I’m still suffering from a gigantic book hangover as I write this! I have no intention of being professional and insightful, nor am I going to spend time at thesaurus.com looking for just the right words for my review. Today is gobsmacked fangirl review day that will be filled with an overuse of exclamation points and OMG’s, and most probably run on sentences. And, sadness. Yes, I’m excruciatingly sad that Isabelle Peterson’s Dream series has come to an end with Dare To Dream. You know how, when you find an awesome as f*** series, and are ecstatic to discover there are already four books out there for you to devour? Well, that's what happened when I stumbled upon this series. You know how, like a kid with a giant sized bag of M&M’s, you never once consider it will, at some point, be empty? Well, that's the denial I was in about this series. Oh no worries, I still have three more books to read! Oh goodie, I still have two more books to read! Thank god, there's one more book before the finale!
Well kids, the bag is empty. Sad faces all around.
I have come to think of these characters as my people! I wanted to BE Elizabeth Fairchild. She’s gorgeous and talented, yet unassuming and gracious. She raised an amazing bunch of kids in a dream house in Sonoma! She ran an efficient house and cooked gourmet meals. And then she woke up one day to realize her life was empty. Her husband Greg wasn’t there. They weren’t really a couple. They were going through the motions, and that just wasn't enough anymore. So Beth took off to NYC and the rest is, as they say, history. I cheered her every move as she found herself again. I lived vicariously through her as she had two hunky guys competing for her love. Ditching The Dream was the beginning of it all and will forever be my favorite book in the series.
Each book has a flavor all its own yet flows into the series perfectly. Each book focuses on a different character in the extended group, yet also weaves in everyone we’ve already met, making it feel like coming home each time. These characters Ms. Peterson has created are so real! I grew to have an invested interest in their lives! She made me love them! Even Beth’s ex, Greg, who I hated until...I didn’t anymore. Actually, Greg’s book is my second favorite of the series. This book! Omg. The inner conflict, the tenderness, the sexy hotness! I was brought to tears many times because, once again, the characters are so damn real! In fact, I think I’ve shed tears in every book because Ms. Peterson is awesome. She. Just. Gets. Life. And she writes the shit out of it.
I speculated about this final book. A lot. How was she going to wrap up such an enormous bunch of storylines and characters without having it lose the depth of the previous books? I’d heard Dare To Dream was going to include Beth’s children and their significant others...whoever they may be. Just how the heck was this all going to come together and please me? Suffice it to say, I needn't have worried one little bit. I loved, loved, loved this book! It's brilliantly thought out and written. Surprises abound! Good surprises! Shocking surprises! Surprises that will have you biting your nails and threatening our illustrious author. In your head, of course.
I cannot reveal anything about the plot of Dare To Dream because whatever I might say would spoil it for you. The book's synopsis will have to do until you experience first hand the fabulousness of this finale. It’s one hell of an ending. It works so well you will feel complete and utter happiness as well as enormous loss. There will be a hole in your heart. Dramatic much? Absolutely not! Because the saga that began with Elizabeth Fairchild spreading her wings is one that many women can relate to. It is also one many of us relished, and immersed ourselves in. Our own little Dream world, if you will. Thank you, Isabelle Peterson for giving us one of the most down to earth, emotionally charged, and beautifully written series I’ve read.
**** Reviewed for Xtreme Delusions ****