Don't Let Go

by Sharla Lovelace

Noah Ryan and Jules Doucette had spent every moment of their lives together, first as childhood best friends and later as young lovers. The two had their future all planned out—until one unspeakable decision tore them apart.

Twenty-six years later, Jules is living her life by someone else’s plan. She’s running her mother’s store, living in her mother’s house, following her mother’s rules, and keeping the secrets her mother made her bury.

Then Noah comes home, and any sense of order and structure flies out the window. Noah’s return does more than just stir up old memories—it also forces Jules to see her life in a whole new way and uncover secrets even she didn’t know were hidden. But can the power of first love triumph over years of pain and lies?

Revised This edition of Don't Let Go includes editorial revisions.

Genres: Romance, Contemporary Romance, Second Chance, Contemporary, New Adult, Second Chance Romance, Friends To Lovers

352 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 10, 2014

About the author

Sharla Lovelace is the Bestselling and Award Winning Author of five standalone novels, the exciting Heart of the Storm series, and the fun and sexy Charmed in Texas series, all featuring sexy small town love stories with heat and humor. Being a Texas girl through and through, she's proud to say she lives in Southeast Texas with her husband, a souped up golf cart, and two crazy mutts.

Sharla is available by Skype for book club meetings and chats, and loves connecting with her readers! See her website www.sharlalovelace.com for a complete book listing, info on upcoming events, and to sign up for her newsletter.

You can follow her as @sharlalovelace on Twitter, Facebook, and Goodreads.

Reviews

[Aestas Book Blog · Rating 5 out of 5]

*** FULL REVIEW NOW POSTED **** 5+ STARS ****




I LOVE LOVE LOVED this book!!! Books like this are the reason I love to read. I absolutely adored it!!

If you love books with intensely strong emotions, that make you feel every word of the story with all your heart, make you go through every range of emotion from laughing out loud to full-on crying, and that have a gorgeous love at the heart of it all that never lets go, then this is the book for you!!

I honestly could not put it down. I literally just sat there glued to my Kindle all day soaking up every single world of this story. I even cancelled my dinner plans so that I could just sit and read without stopping.

This is a second chance romance about a love that remained even after a twenty-six year (!!!!) separation. The hero, Noah, and heroine, Jules, were best friends in childhood, and later on, they became young lovers. He was her first everything and they began to plan a future together. But at seventeen years old, they were torn apart by a event that shattered their world and Noah left town to join the military. For twenty-six years, Jules didn't hear anything from him. But even with her heart broken, life went on and she married someone else and had a daughter but that marriage didn't last because her heart still belonged to Noah even though he was no longer there. Then one day, Noah came home... and the secrets that once tore them apart came out into the light as their feelings for each other once again became undeniable.

Ohhhh my gosh, you guys.... that moment when she saw him for the first time when he came home gave me tingles all over from head to toe. My heart stopped. I was completely wrapped up in every word.

Noah and Jules had the kind of connection where you just KNEW that no matter what, these two belonged together. They were soul mates. They had the kind of love that nothing could shatter -- no words, no actions, no measure of time. They belonged to each other and nothing could ever change that.

"Everything in me wanted to wind my arms around him and pull him the rest of the way in, to feel his lips come down on mine, but ... that was from a lifetime ago."

This story is also a lot more than just a romance. There are several things I haven't told you here because I don't want to spoil the story but there are three twists in particular that added this extra measure of hyper-intensity to the story. I wish I could tell you but I promise it's best to just discover it for yourselves.

I do want to address one thing because I know that some of you are going to skim other reviews, see this, and freak out a little like I initially did. Ok, so when Noah returns, he's not alone... he's brought back a woman that he's engaged to. I want to stress that this is not a love triangle but I also don't want to give anything away so just.... please trust me? Please? I promise everything works out. Ok?? -- Oh, and the thing I loved most is that it managed to worked out without anyone being the villain. I loved the manner in which the author pulled all the pieces together. It was honestly just perfect to me!

"You aren't the only one that hasn't been able to love anyone, Jules," he said under his breath. "And I've tried."

"Don't."

"There's only one woman that ever fit that bill."

Noah. Let me take a quick moment to gush about him. This guy. Holy hell!!! Such a total Alpha male. It's not really highlighted in the book a lot but he actually became a Navy SEAL in those twenty-six years so he's all kinds of badass. But emotionally, he was just the kind of guy that totally gave his heart over to his girl and wanted to do the right thing by her. And when life took away that control, he lost it... and consequently carried around a lot of baggage and a host of painful memories and unresolved hurt. But what I loved most about him was that despite the pain, he never stopped loving Jules. Gah. *MELT*

"Feel that?" he said. "How do we walk away from that?"

Jules was a really wonderful heroine. What I loved about her was that she was very flawed. She'd made a lot of mistakes in life and throughout the course of this book we saw her go through a really beautiful transformation as she learned from those mistakes and made conscious choices to change. (PS. She didn't cheat on him, don't worry.) It was also really cool to see her relationship with her 17-year-old daughter and those consequent struggles. It was such an interesting parallel seeing her on the parental side of a girl who was now the age she had been when she and Noah fell in love so many years ago.

There was this intense push-pull between Noah and Jules as they were faced with all their feelings for each other rushing back so strongly. There were so many unresolved issues to work through so. So many secrets and unspoken feelings that they couldn't hold back ... and mostly, a powerful, forever love.

"I remember everything," he whispered."

Some scenes were literally so intense and they would hit me so strongly that just suddenly I'd be crying. Tears would be pouring down my face even when it wasn't a sad scene. Often, they were even happy tears. I'd just be feeling so much that I felt like I was on constant emotional overload of the best kind.

"I've got you," came Noah's voice against my ear… "Just breathe, baby, I've got you."

