author did a great job writing this book. Its heartfelt and its something I think a lot of people can relate too.
March 19, 2015
The book was boring, the romance was bland, I think there was supposed to be a plot somewhere in here but it died out before it was ever really established properly, the characters are unrealistic, the dialogue awkward, and nearly every guy in the book felt the need to call Sophie pretty approximately ten times during their first encounter with her. If you're looking for a book that will put you to sleep and the most absolute boring romance complete with a sappy love interest, this might be the book for you.
September 29, 2013
Read this new book by Pamela DuMond. It's a very heartwarming, sweet New Adult romance that I can't seem to put down. You'll find yourself cheering on Sophie in her quest. You'll fall in love with Alex for all sorts of reasons. You'll feel all kinds of emotions reading this book.
September 25, 2013
So sweet. I loved the sharp wit. Make sure to read the authors 'On a personal note' at the end, it puts so much more meaning into the story!
April 17, 2014
What would you do to save someone
you love? Someone whose shaped your life
indescribably? Travel thousands of miles,
be a 'guinea pig' for healers? Would you guard your heart from
the man your falling in love with - from the man you've
already fallen in love with?
5 healing ***** from The Sassy Bookista!!!
(For links to excerpt and teaser pics with review -->http://wp.me/P49zim-pW )
This is a full-length, standalone novel. The story finishes with a HEA for the couple. There is no cheating in this book.
AMAZING! When I finished this book I sat there with an enormous smile and happy, misty eyes. I loved every second of this book! And the blurb? It's great isn't it? But it doesn't nearly cover what you'll experience with this book! It's definitely a story hope, of love and of redemption - but it's more about the journey to arrive at these that makes it all magical. Makes it one of those books that you find yourself in awe of such amazing characters and what they can endure. It's a supremely, enticing read that had me falling for every. single. character.
"Life is short... We are not perfect people. We don't know how much time we will have together. But I will guarantee you this. We have something far more special than the majority of people. Consider this to be your official invitation -"
When I first meet Sophie, I realize she's different from one of thousands of 20-somethings. Even though she only 19. She's intelligent, driven, and she's not looking for a man. That told me a lot actually. She was not looking for friends, or a 'good time'. She wasn't perusing the atmosphere...she was there for a reason. A mature reason - one that could change her life and that of someone very close to her. She's in California and she's from Wisconsin. Sophie is close to the USCLA campus - but she's there for a reason. (I keep saying 'reason' because I refuse to spoil anything about this book! It's one you simply must read!!) I like her right away. I remember thinking, Sophie seemed old for her age. Seemed to have lived through much more than she was letting everyone else see. Sophie doesn't put off the friendly vibe, at first, yet she gains an admirer, Alejandro, after he has to assist her. Well, maybe not admirer, but someone who cares for her without realizing it. I'm struck at how quickly they seem to form a bond/friendship. Although, she tries to push him away. She's continues to fight her attraction but I sense that she knows deep down she will change her mind. She knows she infatuated with him but she doesn't want to mess up her plan and the 'reason' she's there in the first place. Alejandro is that guy whose everyone's friend. Everyone knows him, everyone's an acquaintance. Alejandro is a 'Driver'. He doesn't drink, and along with a few of his very close friends formed the Drivers. A sort of designated drivers system so that the kids at USCLA call one of them if they need a ride after drinking. It's a really cool idea actually and made me think of him a someone incredibly responsible, mature, and focused. He's that way with Sophie when they first meet, too. Continuously trying to make her laugh or smile with his jokes but there's never the feeling that he's a 'jokester'. The banter between them is hilarious - she's funny without trying to be and he's...well he's got a line for everything. In a good way. He seems to care for her right out of the gate. I just adored the two of them together.
"Not to be a b?t*h, but don't screw it up."
"I got it... I'm human, Sophie Marie Priebe. I'll definitely mess it up. But when I do? Remind yourself, Bonita, that you're hanging out with a guy who has not only the heart, but also the balls to make it right."
