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Dreams and Dreamers #3
Keystone
For Josie and Sabrina, moving forward means first facing the past.
Building a relationship with her sister's life-long best friend had always been a long shot. But after years of wishing for her chance to be with Josie, Sabrina couldn't regret the fact that she had tried. Only the fact that they had managed to screw it up almost as quickly as it began.
It was time for her to accept that relationships weren't built on dreams and childish crushes. But just as she resolved to move on, Sabrina found herself pulled back into Josie's life in the most unexpected of ways.
Drawn into the troubled relationship between Josie and her estranged mother, Sabrina must watch her former lover struggle with impossible choices and heartbreaking regret. And she must find the balance in her own life between trust and independance, love and loyalty, and most of all, between truth and forgiveness.
This is the third installment in the Building Dreams series, following up the story which began in see u soon and continued in Sass of the complicated love between two life-long friends as they struggle to redefine their relationship, face the challenges of their lives and careers, and work toward building a life they might share.
This novel contains scenes of explicit lesbian sexuality.
Building a relationship with her sister's life-long best friend had always been a long shot. But after years of wishing for her chance to be with Josie, Sabrina couldn't regret the fact that she had tried. Only the fact that they had managed to screw it up almost as quickly as it began.
It was time for her to accept that relationships weren't built on dreams and childish crushes. But just as she resolved to move on, Sabrina found herself pulled back into Josie's life in the most unexpected of ways.
Drawn into the troubled relationship between Josie and her estranged mother, Sabrina must watch her former lover struggle with impossible choices and heartbreaking regret. And she must find the balance in her own life between trust and independance, love and loyalty, and most of all, between truth and forgiveness.
This is the third installment in the Building Dreams series, following up the story which began in see u soon and continued in Sass of the complicated love between two life-long friends as they struggle to redefine their relationship, face the challenges of their lives and careers, and work toward building a life they might share.
This novel contains scenes of explicit lesbian sexuality.
175 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 28, 2016
5 people are currently reading
7 people want to read
About the author
Bridget Balentine
7 books11 followersBridget Balentine lives in the midwest with her wife and is fulfilling a lifelong dream of publishing her work. A former creative writing student and avid reader of all genres, she is excited to add to the growing list of titles and interest in lesbian romance.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
June 23, 2017
Another disjointed slice from the lives of Jo, Bree and Lily. This shouldn't have been dragged out into three books, AND it needed a better proof reader, AND most of the plot thingies are still unresolved.
February 6, 2017
The third book in this series and third book I’ve read by this author.
It’s been a while since I read the first two parts of this series, so I’m just going to assume that the second book ended in a cliff-hanger – based on how this specific chapter in the story opened. Actually, let me just look at what I wrote for the previous book. Won’t take me two seconds. Be back in a jiffy.
Ah, hehe. I wondered what was up with the many occasions when Josie talked to herself inside of (). Reminded me a little too much like I was reading Jim Gaffigan, but without the humor. As in:
At first I thought that () stuff was because Josie’s sections, at least in the first part, were flashback scenes. And I thought the () was ‘current’ comments she was making while the scenes unfolded. But that () continued in the second part when Josie’s scenes leapt to present day. – I say, getting back to my prior thought that I had been wondering about that () -> I see from my review of the last book that the prior book used heavy italics to convey flashbacks. Well, this time there isn’t heavy use of italics, which I’m happy about. The () was weird, but much more livable than heavy use of italics.
Okay, finally got to what I was looking for – yeah, the second part ended abruptly. As I kind of assumed. The second part ended with Sabrina about to go to a party hosted by her ‘semester abroad’ mentor/teacher but in a certain amount of distress because she just had a fight with the, literally, love of her life (or, in other words, the woman she has loved her whole life, even if the other never really noticed her). This third part opens with that still to be resolved.
Sabrina’s been kicked out by Josie, and must find some hotel room to inhabit until the party. And to change into. We read this from Sabrina’s point of view. Josie’s point of view? At least in the first part, she’s stuck in the past (and that’s one of the reasons I was really confused when the book opened, because the book doesn’t actually open with a continuation of the prior story, but opens in a flashback – Josie flashing back to her time living with her bitchy, alcoholic abusive mother).
Right, so. This is not a work that can be read on its own. I mean that both in terms of this specific book here, and probably, to a certain extent, to this series. It’s probably easier to ‘take’ if read all in a row. Wasn’t possible, for me, since the second part was read by me in November of 2015, and the third part didn’t come out until Feb 28 2016.
The story follows Sabrina in the present as she tries to get over the very brief and abruptly ending affair she had with the woman she has always fancied, Josie. While also having to put on a brave face and go mingle at that previously mentioned party hosted by Tobin, Sabrina’s ‘semester abroad’ teacher/mentor.
Meanwhile, Josie’s in the past reliving, or flashing back, to living with her dreadful horrible mother. And not being able to cut the ties. Not being able to get over her disappointment. Somewhat easier to ‘get/understand/accept’ when the reader adds to the ‘that’s my mother’ aspect the part where she had given her dying father the promise that she will attempt to watch over her mother.