But seriously, the complexity of the situation that's built is pretttttyyy crazy. It all makes total sense but let me tell you that it is one huge emotional tangle with so many connections and so many different sides. There's a lot I haven't told you but this was such a rich, multi-layered story.

It had ALL . THE . FEELS!!!!

There's actually a quote in the books that says, "sometimes the harder, complicated relationships that you have to fight for are the ones worth something," and I really feel like that completely represents the story.

It's quite a fast read despite it being a full length book. I read it in one sitting and there are no slow spots. I pretty much just sat there madly flipping pages til I got to the end. The story just flows.

I want to stress that this isn't what I'd call a sad book, it's just very emotional. Honestly, many of my tears (and there were a lot of them) were happy ones! And this book had one of the best endings EVER. The story came full circle in the most literal way you can imagine. Happy tears were pouring down my face!!

You know how Kristen Ashley books have that way of connecting you with the families of the main couple?? Well, this book really did that too (even though the writing style/story is nothing like KA) but the thing I'm comparing is the way the connections between mother/child, father/child, best friends, in-laws, grandparents, best friends, teens, children, etc, were conveyed. Just such gorgeous emotions and such an integral, beautiful part of the story. The deep-rooted bonds of love and family can be extraordinarily powerful and when you have an author convey them so strongly and with this much sensitivity and depth, its really one of the most incredible reading experiences ever.

I highly recommend this for fans of The Sweet Gum Tree. If you're a fan of that, then you will love this. The story is different, but it had the exact same intensity and "feeling" to it. Absolutely gorgeous emotions!!!!! And it's crazy because I read The Sweet Gum Tree ages and ages ago and yet it's still one of my top favorites so it was such a huge treat to find another book that brought back a similar set of feelings while still being a different story. I have a feeling that this book will also end up being a long-time favorite.

I just want to go up to each one of you and beg you to please give this book a shot. You know that feeling? When you just love a book so much that you want the whole world to read it?? Well, this is me shouting from the proverbial rooftops here.... READ THIS BOOK, guys!!!!!! *ahem* Please? :D

"Don't let go," I whispered.
"Never."

Rating: 5+ STARS!!! Standalone romance. 

_______________________________________

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[Baba · Rating 1 out of 5]

1 nerve-racking star. DNF @42%. Full review posted August 13, 2015



Hi, everyone! *Jules waves madly at audience* Shit. Shit. Shit. I shouldn't be too excited. *chuckles*

I have some great news for you. I am so darn proud and thrilled to announce that I'm among the very extensive group of fictional female characters who compete in the election of Dumbest Twat of the Year Award. By the way, Baba told me that despite our "mature" age of 43, our story reads like a drama-filled YA book, featuring annoying characters who lack substance and keel over from bouts of jealousy and irrational and stupid behavior. We stopped developing our personalities when we broke up at 17, probably even earlier. Isn't that awesome? I.Want.This.Award! *chuckles gleefully*

My name is Jules Doucette and I'm Baba's worst nightmare. *cackles evilly* I drove her effin' bonkers and she was close to yet another aneurysm. I enjoyed annoying the living daylights out of her. *chuckles* 52 x chuckled, chuckle…I guess I need to get a wriggle on it, then. Well, I'm wondering what you'd like to know about me. I'm forty-three-years old but you shouldn't take my age seriously. You know, it's only a number anyway and being in your forties is no guarantee that I'm a mature human being who acts like an adult. I don't know why but I behave like a dumb twat and according to my cheesy, sugary and OTT melodramatic sob fest of a story, I can't say that I made use of my sparse brain cells. I have this thing…it's weird…it consumes my every pore, my entire body. Would you fancy a few examples? *chuckles*

When I saw Noah I felt every pore in my skin wake up. That last swallow of coffee sat in my stomach like mud. (…) He met my eyes again with a small smile that sent a tingle to my stomach. Damn it. I made a mental note not to bring about any more smiles. (…) His eyes made a slow trip to meet mine, and the weight of emotion in them pushed the air from the room. (…) I felt my chin tremble, and an unnamed old emptiness ached within me. (…) "Shayna's pregnant," he said. (…) "Con--" I stopped to clear my throat of the rocks that apparently settled there. "Congratulations. That's--wow, that's--really cool." (…) "So you're okay?" he asked, pulling my attention back to his face.
I scoffed. "Of course. How old is she?" As that fell out of my mouth, I realized how it sounded. "I mean, in relation to you," I added quickly. "I mean, I only saw her for a second, but she looks really young. But--maybe that's how they make them in Italy." BABA: SHUT THE F@CK UP, YOU STUPID BITCH! I AM ASHAMED FOR SHARING THE SAME GENDER WITH THIS IDIOT. (…) "She's from Virginia," he said. "Oh," I said. "I assumed--" BABA: YOU ASSUMED BECAUSE YOU ARE OTT JEALOUS AND GREEN WITH ENVY. "And she's thirty," he added.

