#1 New York Times Bestselling Author of The Cellar and The Cabin. Romance and YA Thriller writer, boy mum, Tom Hardy enthusiast. Always buried in a book and a glass of wine.
I fell in love with this book, and boy did I fall hard!
Natasha Preston has brought so much depth and emotion to Tilly and Lincoln's story, that I completely devoured this book in one sitting. I just couldn't get enough!
An emotionally beautiful story of tragedy, love, strength and so much more. A story worth getting lost in.
I have had read two of Natasha's books prior to this one and while I enjoyed the plots very much, I had a problem connecting to the characters. This time around, I was pleasantly surprised by how well I could feel these characters emotions and had more of connection to them.
After the End deals with some heavy and intense feelings. Everyone handles death in their own and at their own pace. There is no right or wrong way and I feel that Natasha handles this aspect well. However, there were at times that I felt parts of the grief and moving forward were dragged on and had my semi-skimming them.
Tilly and Linc are both grieving in their own ways and trying to move forward. Aside from the few areas that felt too lengthy, Natasha writes a compelling story of handling ones grief and finding happiness afterward. The romance between Tilly and Linc is intense and emotional, I loved it.
Overall, I enjoyed this book more than I expected and definitely recommend it.
When I read the synopsis I knew this book was going to be emotional but I had no way of knowing the impact the words would have.
Lincoln and Tilly were friends who grew up nect door to each other, they were a group doing with their brothers. A tragic accident kills her brother and for the group of friends everything changes.The story picks up 4 years later when Lincoln comes home to sell his old home and old feelings start to surface.
I loved how the story focused on how the grief and loss touched everyone. It wasn't just the friends and families but also the people who live in the small town. I've not been through anything like this however i felt it was a realistic portrayal, it was easy to imagine myself in their shoes. I enjoyed reading Lincoln and Tilly's story and the secondary characters were ones I want to know more about too.
I had the pleasure of beta reading an early copy of this book.
Linc and Tilly’s story is an emotional one. They haven’t seen each other for four years, after a tragic accident claimed the life of her brother. Lincoln walked away from the accident. Now Linc is back and he’s opening up old wounds.
I felt so bad for Tilly. She has been a wreck since the accident and now she seems to have put her life on hold for her parents. When Linc comes back he brings back all the memories. She’s at war with herself wanting to hate him but also having feelings for him. Linc has been punishing himself for four years. It’s so sad that even though he had feelings for Tilly, he stayed away all this time to let her and her parents grieve in peace without the daily reminders that he or any of his family would cause.
Linc and Tilly do not have it easy and their story is a rollercoaster ride of emotions. There’s a certain character that I want to punch and made me want to throw my kindle. There’s more to the accident that I don’t want to mention in fear of spoilers.
This is an epic love story! I really felt like Lincoln and Tilly were soul mates. This is a book you won’t want to put down!
After The End is a good emotional read. Lincoln and his family lived next door to Tilly's family. There was an accident that involved Lincoln, Lincoln's brother (Stanley), and Tilly's brother (Robbie). In the aftermath of everything, Lincoln's family moved away but didn't sell their house. Four years later Lincoln is back in town to fix up the house to sell. Both Lincoln and Tilly have the same friend circle so their paths can't help but cross. Both are still hurting. Lincoln carries guilt and pain from what happened. Tilly and her family are is still grieving. Tilly holds angry, hatred, and pain from what happened. There is still a spark between Tilly and Lincoln. Tilly is hot and cold. Sometimes she likes Lincoln and sometimes she hates him. She can't come to terms with her feelings. Tilly is a very emotional character and she pulled at my heart strings. There were times I wanted to hug her and times I just wanted to shake some sense into her. Lincoln is a sweet and nice guy but he's battling his own demons too. I was so rooting for these two to get their stuff together and have a happy ever after.
Woah! Woah! Woah! If you're going to read this book, which you absolutely should, have tissues, LOTS OF THEM! After the End is as heart breaking as it is breathtaking.
Natasha's writing in After the End is flawless. Every word delivers heartbreak and pain and love and hope. The emotion that smacks you straight in the gut is over powering. You can't help but feel EVERYTHING in this book!!
