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Back to Yesterday
Everyone loves a good love story. The stories that make you feel warm all over. The kind that leaves you the slightest bit envious because the story belongs to someone else and not you. The stories that make your heart race and on the edge of pain and pleasure. Pain because your heart hurts and pleasure because your heart hurts. An unlikely combination, yet, that’s the stuff good love stories are made of.
Ours could have been like that. We could have made a beautiful love story. But when he was ready for that epic love story, I was afraid to fall in love, too hurt by my past to trust anyone. Then, when I was ready for the epic love story, he was gone. And I was alone. And the only thing I got was the pain. It was time I told him the things that were in my heart but too afraid to say out loud.
I wrote the letter I needed to write and prayed it wasn't too late.
Dear Charlie,
You were right. I was wrong. I've never been more wrong in my life. There - I said it.
I’ll say it a million times if you just come back to me. Come back to me. Please! I was so wrong. I do love you.
Sophie
Ours could have been like that. We could have made a beautiful love story. But when he was ready for that epic love story, I was afraid to fall in love, too hurt by my past to trust anyone. Then, when I was ready for the epic love story, he was gone. And I was alone. And the only thing I got was the pain. It was time I told him the things that were in my heart but too afraid to say out loud.
I wrote the letter I needed to write and prayed it wasn't too late.
Dear Charlie,
You were right. I was wrong. I've never been more wrong in my life. There - I said it.
I’ll say it a million times if you just come back to me. Come back to me. Please! I was so wrong. I do love you.
Sophie
216 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 2, 2016
57 people are currently reading
1292 people want to read
About the author
Pamela Sparkman
7 books281 followersPamela Sparkman grew up in Alabama. She became an avid reader at a young age. The written word has always fascinated her and she wrote her first short story while still in elementary school. Inspiration for her stories always begins with a song. She believes music is the pulse of life and books are the heart of it.
When she isn’t writing, however, she’s spending time with her family and taking one day at a time.
https://www.facebook.com/pamelasparkm...
http://instagram.com/pamelasparkman/
When she isn’t writing, however, she’s spending time with her family and taking one day at a time.
https://www.facebook.com/pamelasparkm...
http://instagram.com/pamelasparkman/
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 100 reviews
October 13, 2018
4.5 Stars!
"I need someone who will care about me if I don't come back. I need someone to care about me, Sophie. My eyes skirted over her head and up towards the moon. I closed my eyes and quietly said again, "I don't have anyone and I need someone. I desperately need that someone to be you."
She placed her hand on mine. "Why?" she asked softly.
I lowered my eyes to hers. "Because ... I think you need me too."
Two words - Heartbreakingly eloquent!
The year is 1943. The backdrop is World War II. The time frame is between today and yesterday, between a small town in Tennessee and behind enemy lines of war torn Germany.
This is a romance that will have you clutching your neck and dabbing your eyes. This is Charlie and Sophie’s story and it all started when they literally bumped into each other at the local cafe.
Ms. Sparkman you touched my soul with your beautiful words.
If you are searching for a gorgeous love story where you can truly hear and feel the character’s heart beating for each other, you need to look no further.
"I need someone who will care about me if I don't come back. I need someone to care about me, Sophie. My eyes skirted over her head and up towards the moon. I closed my eyes and quietly said again, "I don't have anyone and I need someone. I desperately need that someone to be you."
She placed her hand on mine. "Why?" she asked softly.
I lowered my eyes to hers. "Because ... I think you need me too."
Two words - Heartbreakingly eloquent!
The year is 1943. The backdrop is World War II. The time frame is between today and yesterday, between a small town in Tennessee and behind enemy lines of war torn Germany.
This is a romance that will have you clutching your neck and dabbing your eyes. This is Charlie and Sophie’s story and it all started when they literally bumped into each other at the local cafe.
Ms. Sparkman you touched my soul with your beautiful words.
If you are searching for a gorgeous love story where you can truly hear and feel the character’s heart beating for each other, you need to look no further.
May 3, 2016
4.5 STARS
”Are you in love with me yet?”
This is my first book read by this author and imagine my excitement when not only is this available on KU but the rest of the series that this story is a spin off from are as well – click, click, click. I thought the author did a fantastic job bringing me back in time to the year of 1943 in the midst of the World War II to tell the love story of Sophie and Charlie.
”I had found true beauty when I met Sophie, in a world where I had begun to think such things no longer existed.”
Home recovering from an injury, Charlie Hudson falls for the beautiful fearless waitress who has caught his eye. He makes a bet with her that even this guarded beauty can't refuse.
“I bet I can make you fall in love with me.”
Charlie and Sophie’s story is told in alternating POVS as well as yesterday and today chapters. The hero was a gallant truly wonderful as he breaks down Sophie’s walls and she faces her fears and embraces a love of a lifetime.
”She is what I love most about myself.”
Overall, the author weaved a beautiful story with touches of the past and the love that these two shared and fought for. This is a good read, probably would've been even better if I had read the series in which Sophie is the grandmother figure in prior. Nonetheless, I never got lost as this is is a standalone but only intrigued to see what follows.
”Are you in love with me yet?”
This is my first book read by this author and imagine my excitement when not only is this available on KU but the rest of the series that this story is a spin off from are as well – click, click, click. I thought the author did a fantastic job bringing me back in time to the year of 1943 in the midst of the World War II to tell the love story of Sophie and Charlie.
”I had found true beauty when I met Sophie, in a world where I had begun to think such things no longer existed.”
Home recovering from an injury, Charlie Hudson falls for the beautiful fearless waitress who has caught his eye. He makes a bet with her that even this guarded beauty can't refuse.
“I bet I can make you fall in love with me.”
Charlie and Sophie’s story is told in alternating POVS as well as yesterday and today chapters. The hero was a gallant truly wonderful as he breaks down Sophie’s walls and she faces her fears and embraces a love of a lifetime.
”She is what I love most about myself.”
Overall, the author weaved a beautiful story with touches of the past and the love that these two shared and fought for. This is a good read, probably would've been even better if I had read the series in which Sophie is the grandmother figure in prior. Nonetheless, I never got lost as this is is a standalone but only intrigued to see what follows.
June 16, 2016
“May the roads we travel never lead us astray, but if by chance we lose our way, may the echoes of laughter guide us back home some day.”
5 'Ain't He Sweet' stars !!
Have you ever heard about those books, you know... The books you couldn't put down, you actually thought you were a part of the story? The books you've felt so connected to the characters, you've felt like they were your best friends... Like you were right there with them? Have you ever heard about those books that people said, Ahh... This is what I call an Epic love story.
This book is one of them.
My Couple:
I feel like I went through a long journey until I finally got this book. I met Sophie in the future, when she was already an elderly grandmother in the enchanting Stolen Breaths series. She was a strong woman, a spitfire, a sneaky matchmaker, and the glue that connected everyone together. And no matter what she wanted - she always got it. I am completely certain that without her, our characters wouldn't find their happy endings.
Her past had always been vague. I was sure that her husband was something special, and I knew... I just knew that I needed her story like I needed my next breath. So imagine my pure happiness when Pamela told me she was writing one. You can bet I was super thrilled.
“You’re gonna love her story.”
Cooper didn’t say anything right away, but a smile began to ease itself across his face. It was a quiet smile, peaceful. He turned his head, looked straight ahead, and with his peaceful smile still in place, he said, “I can’t wait to read it.”
-Skin Deep (Stolen Breaths, #3)" by Pamela Sparkman.
And I did. God, how much I did. This book was pure magic. I went through so many emotions while reading. I laughed, I cried, I fell in love, I was moved, I was angry, I hurt for them, I loved again.... because the love between Sophie and Charlie was a love story you didn't witness every day. No matter how much time has passed, or the distance between them.... Their souls were connected.
“Her words had said… ‘you can kiss me’ and her kiss said… ‘don’t ever stop.’ I lost myself somewhere in between. There was no going back. I gave my heart to her in that kiss and she swallowed it down with a sigh. She owned it. Maybe she always had. I don’t know. All I knew was that wherever she was, my heart was also.”
Charlie is a pilot in the Air Corp. He was injured during his last mission, and was sent to recover in the town where Sophie lives.
“I found myself stopping by the café every day, staying longer and longer each time. I soon realized that it wasn’t the café that beckoned me at all. It was Sophie.”
Sigh. This guy was enamored from the first moment he saw her. As for their first meeting? It wasn't a normal one. Nope. Not with them. Charlie had been stalking her for a while... just... watching her. She fascinated him, and he was waiting for the right opportunity to approach her. Well... when he finally did, things not always go the way they should or expecting. ;)
Sophie comes with her own baggage. To the rest of the world, she looks happy and carefree. But deep down, she hides years of dealing with a past that haunted her.
“I bet I can make you fall in love with me.”
Sophie would never back down from a bet. And she never lost one. Never. So, she accepts Charlie's bet with the belief that she wouldn't lose. What she didn't know at the time was that this bet would change the course of their lives forever.
So then it start.
“Are you in love with me yet, Sophie?”