He's grinning at me and warmth went from the center of my chest to all extremities on that grin.(…) I needed him to go. Before I could really sink my thoughts into what he'd told me, and before my mouth overloaded my brain. Because it was about to. I could feel it all up in my throat. (…) My carefully structured world was wiggling. To hell with wiggling--it was swinging around like a damn lasso. (…) "I have to go…you okay here?" I said. The shock of my own words tingled over me. (…) I wanted to step in front of the nearest bus. If there were buses in Copper Falls. BABA: HELL, I'M GOING TO BUY YOU A F@CKING BUS JUST SO YOU CAN FINALLY STEP IN FRONT OF ONE AND PUT EVERYONE OUT OF THEIR MISERY. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. Where was I? Oh, right on...I rounded the corner toward the tellers and was stopped short when I stepped directly into of a pair of arms. It's Noah again. "What are you doing?" "Opening an account," he said, nodding toward an empty desk. "Waiting to, anyway." (…) "A joint one?" I blurted out, feeling suddenly like I was standing off to the side watching myself talk. He smiled. "Not just yet." *cue eye roll* and add *facepalm*

We cross each other's path all the time and we did have some interesting chats, to say the least. We are both so pathetically jealous, it's actually sickening how disgusting our behavior is which, of course, leads me to my astounding assessment that we really deserve one another. And making myself out to be a rent-a-whore was infinitely better than letting him think Patrick was my boyfriend. See? I can play this game just fine because, again, I am such an idiot. Also, I do feel like I'm on the fast track to the loony bin. But, before I headed off to the nut house, I grabbed my body spray and spritzed myself once and Harley twice. She didn't see the humor in it and promptly ran downstairs. BABA WAS HOPING THAT HARLEY WOULD CHEW A PIECE OUT OF HER ASS. Did I tell you already how fucking jealous I am of Noah's thirty-year-old fiancée? She didn't look thirty. Fresh-faced and dressed like she was, she looked like she could model for an outdoor magazine or a college catalog. When I pulled my hair up like that, I looked like I was scrubbing my toilet. (…) BABA: WHERE IS THAT FRIGGIN' BUS? "Why, you idiot?" I breathed. "Why can't you just say hello like everyone else. Holy shit." BABA: DON'T MIND HER, SHE'S SOLILOQUIZING.

Did I tell you already that I have a daughter? Um…listen to what kind of shit comes out of my mouth. "My daughter wants to have sex with a boy named Mark and said his dad works with you," I blurted out, realizing somewhere in the places where logic lived that I wasn't anywhere close. (…) "They learn it from somewhere? Because he couldn't just be a normal horny teenage boy, right?" He squeezed my hand and took the pen I was furiously clicking, setting it back down. "Come on, Jules." "Well, look what he sees," I said, refusing to be placated. "Y'all pick up women wherever you land. If he sees him screwing around all the time--" BABA: I F@CKING CAN'T EVEN. ON TOP OF BEING A DUMB TWAT, YOU'RE ALSO A JUDGMENTAL BITCH.
"I'm gonna stop you right there," Patrick said, the jovial expression leaving his face. "Despite what you obviously think of me and my guys, we aren't traveling fuck magnets."
"I didn't mean it like--"
"Oh, I think you meant it exactly like that," he said, pushing off the bar with a fired-up coldness I'd never seen before. "Let me tell you something. We have a job to do. We work hard, eat crap food, sleep in cheap motels, and move on to the next job. What my guys do on their few off-hours is not my business, and what their kids may do damn well isn't."
"Patrick--"
"Look in your own house before you start pointing fingers, Jules," he said, turning to leave. "I didn't screw around with you all by myself."
"What?" I exclaimed, a little louder than I intended. "I wasn't talking about you."
"I am. Maybe your kid is the one watching."

By the way, I have a good friend. Her name is Ruthie. Her mouth precedes her brain now and again. "God, he's such an ass," Ruthie said, grabbing a napkin to wipe his cooties off her glass. "It's like he's still seventeen years old in an old man's body." I chuckled in spite of myself, chewing on ice to cool off. BABA: NEWSFLASH, RUTHIE. YOUR DEAR FRIEND, JULES, DIDN'T MAKE IT PAST FOURTH GRADE ACCORDING TO HER BEHAVIOR.

My brain is not at its best anymore, so I'm not sure if I told you already that I'm incredibly jealous of Noah's fiancée. Not that it made a bit of sense. We had nothing to be jealous about and no rights to each other--but at that one second I wanted Ruthie to come sit on me before I ended up yanking a pregnant woman out of his arms. (…) "This is ridiculous," I said, emotional laughter bubbling up that threatened to turn to tears. "What is this? I'm forty-three-years old, not fourteen. Why am I reacting like an adolescent?" "Because that's where you left off," she said. "You two never got to see each other as adults. Or with other people." BABA: *facepalm*

Are you missing Noah and my stupid bodily reactions? I have some more examples for your perusal. The proximity of his body, his arm on my knee, and his hand shooting heat through mine had me dizzy with the stupids. (…) My entire body went hot, my skin prickling with the fire from a million tiny flames. The conversation we'd never had over twenty years earlier was boring into me with what I knew to be hard blue anger, but in the dark just looked black. (…) I caught his look across the room anyway. I couldn't read it, but it lit my skin up.

You see, I had to have a serious talk with my daughter due to reasons. Birds and bees, ya know? Well, I guess she's past that particular speech, though. I told her… "You want to be treated like an almost-adult, act like one." BABA: JULES, WHAT ABOUT YOU? CARE TO LOOK IN A MIRROR?

I gaped at her. "Are you seriously trying to be a brainless twit? You want to throw yourself away just to say you've done it?"
"Jesus," she muttered, pressing her forehead against her knees. "I don't want to do anything. I was just asking some questions in case it came up."
(…)
"I didn't want a lecture on love and birds and bees. I'm not stupid, Mom."
"I never said you were stupid."
"No, you said I was a brainless twit," she said, snatching her book from the table.
Of all things I've said in her life, that's what she remembered.
"Bec--"
"I'm not a five-year-old, either," she said. "If you'd actually listen to me, and hear me for once, you'd know that--yes, okay, maybe I'm asking questions and I'm interested, but I'm also not an idiot. If I was an idiot, I wouldn't be asking about birth control."
I met her gaze and let a few beats pass. "I just don't want to see you do something foolish and ruin your plans, baby."
Becca let out a long breath and shook her head, walking up the stairs.
"Whose plans, Mom? Mine or yours?"
BABA: YEP, THAT HIT HOME. JULES, YOU SHOULD TALK TO YOUR DAUGHTER ABOUT YOUR FUCK-UPS BY WAY OF VARIATION.

Becca was a savvy girl, and unfortunately had inherited my ability to spot bullshit from a mile off.

BABA: YOU SURE DO SPROUT A BOATLOAD OF BULLSHIT, JULES.

I gotta show you more of my eye-roll inducing bodily reactions. Brace yourselves. I scoffed, remembering the horrid words and trying to shove the burning sob down that wanted to split me in half. (…) It won. A noise of pain escaped my throat, and I hissed in a breath to quell it. (…) One of his hands went to my face as if on autopilot, and I shut my eyes tight as the warmth of his hand against my cheek and hair nearly broke me. I could smell him, feel him, and I didn't dare open my eyes to look at him. He'd see it.
"Noah, don't," I whispered through broken breaths. I reached up to pull his hand away, but then the other side of my head was cradled as well, and all my strength melted away. My grip on his hand stayed where it was, and I could feel the slight tremble. Or was that me?
I didn't open my eyes until I felt his thumbs move across my cheeks, wiping away tears, and it hit me in the chest like a wrecking ball. He looked like someone had beaten the crap out of him from the inside. His eyelids were heavy, like a man who hadn't slept in days. The turmoil radiating off of him was palpable.


Why Don't Let Go didn't work out for me
The quotes should have given you a very huge hint already.

Also, I am highly allergic to:

- cheese, sap

- OTT DRAMA ILAMA & MELODRAMA

- too much waterworks

- a huge load of sickening jealousy

- stupid and immature female leads in their 40s who make me deeply ashamed for sharing the same number (43--the age) and the same gender


You might wonder why I picked this book up in the first place. So I was browsing through NetGalley and came across of Don't Let Go which was ready to read. Meaning, I didn't even have to request the title. I read the blurb and it did sound promising. Besides, I'm such a sucker for older main characters anyway, so that sealed the deal for me. I had to read it. Unfortunately, though, the rude awakening came later. Not far in, we have Noah coming home but, and this is something we shouldn't hide from potential readers, he wasn't alone. He not only came home, he also had his fiancée hanging onto his arm. Oh, so it was one of those stories…uh-huh. Even worse, the fiancée is preggers. This is supposed to be romance where the two main leads should get their HEA. Which leads me to my next ruminations. As I see it, the options are kind of limited, right? Hmm…what would the author do to "make it work?"

A)
Fiancée will have an abortion

B)
Fiancée will have a miscarriage

C)
Fiancée is pregnant with another man's baby. She'll either keep it, have an abortion or a miscarriage.


Applies to A - C
Of course Noah and his fiancée will break up either way coz he needs to be free for his bitch, Jules.


I'm also wondering if the "lost son" will come back?


Anyway, I wasn't crazy enough to read till the end.


I think I might be done now. After all, I have stressed your attention span long enough.



All quotes are taken from the pre-published copy and may be altered or omitted in the final copy


**ARC courtesy of Montlake Romance via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review**

[Christy · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 Stars!!!



Don’t Let Go is an emotionally charged story of first loves. One of second chances, about making mistakes and moving on with your life. About falling in love all over again. Yet another book that tugged on my heart. Another book where my eyes were wet most of the story. I love a good second chance romance and I love a good cry, so you know this one will be making my favorites list!

Jules has had one love of her life. And it wasn’t the man she married and later divorced. It wasn’t any of the men she’s seen since. It was a man named Noah Ryan. Noah grew up with Jules. They were the best of friends. Then they became more. So much more.

Noah Ryan was my first love. He was my first everything.

Something big happened when they were teenagers and Noah left town. He left Jules. And now, for the first time in 26 years, he’s back.

Jules has a teenage daughter. She’s running her deceased mother’s book store. Thats her life. Noah has been in the Navy the last 20+ years. He’s now retired and moving home. When Noah sees Jules for the first time, you can just feel the connection they still have with each other. All this time with no contact- it didn’t change anything, yet everything is different.



Noah isn’t home alone. He brings with him a fiancé. Things are complicated and intense between Jules and Noah. It’s not easy for them to be in the same town, to run in to each other constantly. Their past together is intense and there are a lot of secrets. Even though they still have this strong connection, hurts and betrayals from the past don’t just go away. They both have their reasons for the things they did, but it doesn’t make it easier to get over.

For Noah, there has never been anyone like Jules. Never. Even after all this time, he still feels it. He tries to deny it, but the more he sees Jules and spends time with her, the more obvious it becomes. When some things from Noah and Jules past start to resurface, they have to face it head on- together.

“I’ve got you,” came Noah’s voice against my ear. He held me tight against him, one arm around my waist and one holding my head as sounds started coming back into normal tones. “Just breathe, baby, I’ve got you.”

I don’t want to go on and on about the story. There is a lot that happens from this point that you’ll want to be surprised about. You’ll want those feelings to be fresh and unsuspected.

Jules was a woman with a past. Someone who had made mistakes and she was living with those. She learned life’s lessons the hard way and she was trying to live her life the best she could. Noah was a man who ran from his past, but now that he’s back, he’s facing it head on. I loved the two of them together. You just get these ‘meant to be’ vibes from the very beginning of the story.



This was a book that consumed me. I sat on my couch on my day off for 5 1/2 hours straight, only getting up for two quick bathroom breaks and to make my husband lunch. Otherwise, I read straight through. Cover to cover. I was not stopping until I got to the conclusion of Jules and Noah’s heartbreakingly beautiful story. When reading this book, expect tears. Happy tears, sad tears, there will be tears. I was very emotional while reading. There is a lot to be said for this story, but I think this quote sums it up nicely.