After the End swept me off my feet and stole my heart! I loved it!
Ce qui m'a attiré en premier a été la couverture que j'ai trouvé très belle et très intrigante puis le résumé m'a totalement donné envie de lire ce superbe roman qui nous fait vivre de superbes émotions au fil des pages. Les thématiques sont fortes et très intéressantes .
si vous lisez en VO et que vous avez envie de lire une romance forte qui vous fera vibrer pages après pages avec des thématiques fortes et puissantes, alors je vous recommande de lire After the end de Natasha Preston. C'est le premier roman de l'auteur que je lis mais je peux vous assurer que ce ne sera pas le dernier car elle a su me toucher comme il le fallait sans jamais tomber dans le pathos de base.
This hard for me, but I’d rather review than not review- this is a 3.5 star read for me. It was my first read my Natasha Preston and I’ll definitely read more of her books in future.
Beautiful writing and the subject matter was touching and Linc won my heart over and over- but Tilly, I just didn’t feel her completely. I understood her but still she was such a downer and the misplaced blame she harboured for Linc seemed to stretch on forever.
I love the secondary characters, the friendship group and the the connection between Linc and Tilly was there but it fell a little short too many times on the angst for a super slow burn.
Where do I begin with this book. Firstly let me start by saying that this book is very well written and the subject was both haunting and extremely sad. But I felt that the author stretch this book a little to wide for me and this could have been told in half of the time. I felt the end was rushed and that could have been told more in-depth. As I am left with a lot of questions.
I loved Linc and Tilly. The other characters in this book played a huge part as well. The story did have a lot of good points to it and their relationships was a huge positive. In saying that the story dragged and I almost became bored of the toing and froing.
This was a touching story but it really wasn't for me and the only reason I am giving the stars I have is because the story had huge potential and the writing was on point. Maybe this story will be for you but unfortunately it fell a little short for me.
You need to meet Tilly and Linc! I fell in love with their story. Natasha has written their story so well, you feel their pain, literally, when they hurt I had pains in my chest, when they were happy, you felt like hugging and cheering for them.
Four years after the accident, can Tilly forgive Linc for his part in her only brothers death? Can Tilly's parents move forward with seeing him again? Can Linc forgive himself? Take your ride on this emotional roller coaster and find out!
I aboustely loved this book my heart broke for both tilly and linc they are both lovely people. Tilly and linc were bestfriends until that fatal night four years ago when tillys brother died . Linc blamed himself tilly blamed him and his brother linc and his family got driving out of town. Four years later linc is back in town to finish work on his house beford they can sell it. Tilly doesnt now how she feels again after seeing linc after all these years. I couldnt put this book down i could feel the emotional between linc and tilly with everything they both went through together im so happy they finally managed together after everything they both deserve there happy ever after
"I loved the story, I loved the plot and I loved the characters but overall I was comparing it to how I felt about Reliving Fate and as I said before every book has to live up or surpass that which is hard to do."
***Received an Advanced Readers Copy during a blog tour with InkSlingerPR in exchange for an honest review***
Oh my goodness - I am crushed.
Bring on the angst, intensely rollercoaster of emotions my furry friends because this one is a flipping doosey. What always makes for a good emotional read? Amazing characters with such crippling emotions. Ergo: After the End.
And speaking of these alluring, heavily emotional characters... oh my lanta give me all the feels. I don't know what parts tugged at my speckled heart more, Lincoln punishing himself for the past years, struggling internal for his decisions, or Tilly, downing personality where it is almost as if the turmoil of her brothers' accident has turned her into an entirely different more emotionally crippled individual. Truly just powerfully haunting and yet beautiful.
I liked seeing Linc and Tilly evolve. They had such a depth that was honestly untouchable. Getting glimpses of their history, the conflicts of forgiving, moving forward really hovered over the both of them. Something I really also enjoyed that really aided in the plot was that there was always a type of trust, an attraction. And although I really did love their slow build of recreating their friendship and ultimately a romance was that there was a drawn out drag feel - at times I felt it was too much back and forth, too much cowering, I understand the reasoning, but for me I felt some aspects of the slow rebuild to their dynamics was a bit over-played.
But honestly, the slow drag was well worth the wait. Tilly and Linc were amazing together. Still feeling the swoonage. I think the story really gripped me the most because I honestly felt a connection to both characters. They had such a magnificent, beautifully developed depth that made them believable, their struggles a realty for the readers.
Overall, I really enjoyed the emotional tug-war with After the End. This was such a beautiful story, once I got started I honestly couldn't put it down. Tilly and Lincoln's story was just perfection. Everything from the romantic tugs, the push and pull of emotional struggles, both from rekindling their lost friendship as well as their internal struggles, all the way down to the pure swoonage that bled from the pages.
I absolutely adored it, start to finish. Natasha is quickly becoming a personal favorite author!
3.5 stars An emotional story of love, loss, regrets and forgiveness.
You are immediately thrust into the sadness and loss within this story, Tilly losing not only her brother but after the devastation also her neighbour and childhood best friend when there is a fatal accident involving her brother. Her friend Lincoln and his brother who was drunk while driving survived but Tilly's brother didn't. Lincoln's brother along with the family is shunned by the community and they have no choice but to move away.
It's a sad beginning to the story, and as the story progressed Tilly and her family are still very much living in the past with their hurt and loss.
The story picks up again after the introduction to 4 years later when Linc returns to do renovations on the old house ready for his parents to sell. Tilly tries to avoid Linc and he also out of respect tries to stay away from Tilly and her parents but the pull between them becomes too much, they also share the same friends.
After the end is also a slow burn friends to lovers story, there are a lot of issues the characters have to work through before anything at all can happen between Linc and Tilly and although I like my romance with a faster pace I found it really slow with nothing holding my interest such as angst and drama BUT although it was slow going, it also fits with the circumstances and that wasn't something to be rushed.
A heartfelt story that would be appreciated on a lazy day where you can soak up and absorb the emotions and the journey.
I finished this book at 4am this morning because I simply could not put it down. This book is a story of two very good friends who are separated for a number of years after a horrific accident which changes both their lives forever. This story had my heart being squeezed more and more as I turned each page and witnessing the position that Tilly and Linc are in, I could empathise with them both and understand exactly why they acted as they did. Tilly - my heart bled for her. Following one of the most traumatic events that a family can go through I could really comprehend how she struggled to move forward with her life. Dealing with the death of a brother is something I am pleased I have never had to go through but the author wrote her story so well that I could understand exactly why she made the choices that she did. I could feel the conflict she had with regards to making life changing decisions and it was wonderful to witness moments in the book where she could live again... if just for a short time. Linc - I have to say that my heart bled for him too. He also has taken a piece of my heart. We all make mistakes, wish we had done things differently and I could see just how much past events had affected him. I just want to give him a hug. This book will bring out every emotion. Have some tissues at the ready because I certainly needed them. The chemistry between Linc and Tilly is evident throughout the book. It's a story of loss and grief but you will also laugh and smile. I'd totally recommend you read this amazing story.
A brother lost, taken to soon, devestation and darkness destroying those left behind.
Hearts broken, a sky raining tears. Ambitions and dreams forgotten.
The heart and the mind at war with the present and the past.
Friends lost, circles made smaller. The future hazy and unclear.
What a truly emotional rollercoaster of a standalone!
So much depth, angst, inner turmoil I loved it all!! tissues were required to read this as I sniffled my way through each rich and atmospheric chapter.
Tilly so fragile like a piece of glass. Easy to break but hard to repair. Tough yet weak.
So much grief and suffering. A difficult topic written beautifully.
Lincoln burdened with so much guilt. The weight of the world upon his shoulders.
I desperately wanted to take him under my wing and mend his persona.
Broken characters, shattered hearts, futures lost, this book has it all!!
A book that deserves to be read more than once and this I will do. I like to torture myself what can I say :)
After the End is a trying and emotionally charged book. With a premise that is sure to make your heart squeeze and an H that will melt you like an ice cube on the HOT sidewalk, it hard to think about the end.
