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Black Dust
No matter how busy he keeps himself, successful Broadway musician Tobias Spence can’t outrun the memory of a tragic car crash from his past that claimed a friend’s life and permanently injured his former boyfriend, Emmett.
Even after losing Tobias, Emmett Henderson made peace with that awful night, living in his Indiana hometown where he has become a revered choral director. When his students are asked to perform in New York City, he decides to chance reconnecting with his former love, if for no other reason than to get a proper goodbye.
When Emmett and Tobias finally meet 15 years after parting ways, it is clear to both of them that their feelings for each other have not changed. As they explore their renewed relationship, the two men face old hurts and the new challenges of a long-distance romance. Will Tobias lose his second chance at love to the ghosts he can’t seem to put to rest?
Even after losing Tobias, Emmett Henderson made peace with that awful night, living in his Indiana hometown where he has become a revered choral director. When his students are asked to perform in New York City, he decides to chance reconnecting with his former love, if for no other reason than to get a proper goodbye.
When Emmett and Tobias finally meet 15 years after parting ways, it is clear to both of them that their feelings for each other have not changed. As they explore their renewed relationship, the two men face old hurts and the new challenges of a long-distance romance. Will Tobias lose his second chance at love to the ghosts he can’t seem to put to rest?
280 pages, Paperback
First published April 7, 2016
4 people are currently reading
417 people want to read
About the author
Lynn Charles
12 books62 followersAuthor and rusty musician living in the country, dreaming of the city.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 50 reviews
May 6, 2018
4.5 stars
I find a new favorite author! Just two books from her portfolio and I think Lynn Charles writes MY KIND of stories. I am in love with this book as well. Black Dust is a heartfelt second-chance love story (FAVORITE TROPE!) that reunites two high-school sweethearts whose relationship is broken due to a car accident but find their way back together again with the love of music.
I loved that even if it SHOULD have tons of angst because of the way how Toby left in the first place, it wasn't really. Oh, there was angst in the book, but also tenderness, and understanding, and FORGIVENESS. I loved the humor infused into the book too -- the silly little texts or weird things the two exchanged throughout. It isn't difficult for me to believe that both men still heavily in love with one another.
The secondary characters ... like the determined female student of Emmett, or their friends such as Malik (Toby's) or Mac and Gino (Emmett's) are wonderful too. Especially when they help Toby and Emmett to work things out when needed. I particularly LOVED this part, when Mac nudged Emmett to realize that his way to heal was different with Toby's.
“And what helped you isn’t going to help him.”
“No. I needed roots. He needs wings.” Emmett needed a script; Toby had to improvise. It really was that simple.
“And he needs a safe place to land once he realizes he’s running from imaginary ghosts.”
*SIGH*
I only wish there are more moments of Toby finally forgiving himself and moving on to be written on page -- maybe visits Scotty's parents or finally goes to Scotty's cemetery. I think I also was robbed the moment of Toby deciding to formally move to Indiana since it was only implied afterwards. AND WHY I didn't get the prom dance that Toby took Emmett, finally? I guess maybe I just wasn't ready to part with these men.
Without a hurt, the heart is hollow
I find a new favorite author! Just two books from her portfolio and I think Lynn Charles writes MY KIND of stories. I am in love with this book as well. Black Dust is a heartfelt second-chance love story (FAVORITE TROPE!) that reunites two high-school sweethearts whose relationship is broken due to a car accident but find their way back together again with the love of music.
I loved that even if it SHOULD have tons of angst because of the way how Toby left in the first place, it wasn't really. Oh, there was angst in the book, but also tenderness, and understanding, and FORGIVENESS. I loved the humor infused into the book too -- the silly little texts or weird things the two exchanged throughout. It isn't difficult for me to believe that both men still heavily in love with one another.
The secondary characters ... like the determined female student of Emmett, or their friends such as Malik (Toby's) or Mac and Gino (Emmett's) are wonderful too. Especially when they help Toby and Emmett to work things out when needed. I particularly LOVED this part, when Mac nudged Emmett to realize that his way to heal was different with Toby's.
“And what helped you isn’t going to help him.”
“No. I needed roots. He needs wings.” Emmett needed a script; Toby had to improvise. It really was that simple.
“And he needs a safe place to land once he realizes he’s running from imaginary ghosts.”
*SIGH*
I only wish there are more moments of Toby finally forgiving himself and moving on to be written on page -- maybe visits Scotty's parents or finally goes to Scotty's cemetery. I think I also was robbed the moment of Toby deciding to formally move to Indiana since it was only implied afterwards. AND WHY I didn't get the prom dance that Toby took Emmett, finally? I guess maybe I just wasn't ready to part with these men.
March 22, 2016
This was a story about young love and about what happens when tragedy strikes. 2 young men fall in love and then fall apart. They shared their hopes and dreams together for it to all fall apart. Years later then reconnect and it was like they where never far apart in their hearts. I thought Toby and Emmett's love story was fantastic from the beginning of this book, I found myself not wanting to put this book down. I haven't read anything from Lynn before and this was a great introduction to her writing. It had love and some hot scenes but the love story was the center of this book and how forgiveness can happen for 2 men when they put the work in. Definitely worth a read and I just have to say again I enjoyed the story in this book a lot!!!!. Reviewed by Jodi Marinich from Alpha Book Club.
March 25, 2016
I received an Advanced Reader Copy and am happy to report that Lynn Charles has done it again! Her second novel from Interlude Press is as intelligent and moving as Chef's Table, yet so very different that it proves her writing talent has no bounds. Charles has a gift for creating three-dimensional characters with realistic dialogue that fools you into believing Toby, Emmett and the cast of supporting characters are real flesh-and-blood people. Her knowledge of music and the way she expertly weaves musical metaphors throughout this story of tragedy, loss and redemption, is truly a feat of artistic beauty.
April 7, 2016
3.5 stars
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 23, 2017
There are not enough synonyms for amazing in the world to describe Lynn Charles’ book Black Dust. She has an incredible talent for breathing life into her characters, for constructing stories that draw you in, rip you up, and put you back together a different, better person for having read her work. Black Dust is another knock-you-over, shake-you-up, heal-you-better-than-you-were-before story.
Toby Spence and Emmett Henderson were high school sweethearts, two of three musketeers on track to take the musical theater world by storm, until a tragic accident shatters everything.
At first glance, it seems like this is a redemption story, case closed. But Charles writes with such nuance, such tender care, such depth that the journey from beginning to end is a joy to behold. The book is naturally a page turner. I hate that I had to work the first two days after it came out, because I would much rather have stayed home reading it cover to cover without stopping. Alas, I had to put it down and live my adult life. There is no good place to set this book down. Every chapter leads straight to the next one, every scene leaves you longing for more.
Toby and Emmett both deal very differently with the tragedy. Toby becomes Tobias, an itinerant musical director who never puts roots down, and runs away from anyone and anything that reminds him of his youth. After years of his own indiscretion and escapism, Emmett becomes Mr. Henderson, high school choral director and model for the students in his choir. Both men have friends that help them through their personal trauma and play an integral role in them finding their way back to each other.
The most exquisite part of this book for me is the music. Charles describes music vibrantly, with such detail that I could hear the soundtrack to this story as I read. Her explanations of terms were brief enough not to distract me, a former music major, yet explicit enough that a non-musician would surely not get lost in the details or terminology. An example: “Without opening either notebook, he began to play. The beginning had been forming nicely. He knew it upside down and sideways: the piano mimicked staccato strings, a chipper tone of youth and carefree happiness. Enter the exposition – a melodic line – softly, as if from a distance. The staccato rhythm slowed to match it until it stopped completely. The lyric melody took over then, lush and gentle, a lilt of flirtatious high tones as if to taunt the crisp rhythm to come back and play.” I could continue on and on with quotes of metaphors and other figurative language that illuminated the story like sunrise creeping over the horizon, infiltrating my soul until I was full of the joys and sorrows of these two men, rooting for them to heal, however imperfectly, together.
Black Dust is available through Interlude Press, Amazon and Barnes and Noble in both paperback and e-book formats. Run, don’t walk, to get your copy today. Life is too short not to enjoy every moment of exquisiteness that you can.
Toby Spence and Emmett Henderson were high school sweethearts, two of three musketeers on track to take the musical theater world by storm, until a tragic accident shatters everything.
At first glance, it seems like this is a redemption story, case closed. But Charles writes with such nuance, such tender care, such depth that the journey from beginning to end is a joy to behold. The book is naturally a page turner. I hate that I had to work the first two days after it came out, because I would much rather have stayed home reading it cover to cover without stopping. Alas, I had to put it down and live my adult life. There is no good place to set this book down. Every chapter leads straight to the next one, every scene leaves you longing for more.
Toby and Emmett both deal very differently with the tragedy. Toby becomes Tobias, an itinerant musical director who never puts roots down, and runs away from anyone and anything that reminds him of his youth. After years of his own indiscretion and escapism, Emmett becomes Mr. Henderson, high school choral director and model for the students in his choir. Both men have friends that help them through their personal trauma and play an integral role in them finding their way back to each other.
The most exquisite part of this book for me is the music. Charles describes music vibrantly, with such detail that I could hear the soundtrack to this story as I read. Her explanations of terms were brief enough not to distract me, a former music major, yet explicit enough that a non-musician would surely not get lost in the details or terminology. An example: “Without opening either notebook, he began to play. The beginning had been forming nicely. He knew it upside down and sideways: the piano mimicked staccato strings, a chipper tone of youth and carefree happiness. Enter the exposition – a melodic line – softly, as if from a distance. The staccato rhythm slowed to match it until it stopped completely. The lyric melody took over then, lush and gentle, a lilt of flirtatious high tones as if to taunt the crisp rhythm to come back and play.” I could continue on and on with quotes of metaphors and other figurative language that illuminated the story like sunrise creeping over the horizon, infiltrating my soul until I was full of the joys and sorrows of these two men, rooting for them to heal, however imperfectly, together.
Black Dust is available through Interlude Press, Amazon and Barnes and Noble in both paperback and e-book formats. Run, don’t walk, to get your copy today. Life is too short not to enjoy every moment of exquisiteness that you can.
December 2, 2018
Rating: 4.5 stars
Synopsis: Toby and Emmett were high school sweethearts who were going to take Broadway by storm. But there was an accident, and Emmett and Toby haven't seen each other for fifteen years. When Emmett takes his students to New York, he looks Toby up. Toby never stays in one place for long, although his home base is New York. Toby has never really faced the incident that caused him and Emmett to break up.
As Toby and Emmett get to know each other again, Toby has to face his past.
What I liked: Toby and Emmett are two different people, and seeing how exactly they've moved on, or not moved on, as may be the case, was very interesting. Emmett, in spite of being the one who was arguably the more injured party, and in spite of having a bad time of it in the beginning, seems to have the most peace about his past. This was a slow build to a relationship, and there were no quick fixes to the issues that Toby or Emmett have. And, as much as they could, there was a good base of communication between Toby and Emmett.
What I didn't like: I honestly don't know why I can't rate this 5 stars. The characters are well drawn, the story feels very realistic, and people work for their relationship. There is no insta-love, and no one gives up everything for the other person. For whatever reason, I just didn't fully connect.
Synopsis: Toby and Emmett were high school sweethearts who were going to take Broadway by storm. But there was an accident, and Emmett and Toby haven't seen each other for fifteen years. When Emmett takes his students to New York, he looks Toby up. Toby never stays in one place for long, although his home base is New York. Toby has never really faced the incident that caused him and Emmett to break up.
As Toby and Emmett get to know each other again, Toby has to face his past.
What I liked: Toby and Emmett are two different people, and seeing how exactly they've moved on, or not moved on, as may be the case, was very interesting. Emmett, in spite of being the one who was arguably the more injured party, and in spite of having a bad time of it in the beginning, seems to have the most peace about his past. This was a slow build to a relationship, and there were no quick fixes to the issues that Toby or Emmett have. And, as much as they could, there was a good base of communication between Toby and Emmett.
What I didn't like: I honestly don't know why I can't rate this 5 stars. The characters are well drawn, the story feels very realistic, and people work for their relationship. There is no insta-love, and no one gives up everything for the other person. For whatever reason, I just didn't fully connect.
August 28, 2016
This was one of the most consistently, inconsistent books that I have ever read! One minute I loved it... the next minute I hated it so much I had to lay it down and walk away for a bit! Ms. Charles can spin quite the tale... with realism and heartfelt emotions... but she can also write scene after scene of repetitive emotions that just drag the story down... hence the 4 stars and not the 5 stars that I would have loved to give it! Toby/Tobias and Emmett met while very young and fell in love... but they were too young to know how to deal with the tragedy that life was about to throw at them. Leading up to a point that being together just couldn't work for them anymore. But, this story doesn't stop there... as in real life... One had to find a better way to deal with the guilt and the other had to learn how to find his way back from the dark hole that had become his life. They had to learn to deal with their past... and come full circle to the future that they had always dreamed of having together!
May 15, 2016
EMMETT HENDERSON + TOBY SPENCE
REVIEW @Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words
“If the past comes back to visit you, maybe you should invite it to tea.”
Black Dust is my frst book by Lynn Charles, I was curious and excited to read it. Now I can say I’m surely going to read her debut novel, Chef’s Table, in the coming weeks.
What I soon appreciated was the prologue. I adore authors who give me the basical facts at the start and don’t let me beg for crumbs of past events. In the prologue set in the 2000 Emmett and Toby are a young but solid couple, they met two years ago during the auditions at the local theater when they were just 16 and 18 years old. It’s the night before Emmett prom and they are going out with their best friend, Scott when they have a terrible car accident and Scott dies.
Fifteen years later Tobias is a Broadway musician, he plays piano all over the world. He left Indiana and Emmett behind. He came back to his life, but the struggle to forget what happened and the dreams shared with his lover forgotten, is still strong and the youthful, broken promises hard to forget. Now his home base is NY and his best friend Malik, a sculptor.
Emmett is living in Indiana, working now as a choral director. As soon as the chance of a couple of days in NY come out, he hopeful and calls Toby, asking for a reconnection.
Among the two, Emmett was my favorite character, he’s strong, real, loyal and beautiful in his heart. I soon felt a connection with his attitude, in his everyday life, his relationships with his parents or with his students. Yes I fell for him.
Point is I haven’t fallen for Toby, at all. And this is the only reason I’m not giving the story five stars. I couldn’t feel his emotions, I found him to be cold-hearted and stiff in everything he does. To me he didn’t stand out as a good person and was almost impossible to me to see him with Emmett. I said almost because at the end, thanks to the author abilities, I was finally able to understand his loss, his guilt and the tragedy he is still trying to overcome. Hats off to Lynn for this and for giving Scott an importance and lovable portrait, I missed him like Emmett and Toby did.
The author put in the story her whole musical knowledge and beyond. The MCs’ passion and work had a huge role in the book, but it never overwhelmed my reading, on the contrary, with the help of a well developed and interesting secondary characters cast, gave the plot a foundation and realism needed. I liked the style and the writing a lot, I think she did really great. The “second chance at love” stories are one of my favorite trope in the mm genre and Black Dust greatly delivered. The book was definitely worth my time and I recommend it.
The book and cover design by CB Messer is a winner. I like it a lot, an amazing style. It’s one of the reason why I picked the novel.
REVIEW @Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words
“If the past comes back to visit you, maybe you should invite it to tea.”
Black Dust is my frst book by Lynn Charles, I was curious and excited to read it. Now I can say I’m surely going to read her debut novel, Chef’s Table, in the coming weeks.
What I soon appreciated was the prologue. I adore authors who give me the basical facts at the start and don’t let me beg for crumbs of past events. In the prologue set in the 2000 Emmett and Toby are a young but solid couple, they met two years ago during the auditions at the local theater when they were just 16 and 18 years old. It’s the night before Emmett prom and they are going out with their best friend, Scott when they have a terrible car accident and Scott dies.
Fifteen years later Tobias is a Broadway musician, he plays piano all over the world. He left Indiana and Emmett behind. He came back to his life, but the struggle to forget what happened and the dreams shared with his lover forgotten, is still strong and the youthful, broken promises hard to forget. Now his home base is NY and his best friend Malik, a sculptor.
Emmett is living in Indiana, working now as a choral director. As soon as the chance of a couple of days in NY come out, he hopeful and calls Toby, asking for a reconnection.
Among the two, Emmett was my favorite character, he’s strong, real, loyal and beautiful in his heart. I soon felt a connection with his attitude, in his everyday life, his relationships with his parents or with his students. Yes I fell for him.
Point is I haven’t fallen for Toby, at all. And this is the only reason I’m not giving the story five stars. I couldn’t feel his emotions, I found him to be cold-hearted and stiff in everything he does. To me he didn’t stand out as a good person and was almost impossible to me to see him with Emmett. I said almost because at the end, thanks to the author abilities, I was finally able to understand his loss, his guilt and the tragedy he is still trying to overcome. Hats off to Lynn for this and for giving Scott an importance and lovable portrait, I missed him like Emmett and Toby did.
The author put in the story her whole musical knowledge and beyond. The MCs’ passion and work had a huge role in the book, but it never overwhelmed my reading, on the contrary, with the help of a well developed and interesting secondary characters cast, gave the plot a foundation and realism needed. I liked the style and the writing a lot, I think she did really great. The “second chance at love” stories are one of my favorite trope in the mm genre and Black Dust greatly delivered. The book was definitely worth my time and I recommend it.
The book and cover design by CB Messer is a winner. I like it a lot, an amazing style. It’s one of the reason why I picked the novel.
March 22, 2022
From the first moment they met, Emmett Henderson and Toby Spence were bound together by music and the theatre, and by a love that blossomed quickly and took root in their souls. When the young couple and their friend are involved in a tragic car accident, their relationship begins to unravel. Pushed away, Toby buries himself in his college studies in New York City, eventually becoming a very successful Broadway pianist, but he has never managed to escape his guilt over the accident that severely injured his boyfriend. When, 15 years later, Emmett - now a busy high school choral director - comes to NYC with his students and decides to look up Toby, the two men experience their feelings, both romantic and regretful, come rushing back.
While navigating the renewal of their relationship over the next several months, with Toby still in New York and Emmett in their home town in Indiana, the men struggle with their long-distance status, and more so, with the fact that they have both been unable to deal with their old demons relating to their past together.
With Emmett feeling insecure about Toby once again leaving him on his own, and Toby feeling like he is not worthy of Emmett’s emotional investment, the two seem bound to fail. But Lynn Charles has created such beautiful souls, intertwined like the finest of melodies and harmonies, that they are drawn back to each other again and again.
Toby’s composition to Emmett, which he has been working on virtually since the moment they met, is a love story in song that he has been incapable of completing without his muse in his life. The growth of his work is tempered again and again with stagnant periods, as his relationship with Emmett continues to ebb and flow. It is only when he decides to commit himself to this man he has loved his entire adult life, to allow himself to feel the connection that bonds them through revisiting their past, that he, and the musical piece he has spent his life on, is able to grow like a powerful crescendo.
The musicality that weaves its way throughout this love story is the perfect counterpart to the peaks and valleys of the emotions that these two men feel for each other. This is what sets this book apart from the rest. While Lynn Charles has a beautiful way of creating conflict that feels completely authentic, and exposing the purely raw emotions of her characters, it is her ability to create a beautiful symphony of both Toby and Emmett’s relationship with their music, paralleling their relationship with each other and the other people in their lives, that is especially exceptional.
Between the beautifully developed characterization of both Toby and Emmett - two very different men with very different approaches to life and love - as well as the extraordinarily written supporting characters in each of their lives (I have a lot of love for several of them), there are many remarkable relationships here to appreciate and relate to.
While navigating the renewal of their relationship over the next several months, with Toby still in New York and Emmett in their home town in Indiana, the men struggle with their long-distance status, and more so, with the fact that they have both been unable to deal with their old demons relating to their past together.
With Emmett feeling insecure about Toby once again leaving him on his own, and Toby feeling like he is not worthy of Emmett’s emotional investment, the two seem bound to fail. But Lynn Charles has created such beautiful souls, intertwined like the finest of melodies and harmonies, that they are drawn back to each other again and again.
Toby’s composition to Emmett, which he has been working on virtually since the moment they met, is a love story in song that he has been incapable of completing without his muse in his life. The growth of his work is tempered again and again with stagnant periods, as his relationship with Emmett continues to ebb and flow. It is only when he decides to commit himself to this man he has loved his entire adult life, to allow himself to feel the connection that bonds them through revisiting their past, that he, and the musical piece he has spent his life on, is able to grow like a powerful crescendo.
The musicality that weaves its way throughout this love story is the perfect counterpart to the peaks and valleys of the emotions that these two men feel for each other. This is what sets this book apart from the rest. While Lynn Charles has a beautiful way of creating conflict that feels completely authentic, and exposing the purely raw emotions of her characters, it is her ability to create a beautiful symphony of both Toby and Emmett’s relationship with their music, paralleling their relationship with each other and the other people in their lives, that is especially exceptional.
Between the beautifully developed characterization of both Toby and Emmett - two very different men with very different approaches to life and love - as well as the extraordinarily written supporting characters in each of their lives (I have a lot of love for several of them), there are many remarkable relationships here to appreciate and relate to.
May 2, 2016
Beautiful story about love lost, friendship and hope. definitely a must read. Full review coming soon.
April 26, 2016
BLACK DUST tells the story of Emmett and Toby, who were high school sweethearts until a car crash left Emmet permanently disabled, their friend Scotty dead, and Toby wracked with guilt (he was driving, and made it out physically pretty ok). Now, so many years later, Toby and Emmett have gone their separate ways and have made very separate lives, one in Ohio, one in New York. The story begins when they find each other again, and must heal their relationship (there’s still so much love there) and find a way to mourn their friend Scotty’s death. To do that, they must confront their own culpability in his death, and in the death of their relationship—all of this comes to a head when Toby visits Emmett in Ohio, and must revisit the most painful territory of his entire life.
It’s a novel about chickens coming home to roost. If I say “literally,” perhaps that isn’t correct—there are no broody barn birds here, even if a lot of the story happens in Ohio. But Toby’s spent his life terrified to face Emmett (who, with his cane and his limp, is a constant reminder of the crash), the scene of the crash, and all the places Scotty’s ghost still haunts. Toby’s chicken to do so; he chickens out in earlier attempts—perhaps it’s correct to say this is a story about metaphorical chickens literally going home to roost.
But this is also a story of creation, and the labors that takes, the pain and the joy involved in making something. Toby and Emmett are both musicians, and Toby has been hiding from the composition he began to write for Emmett. In pressing on to finish, to find the ways to determine the direction of the piece and resolve it, Toby’s finding a way to tell the emotional story of his love, the subsequent crash, of everything he lost. It’s as beautiful a metaphor for healing as I’ve ever seen: healing oneself as a form of creation, as a creative act. I think that’s right.
Here, right here, is why I love this metaphor. Emmett and Toby have just begun to reacquaint and rekindle their once-love, and Toby has just let Emmett hear his still-in-scraps attempts at musically confronting their past. Emmett says, “You have an outstanding love letter, Toby. The harmonies are rich, the rhythmic patterns you have going on—with just the piano—are amazing. But if you want to tell a love story, you have to include all of it.” What Toby needs to find, Emmett suggests, is the dissonance that will make this piece (and this story) complete, allow it to make sense. By avoiding the discomfort of dissonance, Toby is actually not allowing the piece to find resolution.
It strikes me as very right. What I love about the discomfort of, say, Stravinsky (a favorite composer of mine) is, yes, the boldness of bringing on discomfort, but also the relief of having that discomfort resolved, of this returning to “rightness.” That feeling would never happen without the discomfort first. This novel grabs that small truth and amplifies it, lets it run wild, lets it really be. What results is gut-wrenching discomfort and the relief and rightness of resolution, a beautiful story, and—at least on this reader’s part—quite a few tears and deep-heaved breaths of relief.
It’s a novel about chickens coming home to roost. If I say “literally,” perhaps that isn’t correct—there are no broody barn birds here, even if a lot of the story happens in Ohio. But Toby’s spent his life terrified to face Emmett (who, with his cane and his limp, is a constant reminder of the crash), the scene of the crash, and all the places Scotty’s ghost still haunts. Toby’s chicken to do so; he chickens out in earlier attempts—perhaps it’s correct to say this is a story about metaphorical chickens literally going home to roost.
But this is also a story of creation, and the labors that takes, the pain and the joy involved in making something. Toby and Emmett are both musicians, and Toby has been hiding from the composition he began to write for Emmett. In pressing on to finish, to find the ways to determine the direction of the piece and resolve it, Toby’s finding a way to tell the emotional story of his love, the subsequent crash, of everything he lost. It’s as beautiful a metaphor for healing as I’ve ever seen: healing oneself as a form of creation, as a creative act. I think that’s right.
Here, right here, is why I love this metaphor. Emmett and Toby have just begun to reacquaint and rekindle their once-love, and Toby has just let Emmett hear his still-in-scraps attempts at musically confronting their past. Emmett says, “You have an outstanding love letter, Toby. The harmonies are rich, the rhythmic patterns you have going on—with just the piano—are amazing. But if you want to tell a love story, you have to include all of it.” What Toby needs to find, Emmett suggests, is the dissonance that will make this piece (and this story) complete, allow it to make sense. By avoiding the discomfort of dissonance, Toby is actually not allowing the piece to find resolution.
It strikes me as very right. What I love about the discomfort of, say, Stravinsky (a favorite composer of mine) is, yes, the boldness of bringing on discomfort, but also the relief of having that discomfort resolved, of this returning to “rightness.” That feeling would never happen without the discomfort first. This novel grabs that small truth and amplifies it, lets it run wild, lets it really be. What results is gut-wrenching discomfort and the relief and rightness of resolution, a beautiful story, and—at least on this reader’s part—quite a few tears and deep-heaved breaths of relief.
October 26, 2016
This broke my usual rule of "if it's good, I can't stop to write notes but if it's bad, write away." Well it was probably good, but it was so slow moving it bored me to death, too bored to take notes. Fans of contemporaries will (and apparently do) love this. Those of us who prefer a little more sub-genre with our sub-genre romance, might find it dull. I certainly did. The conflict, while good, just wasn't dramatic enough. It went on too long yet was too fast when it mattered.
That's not to say there weren't good parts. The characters were well developed and interesting, especially the secondary characters. Tori read like the lead girl in Glee! for a while but then she developed her own personality and her romance was adorable. Emmett's reaction to it was hilarious.
But there just wasn't enough angst for a story of this type. Emmett got over things way too easily which didn't mesh with his personality in the past. There was so much potential for reasonable angst here that wasn't met. I'm not even talking about over the top melodrama like I prefer, just natural second-guessing and expression of the guilt that is allegedly felt.
Other comments:
3 stars because even though it was boring, it had it's moments.
That's not to say there weren't good parts. The characters were well developed and interesting, especially the secondary characters. Tori read like the lead girl in Glee! for a while but then she developed her own personality and her romance was adorable. Emmett's reaction to it was hilarious.
But there just wasn't enough angst for a story of this type. Emmett got over things way too easily which didn't mesh with his personality in the past. There was so much potential for reasonable angst here that wasn't met. I'm not even talking about over the top melodrama like I prefer, just natural second-guessing and expression of the guilt that is allegedly felt.
Other comments:
Why was an important secondary character named "Tori" when one MC was named "Tobi"? Even though context was usually enough, sometimes I was confused and had to reread a sentence or two. That's annoying when you're already bored.Basically, this was a slow-moving, sweet and thoughtful romance with likeable characters that was well written but incredibly boring. But if you really like contemporaries that have no plot, just blossoming romance, the tiny bit of drama here will probably be very enjoyable for you. I know that I'm abnormal and that most people don't require "OMG-he's-gonna-die" or over-the-top angsty moments to find a book exciting.
There were some inconsistency around how much sex Emmett and Tobi had in the past. They were on their way home to finally do the deed for the first time when the accident happened. After the accident, they didn't have sex because of Emmett's pain. Yet a couple of times it was mentioned how they used to do things and used to react in a way that suggested full coupling, not just oral sex or hand jobs.
There's a readers guide available which feels a little pretentious for a sub-genre romance book.
I loved the following line where Tobi is lamenting what he doesn't and is doing so in referring to one of Emmett's students being confused about that person's own sexual orientation: "No one came to him for advice on how to navigate the maze that is society’s view of non-default sexuality." I really like the term "non-default sexuality."
3 stars because even though it was boring, it had it's moments.
August 14, 2016
I've read three books lately that all just tore my heart out and stomped all over it: The Return, The Bones of You, and this one. They have threads that weave together (NYC, Broadway, Disability and Illness and Second Chance) and they formed this perfect trifecta for me of a helluva lot of satisfaction and love reading. Man - I escaped my life those hours so thoroughly I felt disoriented when I came back to it.
Emmett and Toby are true second chance lovers. The tragedy that happened when they were young has defined their lives for so long they struggle mightily to start anew - even recognizing they still love each other. Everything in this book took on life as a character - including the locations and the travel. As they work through what's happening in their relationship they start to figure out that they have never really healed from the past - and it takes a heck of a lot to go on that journey and to come to terms with their history. I never doubted the love - and I most relished here that each man was so himself - I felt a bit as if I was reading about people in my life - like old friends that sit around and shoot the breeze on a Saturday night just enjoying the time. A great new author discovery for me!
Emmett and Toby are true second chance lovers. The tragedy that happened when they were young has defined their lives for so long they struggle mightily to start anew - even recognizing they still love each other. Everything in this book took on life as a character - including the locations and the travel. As they work through what's happening in their relationship they start to figure out that they have never really healed from the past - and it takes a heck of a lot to go on that journey and to come to terms with their history. I never doubted the love - and I most relished here that each man was so himself - I felt a bit as if I was reading about people in my life - like old friends that sit around and shoot the breeze on a Saturday night just enjoying the time. A great new author discovery for me!
June 12, 2016
This is a beautifully written book. It opens with love and heartbreak and grabbed me instantly. What Charles accomplishes with this book and this story takes tremendous skill, insight, sensitivity and maturity. This is one of those books with a very *real* and difficult story, and she in no way exploits the tragedy that the book begins with - the car accident that leaves Emmett injured and Toby and Emmett's friend Scotty dead.
Both Toby and Emmett are complex and fleshed out characters. Their strengths and flaws are explored; Charles doesn't shy away from writing men who are at once imminently lovable and frustrating, who make big mistakes and who need time and who struggle with both the internal and external work of healing from something they thought they left in the past.
I love that I never once doubted the strength and intensity of their feelings for each other. They have off the charts chemistry; the way Charles creates the dance they're in -- constantly drawn to each other and unable to resist that, even when they both have work to do so they can get where they need -- was impeccably done.
It is obvious that Charles has a deep love for music, and that resonates throughout the book. Even without hearing Toby's music, it felt so real to me, as if it were another character in the book.
Also, I must, must must, compliment the cover art. Stunning.
Both Toby and Emmett are complex and fleshed out characters. Their strengths and flaws are explored; Charles doesn't shy away from writing men who are at once imminently lovable and frustrating, who make big mistakes and who need time and who struggle with both the internal and external work of healing from something they thought they left in the past.
I love that I never once doubted the strength and intensity of their feelings for each other. They have off the charts chemistry; the way Charles creates the dance they're in -- constantly drawn to each other and unable to resist that, even when they both have work to do so they can get where they need -- was impeccably done.
It is obvious that Charles has a deep love for music, and that resonates throughout the book. Even without hearing Toby's music, it felt so real to me, as if it were another character in the book.
Also, I must, must must, compliment the cover art. Stunning.
April 20, 2016
*** Copy provided to Bayou Book Junkie in exchange for a fair and honest review. ***
Fifteen years have gone by since the accident that claimed their friend's life and injured Tobias's boyfriend. Fifteen years in which he's tried to run from the memories and the guilt. Fifteen years that are wiped away when Emmett contacts Toby again. But is Toby ready to let his ghosts rest and take a second chance at love?
I love books that make me feel, that break me and make me cry, that make me care about the characters and what happens to them and this book is one of those. It's raw, it's emotional and it's heartbreaking.
I adored Tobias and his journey as he finally realized what he needed to do to start living again. I loved that it wasn't an easy path, that while Emmett and Toby loved each other, they had to work for their HEA. That their reactions were so realistic, and that they both needed someone else to point out to them what should've been clear to them, but they were too close to actually see it.
Mac and Malik were awesome, supportive friends and I adored them. And all the other characters really made the story deeper and more meaningful.
All in all, a must read, a book that will tug at your heartstrings and make you better just by reading it. Definitely recommendable!
Rating: 5+ Stars!!!
Fifteen years have gone by since the accident that claimed their friend's life and injured Tobias's boyfriend. Fifteen years in which he's tried to run from the memories and the guilt. Fifteen years that are wiped away when Emmett contacts Toby again. But is Toby ready to let his ghosts rest and take a second chance at love?
I love books that make me feel, that break me and make me cry, that make me care about the characters and what happens to them and this book is one of those. It's raw, it's emotional and it's heartbreaking.
I adored Tobias and his journey as he finally realized what he needed to do to start living again. I loved that it wasn't an easy path, that while Emmett and Toby loved each other, they had to work for their HEA. That their reactions were so realistic, and that they both needed someone else to point out to them what should've been clear to them, but they were too close to actually see it.
Mac and Malik were awesome, supportive friends and I adored them. And all the other characters really made the story deeper and more meaningful.
All in all, a must read, a book that will tug at your heartstrings and make you better just by reading it. Definitely recommendable!
Rating: 5+ Stars!!!
August 15, 2016
This is the story of three teenagers, a fatal car crash and how the two survivors dealt, or didn’t deal, with the aftermath. I say three teenagers, since even though only Toby and Emmett survived, Scotty’s ghost is still present in the minds of both Toby and Emmett.
The accident, where Toby was driving and Emmett got seriously hurt, is too much to process for two teenage boys, so even though they were a couple, they split up and Toby moves away. Unfortunately it turns out that neither young man can get over what happened to Scotty and to themselves. Even though Toby wasn’t physically hurt, he still hurts inside. A lot.
Fifteen years later Toby and Emmet are still hurting when Emmett decides to reconnect with Toby during a trip. They meet again and the painful process of exorcising their demons begin. They both find that they still harbor strong feelings for each other and the path to healing becomes the path to rekindled love.
This was an emotional read, but written in a way that portrayed both MCs, as well as their relationship and their renewed feelings for each other, feelings that never truly went away, in a believable and engaging way. Toby and Emmet belonged together and I found myself rooting for them all through the book.
The accident, where Toby was driving and Emmett got seriously hurt, is too much to process for two teenage boys, so even though they were a couple, they split up and Toby moves away. Unfortunately it turns out that neither young man can get over what happened to Scotty and to themselves. Even though Toby wasn’t physically hurt, he still hurts inside. A lot.
Fifteen years later Toby and Emmet are still hurting when Emmett decides to reconnect with Toby during a trip. They meet again and the painful process of exorcising their demons begin. They both find that they still harbor strong feelings for each other and the path to healing becomes the path to rekindled love.
This was an emotional read, but written in a way that portrayed both MCs, as well as their relationship and their renewed feelings for each other, feelings that never truly went away, in a believable and engaging way. Toby and Emmet belonged together and I found myself rooting for them all through the book.
April 11, 2016
Beautiful. Very engaging. I have a bit of an ADHD problem when it comes to new books. My mind has to fully immerse in it before I can get swept in. Usually this takes me weeks or even months. Lynn Charles's books always sweep me in from page one. The characters she writes are so real and so flawed and so human that I always feel like I'm reconnecting with old friends. Dropping in on people I already know. This book is no different. The beauty of this story. Lost love reconnecting after a traumatic accident. There is so much sorrow but you can't help but be drawn in by it. Much like the music it swells around you. Sadness and hope. The perfect book to read by a rainy window. One thing about the way she writes, she makes you feel what she feels. With Chefs Table I felt decandant and hungry and she made food into an emotion to feel. She has done the same thing here, this time with music. I feel like I can hear it, I can feel it swelling all around me. I always feel like I have come back down to earth with a hangover from all the emotions she inflicts upon me that are ripped away when it's over.
April 9, 2016
Wonderful bittersweet love story
Lynn Charles has written a wonderful bittersweet love story I found hard to put down. It was finding the love of your life and preparing for your forever but having a tragedy tear you apart for 15 years.
No matter what Tobias or Emmett did or accomplished in that 15 years, the love they had for one another was never lost.
Through trial and error, through their love of music and their even deeper love for one another they find their home again. With each other.
I highly recommend this heartbreaking, heartwarming love story. Because I did enjoy this talented author's story so much, I immediately downloaded her first novel, Chef's Table. I'm just a short way into it but I know it will be just as engrossing and unforgettable as Black Dust.
Kudos, Lynn Charles. Well done.
Lynn Charles has written a wonderful bittersweet love story I found hard to put down. It was finding the love of your life and preparing for your forever but having a tragedy tear you apart for 15 years.
No matter what Tobias or Emmett did or accomplished in that 15 years, the love they had for one another was never lost.
Through trial and error, through their love of music and their even deeper love for one another they find their home again. With each other.
I highly recommend this heartbreaking, heartwarming love story. Because I did enjoy this talented author's story so much, I immediately downloaded her first novel, Chef's Table. I'm just a short way into it but I know it will be just as engrossing and unforgettable as Black Dust.
Kudos, Lynn Charles. Well done.
May 3, 2016
Lynn Charles has a way with grown-up people and grown-up love. This book is heartachey, the two young men have been torn apart by their past, but it's also deeply hopeful. It has momentum. And it has Lynn's clear dialogue, it has friendship and fun and deep love for one another and for music.
Tobias and Emmett are careful, adult, messy in the way that adults are. They love one another but have learned to live without one another. That is one of my favourite aspects of the book, the way it explores love as they do, and the way that love is not about need. I enjoyed watching them together as they reconnected and tried to reimagine their lives.
This is a wonderful book about tragedy and music and connection and love all grown up.
Tobias and Emmett are careful, adult, messy in the way that adults are. They love one another but have learned to live without one another. That is one of my favourite aspects of the book, the way it explores love as they do, and the way that love is not about need. I enjoyed watching them together as they reconnected and tried to reimagine their lives.
This is a wonderful book about tragedy and music and connection and love all grown up.
August 25, 2016
So this is going to be one of those "it's me" things because everyone loved this book, and for me it was just okay. I wish that I could explain the reasons behind it, but I was just not invested into the story and I'm not sure why. The author writes beautifully and very descriptive but I felt myself wandering in my thoughts as I read this book.
When the MC's reconnect 15 years later, the love they have for each other is still there, and through music they finally find their way back to each other. That being said I felt like a lot of the emotion and feelings were coming through a filter, just out of reach for me. Others have enjoyed this book immensely, so I would look to their reviews to balance your decision to read the book.
When the MC's reconnect 15 years later, the love they have for each other is still there, and through music they finally find their way back to each other. That being said I felt like a lot of the emotion and feelings were coming through a filter, just out of reach for me. Others have enjoyed this book immensely, so I would look to their reviews to balance your decision to read the book.
April 8, 2016
Black Dust is a story less about tragedy (which does happen) and more about healing. It's what happens when two lovers realize that they need each other to move on from the terrible accident that injured one of them and left their friend dead. It's lovely, it's poetic, it's a diamond in the rough, if you will.
Want to Read
April 9, 2016Holy crap - that cover!
May 24, 2021
Four stars! Lynn Charles’s novel, ‘Black Dust,’ is a lush, moving, and beautiful love story about grief, first loves, and second chances.
The novel centers on high school sweethearts Toby and Emmett, who reunite after fifteen years apart. However, they quickly realize that old feelings have never truly died. Still, to move forward and find love with each other again, they must first make peace with the devasting tragedy that ripped them apart so many years ago.
First, this was an absolutely beautifully written book. The prose is nothing short of gorgeous—the writer's use of language alone is fantastic. I found myself constantly awed by this writer's skill, and many times certain lines made me choke up with real emotion and tears. A feat that not many books have managed, but this one did more than once. I enjoyed the characters for the most part and their love for the other—this aspect of the book - the sheer beauty kept me turning the pages.
This brings me to aspects of the story I didn't enjoy. Pacing is the biggest problem and prevented me from giving this book the five-star rating that the prose itself deserves. At times, the book is almost unbearably slow, and it took me months to finish this book because I would lose attention and focus quickly.
That is not to say I mind a slower-paced story, and if you do as well, this might very well be for you, but parts of it dragged for me. There was an endless back and forth between the characters filled with scenes that never really went anywhere or seemed to matter in the long run. This was disappointing as these duller scenes seemed to come right after super emotional and highly charged ones that crackled with energy and made me want to read more.
This also made connecting with the characters difficult, and it took me as a reader some time before I found myself liking Toby and Emmett, who at times come across as a bit wooden and never properly fleshed out. I don't think the disjointed nature of the book and the oddly placed time jumps help in this regard, but with that being said, by the end of the book, I was definitely rooting for them and hoping they would be able to find their happily ever after.
Overall, if quieter and slower books are your thing. Please consider this book. I would highly recommend it for fans of angsty, slow-burning love stories. Trust me, this one is pretty sad, but it’s also a lovely story of hope and renewal. And in that case, this one has it in spades, and also as a side note, the love scenes in the book are beautifully written and never gratuitous or cringe, which I appreciated and found incredibly refreshing and well-done.
The novel centers on high school sweethearts Toby and Emmett, who reunite after fifteen years apart. However, they quickly realize that old feelings have never truly died. Still, to move forward and find love with each other again, they must first make peace with the devasting tragedy that ripped them apart so many years ago.
First, this was an absolutely beautifully written book. The prose is nothing short of gorgeous—the writer's use of language alone is fantastic. I found myself constantly awed by this writer's skill, and many times certain lines made me choke up with real emotion and tears. A feat that not many books have managed, but this one did more than once. I enjoyed the characters for the most part and their love for the other—this aspect of the book - the sheer beauty kept me turning the pages.
This brings me to aspects of the story I didn't enjoy. Pacing is the biggest problem and prevented me from giving this book the five-star rating that the prose itself deserves. At times, the book is almost unbearably slow, and it took me months to finish this book because I would lose attention and focus quickly.
That is not to say I mind a slower-paced story, and if you do as well, this might very well be for you, but parts of it dragged for me. There was an endless back and forth between the characters filled with scenes that never really went anywhere or seemed to matter in the long run. This was disappointing as these duller scenes seemed to come right after super emotional and highly charged ones that crackled with energy and made me want to read more.
This also made connecting with the characters difficult, and it took me as a reader some time before I found myself liking Toby and Emmett, who at times come across as a bit wooden and never properly fleshed out. I don't think the disjointed nature of the book and the oddly placed time jumps help in this regard, but with that being said, by the end of the book, I was definitely rooting for them and hoping they would be able to find their happily ever after.
Overall, if quieter and slower books are your thing. Please consider this book. I would highly recommend it for fans of angsty, slow-burning love stories. Trust me, this one is pretty sad, but it’s also a lovely story of hope and renewal. And in that case, this one has it in spades, and also as a side note, the love scenes in the book are beautifully written and never gratuitous or cringe, which I appreciated and found incredibly refreshing and well-done.
April 3, 2016
***Four Stars of Healing and Reconnection***
Wow! What a story! Emmett, Toby, and Scotty are best friends in high school, and running through a stop sign forever changes their worlds. Scotty’s gone, Emmett is viciously injured physically, and as the driver of the car, Toby’s psyche is damaged almost beyond repair even as his body is left almost completely unscathed.
Fifteen years later, Emmett is a high school choir teacher with a passion for his students’ success, and Toby (who now goes strictly by Tobias) travels around the country directing orchestras in varying shows and works on his own score when he’s at home. When Emmett’s high school choir heads to New York to perform, he decides to put his Toby memories to bed with a formal goodbye, but when he realizes his feelings are still just as strong as they were all those years ago, that may not be possible. Tobias’ love for Emmett has never waned, but he is holding some deep secrets that no one knows about - not even his beloved Emmett, and that could destroy any chance they have to be together.
I absolutely loved this book. I am a first time Lynn Charles reader, and I was quite impressed with what I saw. She delicately handles Tobias’ PTSD without ever calling it such, and the story is sweeter for all the struggles the characters face. With a strong plot centering around healing, acceptance, and growth, she seamlessly weaves a tale born of heartbreak, loss, shame, and anger into a touching narrative of restoration and the dogged pursuit of happiness.
The peripheral cast is well written, including overzealous high school girls and brilliantly wonderful friends as well as antagonistic and snarky dialogue that will have you by turns laughing and then seething. Angst is strong in this book, so if you’re looking for light and fluffy, this isn’t your book.
The only issue I had with the book was that the pacing was all over the place. It skipped weeks and then months, and even though each section tells you exactly how long it’s been, I found it hard to track.
If you’re looking for a realistic story of healing and love, grab this! You won’t regret it!
Review Copy of Black Dust provided by the Author, Lynn Charles for an honest Review.
Reviewed by Cat from Alpha Book Club
Wow! What a story! Emmett, Toby, and Scotty are best friends in high school, and running through a stop sign forever changes their worlds. Scotty’s gone, Emmett is viciously injured physically, and as the driver of the car, Toby’s psyche is damaged almost beyond repair even as his body is left almost completely unscathed.
Fifteen years later, Emmett is a high school choir teacher with a passion for his students’ success, and Toby (who now goes strictly by Tobias) travels around the country directing orchestras in varying shows and works on his own score when he’s at home. When Emmett’s high school choir heads to New York to perform, he decides to put his Toby memories to bed with a formal goodbye, but when he realizes his feelings are still just as strong as they were all those years ago, that may not be possible. Tobias’ love for Emmett has never waned, but he is holding some deep secrets that no one knows about - not even his beloved Emmett, and that could destroy any chance they have to be together.
I absolutely loved this book. I am a first time Lynn Charles reader, and I was quite impressed with what I saw. She delicately handles Tobias’ PTSD without ever calling it such, and the story is sweeter for all the struggles the characters face. With a strong plot centering around healing, acceptance, and growth, she seamlessly weaves a tale born of heartbreak, loss, shame, and anger into a touching narrative of restoration and the dogged pursuit of happiness.
The peripheral cast is well written, including overzealous high school girls and brilliantly wonderful friends as well as antagonistic and snarky dialogue that will have you by turns laughing and then seething. Angst is strong in this book, so if you’re looking for light and fluffy, this isn’t your book.
The only issue I had with the book was that the pacing was all over the place. It skipped weeks and then months, and even though each section tells you exactly how long it’s been, I found it hard to track.
If you’re looking for a realistic story of healing and love, grab this! You won’t regret it!
Review Copy of Black Dust provided by the Author, Lynn Charles for an honest Review.
Reviewed by Cat from Alpha Book Club
March 30, 2016
This book is such a tragically, heart breaking story about three young men. The three young men was in a car accident that resulted in the driver walking away with minimal damage, the passenger flown away with life threatening injuries, and the last with his life taken at a young age.
The car accident is what shaped and tore apart so many lives and left heartache, guilt, love loss, anger, and a multitude of emotions in its wake.
Toby and Emmett was in love and had bright futures in there path along with their best friend Scotty who was multi talented until that faithful accident where Tody was driving, Emmett was the passenger that was hurt to never fully recover from his injuries, and Scotty died instantly. This accident changed their bright futures from the moment of impact and Toby and Emmett never recovered.
This book was the perfect example of what can happen when the one that walked away with just scratches is still carrying around that guilt with him even 15 years later. I felt like even though life was still moving forward that Toby was just stuck and could not let go of the guilt he felt over Scotty dying the day of the accident and never getting over the fact that he felt responsible for Emmett getting hurt. Everywhere he went he carried the scars more heavily inside himself then Emmett carried on his body. He let what happened that day dictate the way he lived from that point on and he seen Scottys ghost at every corner in his life.
I felt that even though Emmett loved Toby he blamed him for the loss of their best friend and for the physical injuries that he incurred in the accident and he could not let that anger go know matter unreasonable it was. I also believe that he blamed Scotty for dying the day of the accident.
This book really gets down to the nitty gritty of how much power emotions such as guilt and anger can and will affect someone's life and the choices they make because of it. This book was so beautifully written and was terribly heartbreaking at the same time. Lynn Charles did such an amazing job on this book and I was impressed with the respect and love that you could tell that Lynn put into this work of art.
Such an amazing story and very emotional. I felt this book all the way to my core. I would definitely recommend that others read this book. It is truly amazing and I feel like so many will feel the same as I did.
I was given this book by inked rainbow reads for an honest review.
The car accident is what shaped and tore apart so many lives and left heartache, guilt, love loss, anger, and a multitude of emotions in its wake.
Toby and Emmett was in love and had bright futures in there path along with their best friend Scotty who was multi talented until that faithful accident where Tody was driving, Emmett was the passenger that was hurt to never fully recover from his injuries, and Scotty died instantly. This accident changed their bright futures from the moment of impact and Toby and Emmett never recovered.
This book was the perfect example of what can happen when the one that walked away with just scratches is still carrying around that guilt with him even 15 years later. I felt like even though life was still moving forward that Toby was just stuck and could not let go of the guilt he felt over Scotty dying the day of the accident and never getting over the fact that he felt responsible for Emmett getting hurt. Everywhere he went he carried the scars more heavily inside himself then Emmett carried on his body. He let what happened that day dictate the way he lived from that point on and he seen Scottys ghost at every corner in his life.
I felt that even though Emmett loved Toby he blamed him for the loss of their best friend and for the physical injuries that he incurred in the accident and he could not let that anger go know matter unreasonable it was. I also believe that he blamed Scotty for dying the day of the accident.
This book really gets down to the nitty gritty of how much power emotions such as guilt and anger can and will affect someone's life and the choices they make because of it. This book was so beautifully written and was terribly heartbreaking at the same time. Lynn Charles did such an amazing job on this book and I was impressed with the respect and love that you could tell that Lynn put into this work of art.
Such an amazing story and very emotional. I felt this book all the way to my core. I would definitely recommend that others read this book. It is truly amazing and I feel like so many will feel the same as I did.
I was given this book by inked rainbow reads for an honest review.
December 9, 2016
Original review on Molly Lolly
Five stars!
This is my very first book I’ve read by Ms. Charles despite it being her second book. The feelings she brings out from the very first page are absolutely heart breaking and beautiful. She weaves this story where you wonder if Toby and Emmett are going to make it and hope and pray they pull through. You laugh and cry and get frustrated with them as they struggle to overcome their past and find a way to heal the broken bits. And you meet all of these other characters along the way that you want to know more about and shout for joy when they call both Emmett and Toby on their bullshit. And the ending. Oh my word the ending is absolutely beautiful. It shows how perfect Toby and Emmett are together, how they make it and are never going to give up on each other even if one needs to fly every so often and the other needs roots to keep them grounded. But you know it’ll be ok and they’ll make it and they’ll love each other and it’ll be enough for them. Because holy moly her writing is so epic that you just get lost in the book that you kind of forget it’s not real for a little bit.
The only thing I’m left with is a list of characters that showed up in the story and a desperate please for more by this author. From the barista that has to tell us how watching horror movies with his grandma shaped who he is, to the unnamed doorman in New York City that matches with scientific precision for a reason to all of the characters that Toby and Emmett encounter whose story I need to know because even if they’re on page for a paragraph, they’re written with such clarity that I can feel them as real and want to know more about them. Just like Toby and Emmett are real and living and loving in Indiana making beautiful music together that I can almost hear as I read their story.
Five stars!
This is my very first book I’ve read by Ms. Charles despite it being her second book. The feelings she brings out from the very first page are absolutely heart breaking and beautiful. She weaves this story where you wonder if Toby and Emmett are going to make it and hope and pray they pull through. You laugh and cry and get frustrated with them as they struggle to overcome their past and find a way to heal the broken bits. And you meet all of these other characters along the way that you want to know more about and shout for joy when they call both Emmett and Toby on their bullshit. And the ending. Oh my word the ending is absolutely beautiful. It shows how perfect Toby and Emmett are together, how they make it and are never going to give up on each other even if one needs to fly every so often and the other needs roots to keep them grounded. But you know it’ll be ok and they’ll make it and they’ll love each other and it’ll be enough for them. Because holy moly her writing is so epic that you just get lost in the book that you kind of forget it’s not real for a little bit.
The only thing I’m left with is a list of characters that showed up in the story and a desperate please for more by this author. From the barista that has to tell us how watching horror movies with his grandma shaped who he is, to the unnamed doorman in New York City that matches with scientific precision for a reason to all of the characters that Toby and Emmett encounter whose story I need to know because even if they’re on page for a paragraph, they’re written with such clarity that I can feel them as real and want to know more about them. Just like Toby and Emmett are real and living and loving in Indiana making beautiful music together that I can almost hear as I read their story.
September 21, 2016
The prose in this book is really well written. The author does a great job of describing and setting up characters and dialogue. The author definitely is a skilled writer.
But, for some reason I just could not get into this book. The story is about the slow journey of two people reconnecting after a tragic car accident strained their relationship and they split up. I think the keyword in there is the word "slow." I think for me the plot was just too drawn out. The total reaches just shy of 300 pages, and by page 150 I wanted it to be over already.
Like I said, it wasn't that the writing was bad, it was just too slow for me I guess. Especially since there wasn't really any twist to it; I jumped to the last few pages and they were together and happy just as you would expect. I know it's more about the journey rather than the destination, but if the journey includes seeing the same farmland for hours and hours with the same occasional bump in the road then you might as well sleep through most of the it.
I'm willing to give the author another chance should I come across another one of her books. I just felt it could have been a better short story rather than a novel.
But, for some reason I just could not get into this book. The story is about the slow journey of two people reconnecting after a tragic car accident strained their relationship and they split up. I think the keyword in there is the word "slow." I think for me the plot was just too drawn out. The total reaches just shy of 300 pages, and by page 150 I wanted it to be over already.
Like I said, it wasn't that the writing was bad, it was just too slow for me I guess. Especially since there wasn't really any twist to it; I jumped to the last few pages and they were together and happy just as you would expect. I know it's more about the journey rather than the destination, but if the journey includes seeing the same farmland for hours and hours with the same occasional bump in the road then you might as well sleep through most of the it.
I'm willing to give the author another chance should I come across another one of her books. I just felt it could have been a better short story rather than a novel.
July 10, 2016
This is a poignant story of how life can change in the blink of an eye. One minute there are 3 happy, laughing and joking teenage best friends – two of whom are very much in love, in the next minute one lies dead, one lies injured and one is consumed with guilt that will last for decades. They are left broken and the love cannot be recovered.
It takes 15 years for Emmett and Tobias to reconnect. Emmett’s physical injuries may be healed but Tobias, who walked away with just a scratch, is living with his demons from that day. This is their story, of love lost and second chances, of how they slowly heal their fractured friendship in the hope of getting back the feelings from years ago.
It takes 15 years for Emmett and Tobias to reconnect. Emmett’s physical injuries may be healed but Tobias, who walked away with just a scratch, is living with his demons from that day. This is their story, of love lost and second chances, of how they slowly heal their fractured friendship in the hope of getting back the feelings from years ago.
May 1, 2016
A love story about Toby Spence and Emmett Henderson. When a tragic car accident takes the life of their close friend, Scott Barnes, and Emmett is hospitalized in critical condition, Tobias walks away. Fifteen years later they find their way back to each other!!!! THANK YOU GOODREADS FIRSTREADS FOR THIS FREE BOOK!!!!
July 2, 2016
This book is EXQUISITE. Please buy it. Review to come.
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