"Sometimes the harder, complicated relationships that you have to fight for are the ones worth something,”

If you love a good emotional read like me, and you’re fan of second chance romances, I can’t recommend this enough. I’m so happy that after having a few people recommend it to me, I picked it up right away!

“That may sound fast, but it isn’t really. We’ve just been on hold for a long time. This time I don’t let go.”

[Alexis *Reality Bites* · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 STAR READ
Genre: Adult Contemporary Romance
Full Review Posted 7-31-14




I LOVED THIS BOOK! It was literally UN-PUT-DOWNABLE!
I know we can't all love the same books but I highly recommend that you give this one a try! I read it in one day!




Twenty six years ago Jules Doucette made a decision that knocked her world off it’s axis. This unfortunately sends Jules in to a downward spiral of darkness and in turn she loses the boy who loved her since they were kids in the process. Since then she has been living a life that was pretty much premeditated by her mother.

A life with missing pieces…



Noah is finally home after twenty six years, wanting to be close to family now more than ever. Only his return brings him face to face with an angry unresolved past.

“Once upon a time you thought you’d die without him. Then you thought you’d crumble into dust if you ever saw him again.” She leaned forward at me, intending to be forceful. “Well, he’s back. And you’re still standing.” –Ruthie to Jules

Secrets are revealed as Noah and Jules find a way to deal with it in the here and now. You start to wonder if there is hope for these two. This is a romance after all and there is an obstacle blocking them from getting that happily ever after you so eagerly crave. A major one that left me thinking how in the world is this going to work out.




My Thoughts
This story was heartbreaking at times and absolutely beautiful at times. What captivated me so well is the gravitational pull between Jules and Noah. If they’re in a room together, together they will be, somehow always finding one another. In fact this does not go unnoticed by other characters. The chemistry is on point which we all know is crucial in a romance.

Another attention grabbing thing about the book was the real life issues Jules has to deal with on top of her sexy as all hell ex returning. For one, she is divorced, from that marriage came Becca her daughter. Well.. let me tell you, Becca is a rebel looking to carve out her own path NOT the one her mother set for her. To top that Jules has this pivotal moment that we all dread; the one where our mother’s voice comes out of our very own mouths.

‘Echoes of my mother’s voice rang in my head, but I was too far gone to think about that.’

*face meet palm* Yeah, I’ve been there and it is not fun. All in all this book is about life, love and relationships. The story is very emotional I cried a few times and laughed a few times as well. I highly recommend you keep a box of Kleenex near.

Not sure if anyone noticed this but I’ve been trying to keep my reviews a bit shorter. It’s NOT my job to tell the story my job is to convince you why you need to read it. Read the book!

My Ratings
Characters- Lovable, Sweet and Endearing
Writing Style- Excellent, Solid 5 Star read for me
Plot/Storyline- Reunited love after a twenty six year separation. Noah and Jules grew up best friends and eventually became lovers when one choice changes the course of their life.
Steam Factor- Medium/Moderately Steamy on a scale of 1-10 I say 7.5
Entertainment Level- Lo-Med-Hi High, I was very entertained I mean even the dog played his part, I just Loved it!
Overall- I highly recommend you read this! 2014 FAVE!

Now go forth and read. Then come tell us about it on Goodreads!
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[[~Ami~]♥Sexy Dexy♥ · Rating 2 out of 5]

2 stars




Separated for 26 years, will Noah and Jules get a second chance at love?

Apart from it ending early I couldn't think of a single thing I liked. My dislikes? Where do I start? I felt no spark with Jules and Noah. Noah hardly said much in the book. Jules was a doormat. Also I couldn't forgive Noah for cheating on his pregnant fiance (who was nice btw), and of course the baby isn't his!!!

This story was more family focused. There was a few twists but I can't say any of them surprised me. Low steam + little romance + load of drama + annoying characters = me very unsatisified. Not for me!

BR with Ada and Jeanne, sorry it was a bust!!!

[Mirjana **DTR - Down to Read** · Rating 3 out of 5]

***2.75 I'm in the Minority Stars***

January 29th. That's the day that 17 year-old Jules lost everything. Her love. Her life. Her dreams.

Now, 26 years later, her life is turned upside down when her childhood love, Noah, walks back in and lances open old wounds. Wounds that never closed, never healed.

It's so hard to review this book without giving anything away. So many secrets and lies are buried within intertwined stories and layers of betrayal and poor choices. In order to explain my feelings on the plot, those bits of information must be revealed and if I did that....well, there goes the story and your reading enjoyment. So what I will do is just sum up my thoughts.

In a nutshell, this was one of the most childish group of adults I've ever read about. Especially Jules. She was the most childish of them all. And having this entire book solely in her POV drove me batty.

While I can sympathize with flawed characters, it took her way too long to get her head out of her ass! She was a hypocrite, ran from her problems, and lacked the ability to communicate properly. It was honestly as though, which her best friend pointed out, her maturity level stopped at the age of 17. And Noah couldn't see beyond his own bitterness and heartbreak. While living on autopilot he didn't pause to realize that he was dragging others down with him.

It would be easy to point fingers, but every person in this book is responsible for their own actions. I will say that I'd be a little less judgmental if I wasn't dealing primarily with adults over the age of 40! Come on...you should know better by that age.

Though it took a looooooooooooong time to get there, everyone DID finally see the bigger picture and faced all the issues that had been piling up over the years. I was happy to see that once everyone started communicating, these childish adults actually started behaving like...GASP...adults. Oddly enough, the most mature and rational person in this whole book was Seth. His character was perfection. A fantastic dose of comedic relief when needed. A warm and endearing balance in a clusterfuck of emotional chaos centered on his birth.

Maybe I would have enjoyed the book more had it been written in dual POV's?? Being in Jules' head was just too much for me since I couldn't grasp her hypocritical behavior. Also, her voice and inner dialogue grated on my nerves. Her skin was always buzzing, tingling, crawling, chilling. Her heart was constantly pounding, beating wildly. Her hearing was muffled. Her heart dropped at the smallest thing (when it wasn't beating erratically, of course). Her stomach nervously flipping at the beginning of most conversations. The woman's body was a fucking medical mystery of constant activity! How she wasn't a walking seizure, I'll never know.

So overall, an okay book that I definitely missed the mark on. It was widely loved by most of my friends and seems to be a case of "it's just me," so feel free to completely ignore my review. I know I said I'd summarize my thoughts in a nutshell but this seems to have turned into a longer-than-anticipated, rambling rant.....looks like I like big nuts!

[Annie Brewer · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 broke-my-heart-then-pieced-me-back-together stars!


This book was fantastic, from the first chapter all the way to the end. I was captivated by this story. My heart felt every emotion and went through the heartache along with Jules and Noah. I honestly didn't think I'd like this book too much, knowing that it's adult. I mean, I've read adult before. But my preference is YA/NA for the most part. However, this story took me through Jules and Noah's teens as an engaged parents-to-be couple.

However, life has a way of changing those plans and Jules was left alone and broken. Her mother was a horrible wench. She was the cause for all her heartache. But Jules was too good a person not to stand up for herself. She should've just defied that woman and did what she wanted to do. Then again...it wouldn't have led to this amazing and heartbreaking journey we get to experience.

Forward twenty six years later...

Jules is now running her mother's bookstore. It was passed down to her when her mom died. So again, she's still living her mother's dream. And she moved back into her mother's house. It's like she never left, with memories haunting her everywhere. Each year on January 29th, she goes to the place in the park where everything happened. Where her and Noah sat together on the bench, so many times talking about the future. Now she's divorced and has a seventeen year old rebellious daughter with a man named Hayden, she fears her past will repeat itself. He's a good father though, but she's just a teen doing what teens do best.

Her life is the same everyday, running the bookstore, making sure Becca is at school and trying to get by without her past getting the best of her. She doesn't date...just has one man around for fun. No emotional attachment. No love. No messes to clean up. Just sex. And that's how they like it.

And then one day, Noah Ryan crashes back into her life and screws it all up. He's back from the military and he's engaged. After twenty-six years, all the feelings come rushing back when she sees him. And even though he's engaged, he feels it too. But nothing happens, for a long time.

Jules and Noah were amazing together. You'd think after all that time apart; there'd be no connection left. That they'd moved on and all was okay. But nope, it became a cluster-fuck of event from there. And honestly? I had front row seating with popcorn and a beer. I had so much fun watching this story unfold. It was heart-wrenching, soul-crushing, tortuous beauty that came full circle. The tears were consistent. I couldn't catch my breath. We learn some secrets that had me wanting to beat her already dead mother into the ground and light it on fire. She was such a horrible witch. (Sorry to speak ill of the dead, but man that woman was a witch of a mother. The shit she pulled was uncalled for).

But the way Jules handles it, albeit she's a grown ass woman and should obviously be an adult about shit, but really, she was good. Real good. I loved her character. I loved her wit and ability to shrug off the hard stuff with dignity. She went through a lot in her life. And then to have to find out her mother did that? Well I give her props for not jumping off the deep end.

There were moments of laughter. I swear, her Nana Mae was fucking hilarious. For an eighty-something year old, she was just awesome. The things that came out of her mouth had me gasping with laughter and almost snorting coke through my nose. (the beverage coke, not the other thing). I just loved that lady. I also loved that she was protective of her granddaughter, even though Jules was a big girl and old enough to fight her own battles. It was nice to see that she was loved and looked after. Especially since her daughter was the cause of all her problems and heartache.

I loved Ruthie, Jules' best friend since kindergarten. She was funny and loyal and didn't take shit from anyone. She also helps run the bookstore, which was a godsend for Jules a few times when she needed time to herself and think things through.

Hayden was a great character. His fathering skills were pretty well-developed, but it was sad that things didn't work out for them as a family. He really loved Jules, but see, she had already given her heart away all those years ago. So it wasn't fair that he only got part of it, because no matter what, she still loved Noah. He was the love of her life.

Now one thing I'll say that surprised the living shit out of me, was that Noah's fiancé, was one amazing woman. She was younger than them by like 13 years or something. She was pregnant. And I can't say too much, but holy shit, my heart broke for her. I wanted to climb into my kindle and kiss her cheek. Or give her a sympathetic hug. The way she acted about certain things that happened, was more than I could say I'd do. She was just amazing. I felt so conflicted about that situation. Even when some things came to a head, regarding her, I still felt trapped. Unsure how to feel. That was good, of the author to make the reader like this girl. Who the hell likes their ex's new girlfriends or fiancés? Not many, I'm sure.

Oh, I loved Becca. She was just a regular teenage girl trying to make it in the world. I didn't like some of the things she did. I mean, she really made Jules' life harder on top of the other pile of shit she had. But then again, that's a teen for you. Always pushing boundaries to see how far they can go. Oh Lord, I'm not looking forward to those years with my own girls. But Jules really took her parenting to a level of maturity and love. She was a great mother. I loved watching their relationship build and change as the story went on. Once Becca was told the truth about some things, I felt she even matured. And their bond was wonderful to witness. It made me think of how things will be with my girls. The trust and unconditional love of a mother and child was a big focus of the story. I know how hard being a single mother is. It's no picnic. And their moments of affection and understanding made me cry. A lot actually.