I felt tranced, at times, reading this book. Emerged in the friendships forming between Sophie and 'the wheelies', a group of gals in wheelchairs, and with Cole, her neighbor. At times, the book gives you a little, letting you write the rest, and other times it's so intense with what's happening to Sophie and her 'reason'. The story ebbs and flows. In the best way. Alejandro is an alpha-boy but he's a really sweet alpha-boy. And Sophie feels inadequate for him. But at the same time, she needs him. His driving and his friendship. I could see the struggle she had with that and imagine I would have the same struggle in her situation. When they have the sidewalk conversation about what he wants and what she wants I was holding my breath! I really wanted them to be 100% honest... He has a pet name for her - Bonita. It's so perfect as to who he is and how he sees her. She trusts him and for some strange reason feels safe and protected. There are so many ways, in the book, he is there for her. Either because she needed him or because he just wanted to be. The book is about the journey that the two of them take. I feel it was MORE than that though... It became the journey he takes. The journey he takes. And then becomes, somewhere in the mix of all the amazing stuff, the journey that they took together.
Thank you Pamela DuMond!! For the journey I will never forget!!!
you love? Someone whose shaped your life
indescribably? Travel thousands of miles,
be a 'guinea pig' for healers? Would you guard your heart from
the man your falling in love with - from the man you've
already fallen in love with?
5 healing ***** from The Sassy Bookista!!!
(For links to excerpt and teaser pics with review -->http://wp.me/P49zim-pW )
This is a full-length, standalone novel. The story finishes with a HEA for the couple. There is no cheating in this book.
AMAZING! When I finished this book I sat there with an enormous smile and happy, misty eyes. I loved every second of this book! And the blurb? It's great isn't it? But it doesn't nearly cover what you'll experience with this book! It's definitely a story hope, of love and of redemption - but it's more about the journey to arrive at these that makes it all magical. Makes it one of those books that you find yourself in awe of such amazing characters and what they can endure. It's a supremely, enticing read that had me falling for every. single. character.
"Life is short... We are not perfect people. We don't know how much time we will have together. But I will guarantee you this. We have something far more special than the majority of people. Consider this to be your official invitation -"
When I first meet Sophie, I realize she's different from one of thousands of 20-somethings. Even though she only 19. She's intelligent, driven, and she's not looking for a man. That told me a lot actually. She was not looking for friends, or a 'good time'. She wasn't perusing the atmosphere...she was there for a reason. A mature reason - one that could change her life and that of someone very close to her. She's in California and she's from Wisconsin. Sophie is close to the USCLA campus - but she's there for a reason. (I keep saying 'reason' because I refuse to spoil anything about this book! It's one you simply must read!!) I like her right away. I remember thinking, Sophie seemed old for her age. Seemed to have lived through much more than she was letting everyone else see. Sophie doesn't put off the friendly vibe, at first, yet she gains an admirer, Alejandro, after he has to assist her. Well, maybe not admirer, but someone who cares for her without realizing it. I'm struck at how quickly they seem to form a bond/friendship. Although, she tries to push him away. She's continues to fight her attraction but I sense that she knows deep down she will change her mind. She knows she infatuated with him but she doesn't want to mess up her plan and the 'reason' she's there in the first place. Alejandro is that guy whose everyone's friend. Everyone knows him, everyone's an acquaintance. Alejandro is a 'Driver'. He doesn't drink, and along with a few of his very close friends formed the Drivers. A sort of designated drivers system so that the kids at USCLA call one of them if they need a ride after drinking. It's a really cool idea actually and made me think of him a someone incredibly responsible, mature, and focused. He's that way with Sophie when they first meet, too. Continuously trying to make her laugh or smile with his jokes but there's never the feeling that he's a 'jokester'. The banter between them is hilarious - she's funny without trying to be and he's...well he's got a line for everything. In a good way. He seems to care for her right out of the gate. I just adored the two of them together.
"Not to be a b?t*h, but don't screw it up."
"I got it... I'm human, Sophie Marie Priebe. I'll definitely mess it up. But when I do? Remind yourself, Bonita, that you're hanging out with a guy who has not only the heart, but also the balls to make it right."
I felt tranced, at times, reading this book. Emerged in the friendships forming between Sophie and 'the wheelies', a group of gals in wheelchairs, and with Cole, her neighbor. At times, the book gives you a little, letting you write the rest, and other times it's so intense with what's happening to Sophie and her 'reason'. The story ebbs and flows. In the best way. Alejandro is an alpha-boy but he's a really sweet alpha-boy. And Sophie feels inadequate for him. But at the same time, she needs him. His driving and his friendship. I could see the struggle she had with that and imagine I would have the same struggle in her situation. When they have the sidewalk conversation about what he wants and what she wants I was holding my breath! I really wanted them to be 100% honest... He has a pet name for her - Bonita. It's so perfect as to who he is and how he sees her. She trusts him and for some strange reason feels safe and protected. There are so many ways, in the book, he is there for her. Either because she needed him or because he just wanted to be. The book is about the journey that the two of them take. I feel it was MORE than that though... It became the journey he takes. The journey he takes. And then becomes, somewhere in the mix of all the amazing stuff, the journey that they took together.