Sabrina needs some time to collect her thoughts, but her sister, Lilly, keeps hammering her with texts. Apparently Lilly needs Sabrina to call their mother. So Sabrina does. And learns of an issue that Josie needs to address, and an issue better expressed face to face. So, Sabrina must face Josie. Only to find her looking horrible, and all the workers at Sass, Josie’s restaurant, giving Sabrina evil looks. Sabrina hurriedly conveys the message that she was tasked with delivering and flees.
Sabrina’s relationship appears to be over, but her career is just starting so she must go to the party. Which I express in this way, because Sabrina learns at the party that part of Josie’s ‘problems’ involves being forced out of her job – Josie has a rotten mother she has to deal with (that’s the issue that Sabrina had to give a message about, face to face), a broken relationship, and a wrecked career.
Sabrina figures out that she needs to be more of a friend than a disgruntled positional/former/future lover and goes to try to give comfort to Josie. I mention all of this story so I can finally get to the part wherein they decide, based on a suggestion by Sabrina, that the thing to do is to drive cross country from New York to Colorado so that Josie can both deal with the issue with her mother, and give herself time to address her problems with Sass the restaurant.
I believe that it might have been around here when the two points of view both shift into the present, for the most part. Though, it might also have been point wherein Sabrina kind of took over more of the book – with Josie’s sections being fewer and further in between.
Right, so, that isn’t the whole of the book by any means, but something of it. A relationship in turmoil, a career beginning/ending, etc. etc. Overall quite good story.
One thing to note, something of a warning I guess since some people care more about this issue that I normally do – there are certain . . . formatting issues? Something like that. Wherein words are missing. Letters are missing (as in, using pass when mean to use passed). 99% of the time I just let the issue flow past me, and do not add or subtract any ‘points’ because of the issue.
One example, though not the one I was going to use (the one I was going to use apparently is refusing to be found by me):
March 22 2016
It’s been a while since I read the first two parts of this series, so I’m just going to assume that the second book ended in a cliff-hanger – based on how this specific chapter in the story opened. Actually, let me just look at what I wrote for the previous book. Won’t take me two seconds. Be back in a jiffy.
Ah, hehe. I wondered what was up with the many occasions when Josie talked to herself inside of (). Reminded me a little too much like I was reading Jim Gaffigan, but without the humor. As in:
I really like cheese . . . (Is he going to spend the next hour talking about cheese? I came here to listen to humor! He better not talk about cheese for too long or I’ll I’ll . . leave! *both parts spoken by Gaffigan, second part spoken as if he was giving a very bad impression of attempting to do a fake woman’s voice)
At first I thought that () stuff was because Josie’s sections, at least in the first part, were flashback scenes. And I thought the () was ‘current’ comments she was making while the scenes unfolded. But that () continued in the second part when Josie’s scenes leapt to present day. – I say, getting back to my prior thought that I had been wondering about that () -> I see from my review of the last book that the prior book used heavy italics to convey flashbacks. Well, this time there isn’t heavy use of italics, which I’m happy about. The () was weird, but much more livable than heavy use of italics.
Okay, finally got to what I was looking for – yeah, the second part ended abruptly. As I kind of assumed. The second part ended with Sabrina about to go to a party hosted by her ‘semester abroad’ mentor/teacher but in a certain amount of distress because she just had a fight with the, literally, love of her life (or, in other words, the woman she has loved her whole life, even if the other never really noticed her). This third part opens with that still to be resolved.
Sabrina’s been kicked out by Josie, and must find some hotel room to inhabit until the party. And to change into. We read this from Sabrina’s point of view. Josie’s point of view? At least in the first part, she’s stuck in the past (and that’s one of the reasons I was really confused when the book opened, because the book doesn’t actually open with a continuation of the prior story, but opens in a flashback – Josie flashing back to her time living with her bitchy, alcoholic abusive mother).
Right, so. This is not a work that can be read on its own. I mean that both in terms of this specific book here, and probably, to a certain extent, to this series. It’s probably easier to ‘take’ if read all in a row. Wasn’t possible, for me, since the second part was read by me in November of 2015, and the third part didn’t come out until Feb 28 2016.
The story follows Sabrina in the present as she tries to get over the very brief and abruptly ending affair she had with the woman she has always fancied, Josie. While also having to put on a brave face and go mingle at that previously mentioned party hosted by Tobin, Sabrina’s ‘semester abroad’ teacher/mentor.
Meanwhile, Josie’s in the past reliving, or flashing back, to living with her dreadful horrible mother. And not being able to cut the ties. Not being able to get over her disappointment. Somewhat easier to ‘get/understand/accept’ when the reader adds to the ‘that’s my mother’ aspect the part where she had given her dying father the promise that she will attempt to watch over her mother.