Now Noah, oh Noah. Good God, that man was simply divine in all his forms. His loving teen-self was just as all-consuming as his early forties self. Or perhaps it's the other way around. But all of Noah was irresistible. And my heart broke for him. His life was filled with regret and heartache. And he never moved on from the love of his life. His best friend. Watching them come together and fight the attraction and deep emotional connection really tore my heart up. You can see from the get-go that they never forgot each other. No matter how much time passed, they were still in love. Gah! This story really did me in. I cried so much, especially....

NO! NO! I won't spoil it. This book has to be experienced. It must be read and loved for all its flaws and perfection. If you enjoyed The Sweet Gum Tree, you'll definitely love this book. It's a must read! It's a story that will definitely stay with me for a long time. Just read it. I want to gush about the badassery of the characters and plot with others. So hurry up and get on it!


This book just shows how, no matter how much time goes by, sometimes we can't forget our first love. Sometimes it works out, sometimes it doesn't. Everything happens for a reason and if it's meant to be, it's gonna happen regardless of how we feel. Regardless of whether we want it to or not. So don't fight it, embrace it. And if you're given a second chance, don't miss it. Or let it pass you by. Ah! I loved it so much! I just wanna read it all over again. Or maybe I'll reread Sweet Gum Tree. So so so good. Sigh. Okay, I'm gonna re-read parts of it.


*Oh, I have it on Kindle if anyone wants to borrow it...

[Sharon ∞❥ is an emotional book junkie ❥∞ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Noah and Jules grew up together, best friends and then lovers. They were inseparable until something happened and Noah left town. Now it's twenty-six years later and Noah's back.

Attention: If you loved, or even just enjoyed, The Sweet Gum Tree, you must read this book. It is that good and will warm your heart.

Jules has just been living her life...barely. She gets by most of the time until the end of January and that's when she falls apart...every year. Still she manages to run the bookstore she owns, take care of her daughter and even take care of herself for a night here and there.

Noah, well, he was gone and obviously I can't say where but what I can say is that you can't help but love him. He's strong and loyal and he tries to do the right thing. I would have loved his POV!

This story has a ton of emotional drama but never too over the top. Jules has to deal with an overbearing mother, a teenage daughter, an ex-husband who's still in love with her, her "hook-up" guy...well, the list goes on. The problem is she's just barely getting by and then one day, e.v.e.r.y.t.h.i.n.g. is blown out of the water.



There is some steaminess but I could've used more...much more. But there's plenty of sexual tension to make up for it...kind of. Okay, not really but it's still good.

I loved all Jule's relationships, even the not-so-good ones. It was great peeling back the layers even if we didn't always get the answers. I loved all the flashbacks and how they added to the story. Nana Mae was one of my favorites and yea, Harley too!




Jules' relationship with her daughter really hit home for me having gone through a similar time. But there were things Jules didn't do that bothered me and things she did do that bothered me as well. Guess I can't be satisfied!

I loved the ending and how everything played out. I especially loved the string ring. ♥




Favorite quotes

♥ "I remember everything."

♥ "I've been undone for three days," he growled against my neck."

♥ “And you are famous to us,” I said. “You’ve been the secret on the shelf for too long. You coming out to shine makes it the best day ever.”

♥ “You aren’t the only one that hasn’t been able to love anyone, Jules,” he said under his breath. “And I’ve tried."

♥ "I don't break like this. How do you always break me?"

♥ “Never settle, baby,” I said, quickly whisking a rogue tear away. “Never, ever settle.”

♥ “You don’t have a man upstairs again, do you?”

“Not today, it’s been a slow week.”

♥ "The real first ring."


*BR w/Melissa!*

[AJ · Rating 5 out of 5]

OMG, the feeeeeeels!!! 4.5 stars

“I love you, Noah”
“Always, baby,” he said, hugging me back. “I’ll always love you.”
“Don’t let go,” I whispered.
“Never.”

God, I love this book! A beautiful and emotional second chance romance that sucked me in from the very beginning, and held me transfixed right through to the very end. I sat down to read this last night, and was so consumed by the story that before I knew it, it was 2am and I had finished it. Just gorgeous!

26 years ago, Jules and Noah were each other’s everything. Best friends since childhood, they were 17 years old, deeply in love, and planning a future together. And then one devastating moment tore everything apart. Both of them shattered, Noah ran off to join the Navy while Jules remained at home and tried to pick up the pieces of her broken heart. She married and had a daughter, but with her having given her heart to Noah, she was never able to love her husband in the same way. And so now, 43 years old and divorced with a rebellious 17 year old daughter, a somewhat friendly ex-husband, and a newly acquired ‘friend with benefits’, she is not living the life that she planned, but instead merely fits into her life that her controlling mother set her up for.

And then Noah returns to town, unwittingly shaking both of their lives to their very foundations.

Noah has come back home to finally settle near his family, and he has brought with him his new fiancée. But from the moment that he and Jules lay eyes on each other again, it is clear that all of the feeling between them is all still there. And It. Is. Intense!!! Meaningful stares, brief touches and conversations where they say everything without saying anything, every little moment between them is dripping with emotion. I could feel everything that they were feeling, and my heart ached for them!

“I remember everything”

What I loved about their reconnection was that it was real. Sure, the chemistry between them is still strong, but there is also all of the anger and bitterness at what they both saw as the betrayal that tore them apart 26 years ago that they never got the chance to deal with when it happened. They have so much that they need to get out, and when they finally start to spill all of the pent-up emotion from the last 26 years, it’s heartbreaking and oh-so powerful! And beneath it all is the love that they still feel for each other so strongly.

“Jules.”
I saw everything in that one second, everything he couldn’t say, everything he’d ever felt.
“Don’t let go,” I whispered.