Sophie is not an easy woman. And she won't make it easy for Charlie either. She has walls, and she'll push. She'll push when things get real, because that's all she know. That's what her past thought her. That people always leave.. That you can't get attached, because at the end...... They leave, and you were left with a broken heart.
“Do many people hold your attention, Charlie?”
I sat up straighter, wondering if this was a question she was asking because she knew I had been watching her for the past couple of weeks.
“Only one person seems to have snagged my attention.”
But Charlie won't back down. Nope. This guy was too invested, and he would do anything possible to make this woman his. When she push, he'll push back.... harder. When she'll run, he would chase after her... faster. She was wary at first, to spend time with him, and he would use any means possible, including the bet, for his advantage.
“I've been to war and back. I'm up for whatever Sophie throws my way. I think I can handle it.”
And here we have it. Our sneaky, little Cupid had finally found her match ;P
When Charlie was faced with a life-alerting decision that might hinder his blossoming love with Sophie, what would he choose? Because Sophie... Sophie has her own demons to battle, and Charlie decision might be the trigger that would unleash them into the light.
“I’m terrified,” he said.
“Of what?”
“Of what the next few minutes holds.”
There were SO MANY parts about this book that I LOVED. I won't go into details, because I believe you all should experience it for yourselves.
But I do wanna point out a few parts I adored in the book
-First meeting.
-The bet.
-Their first date..... All I'm gonna say is bee.
-First kiss.
-Ain't He Sweet.
-What leads to the second date... Love her parents ;P
-Second date.
-Elizabeth.
-He. Refused. To. Leave.
My god. This part made me an emotional wreck.
-The legend of the monarch butterfly.
-“Teach me how to draw you.”
-Their letters.
-Do you feel it?
-Their reunion.
-Her parent's bet.
-Levi & Maikel
-The Epilogue. Hands down - The best part in the book <3
“I need someone who will care about me if I don’t come back. I need someone to care about me, Sophie.” My eyes skirted over her head and up towards the moon. I closed my eyes and quietly said again, “I don’t have anyone and I need someone. I desperately need that someone to be you.”
She placed her hand on mine. “Why?” she asked softly.
I lowered my eyes to hers. “Because…I think you need me too.”
I must be honest. Usually, I don't really like books with flashbacks. And I believe that I'm not the only one. Back to Yesterday takes us on an intense journey with flashbacks through moments of "today" and "yesterday". And Pamela had found a way to make it work. She make it work so well.... I don't see any other way for this book to be written. It's perfect. Perfect for the story, and perfect for them. We get to learn how they met and fell in love. What happened to them yesterday and what brought them to today.
Together with Charlie, we discover how he is gonna do whatever it takes to get back home. To his love. To Sophie.
“I’m coming home, Sophie. Can you hear me? I’m coming home, baby. Don’t give up on me and I won’t give up on me either.”
Charlie.... (I call dibs on this men!!) ... He was something else. He was swoony. Courageous. Caring. Brave. Sensitive. Patient. He was a fighter in every sense of the word. Never backed down from something he wanted. And he was never, ever, afraid to say what was on his mind.
“I want to be the guy you run to when the world caves in around you. I want to be the guy who can put a smile on your face and kiss away all the bad stuff…the one who gets under your skin because I’m all you can think about. But mostly I just want to be the guy you call yours, because you’re that girl for me, Sophie McCormick.” His eyes held me in place, and he breathed out a heavy breath. “I want to be that guy.”
He held me tighter, and when he spoke again there was more hope, more pleading, more everything in his question. “Will you let me try?”
Book Trailer
Official Book Playlist
Unsteady-X Ambassadors
Dark- Breaking Benjamin
Smile- Nat King Cole
Ain't He Sweet- Annette Henshaw
On and On- The Sweeplings
She Used to Be Mine- Sara Bareilles
Strong- London Grammar
Love in the Dark- Adele
Chasing All the Stars- Fleurie
High Hopes- Kodaline
Come to This- Natalie Taylor
Til My Heart Stops- Too Far Moon
Journey(Ready to Fly)- Natasha Blume
Give Me a Sign- The Sweeplings
Shelter- Dash Berlin, Roxanne Emery
Oceans- Hillsong United
“I’m never letting go of you,” he said, stroking my hair. “Understand? I’m never letting you go. So don’t let go of me. Okay? You and I, we’re in this together.”
I closed my eyes and let his words soothe and heal my tortured heart. “I won’t let go,” I whispered. “I won’t let go.”
“ARC provided by the author in exchange for an honest review... Thank you Pamela!:)”
5 'Ain't He Sweet' stars !!
Have you ever heard about those books, you know... The books you couldn't put down, you actually thought you were a part of the story? The books you've felt so connected to the characters, you've felt like they were your best friends... Like you were right there with them? Have you ever heard about those books that people said, Ahh... This is what I call an Epic love story.
This book is one of them.
My Couple:
I feel like I went through a long journey until I finally got this book. I met Sophie in the future, when she was already an elderly grandmother in the enchanting Stolen Breaths series. She was a strong woman, a spitfire, a sneaky matchmaker, and the glue that connected everyone together. And no matter what she wanted - she always got it. I am completely certain that without her, our characters wouldn't find their happy endings.
Her past had always been vague. I was sure that her husband was something special, and I knew... I just knew that I needed her story like I needed my next breath. So imagine my pure happiness when Pamela told me she was writing one. You can bet I was super thrilled.
“You’re gonna love her story.”
Cooper didn’t say anything right away, but a smile began to ease itself across his face. It was a quiet smile, peaceful. He turned his head, looked straight ahead, and with his peaceful smile still in place, he said, “I can’t wait to read it.”
-Skin Deep (Stolen Breaths, #3)" by Pamela Sparkman.
And I did. God, how much I did. This book was pure magic. I went through so many emotions while reading. I laughed, I cried, I fell in love, I was moved, I was angry, I hurt for them, I loved again.... because the love between Sophie and Charlie was a love story you didn't witness every day. No matter how much time has passed, or the distance between them.... Their souls were connected.
“Her words had said… ‘you can kiss me’ and her kiss said… ‘don’t ever stop.’ I lost myself somewhere in between. There was no going back. I gave my heart to her in that kiss and she swallowed it down with a sigh. She owned it. Maybe she always had. I don’t know. All I knew was that wherever she was, my heart was also.”
Charlie is a pilot in the Air Corp. He was injured during his last mission, and was sent to recover in the town where Sophie lives.
“I found myself stopping by the café every day, staying longer and longer each time. I soon realized that it wasn’t the café that beckoned me at all. It was Sophie.”
Sigh. This guy was enamored from the first moment he saw her. As for their first meeting? It wasn't a normal one. Nope. Not with them. Charlie had been stalking her for a while... just... watching her. She fascinated him, and he was waiting for the right opportunity to approach her. Well... when he finally did, things not always go the way they should or expecting. ;)
Sophie comes with her own baggage. To the rest of the world, she looks happy and carefree. But deep down, she hides years of dealing with a past that haunted her.
“I bet I can make you fall in love with me.”
Sophie would never back down from a bet. And she never lost one. Never. So, she accepts Charlie's bet with the belief that she wouldn't lose. What she didn't know at the time was that this bet would change the course of their lives forever.
So then it start.
“Are you in love with me yet, Sophie?”
Sophie is not an easy woman. And she won't make it easy for Charlie either. She has walls, and she'll push. She'll push when things get real, because that's all she know. That's what her past thought her. That people always leave.. That you can't get attached, because at the end...... They leave, and you were left with a broken heart.
“Do many people hold your attention, Charlie?”
I sat up straighter, wondering if this was a question she was asking because she knew I had been watching her for the past couple of weeks.
“Only one person seems to have snagged my attention.”
But Charlie won't back down. Nope. This guy was too invested, and he would do anything possible to make this woman his. When she push, he'll push back.... harder. When she'll run, he would chase after her... faster. She was wary at first, to spend time with him, and he would use any means possible, including the bet, for his advantage.
“I've been to war and back. I'm up for whatever Sophie throws my way. I think I can handle it.”
And here we have it. Our sneaky, little Cupid had finally found her match ;P
When Charlie was faced with a life-alerting decision that might hinder his blossoming love with Sophie, what would he choose? Because Sophie... Sophie has her own demons to battle, and Charlie decision might be the trigger that would unleash them into the light.
“I’m terrified,” he said.
“Of what?”
“Of what the next few minutes holds.”
There were SO MANY parts about this book that I LOVED. I won't go into details, because I believe you all should experience it for yourselves.
But I do wanna point out a few parts I adored in the book
-First meeting.
-The bet.
-Their first date..... All I'm gonna say is bee.
-First kiss.
-Ain't He Sweet.
-What leads to the second date... Love her parents ;P
-Second date.
-Elizabeth.
-He. Refused. To. Leave.
My god. This part made me an emotional wreck.
-The legend of the monarch butterfly.
-“Teach me how to draw you.”
-Their letters.
-Do you feel it?
-Their reunion.
-Her parent's bet.