Thank you Pamela DuMond!! For the journey I will never forget!!!
April 15, 2014
Pamela DuMond’s THE STORY OF YOU AND ME is your typical new adult romance novel: girl meets boy and both fall head over heels. Unfortunately, this one fell flat despite the author’s reason for writing this novel (which brought tears to my eyes when I read the author letter).
Character development is a bit weak. We get to know Sophie fairly well, but she’s still keeping us at arms length. At times, she comes off as a bit of a ditz (more on that later) and I just had a difficult time actually liking her and couldn’t connect with her. Then there’s Alex, the hot guy that makes Sophie weak in the knees. The problem? I thought he was too sweet and a bit too perfect though he’s hiding a terrible secret. Overall, I had trouble being attracted to him, but did really like getting to know him. We have several secondary characters that are important including Sophie’s neighbor in LA, Cole (loved him!) and Blue, a wheelchair bound patient Sophie meets in the hospital. Although, I really liked Sophie’s grandmother and wished we had more scenes with her! She was a hoot!
Narrative is first person via Sophie and as a narrator she’s trustworthy, but it took some to warm up to her. I’m not sure if it had to do with the DuMond’s writing style or the choice of words, but at times I found myself going back and rereading sentences. The writing did come off a bit amateurish in some areas, but will admit that it improved over the course of the novel. While DuMond had some lovely scenes, the chemistry between Alex and Sophie felt forced. The grand secret that Alex has, is a heartbreaking tale and a hard lesson for any teen, and in this day in age it was a bit refreshing to have a character who changes for the good based on an incident.
I debated with the rating between a two and three, but decided on a two for several reasons. First, I found Sophie to be a bit too trusting and I can sort of see what DuMond was doing. By giving us a Midwestern Sophie in the big city, she put Sophie through a series of ridiculous trials. There’s an incident involving a gang and while I’m not saying what happened to Sophie wouldn’t happen in real life, it just felt a bit too convenient. Here she found a way to bring Alex and Sophie together. I just found Sophie needing to be rescued a bit tiresome especially when she was fighting to find a cure for herself and her grandmother. If she had the strength to do that then she’s not entirely helpless. Then there’s the whole off to experience / find out what Sophie could about alternative medicine. Again, I’m not saying alternative medicine doesn’t work, it just was a bit too out there for me especially when Sophie is dealing with a quack of a doctor who has his own two bodyguards. Furthermore, I quite didn’t understand the obsession with nicknames. Immediately Sophie is nicknamed cheesehead because she’s from Wisconsin and everyone seems to call her that, Alex calls her bonita left and right and it just feels out of place. It’s almost as if DuMond had to prove to her readers that he’s Mexican-American and what better way than to have him call her “bonita.”
What I did like about THE STORY OF YOU AND ME is that we don’t have any misunderstandings and both Sophie and Alex are upfront with their feelings. They might not share their past right away, but when they do, it’s all open. I just adored Sophie’s grandmother and her quest to learn Yiddish.
Overall, THE STORY OF YOU AND ME is a light read though forgettable. Fans of the film A WALK TO REMEMBER might enjoy this.
This review and more are located at Literary, etc.
Character development is a bit weak. We get to know Sophie fairly well, but she’s still keeping us at arms length. At times, she comes off as a bit of a ditz (more on that later) and I just had a difficult time actually liking her and couldn’t connect with her. Then there’s Alex, the hot guy that makes Sophie weak in the knees. The problem? I thought he was too sweet and a bit too perfect though he’s hiding a terrible secret. Overall, I had trouble being attracted to him, but did really like getting to know him. We have several secondary characters that are important including Sophie’s neighbor in LA, Cole (loved him!) and Blue, a wheelchair bound patient Sophie meets in the hospital. Although, I really liked Sophie’s grandmother and wished we had more scenes with her! She was a hoot!
Narrative is first person via Sophie and as a narrator she’s trustworthy, but it took some to warm up to her. I’m not sure if it had to do with the DuMond’s writing style or the choice of words, but at times I found myself going back and rereading sentences. The writing did come off a bit amateurish in some areas, but will admit that it improved over the course of the novel. While DuMond had some lovely scenes, the chemistry between Alex and Sophie felt forced. The grand secret that Alex has, is a heartbreaking tale and a hard lesson for any teen, and in this day in age it was a bit refreshing to have a character who changes for the good based on an incident.
I debated with the rating between a two and three, but decided on a two for several reasons. First, I found Sophie to be a bit too trusting and I can sort of see what DuMond was doing. By giving us a Midwestern Sophie in the big city, she put Sophie through a series of ridiculous trials. There’s an incident involving a gang and while I’m not saying what happened to Sophie wouldn’t happen in real life, it just felt a bit too convenient. Here she found a way to bring Alex and Sophie together. I just found Sophie needing to be rescued a bit tiresome especially when she was fighting to find a cure for herself and her grandmother. If she had the strength to do that then she’s not entirely helpless. Then there’s the whole off to experience / find out what Sophie could about alternative medicine. Again, I’m not saying alternative medicine doesn’t work, it just was a bit too out there for me especially when Sophie is dealing with a quack of a doctor who has his own two bodyguards. Furthermore, I quite didn’t understand the obsession with nicknames. Immediately Sophie is nicknamed cheesehead because she’s from Wisconsin and everyone seems to call her that, Alex calls her bonita left and right and it just feels out of place. It’s almost as if DuMond had to prove to her readers that he’s Mexican-American and what better way than to have him call her “bonita.”
What I did like about THE STORY OF YOU AND ME is that we don’t have any misunderstandings and both Sophie and Alex are upfront with their feelings. They might not share their past right away, but when they do, it’s all open. I just adored Sophie’s grandmother and her quest to learn Yiddish.
Overall, THE STORY OF YOU AND ME is a light read though forgettable. Fans of the film A WALK TO REMEMBER might enjoy this.
This review and more are located at Literary, etc.
March 8, 2015
4.5 our story stars
I discovered this author on Netgalley for her book Part-Time Princess which I freaking LOVED!!!
So of course I knew I had to get this one as well and im glad I did because I enjoyed it even though it was written in 2013 the authors great writing is still there.
I SAID I ams fines for the drivings
Our story starts with a bar fight where drunk fines for the drivings man tries to drive home and is stopped by a driver named Freddie and Sophie goes to the hospital for her cuts/feinting.
The story is about Alex and Sophie. Alex is a driver (think of like designated driver but for anyone) Sophie tells Alex she is visiting LA to take a summer course but secretly she is traveling all over LA trying different healing methods to try to heal her MS. I have to say I didn’t know much about MS until I picked up the book and spent some time on WebMD. And I think it will get many people to at least know about it. Sophie asks Alex to drive her to all these hole in the wall healers for research for her story but shes really trying to cure a disease or at least control her early onset MS. I think most of Sophies accidents were a little groan worthy and there was always all these bystanders helping randomly. I never really connected with Sophie but I enjoyed Alex immensely.
Alex was the most supportive character ever once Sophie told him about her MS he didn’t stop caring about her he even went to healers with her like acupuncture and he was just perfectly sweet. I enjoyed that there was no insta love but we still get an HEA.
Life is hard, because we make it that way. We worry about things that we have almost no control over. We stress about people who basically give a shit about us. We live safe, tiny existences watching the years roll by as we develop conditions that are ticking time bombs like heart disease, depression, rheumatoid arthritis and cancers that stem from bad cehmicals, bad water, bad genes, as well as all the restrictions and rules that weve placed upon ourselves
This has a little fault in our stars vibe so if you liked that book/movie pick this up
Pamela… your writing is amazing
I discovered this author on Netgalley for her book Part-Time Princess which I freaking LOVED!!!
So of course I knew I had to get this one as well and im glad I did because I enjoyed it even though it was written in 2013 the authors great writing is still there.
I SAID I ams fines for the drivings
Our story starts with a bar fight where drunk fines for the drivings man tries to drive home and is stopped by a driver named Freddie and Sophie goes to the hospital for her cuts/feinting.
The story is about Alex and Sophie. Alex is a driver (think of like designated driver but for anyone) Sophie tells Alex she is visiting LA to take a summer course but secretly she is traveling all over LA trying different healing methods to try to heal her MS. I have to say I didn’t know much about MS until I picked up the book and spent some time on WebMD. And I think it will get many people to at least know about it. Sophie asks Alex to drive her to all these hole in the wall healers for research for her story but shes really trying to cure a disease or at least control her early onset MS. I think most of Sophies accidents were a little groan worthy and there was always all these bystanders helping randomly. I never really connected with Sophie but I enjoyed Alex immensely.
Alex was the most supportive character ever once Sophie told him about her MS he didn’t stop caring about her he even went to healers with her like acupuncture and he was just perfectly sweet. I enjoyed that there was no insta love but we still get an HEA.
Life is hard, because we make it that way. We worry about things that we have almost no control over. We stress about people who basically give a shit about us. We live safe, tiny existences watching the years roll by as we develop conditions that are ticking time bombs like heart disease, depression, rheumatoid arthritis and cancers that stem from bad cehmicals, bad water, bad genes, as well as all the restrictions and rules that weve placed upon ourselves
This has a little fault in our stars vibe so if you liked that book/movie pick this up
Pamela… your writing is amazing
July 29, 2016
Superb story! It was an emotional and heartwarming journey reading Sophie and Alejandro's story. 5 Stars! Full review to follow.
There was something about this book that just drew me in from the first page, and has stayed with me since I finished it. It wasn’t just the perfectly paced romance or the stunning writing style, but the way that the characters were just so simply human, fighting for their right to live and love, and how their relationships were formed through the human need for connection, companionship and understanding.
Sophie was a great heroine whom I identified with from the word go. The devotion she showed to her grandmother was heart-warming and it almost broke my heart to see the pains and lengths she went to in order to get answers for her and those like her who suffered from MS. I liked how this book really highlighted the illness as one that may seem invisible to onlookers, but reeks havoc on the individual, who like in Sophie’s case, are just trying to live their life as normally as possible.
The connection she shared with Alejandro was just stunning. I adored his protective nature, as well as his very human desire to repent for his past mistakes, something that he used as a way to become a better person and help those around him, rather than making excuses for himself. He was the kind of hero that Sophie needed, and the way their relationship developed through flirty sarcasm, to strong friendship which became a love was just beautiful to watch. It was paced perfectly and I never thought the story was moving too fast or too slow. I liked how there was an almost road-trip feel to the story and it was eye-opening to see the kind of people out there that take advantage of people’s weaknesses and illnesses. Being a spiritual healer myself, it was heartbreaking but sadly true to see the real faces of some so called ‘healers’. Whilst I didn’t agree with all of Sophie’s choices, I felt for her so badly to have been treated badly by people she trusted to help her, all so she could help give her grandmother and herself a better value of life.
Everything about this novel just sang to me. I loved the character driven story and how I connected with the characters so quickly and strongly, I adored the relationship development with Alejandro and Sophie, and really hoped they could put their demons behind them so they could be happy together. I loved how real the characters were, and how they made mistakes and bad choices even for the right reasons.
This was a brilliant story that I can’t recommend enough.
5 Stars!
There was something about this book that just drew me in from the first page, and has stayed with me since I finished it. It wasn’t just the perfectly paced romance or the stunning writing style, but the way that the characters were just so simply human, fighting for their right to live and love, and how their relationships were formed through the human need for connection, companionship and understanding.
Sophie was a great heroine whom I identified with from the word go. The devotion she showed to her grandmother was heart-warming and it almost broke my heart to see the pains and lengths she went to in order to get answers for her and those like her who suffered from MS. I liked how this book really highlighted the illness as one that may seem invisible to onlookers, but reeks havoc on the individual, who like in Sophie’s case, are just trying to live their life as normally as possible.
The connection she shared with Alejandro was just stunning. I adored his protective nature, as well as his very human desire to repent for his past mistakes, something that he used as a way to become a better person and help those around him, rather than making excuses for himself. He was the kind of hero that Sophie needed, and the way their relationship developed through flirty sarcasm, to strong friendship which became a love was just beautiful to watch. It was paced perfectly and I never thought the story was moving too fast or too slow. I liked how there was an almost road-trip feel to the story and it was eye-opening to see the kind of people out there that take advantage of people’s weaknesses and illnesses. Being a spiritual healer myself, it was heartbreaking but sadly true to see the real faces of some so called ‘healers’. Whilst I didn’t agree with all of Sophie’s choices, I felt for her so badly to have been treated badly by people she trusted to help her, all so she could help give her grandmother and herself a better value of life.
Everything about this novel just sang to me. I loved the character driven story and how I connected with the characters so quickly and strongly, I adored the relationship development with Alejandro and Sophie, and really hoped they could put their demons behind them so they could be happy together. I loved how real the characters were, and how they made mistakes and bad choices even for the right reasons.
This was a brilliant story that I can’t recommend enough.
5 Stars!
November 28, 2016
A truly beautiful book that I love, love, loved! And I am shouting it to all my friends! Great and hopeful!
Alejandro, Alex, may seem too good to be true, but he is trying to atone for his youth when he was far from the great guy he has become. Sophie does not want a great guy in her life to tempt her because she has been hurt by a boyfriend to whom she revealed her "secret" and who was not willing to live with the implications. BUT, she needs a great guy to help her complete the odyssey she sets out on, to try to find a method to ease or even heal her grandmother's MS. Both young people have been raised by loving parents which probably is where the strength that they show comes from. Sophie's weakness comes from her fear for her grandmother and from her fear of her secret being discovered and others pulling away when they find out. Her fears lead her to places she should not go and into dangers that almost take her life!
I hope to get to learn about the future of the other "drivers" in future books!
I bought this book because I have become a fan of Pamela DuMond, but this book is unlike her Annie Graceland humorous mystery series or her newer time travel book, Messenger, another amazing book! I haven't found a genre she doesn't do well.
As I always mention when a book is awesome, I don't give 5 stars at Goodreads until I read it several times. I am comparing all books to Exodus and other long loved books. This books has earned a 5 star recommendation in all other venues.
January 12, 2015
** This review was submitted to all rightful parties PRIOR to posting it to GoodReads. **
Having never read a book by the author before this review I thought I would give the book a try. When I read the synopsis I had really high hopes for where the author would lead me, hopes that were later let down. This book is not a terrible read but I didn't find that it lived up to my expectations of what I expected the book to be.
There were several flaws including the content of the book. I think that since the book was labeled New Adult I would be able to escape a lot of the teenage drama that sometimes flows endlessly through selective Young Adult books but I didn't. In fact my biggest flaw with this book is that it is comes off a little too immature, especially the heroine. I didn't enjoy anytime that I spent within her company. She was overbearing throughout most of the book and her tantrums overshadowed the hero.
Within the past year I have read a large number of New Adult books and most of them have been outstanding. To be fair I think this is a new genre for authors and readers alike and everyone has their own ideas of what the genre should be.
Overall the writing in this book was decent. It could have been a little stronger. I thought the first chapters started off a little too burly and I had stumbled to remain on track with all of the rambling that was going on back and forth. There were moments in this book were surprising and even enjoyable but the positives were not enough to outweigh the negatives for me in the end.
Having never read a book by the author before this review I thought I would give the book a try. When I read the synopsis I had really high hopes for where the author would lead me, hopes that were later let down. This book is not a terrible read but I didn't find that it lived up to my expectations of what I expected the book to be.
There were several flaws including the content of the book. I think that since the book was labeled New Adult I would be able to escape a lot of the teenage drama that sometimes flows endlessly through selective Young Adult books but I didn't. In fact my biggest flaw with this book is that it is comes off a little too immature, especially the heroine. I didn't enjoy anytime that I spent within her company. She was overbearing throughout most of the book and her tantrums overshadowed the hero.
Within the past year I have read a large number of New Adult books and most of them have been outstanding. To be fair I think this is a new genre for authors and readers alike and everyone has their own ideas of what the genre should be.
Overall the writing in this book was decent. It could have been a little stronger. I thought the first chapters started off a little too burly and I had stumbled to remain on track with all of the rambling that was going on back and forth. There were moments in this book were surprising and even enjoyable but the positives were not enough to outweigh the negatives for me in the end.
January 26, 2015
ARC generously provided by publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Sophie Priebe is a nineteen year old college student. She was planning the life of a normal college student, that is until she was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. She has watched her grandmother suffer with it for years now she sees her Nana's life starting to end and it is her goal to find her Nana some alternatives.
Sophie traveled thousand of miles to L.A. to find healing: from stem cell studies to alternative medicine like acupuncture and shamanic vision quests. Some treatments could be dangerous: but I’ll try anything because my stakes are high—life and death. She is willing to try anything no matter what the cost. The one thing she never planned on was Alejandro, her knight in shining armor.
The first night Sophie gets stuck in the middle of a bar fight, then on the second night she is attacked by some gang bangers. Needless to say she is not feeling so lucky. So she hires Alejandro to drive her around LA. Alejandro has alternative motives. He wants more from Sophie but he is willing to be whatever he needs. Now both people are finding themselves to depend on each other and they are both keeping secrets from each other.
Now Sophie has to decide weather to take a chance on Alejandro, and a risk on really living.
I really enjoyed Sophi and Alejandro's story. I loved, loved Alejandro. He is just an amazing guy and you can feel the connection between him and Sophie. This is a fun read with characters that will completely steal you heart.
Sophie Priebe is a nineteen year old college student. She was planning the life of a normal college student, that is until she was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. She has watched her grandmother suffer with it for years now she sees her Nana's life starting to end and it is her goal to find her Nana some alternatives.
Sophie traveled thousand of miles to L.A. to find healing: from stem cell studies to alternative medicine like acupuncture and shamanic vision quests. Some treatments could be dangerous: but I’ll try anything because my stakes are high—life and death. She is willing to try anything no matter what the cost. The one thing she never planned on was Alejandro, her knight in shining armor.
The first night Sophie gets stuck in the middle of a bar fight, then on the second night she is attacked by some gang bangers. Needless to say she is not feeling so lucky. So she hires Alejandro to drive her around LA. Alejandro has alternative motives. He wants more from Sophie but he is willing to be whatever he needs. Now both people are finding themselves to depend on each other and they are both keeping secrets from each other.
Now Sophie has to decide weather to take a chance on Alejandro, and a risk on really living.
I really enjoyed Sophi and Alejandro's story. I loved, loved Alejandro. He is just an amazing guy and you can feel the connection between him and Sophie. This is a fun read with characters that will completely steal you heart.
September 4, 2016
The Story of You and Me caught me by surprise. I was a little worried when I read that both of the main characters had a past and secrets but it was an unique story that I enjoyed. Sophie was a dedicated, strong female lead character that was stubborn, snarky but sweet too. Alejandro was an enjoyable male lead that was protective, fun and just a good guy. I liked seeing the midwestern girl in L.A. like a fish out of water. It felt realistic and I also loved all of the Packers references since, as a resident of a neighboring area (Illinois), I know people from Wisconsin take their Packers seriously.
I think one of my favorite parts of the story is the slow pace for the romance. It didn't feel rushed and when they say the three words to each other, it is when it seems earned. The only thing lacking for me was the quick ending. I might have liked to hear more about what was happening with Sophie's medical issues and how they were going to continue their relationship despite the fast distance between them. It was a good ending but felt unfinished. I'm not sure if the author planned this as a stand alone or was going to continue as a series.
I plan on checking out other books by Pamela DuMond and look forward to her next book. I gave this 4/4.5 stars. It was a refreshing feel good story that made me laugh, smile and almost cry too.
I think one of my favorite parts of the story is the slow pace for the romance. It didn't feel rushed and when they say the three words to each other, it is when it seems earned. The only thing lacking for me was the quick ending. I might have liked to hear more about what was happening with Sophie's medical issues and how they were going to continue their relationship despite the fast distance between them. It was a good ending but felt unfinished. I'm not sure if the author planned this as a stand alone or was going to continue as a series.
I plan on checking out other books by Pamela DuMond and look forward to her next book. I gave this 4/4.5 stars. It was a refreshing feel good story that made me laugh, smile and almost cry too.
September 25, 2013
The mark of a great book? Anticipating the time you've set aside to read it and then NOT wanting to put it down. This is exactly the experience you'll get reading The Story of You and Me. Author Pamela DuMond has crafted a beautiful love story with real characters learning to love, trust and heal together as they work through their own tragic life problems. Nineteen-year-old Sophie, a smart, funny, independent young woman looking for answers to help her sick grandmother (and herself) and twenty-one-year-old Alejandro, a kind-hearted, gorgeous, caring young man looking for relief from his past. Together, they discover the healing power of love. A sweet, touching, compelling story that leaves you wanting more. . .
July 16, 2020
This was a heartfelt new adult book that chronicles a girl who has a secret..a big secret that she doesn't allow herself to fall for or get close to anyone. She moves to Los Angeles with the hope of finding a cure for her grandmother.
But on her first night she meets Alejandro and he saves her taking her to the hospital. She then hires him as her Driver to drive her around to appointments. As he contuines to drive her around, she doesn't know that Alex has some secrets of his own.
So on her journey she realizes that she can't let her sickness take over her life. She learns that she can't let of define her lofe, she has to love it. When secrets come forward she has to make a decision on whether or not, she figure out that her cure was there next to her the entire time.
But on her first night she meets Alejandro and he saves her taking her to the hospital. She then hires him as her Driver to drive her around to appointments. As he contuines to drive her around, she doesn't know that Alex has some secrets of his own.
So on her journey she realizes that she can't let her sickness take over her life. She learns that she can't let of define her lofe, she has to love it. When secrets come forward she has to make a decision on whether or not, she figure out that her cure was there next to her the entire time.
December 5, 2015
The Story of You and Me follows Sophie, who is embarking on a journey to save her life. She is hoping to find answers in LA. She is participating in an experiential study for treatment of MS. What she wasn't planning on was meeting Alejandro. He rescued her on her first night in town. Sophie wasn't planning on making friends or falling in love, but finds that sometimes life can heal you more than medicine can.
The Story of You and Me is a great story of hope, love, and second chances. I found it to be very heartwarming and loved the ending :)
The Story of You and Me is a great story of hope, love, and second chances. I found it to be very heartwarming and loved the ending :)
February 1, 2014
***I received a copy in exchange for a honest review.***
I Loved this story from beginning to end. Sophie is such a strong female character, and Alex really is a knight in shining armor. The witty banter that these two characters shared had me cracking up, while the emotionally charged subject matter had me crying like a baby. This was a refreshing love story that felt very unique. The "On a Personal Note" after the story had me crying all over again. It really is true, you never forget your first love. I will be definitely be reading more from this author.
I Loved this story from beginning to end. Sophie is such a strong female character, and Alex really is a knight in shining armor. The witty banter that these two characters shared had me cracking up, while the emotionally charged subject matter had me crying like a baby. This was a refreshing love story that felt very unique. The "On a Personal Note" after the story had me crying all over again. It really is true, you never forget your first love. I will be definitely be reading more from this author.
August 25, 2016
I think her friends are wrong for looking at her differently and treating her differently when she told them about her MS. Those are the people that are not true friends. True friends don't see flaws in their friends they see the shine. The description of this book captured me I had to know what his secret was. I had to know how he would react when she told him about her MS I had to know it all and the only way to do that was to read the book.
November 10, 2016
This book was just okay all the way around. It wasn't bad, but it wasn't anything special. I felt like it just scratched the surface of everything which left me with a "blah" feeling. The author really didn't dig deep enough into anything - into Alex and Sophie's relationship, into her disease, into her quest, etc. It all felt really superficial which kept me from making a real connection with the characters or the story.
October 6, 2013
I wish there was a second book dealing with living with someone and loving someone with an illness. I felt like this book was a light read and it didn't deal/dig deep the emotions the characters were having, but it was more of a discovery book instead of an actual romance romance, if that makes sense which is what the author was going for I guess with a "first love" story
January 9, 2015
I really enjoyed this book. I liked the main and supporting characters. I thought it flowed and went into a good amount of detail about the illnesses mentioned in the story. I thought it dealt with the issues Sophie and Alex had very well, they both held secrets close to them and I never knew what to expect next. I will definitely be reading more of this series.
January 4, 2014
Tender and heartbreaking love story. DuMond wrote a beautiful book about a girl trying to come to grips with a medical diagnosis. No cliffy but I really hope we get to see more of Alex and Sophie. Highly recommend this book for anyone looking for a sweet romance and no smut.
January 29, 2014
I highly recommend this book. I could not out it down. I looked forward in sophie's quest to help her Grandmother. It was filled with such emotion. Romance was in the air. Sometime what u are looking for leads u down a different path. Heals hearts. Heals souls. Gives you ur faith back.
September 26, 2013
I discover this book by change, it was really good, a history that I haven´t read yet, is fresh, I want to known more about Sophie and Alejandro, this book is a must read!!!
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