But the end already happened and this book is all about what's next! Heartfelt and troubled, After the End is all about guilt. Guilt for actions you can't change. Survivor's Guilt. Guilt marrying the life you have and preventing the life you want.
After the End is a real life romance - meaning hearts and flowers need not apply. It's ugly, messy, and just short of bloody. So for all those real life romance lovers....I raise this glass of Coke.
I absolutely LOVED this book! I love Natasha Preston’s writing style and thought this book was very well written!!
I love how she describes the main characters Tilly and Linc. The way she writes about their personalities and their physical appearances made it real easy and fun for me to imagine what the characters would look like in person.
I had such a hard time putting this book down once I picked it up. Once I started reading about Tilly’s story and all these emotions she was going through since the accident and then all those wounds that were opened when Linc came back into town, I had to keep going. I had to see how their relationship was going to play out.
OMG what a range of emotions while reading this book, I was pulled into the story right from the beginning. Tilly didnt think she should have feelings for Lincoln Reid after what happened to her brother, she thought her parents would be upset so she fought her feelings until she no longer could, just as she admitted them to her mother and went to tell him that they had her parent's blessing the bad boy comes back. Altogether a really good book
I dare you to try and relate to characters that have been grieving mud puddles for 4+ years. Oh, and did I mention these characters have “long white-blonde hair…beautiful… so perfect” and “inky-black hair… deep, dark blue eyes… super-dark hair actually, and a little longer than it used to be, leaning more towards surfer than hipster.” So relatable, right?
This was an amazing story of life, love, and forgiveness. Tilly and Linc had some major obstacles to overcome. Their journey was a very tough one, but to see them make it to the other side was FABULOUS!!! I am definitely a fan of this author's work.
Linc and Tilly do not have it easy and their story is a rollercoaster ride of emotions. There’s a certain character that I want to punch and made me want to throw my kindle. There’s more to the accident that I don’t want to mention in fear of spoilers.
This is an epic love story! I really felt like Lincoln and Tilly were soul mates. This is a book you won’t want to put down!
After the End by Natasha Preston is a full length, standalone novel and let me tell you, this story gutted me to the core. There´s so much pain and grief, I had more than one ugly cry. You'll need tissues, consider you warned.
The day Tillie Drake's brother died in acar accident - her and her family's life changed irrevocably. Her dreams and goals aren´t important anymore and years later she´s still trapped in a maze of mourning. And then He comes back. He, that's Lincoln Reid, her brother's best friend and brother of the driver. Lincoln is in town for business and he never worked through his issues. His demons are haunting him and he desperatedly wishes for peace. I started reading and I was immediatedly sucked into this captivating story. I connected very easily with the characters and my heart was bleeding for them. After the End is a emotional read and is not for the faint of heart. The writing is great and I loved the story and the characters. Death is always a tragedy.
This has to be one of the beat I've read by this author, she made me feel so many emotions during this book. I devoured it and highly recommend this story.
This is the first of Natasha Preston’s contemporary romances I’ve had the pleasure of reading, although, it wasn’t always a pleasure. At times, it was pretty rough going. Not because of her writing, but because of the subject matter. Natasha’s thrillers are gritty, but this was gritty in a whole other sense.
Right off bat, this was always going to be a bittersweet story. The love, the loss, the grief, the utter devastation...it was all-consuming. You dive in and it swallows you whole.
My favourite line in it all—and no, I won’t quote it—was about it being after the end. I sat and thought wow. It made me wonder if she’d already though up the title or named it after that amazing line.
I loved Linc. He was my whole reason for breathing. He has such a big heart. And he was hurting so badly. And Tilly, oh how I loved that girl. She was fierce, even though she didn’t think so.
I want to find the words to sum up how amazing this book was, but the truth is, there aren’t enough words. And too many at the same time. I can’t say much for fear of spoiling your own first-hand enjoyment of it.
All you need to know is this: go into this book with a box of tissues and an open heart. Don’t be too quick to write a character off. That’s all I’ll say.
I loved this book. The writing was compelling from the first page. The characters were well developed, and the emotional impact hopped off the page. I read the blurb, I knew I would love this book. It was emotional, captivating, and heart wrenching. I highly recommend it!