-Levi & Maikel
-The Epilogue. Hands down - The best part in the book <3
“I need someone who will care about me if I don’t come back. I need someone to care about me, Sophie.” My eyes skirted over her head and up towards the moon. I closed my eyes and quietly said again, “I don’t have anyone and I need someone. I desperately need that someone to be you.”
She placed her hand on mine. “Why?” she asked softly.
I lowered my eyes to hers. “Because…I think you need me too.”
I must be honest. Usually, I don't really like books with flashbacks. And I believe that I'm not the only one. Back to Yesterday takes us on an intense journey with flashbacks through moments of "today" and "yesterday". And Pamela had found a way to make it work. She make it work so well.... I don't see any other way for this book to be written. It's perfect. Perfect for the story, and perfect for them. We get to learn how they met and fell in love. What happened to them yesterday and what brought them to today.
Together with Charlie, we discover how he is gonna do whatever it takes to get back home. To his love. To Sophie.
“I’m coming home, Sophie. Can you hear me? I’m coming home, baby. Don’t give up on me and I won’t give up on me either.”
Charlie.... (I call dibs on this men!!) ... He was something else. He was swoony. Courageous. Caring. Brave. Sensitive. Patient. He was a fighter in every sense of the word. Never backed down from something he wanted. And he was never, ever, afraid to say what was on his mind.
“I want to be the guy you run to when the world caves in around you. I want to be the guy who can put a smile on your face and kiss away all the bad stuff…the one who gets under your skin because I’m all you can think about. But mostly I just want to be the guy you call yours, because you’re that girl for me, Sophie McCormick.” His eyes held me in place, and he breathed out a heavy breath. “I want to be that guy.”
He held me tighter, and when he spoke again there was more hope, more pleading, more everything in his question. “Will you let me try?”
Book Trailer
Official Book Playlist
Unsteady-X Ambassadors
Dark- Breaking Benjamin
Smile- Nat King Cole
Ain't He Sweet- Annette Henshaw
On and On- The Sweeplings
She Used to Be Mine- Sara Bareilles
Strong- London Grammar
Love in the Dark- Adele
Chasing All the Stars- Fleurie
High Hopes- Kodaline
Come to This- Natalie Taylor
Til My Heart Stops- Too Far Moon
Journey(Ready to Fly)- Natasha Blume
Give Me a Sign- The Sweeplings
Shelter- Dash Berlin, Roxanne Emery
Oceans- Hillsong United
“I’m never letting go of you,” he said, stroking my hair. “Understand? I’m never letting you go. So don’t let go of me. Okay? You and I, we’re in this together.”
I closed my eyes and let his words soothe and heal my tortured heart. “I won’t let go,” I whispered. “I won’t let go.”
“ARC provided by the author in exchange for an honest review... Thank you Pamela!:)”
May 2, 2016
5+ -
Life is a journey and some journeys take longer than others.
Stars!
Its LIVE!
Amazon US - http://www.amazon.com/Back-Yesterday-...
Amazon UK - http://www.amazon.co.uk/Back-Yesterda...
Five Star reviews for this book have been blowing up my GR feed for a couple of weeks now, and rightly so, Pamela Sparkman has put her heart and soul into the writing of Back to Yesterday and you can feel it with every page you read, and with every step further you go into Charlie and Sophie’s story.
I have been with this author on her writing journey since the beginning, I knew when I read Stolen Breaths back in 2014, that at some point in the future she would deliver a book that would exceed every expectation I have of her, and I have high expectations, and boy did she deliver. This is a love story that spans the decades, through war and peace and everything in-between.
"I can’t stay and you can’t follow."
Anyone who has read anything from this author before will know who Sophie McCormick is, she’s the secondary character that manages to steal the limelight (in a good way) in every previous book that Pam has written, the feisty old lady that everyone defers to, the matchmaker that everyone scoffs at, but then ends up falling, and hard, just as she planned. This is her story, this is Charlie’s story and it is unforgettable in its telling…
Starting in 1943, the author takes you back to America, during the war, you are given a snap-shot of what life was like for those working for the war effort, and for those waiting for someone to return from the war. Charlie is recuperating from an injury obtained whilst flying in Europe, and while recovering meets Sophie, but she is reluctant to get involved, and as their story progresses you understand why her abandonment issues are so prolific. But what starts as a bet develops into so much more of the intervening months.
Wherever she was, my heart was also.
The relationship between Charlie and Sophie grows at a steady pace, the author tells the story over several layers in that, his time in Europe, their time together before, and after are all interweaved, and it keeps you on the edge of your seat the whole way through. Although a romance, there are a few points when your pulse is pounding with nerves, and a few where your eyes are watering with tears, it’s just in essence the total package.
"I don’t know if I could do it justice."
I have given myself a couple of days to write this review, as I feel I owe it to the author to give her the best review I possibly can. She deserves it, Back to Yesterday is more than worth it. And although I don’t think I can every fully impart just how wonderful this book was for me as story, and the emotions I felt for Charlie and Sophie as they took their journey together, I hope that I have gotten across just how special I think it is. Pamela has given a story so, so worthy of this couple, Sophie deserved it, and the author absolutely, unequivocally delivered it, and in her own unique and unforgettable writing style.
"I won’t let go… I won’t let go."
ARC generously provided by the author, it was an honor and a privilege to be able to read and provide a review in exchange.
Its LIVE!
Amazon US - http://www.amazon.com/Back-Yesterday-...
Amazon UK - http://www.amazon.co.uk/Back-Yesterda...
Five Star reviews for this book have been blowing up my GR feed for a couple of weeks now, and rightly so, Pamela Sparkman has put her heart and soul into the writing of Back to Yesterday and you can feel it with every page you read, and with every step further you go into Charlie and Sophie’s story.
I have been with this author on her writing journey since the beginning, I knew when I read Stolen Breaths back in 2014, that at some point in the future she would deliver a book that would exceed every expectation I have of her, and I have high expectations, and boy did she deliver. This is a love story that spans the decades, through war and peace and everything in-between.
"I can’t stay and you can’t follow."
Anyone who has read anything from this author before will know who Sophie McCormick is, she’s the secondary character that manages to steal the limelight (in a good way) in every previous book that Pam has written, the feisty old lady that everyone defers to, the matchmaker that everyone scoffs at, but then ends up falling, and hard, just as she planned. This is her story, this is Charlie’s story and it is unforgettable in its telling…
Starting in 1943, the author takes you back to America, during the war, you are given a snap-shot of what life was like for those working for the war effort, and for those waiting for someone to return from the war. Charlie is recuperating from an injury obtained whilst flying in Europe, and while recovering meets Sophie, but she is reluctant to get involved, and as their story progresses you understand why her abandonment issues are so prolific. But what starts as a bet develops into so much more of the intervening months.
Wherever she was, my heart was also.
The relationship between Charlie and Sophie grows at a steady pace, the author tells the story over several layers in that, his time in Europe, their time together before, and after are all interweaved, and it keeps you on the edge of your seat the whole way through. Although a romance, there are a few points when your pulse is pounding with nerves, and a few where your eyes are watering with tears, it’s just in essence the total package.
"I don’t know if I could do it justice."
I have given myself a couple of days to write this review, as I feel I owe it to the author to give her the best review I possibly can. She deserves it, Back to Yesterday is more than worth it. And although I don’t think I can every fully impart just how wonderful this book was for me as story, and the emotions I felt for Charlie and Sophie as they took their journey together, I hope that I have gotten across just how special I think it is. Pamela has given a story so, so worthy of this couple, Sophie deserved it, and the author absolutely, unequivocally delivered it, and in her own unique and unforgettable writing style.
"I won’t let go… I won’t let go."
ARC generously provided by the author, it was an honor and a privilege to be able to read and provide a review in exchange.
May 6, 2016
My goodness, that was beautiful. I have to admit I feel rather silly as to why it's taken me so long to pick up a book by Pamela Sparkman. I've seen fantastic reviews for her Stolen Breaths series, but it was the synopsis to Back to Yesterday which instantly ignited my interest.
Set in 1943 during World War II, it was unique to anything I've read previously. After reading I can say it was not only a unique experience, but an incredibly special one too.
Back to Yesterday is the true essence of a love story. It's beautifully written and captures the wonderful and fragile moments that come with falling in love. I basked in the imagery Pamela created and fell in love with not only the story, but the characters too.
June 2, 2016
4.5 stars
This book made me sad, made me happy.
I cried, I smiled :3 arrhh so many feels <3
The heroine was always on H's mind, ALWAYS!
Who does not dream to have a lover like that :3 <3?
He was really sweet and his feelings were so genuine for h :)
This is REALLY the kind of story where you get a bit envious because the story belongs to someone else & not you.
A love that never ends and continues beyond death.
This book made me sad, made me happy.
I cried, I smiled :3 arrhh so many feels <3
The heroine was always on H's mind, ALWAYS!
Who does not dream to have a lover like that :3 <3?
He was really sweet and his feelings were so genuine for h :)
This is REALLY the kind of story where you get a bit envious because the story belongs to someone else & not you.
A love that never ends and continues beyond death.