Sabrina needs some time to collect her thoughts, but her sister, Lilly, keeps hammering her with texts. Apparently Lilly needs Sabrina to call their mother. So Sabrina does. And learns of an issue that Josie needs to address, and an issue better expressed face to face. So, Sabrina must face Josie. Only to find her looking horrible, and all the workers at Sass, Josie’s restaurant, giving Sabrina evil looks. Sabrina hurriedly conveys the message that she was tasked with delivering and flees.
Sabrina’s relationship appears to be over, but her career is just starting so she must go to the party. Which I express in this way, because Sabrina learns at the party that part of Josie’s ‘problems’ involves being forced out of her job – Josie has a rotten mother she has to deal with (that’s the issue that Sabrina had to give a message about, face to face), a broken relationship, and a wrecked career.
Sabrina figures out that she needs to be more of a friend than a disgruntled positional/former/future lover and goes to try to give comfort to Josie. I mention all of this story so I can finally get to the part wherein they decide, based on a suggestion by Sabrina, that the thing to do is to drive cross country from New York to Colorado so that Josie can both deal with the issue with her mother, and give herself time to address her problems with Sass the restaurant.
I believe that it might have been around here when the two points of view both shift into the present, for the most part. Though, it might also have been point wherein Sabrina kind of took over more of the book – with Josie’s sections being fewer and further in between.
Right, so, that isn’t the whole of the book by any means, but something of it. A relationship in turmoil, a career beginning/ending, etc. etc. Overall quite good story.
One thing to note, something of a warning I guess since some people care more about this issue that I normally do – there are certain . . . formatting issues? Something like that. Wherein words are missing. Letters are missing (as in, using pass when mean to use passed). 99% of the time I just let the issue flow past me, and do not add or subtract any ‘points’ because of the issue.
One example, though not the one I was going to use (the one I was going to use apparently is refusing to be found by me):
She heard the muffled sound of her mother talking other voices in the background and cringed because Josie definitely wasn’t going to be up for all the residents of Castle Rock to want to stop by and see her as though she were an exhibit on loan from a New York City Zoo. (not the best example, but one that I can find, insert, and move on from).
March 22 2016
December 6, 2018
The Best 1 Yet!!
Absolutely beautiful!!! OMG, this story TOTALLY rocked & then some!! I swear, this series got better every book— especially considering how high the bar was set with the first one!! But, Bridget Balentine delivered…
There's nothing like finally finding the love you've wanted, waited & weeped for after so many years of battering from waves of patience, pain & possibilities!
I'm seriously just hoping that this wasn't the series finale because these characters' lives are still left in an unresolved limbo of uncertainty & I still need (WANT DESPERATELY…) to continue following their lives, endeavors, journeys & futures of their stories!
Absolutely beautiful!!! OMG, this story TOTALLY rocked & then some!! I swear, this series got better every book— especially considering how high the bar was set with the first one!! But, Bridget Balentine delivered…
There's nothing like finally finding the love you've wanted, waited & weeped for after so many years of battering from waves of patience, pain & possibilities!
I'm seriously just hoping that this wasn't the series finale because these characters' lives are still left in an unresolved limbo of uncertainty & I still need (WANT DESPERATELY…) to continue following their lives, endeavors, journeys & futures of their stories!
December 29, 2020
I read this right after reading the first two in the series so for me the reading was more like a longer book. This was published in 2016 felt like a cliffhanger and there isn't another one out yet.
April 21, 2020
Emotions Up and Down! . . .
This series is getting good, but this book messed with my emotions soooo bad! Josie and Sabrina were so close to happiness then uuuugh big drama, and then new revelations come out - past family trouble re-emerges and did I mention just a whole lot of drama ensues for this couple.
The only great thing about this part of the series was the couple seems to be on a goodish level of their growing relationship. Despite all the drama, most of their families are warm and welcoming, making me hope the next installment with allow Josie and Sabrina to get closer and eventually have that elusive HEA.
This series is getting good, but this book messed with my emotions soooo bad! Josie and Sabrina were so close to happiness then uuuugh big drama, and then new revelations come out - past family trouble re-emerges and did I mention just a whole lot of drama ensues for this couple.
The only great thing about this part of the series was the couple seems to be on a goodish level of their growing relationship. Despite all the drama, most of their families are warm and welcoming, making me hope the next installment with allow Josie and Sabrina to get closer and eventually have that elusive HEA.
March 24, 2016
Really liked this third book in the series
Well, the way the story ended it was what I would describe as a cliffhanger ! The way Sabrina confronted Her sister Lilly was something I never saw coming and it blew me away!! I know this is a series but I have to tell you, I can't wait for the fourth book in the series!
Well, the way the story ended it was what I would describe as a cliffhanger ! The way Sabrina confronted Her sister Lilly was something I never saw coming and it blew me away!! I know this is a series but I have to tell you, I can't wait for the fourth book in the series!
April 16, 2017
Sloppily edited. Like half the book just wasn't, depending on the chapter. Frustrating.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews