International Best Selling author, Susan Renee, wants to live in a world where paint doesn't smell, book boyfriends are real, and everything is covered in glitter. An indie romance author, Susan has written about everything from tacos to tow-trucks, loves writing romantic comedies but also enjoys creating an emotional angsty story from time to time. She lives in Ohio with her husband, kids, two dogs and a cat. Susan holds a Bachelor and Masters Degree in Music Education and a self-awarded Doctorate in Sass and Sarcasm. She enjoys laughing at memes, speaking in GIFs and spending an entire day jumping down the TikTok rabbit hole. When she's not writing or playing the role of Mom, her favorite activity is doing the Care Bear stare with her closest friends.
O.M.G! Nothing prepared me for this absolutely AWESOME story! I couldn't love it anymore if I tried.
Olivia is stuck in the nightmare that left her with severe scars. It's keeping from having a life. She moves in with her best friend to seek a new life of independence, and happiness. Finn is battling his own demons from the past. When he runs into Olivia while running, he can't get her out of his mind. He asks her out, and offered her a job with a dream company. As he proves to her that she's still beautiful with all the scars, strong feelings develop. Will Finn and Olivia be able to get over their demons to have something great?
My chest hurts from the author ripping out my heart. I feel like I'm still on the emotional roller coaster hours after I finished the book. The character development is great, with secondaries so awesome that I hope they get their own story. Layers of secrets are revealed slowly, and the well written, powerful storyline flows effortlessly. Susan Renee did an amazing job with writing about sensitive subjects, and the story is highly addictive as I couldn't put it down for anything. Solving Us is a powerful, emotional, beautiful story of love that I HIGHLY RECOMMEND!
Susan Renee captures the reader’s heart from the very beginning as you laugh, cry, and even scream watching multiple relationships form and fold in this heartfelt debut novel. I found myself relating to Olivia (and even Finn) because everyone has scars they deal with on a daily basis, whether they are inside or out. In “Solving Us,” we take a journey through the trials and tribulations of forming new relationships, both personally and professionally, while dealing with our underlying insecurities and fears and facing them head on. The author did a great job making the character’s relatable, so it’s easy to fall in love with them as they fight their way through the hurdles life has thrown at them and boy, do these two face some hurdles in their lives! And not to mention everyone should have an awesome BFF like Abby!
I couldn’t wait to see what happened to these lovable characters as they reached every turn. This book will leave you wanting more Olivia and Finn long after you’ve finished reading!! I highly recommend Susan Renee’s “Solving Us” to anyone that loves a good romance full of love, hate, and lots of feels!!
I liked the book. From the moment they started seeing each other to the time they were facing challenges that threatens their relationship, I thought they were both amazing and strong. Both of them experienced a tragic past but still, only the two of them made each other came out of their shells and be open, again.
For a debut novel, I thought this book was very well written, both characters were easily likable and it was so easy to connect with them because they are both relatable. Also, this book made me cry, swoon and smile. The pairing was just brilliant plus their love and understanding for each other is inspiring that I can't help but think if this was real life, their relationship would not only be worth envying for but also it would be as strong as a thick rope.
So yeah, I really liked it, I hope I get to read more from the author and 4 stars for this!
I received an ARC of Solving Us by Susan Renee in exchange for an honest review.
Olivia and Finn seem to be a match made in heaven, but there is always something that threatens to tear them apart. They are both imperfect beings that are struggling to find the missing pieces in their lives that will make them whole again.
This is Susan Renee’s debut novel. As the story between these two characters progresses, you get to learn more about their broken pasts and what makes them who they are. The characters that Susan Renee has created are very relatable and you can feel their emotions while reading this book. I went from swooning, to laughing, to crying and back again. This is definitely a book that I will come back to and read again. Kudos to Susan Renee and I look forward to more!
I received an ARC of Solving Us by Susan Renee in exchange for an honest review.
Olivia and Finn seem to be a match made in heaven, but there is always something that threatens to tear them apart. They are both imperfect beings that are struggling to find the missing pieces in their lives that will make them whole again.
This is Susan Renee’s debut novel. As the story between these two characters progresses, you get to learn more about their broken pasts and what makes them who they are. The characters that Susan Renee has created are very relatable and you can feel their emotions while reading this book. I went from swooning, to laughing, to crying and back again. This is definitely a book that I will come back to and read again. Kudos to Susan Renee and I look forward to more!
This is a beautiful debut novel about two beautifully imperfect people and how they piece the puzzles pieces of their lives back together and try and see where love may take them. Olivia and Finn are not written to be people no one could relate to, they are real and you can actually feel like you know them and they could be your friends. I felt like I was drawn into the story and could not wait to see what would happen next. I felt so many different emotions while reading; happiness to tears and smiling throughout. A terrific debut!!
I thought Susan did a great job on her book. I am not a reader at a but I promised her husband, my boss that I would attempt it. I was not able to put the book down at all. It kept my interest the whole time and couldn't wait to see what was going to happen next. Great job and can't wait until your next one comes out. You definitely have a calling for writing. Keep it up....
Good romance novel. I read this one during lunch at work. I have to say that I was looking forward to lunch so I could take a mental break and immerse myself into Olivia and Finn's world. I also found myself blushing many times...
Tears by chapter 2. Bawling by chapter 32. AMAZING, INSPIRING, BEAUTIFULLY WRITTEN!!! Susan Renee, you have completely left me wanting so much more! For those of you reading this review all I can say is ...if you read, if you breathe, if you sleep....YOU NEED TO READ THIS BOOK!!!!
Great potato chip book. Romance novels are not particularly my thing but this one had me turning pages way into the night. The story is engaging and keeps you needing that JUST ONE more chapter.
The story has a good premise, it's easy to understand how Olivia feels, but at times she seems somewhat immature. Despite this, I really enjoyed the story. It was just one thing happening after another, to the point where you wonder if there will be a happily ever after... But that's life, isn't it? As soon as you think things are coming along, something happens and you sometimes feel like it's back to square one. So the events were exaggerated, but still realistic, despite everything.
Some things were annoying to me, but it might just be because my job forces me to pay close attention to grammar, punctuation, etc... -The author uses the word "smirking" quite a bit when describing how the characters are feeling/speaking. Once or twice, that's fine, but when it's used repeatedly, it began to annoy me somewhat. This word indicates smugness or being conceited, which is not necessarily what I want to feel about main characters readers want to identify with. That is, I don't want to think that the main characters in a story (protagonists) are conceited people, it doesn't make me feel great about them... -At times, paragraphs change incorrectly during dialogue when she has one character continue to speak about the same thoughts in two different paragraphs. That is, she closes the quotation marks, then changes paragraphs. Then the next paragraph opens with new quotation marks, which should indicate a different person speaking, but no.. this author continued the dialogue from the same person... This caused me to have to reread the page/section I was reading, since I had assumed that the paragraphs were changing during the conversation because a different person was talking. -Similarly, at times the ending quotation marks were used incorrectly when there was dialogue.
Despite these problems (annoyances), I would reread this book, as well as probably other books by the same author, since the subject/plot is well thought out & interesting, as well as easy to connect to. Also, since it is a standalone book, it is a complete story, which is really nice compared to some other books I've read.
I love that saying and it fits this story so well. Bullying is something that's getting more and more common in the world and unfortunately there are many who cannot cope and end up like Sydney. Finn couldn't be more perfect for Olivia. They both have their baggage, but help each other move past it. Olivia is scared stiff, with understanding, but everything that happens, Finn is there to help her get through it...even when he's the one that messed up. I loved each of the characters in this book, the situations were hard but realistic, and the story was amazing. Thank you for a great read.
I was hooked on this book from the very first page! I couldn't put it down, and suffered a grueling day at work with only three hours of sleep because of it. It's a sweet romance that gives you all the good feelings, but also has you yelling at the characters in frustration because they're not following your advice! That's when you know that this author has you right where she wants you, and that you'll be looking for her next book as soon as you finish this one, if not before!
Very beautiful and complex love story it's befitting the characters Olivia and Finn's relationship. Two semi broken people trying to fit together their feelings for one another on top of some very strong psychological and emotional issues. Very endearing and wonderfully written story. Plus the little drama throw8in was amazingly a great addition to the storyline that fed into the characters turbulent yet loving relationship.
While this book has so many ups and Downs I really enjoyed it! Finn is the absolute best guy and he is really what kept me reading this book! He is probably the best and most understanding characters!
Olivia and Fynn story made me laugh, cry, scream and fall in and out of love. It made me look at my relationship with my love in a total different manner.
Fave Quote - “Sometimes the ugliest parts of ourselves are what others love the most.”
Solving Us is the debut book by Susan Renee.... WOW what a debut... this author has serious talent ....
Solving Us is about two very broken people...
Olivia has had a tragic past that has left her both physically and mentally scarred... she has lived in a nightmare for so long.... Until she takes the leap and moves in with her best friend... where she can start living and try to start healing... instead of just existing
Finn also has his own demons that he is dealing with....
They are two broken souls
When he meets Olivia he sees something in her... he sees past the scars and he has a instant pull to her.... from the moment they meet he cant stop thinking about her.... and try's his hardest to get close to her to get to know her better... He offers her a job to help give her the boost she needs he can see the hurt and pain that Liv has inside ... Finn makes it his mission to show her that her scars don't define her and that she can overcome her demons
The more time he spends with this broken, beautiful woman... the deeper he finds himself falling for her
Hook, Line and Sinker
But can two damaged souls with a whole load of demons really have a happy ever after ???
Solving Us was a really emotional read for me... and I found myself in tears often
I was gripped from page 1...
and couldn't put it down until I had finished
A really great book... for a debut author Keep up the awesome writing Susan and I guarantee you will go far in the writing world.... Very Talented
I went to Indie Invade Philly book signing in 2o15 and met this 2 friends (Susan and Lauren) at the after party event, Lisa and I asked them if we could sit at their table and we had so much fun with them. Talking more about ourselves, we learned that one of them was publishing her first book. Now, let me tell you something...she didn't just said "oh yeah, i am publishing a book and you should check it out", she was telling how she got to write her first book and her ups and downs, mostly explaining to Lisa about the book, but she was talking with passion, with love for her project, something that she was so proud of it and at the same time so "scared" of the results, it had a moment that I looked at her and saw tears in her eyes...and that my friends is what made Susan an amazing writer. I waited until the release date and bought the ebook copy, and I just finished. All I can say is WOW!!!! this book was really good. Its a love romance between two imperfect people, but perfect for each other...they help one another to find the way to love and forgive themselves. Beautifully written, easy flow read and a must read.
Susan, congrats...and I can't wait for what else you have in store for us...
Another difficult to rate book. I absolutely loved the premise of this book-any book involving abnormal psychology is an automatic want to read book for me. I just didn't feel like this book lived up to the potential.
This story is about two people who fall in love after a chance encounter. Both of the characters have issues from their past which makes their falling in love more difficult-and yes should make an excellent read.
So here is where my struggles with the book come in. I often felt the story lacked believability. Yes it is fiction but it just didn't work for me. Then you have the h who is supposed to come off as strong but just seemed weak and tried to run away from her problems every time you turned the page. The H was constantly coddling her along. The relationship just lacked any balance. Then there were so many clichés that it was like the author had trouble with originality.
Overall it is a decent read. The editing was good. This author has potential and I would be willing to give a different book shot. She does have one other book released at time of this posting.
In so many ways life is a puzzle. From lining up all the details of how to accomplish everything in a day to finding a way to allow two people to coexist together, it makes a Rubik cube seem easy. In Solving Us, Susan Renee has definitely lined up all the right pieces to produce an excellent book. Olivia, Liv, is a gifted artist with a troubled past that continues to give her problems in the present. Her luck certainly takes a turn for the better when she happens to meet "Hot runner guy", Finn. Finn has his own closet chocked full of skeletons but has found ways to deal fairly effectively with them including the use of a therapy pet. Unfortunately animals are one of the biggest fears Liv has after a horrific accident in her past. This story kept me intrigued from start to finish and I caught myself pulling for the young couple while trying to telepathically warn them about the evil witch who is desperate to break them apart. From beginning to end all the pieces slide smoothly into place making this an extremely enjoyable read. The Devil awards this 4.0 pitchforks
This is astory about two people with lots of baggage, that after dating for a few weeks, neither has told the other their actual stories so as you can imagine, it leads to lots of misunderstandings. Individually the characters are likeable but when they are together they seem to spend most of their time apologizing to each other.
Olivia had her world torn apart seven years ago after a brutal accident & Finn’s world was shattered around the same time in a family tragedy. Finn has moved on as best he can but Olivia is still being haunted by her past & just can’t seem to move on. Finn is making it his mission to move her past it. Add to this a mystery person hell bent on keeping them apart & you have an interesting story.
The author has written in a lot of detail which makes the story easy to follow & easy to visualize what is going on.
So while this book wasn’t quite my cup of tea, it is well written & It flows well. If you like short love stories with a quick happy ending, you will enjoy this book.
Wow. Holy book hangover. What an amazing debut novel from Susan Renee. Such an emotional ride. You will laugh and you will cry. You will also swoon. This book was incredible!!! You won't want to put it down once you start.
Olivia has scars and insecurities. She is afraid to open up to men after the way she's been treated just because of her scars. She never expected to meet "hor runner guy" when she was out strolling through the park taking pictures.
Finn is a successful businessman. He inherited the company at a young age after his dad died. His sister also committed suicide after dealing with scats from a nasty accident.
This book was incredible!! I highly recommend this to everyone.
Well, first things first! Susan Renee you rock woman, plain and simple. I am glad to have had the opportunity to have been gifted this book so I could read it and of course give you a glamorous review. You had me so emotional in the first few chapters, tearing up, smiling, loving, and singing all at the same time. The past pain that you have made me feel with the back stories of Liv and Finn is downright amazing. I am so excited to see what else you can come up with, I vote for Abby and Riv...Just throwing that out there for you!! Thank you for this book, I will forever remember these people!
Oh My Gosh!!!! Solving Us is simply one of the best stories I have read in a long time. From Olivia dealing with her emotional anxiety, feeling like she wasn't worthy of being loved or even that she is a beautiful person, despite scars, both physical and mentally, to learning about Finn and his own personal battles, this book will have you captured and hanging by a thread, waiting for the next turn. I sat on my couch until 3am, unable to move from reading and wiping tears from my face. I wish it didn't have to end.
I highly recommend giving this book a read, you won't be disappointed!
I won this book through good reads. First book for this author, and I will be reading whatever she writes in future. Book is about two torturedsoles. Both with allot of baggage and scars from past. Tells us of their insecurities and fear of opening up and sharing with someone. Author describes like she knew these people and how they are feeling. Makes you see things in yourself that these people share
To say this book hit me hard would be an understatement. The thoughts and feelings the main character, Olivia, experience were mine at different times in my life. Accidents change your life, especially when you are a teenage girl! It was comforting to see that my thoughts weren't unexpected or weird. Thank you Susan Renee for understanding that scars suck and just seeing them everyday can make you sad and/or feel ugly.
I picked up this book on a whim and a recommendation from a trusted friend, and I am so glad I did! This story is beautifully written and tells a tale that seems to touch parts of personal experiences we have all had. You will laugh, you will cry, heck, you will probably ugly cry at times, but it's so worth it. This is not my typical genre, and I am so glad I gave it a shot! You should too!
I would recommend this story to anyone looking for a good love story! Susan delivers drama, suspense, passion, and cat fights! I simply couldn't put it down. Looking VERY forward to much more from one of my new favorite authors!!