November 26, 2018
5 UNFORGETTABLE STARS
‘Everyone loves a good love story. The stories that make you feel warm all over. The kind that leaves you the slightest bit envious because the story belongs to someone else and not you. The stories that make your heart race and on the edge of pain and pleasure. Pain because your heart hurts and pleasure because your heart hurts.’
This book. THIS BOOK! There is absolutely NO DOUBTEpic! The writing is spectacular in its honesty, realism, gentleness and effectiveness. The romance element is the kind of love we live for and swoon over. There is nothing, nothing at all that we can say which will do this second world war romance any justice. This story is truly stunning and has such innocence and depth depicting a time of yesteryears. A love story which will stay in our hearts for its timeless beauty and wonderful characters. Every romance reader should pick up this book; let it steal your heart like it did ours.
‘When I wasn’t looking, she somehow crawled inside my chest and made her home in my soul. It was the only explanation for how and why I felt so – full – so complete.’
Pamela Sparkman has written a book which has had such an impact on our hearts. It reminded us again why we are romance readers, first and foremost. Switching from ‘yesterday’ to ‘today’ we followed Charlie and Sophie’s romance from the sweet beginnings and through the years as they lived, grew and came to terms with what life placed in their way. It was wonderful, it was sweet, it was heart breaking and it was all encompassing. What a true love story!
“I’m going to make you fall in love with me, Sophie.”
We went through so much with Sophie and Charlie; some of which was experienced through the innocence of ‘heart on sleeve’ love letters and dual POV. What is it about love letters though? They have such a tremendous impact on our hearts. We haven’t sobbed and cried in a book like we did here in quite a while from feeling so much. Seeing and ultimately experiencing their love had a long lasting effect and we felt absolutely everything they went through and oh did we feel the love. A timeless, classic love with such depth, fighting personal battles as well as those forced upon them. This book will make you FEEL.
“I want to be the guy you run to when the world caves in around you. I want to be the guy who can put a smile on your face and kiss away all the bad stuff…the one who gets under your skin because I’m all you can think about. But mostly I just want to be the guy you call yours, because you’re that girl for me…”
We begin their story in 1943 when we meet Charlie who is a highly trained and experienced pilot during WWII. Whilst back in the US recovering from a war injury he sets eyes on the sassy and beautiful Sophie. Charlie is mesmerized and knows he has to be with this girl. And so begins a wooing chase that had our emotions all over the place, one which made us giggle and swoon until the depth of this love had us welling up and praying for its survival during harder times.
“I am fighting for her. I’ve been fighting for her.” I bowed my head, feeling the gaping hole inside my chest where my heart used to be, and in a whisper said, “It’s her turn to fight for me.”
Back to Yesterday is a story of love and war. A story of fighting for yourself and for others, a story of faith, strength and sacrifice. Of grief and survival. It’s a story that is important. It’s a story that reaffirms why we love reading pure romance, a romance that feels extraordinary in its simplicity. A story that just is without frivolous additions. It’s a story that begins with a bet and ends up with a romance of a lifetime. It’s a story that we know every single romance reader will revel in and devour only to never forget. Surrender your hearts to the purity of romance by picking up Back to Yesterday by Pamela Sparkman.
“The sky is deceptive, mysterious, and moody. It is a master of disguise. It can be beautiful one minute and deadly the next. It can set you free or trap you in invisible barriers. The strands of wispy clouds can either hug you or suffocate you. It can be violent and unforgiving today and tomorrow it can whisper hope with its soft rays of light.”
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December 31, 2016Amazon US ---> http://amzn.to/2a8FM46
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The wooden radio played in the background and when Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy by the Andrew Sisters came on, she reached over and turned up the volume.
“Dance with me, Sophie.”
I hadn’t danced since Charlie had taken me, and at first, I hesitated.
“Come on,” Elizabeth insisted. “You can have a little fun once in a while. Charlie would want you to.”
She took my hand, leading me from behind the counter. Together, she and I sashayed around the café with smiles on our faces. It was our version of escapism. Henry even came out from the kitchen to watch until he too decided to join in.
We were laughing and carrying on, allowing ourselves to be in the moment. It was the most fun I’d had since Charlie had left, and I felt like an ordinary girl doing ordinary things.
For fifteen glorious minutes.
And then the bell above the door chimed. A man wearing an Army Air Corp uniform stood before us, which wasn’t unusual. We had an army base in town, after all.
“Hi,” I greeted, while Elizabeth and I smoothed down our hair, embarrassed we had gotten caught being silly. “Sorry,” I said, “We didn’t expect any more customers. Would you like a cup of coffee?”
The man smiled at my greeting, yet it was solemn. That’s when I noticed his austere posture. When he took two steps towards me, his smile slipped like loose pebbles on the edge of a jagged cliff. The glint of silver wings over his breast pocket caught my eye, and for a whole minute, it was the only thing I would allow myself to focus on. Henry turned off the radio, and no one else moved or said a word. Until that moment, I never knew silence could take up so much space. It moved in and settled around us like a misty fog.
Graphic by ChristieSHBBblogger
September 21, 2018
The author Pamela Sparkman says after the ending of Back To Yesterday - “Every sentence, every paragraph was meant to leave a mark on the heart of the reader”.
She sure as hell did with this phenomenal book. I’m at a loss for words and also wiping my eyes as I writes this. Back To Yesterday is an incredible and beautiful love story. Omg is it beautiful! It’s emotional overload. Charlie and Sophie captured my heart immediately. I fell so in love with both of them and them as a couple. How Charlie courted the guarded Sophie was heartwarming and swoon worthy. Their love story is truly one I will remember cause damn the emotions it evoked within me. Back To Yesterday packed a punch. Every character had a purpose to the story and every scene was memorable. I was so invested in Charlie and Sophie’s journey and their love. The story was cleverly and flawlessly constructed. I enjoyed both perspectives - the yesterday and the today. I don’t know what else to say. Still in awe and kind of speechless. I’m so glad I finally read this treasure of a book. Pamela Sparkman broke me numerous times. Left me a sobbing mess. It’s crazy how one can love these fictional characters so much but that’s just the magic of words and this author nails it to perfection. Thank you thank you Pamela Sparkman! I’m grateful I found you.
5+ I’m Home Stars
She sure as hell did with this phenomenal book. I’m at a loss for words and also wiping my eyes as I writes this. Back To Yesterday is an incredible and beautiful love story. Omg is it beautiful! It’s emotional overload. Charlie and Sophie captured my heart immediately. I fell so in love with both of them and them as a couple. How Charlie courted the guarded Sophie was heartwarming and swoon worthy. Their love story is truly one I will remember cause damn the emotions it evoked within me. Back To Yesterday packed a punch. Every character had a purpose to the story and every scene was memorable. I was so invested in Charlie and Sophie’s journey and their love. The story was cleverly and flawlessly constructed. I enjoyed both perspectives - the yesterday and the today. I don’t know what else to say. Still in awe and kind of speechless. I’m so glad I finally read this treasure of a book. Pamela Sparkman broke me numerous times. Left me a sobbing mess. It’s crazy how one can love these fictional characters so much but that’s just the magic of words and this author nails it to perfection. Thank you thank you Pamela Sparkman! I’m grateful I found you.
5+ I’m Home Stars
June 24, 2024
4 stars
This was an emotional and beautiful romance. I loved Charlie and Sophie and their letters. It was sweet and romantic. I was nervous about the ending, but happy with how it turned out. I almost wish I would have read this one, I struggled with the audiobook. The narrator did fine with Charlie’s chapters, but Sophie’s were not great…
This was an emotional and beautiful romance. I loved Charlie and Sophie and their letters. It was sweet and romantic. I was nervous about the ending, but happy with how it turned out. I almost wish I would have read this one, I struggled with the audiobook. The narrator did fine with Charlie’s chapters, but Sophie’s were not great…
Audio book source: Audible
Story Rating: 4 stars
Narrators: Chadrick McNeal
Narration Rating: 3 stars
Genre: Historical Romance
Length: 5h 40m
December 16, 2016
This isn't a review, but WOW I don't even have words to describe what I'm feeling after reading this book. I don't know if it's because I'm overly emotional right now or I just watched A Dog named Christmas. But this is me right now.
This book may not appeal to everyone, but the author's writing style and a lot of the story's emotional punches did me in. Man oh man I can't wait to read her other books. Bravo Pamela Sparkman, you are now one of my favorite authors.
This book may not appeal to everyone, but the author's writing style and a lot of the story's emotional punches did me in. Man oh man I can't wait to read her other books. Bravo Pamela Sparkman, you are now one of my favorite authors.
May 12, 2016
FULL REVIEW POSTED on May 12, 2016:
Through Pamela Sparkman’s latest release, I’m sure that she has vividly and splendidly sent many readers BACK TO YESTERDAY, to the times we’ve heard our parents reminisce through the music of Frank Sinatra, Bing Crosby and the big band sounds to the letters between sweethearts fearing they’ll never see one another again to a dad’s heartbreaking story of saying good-bye to a fallen lifetime friend on the Beach of Normandy. I grew up with these very memories and was still listening to my dad’s stories when he reached ninety.
Sparkman’s narrative captured my heart from the moment it took flight. Readers will be swept into an outstanding journey back into the World War II era with a beautiful romance between the charming Ms. Sophie and her oh so lovable pilot, Charlie! I can promise that their story will steal your heart in every conceivable way possible. And this author has without a doubt put her heart and soul into making this one an extraordinarily special and meaningful tribute to the men and women who were a vital part of the Greatest Generation.
The brilliant Epilogue literally sets the meaning of happily ever after in stone, and leaves readers breathlessly satisfied and filled with joy. This is an incredible journey of life and love. I recommend this book without reservation. It was simply extraordinary.
--------------------
FULL REVIEW POSTED SOON
(Because sometimes Real Life butts its ugly head into my well-organized schedule and makes things all crazy!)
But now I just want to yell and scream and shout my praises for this book and its author that I love and adore. I am so lucky and thrilled to have been a beta reader for her on her last three books. Her latest release captured my heart from the moment it took flight. It is an outstanding journey back into the World War II era with a beautiful romance between the charming Ms. Sophie and her oh so lovable pilot, Charlie! I can promise that their story will steal your heart in every conceivable way possible. And Pamela Sparkman has put her heart and soul into making this one an extraordinarily special and meaningful tribute to the men and women who were a vital part of the Greatest Generation.
Through Pamela Sparkman’s latest release, I’m sure that she has vividly and splendidly sent many readers BACK TO YESTERDAY, to the times we’ve heard our parents reminisce through the music of Frank Sinatra, Bing Crosby and the big band sounds to the letters between sweethearts fearing they’ll never see one another again to a dad’s heartbreaking story of saying good-bye to a fallen lifetime friend on the Beach of Normandy. I grew up with these very memories and was still listening to my dad’s stories when he reached ninety.
Sparkman’s narrative captured my heart from the moment it took flight. Readers will be swept into an outstanding journey back into the World War II era with a beautiful romance between the charming Ms. Sophie and her oh so lovable pilot, Charlie! I can promise that their story will steal your heart in every conceivable way possible. And this author has without a doubt put her heart and soul into making this one an extraordinarily special and meaningful tribute to the men and women who were a vital part of the Greatest Generation.
The brilliant Epilogue literally sets the meaning of happily ever after in stone, and leaves readers breathlessly satisfied and filled with joy. This is an incredible journey of life and love. I recommend this book without reservation. It was simply extraordinary.
--------------------
FULL REVIEW POSTED SOON
(Because sometimes Real Life butts its ugly head into my well-organized schedule and makes things all crazy!)
But now I just want to yell and scream and shout my praises for this book and its author that I love and adore. I am so lucky and thrilled to have been a beta reader for her on her last three books. Her latest release captured my heart from the moment it took flight. It is an outstanding journey back into the World War II era with a beautiful romance between the charming Ms. Sophie and her oh so lovable pilot, Charlie! I can promise that their story will steal your heart in every conceivable way possible. And Pamela Sparkman has put her heart and soul into making this one an extraordinarily special and meaningful tribute to the men and women who were a vital part of the Greatest Generation.
June 16, 2017
***** 5+ 'Winning Record' Stars *****
"You took my hand and showed me the way to love. You were my compass when I had no direction and no idea which way to go. You led. And I followed."
On the outside, Sophie looks like she's carefree and happy. But if you really look closely, you can see all her cracks and insecurities. The wall around her heart is there to protect her from lies and broken promises. But when an injured pilot from the US Army Air Corp enters her life, everything changes.
Time stops for Charlie when he sees Sophie working at a cafe. He's honest, patient and kind. As the story switches from the past to present, you'll fall in love with him. The things he do to make her trust him is heartwarming and even breathtaking at times.
Back to Yesterday is a story that will make your heart and soul cry. It's a beautiful story about true love. I strongly recommend this book for anyone looking for some good tears. Pamela Sparkman did a brilliant job!
"You took my hand and showed me the way to love. You were my compass when I had no direction and no idea which way to go. You led. And I followed."
On the outside, Sophie looks like she's carefree and happy. But if you really look closely, you can see all her cracks and insecurities. The wall around her heart is there to protect her from lies and broken promises. But when an injured pilot from the US Army Air Corp enters her life, everything changes.
Time stops for Charlie when he sees Sophie working at a cafe. He's honest, patient and kind. As the story switches from the past to present, you'll fall in love with him. The things he do to make her trust him is heartwarming and even breathtaking at times.
Back to Yesterday is a story that will make your heart and soul cry. It's a beautiful story about true love. I strongly recommend this book for anyone looking for some good tears. Pamela Sparkman did a brilliant job!
May 10, 2016
Title: Back to Yesterday
Series: Standalone (Spinoff of the Stolen Breaths series)
Author: Pamela Sparkman
Release date: May 2, 2016
Cliffhanger: No
I've been following this author since her first book Stolen Breaths. This is the first time where I've been lucky enough to beta read for her, and what an experience it was! To see this story grow from a vague idea to its polished, finished form was an eye-opening experience. I know first hand how important the author worked to breathe life into Charlie and Sophie.
The emotions she was able to wring out of me swung from anxiousness, elation, tension, to grief-stricken. Having met Sophie as Cooper's matchmaker grandmother in the Stolen Breaths series, I was excited to get Miss Sophie's history. Because you can't fully know the present until you understand the past. This is the story of what molded a family. And the struggles of a war torn couple that are more than most can comprehend. Sacrifices had to be made and lives were ravaged, all for the sake of freedom.
Sophie is a young woman who guards her heart closely. She's someone who's comfortable in her own skin, speaks her own mind, and holds the wounds of the past as a shield against false promises. But war is a time where there are no promises. No guarantees of a happy ending when putting yourself in enemy lines.
“I need someone who will care about me if I don’t come back. I need someone to care about me, Sophie.” My eyes skirted over her head and up towards the moon. I closed my eyes and quietly said again, “I don’t have anyone and I need someone. I desperately need that someone to be you.”
Charlie is an Army pilot on leave while his leg heals from an injury. From the first moment they collide, he starts to charm his way into her life. Not deterred by her resistance, he pursues her with an old-fashioned sweetness that sweeps you back to the 1940's. It's a time when Big Band music, swing dancing, classic American diners, and white picket fences were all the eye could see.
Pamela knows how to write the quintessential beta hero and Charlie is her best in my humble opinion. Her heroes are ones that cherish, worship, and treat their women to a kind of classic romance that has fallen away from the genre.
“I kissed him the way he kissed me and met each touch, each caress, with the same patience, the same reverence as he administered. He made me forget who I was and reminded me of the person I wanted to be.”
I've said it before, but it's such a refreshing thing to read, it's like cleansing your palate after reading so many dominating and abrasive heroes.
She slips Charlie and Sophie effortlessly into our hearts and minds through flashbacks in dual POV. We get pieces of "today" and moments of "yesterday" that come together in a way that she slowly allows us to see what the final fate of Charlie is to be. She really examines the desperation of the time, and how loved ones had to learn to survive their own emotional battles at home. The uncertainty of it all, the feeling that life was hanging on a thread, you feel all of it right along with Sophie.
This was a beautiful love story. A story of survival, faith, and trusting that love will triumph through the darkness. Though it has plenty of angst and sorrow, there are enough moments of laughter and hope to balance the scales. To be honest, historical romance is not one I read very often, this era in particular. But I never felt like I was outside my comfort zone, this story just feels natural and necessary. For me, it was the perfect conclusion to this wonderful family, I'm more than a little sad to see them go.
Back to Yesterday will sweep you in to another time. Simpler in some ways, but filled with complexities in others. I can't recommend this enough if you're looking for something a little different than what's out there. Just arm yourself with tissues, you're going to need them.
Book Trailer
Official Playlist
Unsteady-X Ambassadors
Dark- Breaking Benjamin
Smile- Nat King Cole
Ain't He Sweet- Annette Henshaw
On and On- The Sweeplings
She Used to Be Mine- Sara Bareilles
Strong- London Grammar
Love in the Dark- Adele
Chasing All the Stars- Fleurie
High Hopes- Kodaline
Come to This- Natalie Taylor
Til My Heart Stops- Too Far Moon
Journey(Ready to Fly)- Natasha Blume
Give Me a Sign- The Sweeplings
Shelter- Dash Berlin, Roxanne Emery
Oceans- Hillsong United
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November 7, 2018
Sinopsis:
Todo el mundo ama una buena historia de amor. Las historias que te hacen sentir calidez en todas partes. Del tipo que te deja ligeramente celoso porque la historia le pertenece a alguien más y no a ti. Las historias que hacen que tu corazón se acelere y esté al borde del dolor y el placer. Dolor porque el corazón te duele y placer porque te duele el corazón. Una combinación poco probable, aun así, de esas cosas está hecho el buen amor.
El nuestro pudo ser así. Podríamos haber tenido una hermosa historia de amor. Pero cuando él estuvo listo para esa épica historia de amor, yo tuve miedo de enamorarme, demasiado dolida por mi pasado para confiar en alguien. Luego, cuando yo estuve lista para la épica historia de amor, él se fue.
Y estuve sola.
Y lo único que obtuve fue dolor.
Era momento de decirle las cosas que estaban en mi corazón, pero que tenía tanto miedo de decir en voz alta.
Escribí la carta que necesitaba escribir y recé para que no fuera muy tarde.
Querido Charlie,
Tenías razón. Yo estaba equivocada. Nunca he estado más equivocada en mi vida. Listo; lo dije.
Lo diré un millón de veces si tan solo vuelves a mí. Regresa a mí. ¡Por favor! Estaba muy equivocada. Sí te amo.
Sophie.
**********************
Awww me encantó este libro... fue muy romántico....!! Una buena historia de amor de las viejas...
Narra la historia de amor entre Sophie y Charlie... y todo lo que tienen que atravesar siendo él un piloto de guerra en plena 2da guerra mundial!!
Me encantó Charlie.... estuvo divino tratando de conquistar a Sophie... jajaja esta fue una de las partes que me hizo reir...
Las cartas de Charlie fueron hermosas:
Pero ya en los últimos capítulos me pareció agridulce... ojo el final era el que tenía que ser... pero todo lo que pasó antes de eso me dio mucha tristeza!!
Pero léanlo es muy lindo!
Todo el mundo ama una buena historia de amor. Las historias que te hacen sentir calidez en todas partes. Del tipo que te deja ligeramente celoso porque la historia le pertenece a alguien más y no a ti. Las historias que hacen que tu corazón se acelere y esté al borde del dolor y el placer. Dolor porque el corazón te duele y placer porque te duele el corazón. Una combinación poco probable, aun así, de esas cosas está hecho el buen amor.
El nuestro pudo ser así. Podríamos haber tenido una hermosa historia de amor. Pero cuando él estuvo listo para esa épica historia de amor, yo tuve miedo de enamorarme, demasiado dolida por mi pasado para confiar en alguien. Luego, cuando yo estuve lista para la épica historia de amor, él se fue.
Y estuve sola.
Y lo único que obtuve fue dolor.
Era momento de decirle las cosas que estaban en mi corazón, pero que tenía tanto miedo de decir en voz alta.
Escribí la carta que necesitaba escribir y recé para que no fuera muy tarde.
Querido Charlie,
Tenías razón. Yo estaba equivocada. Nunca he estado más equivocada en mi vida. Listo; lo dije.
Lo diré un millón de veces si tan solo vuelves a mí. Regresa a mí. ¡Por favor! Estaba muy equivocada. Sí te amo.
Sophie.
**********************
Awww me encantó este libro... fue muy romántico....!! Una buena historia de amor de las viejas...
Narra la historia de amor entre Sophie y Charlie... y todo lo que tienen que atravesar siendo él un piloto de guerra en plena 2da guerra mundial!!
Me encantó Charlie.... estuvo divino tratando de conquistar a Sophie... jajaja esta fue una de las partes que me hizo reir...
—Primero debes establecer un día y una hora.
—Tienes razón. Déjame empezar de nuevo. Sophie, saldrías conmigo hoy y podemos vernos en este punto exacto a las… —miré el reloj de la pared—… ¿tres y cuarenta y cinco?
Resopló exasperada.
—No puedes hablar en serio.
—Siempre soy serio.
—Creo que deberías salir con él, querida —intervino su madre desde un cuarto arriba.
Sintiéndome más que complacido dije:
—Estoy acuerdo con tu madre.
—Claro que sí. Está de tu lado. ¡Le trajiste flores!
—Bueno a mí no me trajo flores —intervino su padre, limpiando las mugas—. Y creo que deberías salir con él.
Las cartas de Charlie fueron hermosas:
Querida Sophie,
El primer día en que nos conocimos, fui a casa y te escribí una carta. Había muchas cosas nadando en mi cabeza que tenía que ponerlas en papel. No quería olvidar nada. La puse en un cajón, y mientras el tiempo pasaba escribí más y más.
Juzgando por el puñado de cartas, sentía y pensaba un montón.
Incluso tuve que conseguir un cajón más grande.
Al comienzo, las cartas eran solo para mí, una manera catártica de expresar el revoloteo en mi alma cuando sea que estaba alrededor de ti.
Ahora, quiero que sepas lo mucho que mi corazón piensa de ti.
Este soy yo, Sophie McCormick, completamente abierto, desnudo, hasta los huesos. Tienes mis pensamientos. Tienes mi corazón. Tienes mi alma.
Me tuviste desde el comienzo.
Y seré tuyo hasta el final.
Charlie.
Pero ya en los últimos capítulos me pareció agridulce... ojo el final era el que tenía que ser... pero todo lo que pasó antes de eso me dio mucha tristeza!!
Pero léanlo es muy lindo!
October 20, 2020
I know it's a bitch move on my part to give such a BEAUTIFUL epic love story 3* but oh well.
I could not help it, I was smitten with the first half of the book. Two young people meet and fall gradually and irrevocably in their first and last and never-ending love with each other in the time of war.
Gosh, this hero😭 I've never quite read about a hero like him. This boy knows how to love beautifully and make you all jealous of his other half...
While reading I felt like a loonatic who couldn't stop her goofy smile from showing and creeping out unsuspecting people all around.
Having said that, I must admit that for me something was missing here😔. Probably the only thing that is really missing is my heart... cause the hero has stolen it (trust me to make such a cheesy line lol)
Probably I just couldn't connect to the heroine... or the story was too focused on romance... or it was too sweet for my freaky self. I honestly dunno.
Anyway, Charlie made me feel butterflies in my stomach. So many butterflies.
P. S. I almost never do this, but I actually recommend this book to anyone
(especially romantic souls like myself) because the story is truly precious and the hero... I think I'm in love😭
But Charlie... dear... where do I find someone like you? 🥺
I could not help it, I was smitten with the first half of the book. Two young people meet and fall gradually and irrevocably in their first and last and never-ending love with each other in the time of war.
Gosh, this hero😭 I've never quite read about a hero like him. This boy knows how to love beautifully and make you all jealous of his other half...
While reading I felt like a loonatic who couldn't stop her goofy smile from showing and creeping out unsuspecting people all around.
Having said that, I must admit that for me something was missing here😔. Probably the only thing that is really missing is my heart... cause the hero has stolen it (trust me to make such a cheesy line lol)
Probably I just couldn't connect to the heroine... or the story was too focused on romance... or it was too sweet for my freaky self. I honestly dunno.
Anyway, Charlie made me feel butterflies in my stomach. So many butterflies.
P. S. I almost never do this, but I actually recommend this book to anyone
(especially romantic souls like myself) because the story is truly precious and the hero... I think I'm in love😭
But Charlie... dear... where do I find someone like you? 🥺
August 28, 2018
I liked this book so much, I loved both characters. I felt for the female mc, her fears were valid, the way the hero loved her and was patient with her made me love him, we need more of this guy in our world, fictional and real.
February 19, 2017
This book is a GEM! This story is so lovely and beautiful, I want everyone to stop what they are doing and read it! My heart is completely full, Sophie and Charlie have burrowed themselves into the very marrow of my being. As soon as the tears cleared enough I was on my computer ordering myself a paperback copy of Back To Yesterday because I needed to own it, like it owned me.
"I wanted to explain, to tell her that, since meeting her, my heart was in jeopardy of ruin, and she could be the one to ruin me. I wanted to tell her that when she plowed into me that day in the diner that she had leveled me in more ways than one. I wanted to tell her all of that, yet I couldn't tell her any of it. I needed more time to ease her into it."
Back to Yesterday is one of the most captivating love stories I have had the pleasure reading. Like Sophie did to Charlie, this book did to me- it plowed into and completely leveled me. Their love story is one for the ages. I didn't want to let this book go, I didn't want to say good-bye to Sopie and Charlie. Goodness, I'm tearing up again just thinking about them! This book took me on such a journey- I felt like I was living everything Charlie and Sophie went through.
I don't know how some books can be so simple and pure, yet so incredibly profound in their simplicity. Pamela Sparkman honestly weaved magic when she wrote this story. Back to Yesterday is breathtaking and utterly stunning, it's truly remarkable.
"I'm ever letting go of you," he said, stroking my hair. "Understand? I'm never letting you go. So don't let go of me. Okay? You and I, we're in this together."
Oh don't you worry Charlie, I'm never letting you and Sophie go.
***Reviewed for The Book Enthusiast.
"I wanted to explain, to tell her that, since meeting her, my heart was in jeopardy of ruin, and she could be the one to ruin me. I wanted to tell her that when she plowed into me that day in the diner that she had leveled me in more ways than one. I wanted to tell her all of that, yet I couldn't tell her any of it. I needed more time to ease her into it."
Back to Yesterday is one of the most captivating love stories I have had the pleasure reading. Like Sophie did to Charlie, this book did to me- it plowed into and completely leveled me. Their love story is one for the ages. I didn't want to let this book go, I didn't want to say good-bye to Sopie and Charlie. Goodness, I'm tearing up again just thinking about them! This book took me on such a journey- I felt like I was living everything Charlie and Sophie went through.
I don't know how some books can be so simple and pure, yet so incredibly profound in their simplicity. Pamela Sparkman honestly weaved magic when she wrote this story. Back to Yesterday is breathtaking and utterly stunning, it's truly remarkable.
"I'm ever letting go of you," he said, stroking my hair. "Understand? I'm never letting you go. So don't let go of me. Okay? You and I, we're in this together."
Oh don't you worry Charlie, I'm never letting you and Sophie go.
***Reviewed for The Book Enthusiast.
June 3, 2016
First, I must say that this was such a different book from what I usually read, but it was a beautiful story. It's set in the 1940's, during World War II, so that in itself made it unique for me.
Sophie doesn't have much trust in men, besides her ‘Dad’, so when Charlie befriends her, she's skeptical, and I have to say that I also would have been.
Charlie knew when he saw Sophie that she was it for him, but with her skepticism, he knows he has to work extra hard to win her over. He decides to get Sophie to be his friend first, so she can trust him.
There is a lot of meat in this beautiful story, which had me smiling and crying at the same time. It had me hoping and believing that the love they shared would bring Charlie back to Sophie. Back to Yesterday honestly had me on pins and needles waiting to see what would happen...
Oh, and that ending…that ending just left me speechless and smiling like a fool. Truly, this was a beautiful, unique love story that shows how love can last for an eternity! ~ Kara, 5 Amazing stars
Sophie doesn't have much trust in men, besides her ‘Dad’, so when Charlie befriends her, she's skeptical, and I have to say that I also would have been.
Charlie knew when he saw Sophie that she was it for him, but with her skepticism, he knows he has to work extra hard to win her over. He decides to get Sophie to be his friend first, so she can trust him.
There is a lot of meat in this beautiful story, which had me smiling and crying at the same time. It had me hoping and believing that the love they shared would bring Charlie back to Sophie. Back to Yesterday honestly had me on pins and needles waiting to see what would happen...
Oh, and that ending…that ending just left me speechless and smiling like a fool. Truly, this was a beautiful, unique love story that shows how love can last for an eternity! ~ Kara, 5 Amazing stars
November 25, 2018
‘Everyone loves a good love story. The stories that make you feel warm all over. The kind that leaves you the slightest bit envious because the story belongs to someone else and not you. The stories that make your heart race and on the edge of pain and pleasure. Pain because your heart hurts and pleasure because your heart hurts.’
This book. THIS BOOK! There is absolutely NO DOUBTEpic! The writing is spectacular in its honesty, realism, gentleness and effectiveness. The romance element is the kind of love we live for and swoon over. There is nothing, nothing at all that we can say which will do this second world war romance any justice. This story is truly stunning and has such innocence and depth depicting a time of yesteryears. A love story which will stay in our hearts for its timeless beauty and wonderful characters. Every romance reader should pick up this book; let it steal your heart like it did ours.
‘When I wasn’t looking, she somehow crawled inside my chest and made her home in my soul. It was the only explanation for how and why I felt so – full – so complete.’
Pamela Sparkman has written a book which has had such an impact on our hearts. It reminded us again why we are romance readers, first and foremost. Switching from ‘yesterday’ to ‘today’ we followed Charlie and Sophie’s romance from the sweet beginnings and through the years as they lived, grew and came to terms with what life placed in their way. It was wonderful, it was sweet, it was heart breaking and it was all encompassing. What a true love story!
“I’m going to make you fall in love with me, Sophie.”
We went through so much with Sophie and Charlie; some of which was experienced through the innocence of ‘heart on sleeve’ love letters and dual POV. What is it about love letters though? They have such a tremendous impact on our hearts. We haven’t sobbed and cried in a book like we did here in quite a while from feeling so much. Seeing and ultimately experiencing their love had a long lasting effect and we felt absolutely everything they went through and oh did we feel the love. A timeless, classic love with such depth, fighting personal battles as well as those forced upon them. This book will make you FEEL.
“I want to be the guy you run to when the world caves in around you. I want to be the guy who can put a smile on your face and kiss away all the bad stuff…the one who gets under your skin because I’m all you can think about. But mostly I just want to be the guy you call yours, because you’re that girl for me…”
We begin their story in 1943 when we meet Charlie who is a highly trained and experienced pilot during WWII. Whilst back in the US recovering from a war injury he sets eyes on the sassy and beautiful Sophie. Charlie is mesmerized and knows he has to be with this girl. And so begins a wooing chase that had our emotions all over the place, one which made us giggle and swoon until the depth of this love had us welling up and praying for its survival during harder times.
“I am fighting for her. I’ve been fighting for her.” I bowed my head, feeling the gaping hole inside my chest where my heart used to be, and in a whisper said, “It’s her turn to fight for me.”
Back to Yesterday is a story of love and war. A story of fighting for yourself and for others, a story of faith, strength and sacrifice. Of grief and survival. It’s a story that is important. It’s a story that reaffirms why we love reading pure romance, a romance that feels extraordinary in its simplicity. A story that just is without frivolous additions. It’s a story that begins with a bet and ends up with a romance of a lifetime. It’s a story that we know every single romance reader will revel in and devour only to never forget. Surrender your hearts to the purity of romance by picking up Back to Yesterday by Pamela Sparkman.
“The sky is deceptive, mysterious, and moody. It is a master of disguise. It can be beautiful one minute and deadly the next. It can set you free or trap you in invisible barriers. The strands of wispy clouds can either hug you or suffocate you. It can be violent and unforgiving today and tomorrow it can whisper hope with its soft rays of light.”
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November 10, 2018
Way too corny!
Termine empalagada, me aburrió.
Termine empalagada, me aburrió.
June 15, 2016
Review to come. Getting my emotions back in order.
June 9, 2016
You know how you get some books and they look like they could be set in contemporary and now times and the story itself could easily into today's world but it happens to be set in what I consider the historical period - Back to Yesterday was one of those stories. I assumed that it was a modern day love story that wouldn't have a happy ending as you read the first chapter and then the next one has you realising that this book is in fact set in the 1940's with World War Two around the time of the Nazi's and that this is in fact a War Love Story. It also has you wondering then when you discover that is set around the war, whether or not it will be a happy ending or one of those "love stories" that could have been amazing but because of the war it tore it apart forever and shall remain shelved in the "What if" mysteries basket of love and romance. I have to personally admit that I am not normally one for historicals or books set in this time period as I often find them a bit hard going in the writing style and dry and heavy but I enjoyed Back to Yesterday and I think it was the strong relationship between Sophie and Charles and that no matter what obstacle was thrown in their paths, their love for one another stayed strong and it is one of those classic Gone with the Wind/ Pearl Harbour type love stories where from Day #1 you are rooting for the characters to survive through their days and overcome the rough patches as you know they are meant to be . Also I am a sucker for romantic stories and strong love and have to admit in parts of this book, my eyes were tearing up a tad.
If you love Romance, War Stories and True Love /Second Chances and Perserverance - then grab your e-reader and use your mind to think "Back to Yesterday" as a book to read and/or add to your reading lists as you will not be disappointed.
April 24, 2016
5 plus beautiful epic stars! !! Oh wow I loved this so much. What an amazing, beautiful, sweet, heartfelt , pure love story! I just can't express enough all the emotions this read had me feeling and still feeling. From loving to anxiousness , happy, grief stricken to just feeling damn right great! Pamela takes you through Charlie and Sophie's journey from beginning to end and it was just perfect. I finished reading this with so many tears happy and sad but with an extremely elated heart! Wonderful Phenomenal job Pamela! Superb writing! I absolutely love Charlie. What a perfect man! Sophie was just as great but Charlie is my favorite:) Oh and all the letters (sighs) just so beautiful! !Tank how can my heart ache and feel good for someone we don't really get to know much. I know how ,your a special friend and made a huge impact in just a little bit of time! I loved all the side characters too! My friends keep boxes of tissues handy because you will need them! Definitely one of my favorites :)
Thank you Pamela for another wonderful book. They are always such a good fresh breath of air. So sweet and pure and just makes me feel good. Plus always safe for me! I can't wait to read more. Please don't take too long( but I would wait as long as it takes) lol.
Thank you for my ARC!
Safety gang safe!
Thank you Pamela for another wonderful book. They are always such a good fresh breath of air. So sweet and pure and just makes me feel good. Plus always safe for me! I can't wait to read more. Please don't take too long( but I would wait as long as it takes) lol.
Thank you for my ARC!
Safety gang safe!
June 30, 2016
Very sweet love story. I think I'd have rated it higher had I read the other books where we first meet the heroine. I didn't have much of a backstory and I think I would have gotten more out of the book had I not read it as a standalone.
May 4, 2016
What a remarkable love story. This is what romance books are made of! I felt this love through my bones. I don't think I've cried over such beautiful words and storytelling, I can't even gather my thoughts to formulate a coherent sentence--my God.
May 2, 2016
Beth's Review
There are not enough stars nor are there any words that could truly do this book justice to describe how amazing it was. I happen to come upon a posting for this book and the cover caught my eye first, so I took a quick read of the blurb and thought that sounds like a really good story and signed up to receive an ARC to review. Shortly after that I then realized that this book was set in the 1940’s, which is not normally a type of read I enjoy. So I decided that not having read the author before along with the synopsis sounding really good, I was going to keep an open mind, see what would end up happening and hoped for the best. I am so very glad I did, not only did I get an amazing love story, it truly was an EPIC love story and so much more. Back to Yesterday hands down is my #1 Top read for 2016 and I would have to say it would probably be in my top 5 all time reads as well. I just loved this book that much.
All I will say about the actual storyline of this book is that the books tells the love story of Charlie, an air force fighter pilot and Sophie, a waitress at a local café. Their story is one of those truly EPIC love stories that will not only touch your heart but it will get into your soul. Their story will have you completely crying, it will leave you with goosebumps and it will leave you with so many other feels and take you on such an amazing emotional roller coaster that you will never want to get off.
”I am fighting for her. I’ve been fighting for her. It’s her turn to fight for me”
This story is so beautifully written and I was instantly sucked in right from the moment I started the prologue. It is written in dual POV that alternates at different times throughout the story and takes place in the 1940’s over a time period of a year or so and goes back and forth between the past, Yesterday and the present, Today. I am normally not a fan of books that switch back and forth between two periods of time but this story was so well written that I thoroughly enjoyed how the author played out their story for us. The author swept me into another time in life and into another world, so much so at times I almost forgot that this book was taking place 70 years ago when life was so much different, that has never happened to me before but this author has weaved her magic and put me under a spell, the spell of Charlie and Sophie that is
”I bet I can make you fall in love with me”
Charlie and Sophie were such amazing characters. I totally swooned over Charlie and loved his determination to win Sophie’s heart and how he never gave up. From the moment he saw her he knew she was the one. He was also such a selfless person, he saw her fears and was ready to give up what he loved doing all for her. There was so many scenes in this book gave me goosebumps and had me totally swooning over him, even now thinking about him and their story, those feels all come right back to me.
”I refused to leave”
Is it wrong I swooned a bit over Sophie too, she was just that amazing of a character. She had her fears and when we find out why, we know her fears are more than valid and that her life has not always been easy. I love her sassiness and determination, she never loses a bet and is determined to not lose the bet with Charlie. But Charlie doesn’t make it easy, to the point I think she kind of wants to lose it, but she’s scared what will happen to her if she does lose it, she can’t take that heartbreak again.
”It was then, at that moment, I knew I loved Charlie”
I truly lost myself completely in this story, something I have not done in a long time. I couldn’t read it fast enough but tried to savor it at the same time. This booked pulled so many emotions out of me and had me totally invested in both of the main characters and their story. Still now 24 hours later after I finished this book, I can’t stop thinking about them and can’t stop the goosebumps when I think about certain scenes. Nor can I stop the tears when I think of a few other certain scenes. To say I loved this book doesn’t explain how much I am truly in love with it and no words could truly do it justice to explain how amazing it is.
”Tell me you love me. Say it. Say it right here, right now. If you love me we can get through anything .”
I am not normally a person who highlights a lot in books when reading but I couldn’t stop highlighting quotes and whole sections of this book. There are just so many parts of this book I love but if I had to pick one thing I love most about the book, it has to be the letters between Charlie and Sophie, those truly speak the deep affection and EPIC love they share. I get goosebumps and my eyes water just as I think of those letters. This book would still be amazing without the letters but for me, they truly make the book complete.
”Having said that, I want you to really listen to what I’m about to say and if you don’t remember anything else- remember t this… You were right. I was wrong. I’ve never been more wrong in my life.”
The only way I can truly explain how amazing this books is, is to take all the feels you get from an epic love story like in The Notebook, put it into a Pearl Harbour setting (not the same story line,just the World War 2 era) and then times it by 100 and voila you have Back To Yesterday by Pamela Sparkman. This is my first book to have read by this author but it definitely won’t be my last especially since I learned at the end of this one the link Sohpie and Charles has to another one of the author’s book which I will definitely be checking out in the very near future.
And one final note and absolute MUST, check out the author’s playlist on Spotify for this book, she has the songs listed at the beginning of some of the chapters but listening to the playlist as you read totally adds so much more to the reading experience of this book.
Want to read
November 15, 2019 🎁 FREE on Amazon today (11/15/2019)! 🎁
May 2, 2016
Title: Back to Yesterday
Author: Pamela Sparkman
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Series or Standalone: Standalone
Rating:★★★★★
Review
I’ve tried multiple times to sum this book up in the most descriptive review that I can. One filled with all the right words that will in the end adequately describe and bring you into the story within the pages. I have failed every single time. So instead of telling you what the books about, let me tell you about what the book made me feel, because in my world, if you’re a romance reader, that’s what you’re after anyway.
Books that make you feel.
Anyone that has ever watched my reviews, knows that I am a big Pamela Sparkman fan. Right from Stolen Breaths, straight on through to Skin Deep, each story has been deeper and more beautiful than the last. But none of those, and I do mean none of them compare to this one.
Sophie, upon first meeting, is a spitfire. A smart cookie with a comeback seemingly for everything. But also a woman who is very guarded based on the things she’s already experienced in her short life at the point this story begins. So much so, that she’s not willing to open her heart, much less give it to another, without some serious work involved, and even then, she’s taking baby steps.
Enter Charlie.
In all of the world at the time of this writing, through all of the different men that would have existed, there has never been one so completely made for Sophie, than Charlie. Right from the start, you easily see the type of man he is. Loyal, strong, funny. A man with a heart that people only wish they could have. A heart unlike any other, and one that only beats for Sophie.
This is not your typical love story and it takes place in a time that I swear when I first heard it was being written, I was afraid I would get lost in the details of, but it’s also a story that turned out to be unlike anything I’ve ever read before. Sophie and Charlie…the more I read, the more I pictured my own grandparents and their marriage that as of this writing, has spanned over 70 years. A story based in a time period, but timeless in the way it was written. The way it was given to the world.
A love story that I believe, even after they both leave this earth, will never truly die. And that’s what you want in a romance right? A story rich with realism, the author and the characters unafraid to show the real risks of the period as well as Charlie’s position in them (along with Sophie’s), but also filled with a love that no matter what obstacle is thrown in its path, is never ending. One that is as pure and beautiful as the two characters themselves were.
Is this a sad story? Yes. It will break your heart, but as with all of Pamela Sparkman’s books, it will also put you back together and make even the most hardened heart believe in the true life changing power of love. At least I know that’s how it affected me. It’s moving, it’s poignant and it’s so very beautiful and if you take the chance on it, I can guarantee you will be altered by the time you finish it.
Exactly the same way I was.
My thanks to the author and all others involved for letting me be a part of Sophie and Charlie’s journey. No matter what book I go into from here, Charlie and Sophie will stay with me always. Right in my heart.
June 14, 2016
If I had to write a one-sentence review, I would simply say: “I am stunned by the beauty of this book.” The characters were magnificent. Charlie bets Sophie that he can make her fall in love with him while he is on furlough. Sophie takes the bet because she has never lost one yet and this starts the beginning of a pure and innocence relationship in an ever-changing world during WWII.
What I loved most about this book, besides the well-written characters and bone-deep love story, was the changing chapters. Pamela switches between ‘yesterday’ and ‘today’ chapters. Each chapter was riveting and I found myself finishing a ‘today’ chapter and craving to know what was going to happen but finding myself hooked into the ‘yesterday’ chapter right after it. Switching back and forth kept the story line fresh and exciting.
And what can I say about Charlie and Sophie besides that they were magnificent? They were sweet and kind, growing together only to be ripped apart by self-doubt and circumstances. I became so invested in them that I was an emotional wreck throughout this book. The last time I cried this hard for two people was for “Me Before You” by Jojo Moyes. I loved reading their story, their struggles, how gorgeous true love can really be, and how two people can fight for said love.
This is my first book by Pamela Sparkman and it definitely WON’T be my last. It just goes to show me that taking chances on new authors (new authors for me that is) is what I need to do more often because there are some great ones out there.
What I loved most about this book, besides the well-written characters and bone-deep love story, was the changing chapters. Pamela switches between ‘yesterday’ and ‘today’ chapters. Each chapter was riveting and I found myself finishing a ‘today’ chapter and craving to know what was going to happen but finding myself hooked into the ‘yesterday’ chapter right after it. Switching back and forth kept the story line fresh and exciting.
And what can I say about Charlie and Sophie besides that they were magnificent? They were sweet and kind, growing together only to be ripped apart by self-doubt and circumstances. I became so invested in them that I was an emotional wreck throughout this book. The last time I cried this hard for two people was for “Me Before You” by Jojo Moyes. I loved reading their story, their struggles, how gorgeous true love can really be, and how two people can fight for said love.
This is my first book by Pamela Sparkman and it definitely WON’T be my last. It just goes to show me that taking chances on new authors (new authors for me that is) is what I need to do more often because there are some great ones out there.
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