OMG, their love story is incredible, and the feels are epic as they begin open up to each other once more. But, of course, there are big obstacles standing between them – most notably Noah’s fiancée, and the very issue that tore them apart in the first place. And it’s all dealt with really well. There’s no stupid behaviour or communication issues, just lots of twists and turns as they unravel the truth about the past and deal with the issues in their present. And through it all, they don’t hide away from what is happening between them. They acknowledge that the feels are still there despite all that stands between them, and they do their best to deal with their situation maturely and respectfully.

“You gave me your heart.”
The memory of that embrace and the tears in his eyes stabbed me in the chest. That would have been the moment. “I don’t know how to be with you any other way,” I said.
“I don’t either.”

Jules and Noah are amazing characters. They were both shattered by their separation and have held tight to the memories of each other and their love for each other in the years they have been apart, and that is a beautiful thing. With the heart-aching situation that they are facing, the way they share what they are going through and lean on each other to get through it all is absolutely beautiful! And I love that despite their past, they aren’t afraid to open up to each other and follow their hearts.

The story is told entirely from Jules’ POV, and I love her as a narrator. Sensitive yet sensible, I could understand her reactions to everything, and with flashbacks to the past that show us exactly what happened between her and Noah as it all fell apart, I could empathise with everything that she was feeling.

I could gush on and on about how much I am in love with Noah. Even with the intensity of life as a Navy seal, he has been living with the shattered dream that he once had for his life, and his enduring love for Jules is absolutely beautiful!

The secondary characters are fantastic, and even though they may not all feature hugely in the story, the different dynamics and connections are fantastically written. I loved Jules’ relationships with both her daughter and her grandmother, and Noah’s family brought some great interactions. Each of them were all so deeply affected by the events of the past, and I love the way that that got explored. Quick shout out, too, to the absolute awesome that is Seth. His part in the story is sensational, and I loved every moment with him.

All of the different layers of this story are woven together so beautifully, with lots of surprises along the way. I thought the pacing was realistic, and the story flowed really smoothly. My emotions were all over the place while reading, and I loved every minute of it. I highly recommend this book to anybody who wants a beautifully written, romantic story with some drama, lots of feels, the possibility of both happy and sad tears, and a wonderfully satisfying HEA.

4.5 stars.

[Brandi · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've been thinking on this one for a few days and I'm still unsure...



It was an okay read. Somethings worked for me and some didn't. I'm gonna say it was a 3.5 star read for me.

[Elaine · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 Stars....Wow just Wow!!!





There’s a time of year that Jules hates, a time of carnivals, a town coming together, a time that memories take over, a time when she was Seventeen, in love with a boy named Noah.



Then events happened and everything changed.

Twenty six years later, divorced and bringing up her teenage daughter and trying to carry on with her mother’s dream..



Noah returns...



This is a beautiful emotional story.
Its a story of second chances a story of love and heartache, secrets, and a story of happiness.

[Jen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Don't Let Go is a heartfelt story about second chances so I had to pick this one up right away. This is Jules and Noah's story. They were teenage sweethearts, but when faced with a really tough decision their happy ever after quickly crumbles. Noah left town and became a Navy Seal. Jules stayed in their small hometown. Twenty-six years later she's now divorced, raising her daughter, and running her mothers book store that was left to her. While she's tried to move on, there's only ever been one man for her.

"Noah Ryan was my first love. He was my everything."

Noah has come back to town and the spark between he and Jules lights up immediately which makes things a whole lot more complicated when she finds out he brought his fiancé with him. Jules does her best to avoid running into him, but everywhere she turns he's there.

When the secrets of their past begin to unfold it only brings them closer together.



This book tugged at my heart strings and had me reaching for tissues, but one I would recommend for anyone who loves second chance romances. you have to read it to find out how this couples gets their HEA.

[Natalie · Rating 1 out of 5]

This was bad, like really, really bad.
Sorry to all the people here on goodreads (and there seems to be many) who loved this, but for me it was pretty horrible and there really was just the one single thing I liked about it. And that was the hero Noah. He was so sweet and to die for but even he could not make up for a novel filled with crap. Let's start with the storyline.

It didn't hold my attention one little bit. It really just seemed to be filled by a whole lot of teenage drama and other uninteresting things. A part of me felt like I had read this story before, many, many times and a part of me wondered if I was reading a cheesy Harlequine novel. This is a second chance story, which I usually love, and it's filled with heartbreak and angst, which I usually love but nothing of that made me like this story any better. Nothing of it felt believable to me. After only 20% I saw where this was headed and skimmed through the pages, basically only stopping when Noah was in it. It was easy to tell that the author had tried to make this a more entartaining read by putting in some lame jokes here and there. Did it work? NO!

The other problem for me was the heroine. She was 42 (I hate older heroines) but this one acted pretty much like she was 12. She was childish, immature and annoying as hell. Even here had the author tried and failed to make Jules more entartaining as a character.

“I love you, Noah”
“Always, baby,” he said, hugging me back. “I’ll always love you.”
“Don’t let go,” I whispered.
“Never.”

This book was also filled with stupid teenage drama, to whish I couldn't bring myself to give a shit about. All the other characters was just there to be a space filler and were boring and/or annoying.

I was told that this was similar to the fantastic
The Sweet Gum Tree but I was deeply disappointed.

[Dilek VT]

A HEA after 26 years???!!! No, thanks but no!

[KathyAnne · Rating 5 out of 5]

I need to give this more than 5 stars... :))
I've read some really good books this year but this one will definitely be one of my TOP favorites without a doubt.
I'll start with some words of wisdom from the grannies!

My wise old Cajun Maw Maw used to say, "Hide your crazy, girl. Ain't nobody wanna see that shit."
Maw Maw died of a heart attack at the age of sixty-two. My other grandmother, Nana Mae, who is neither Cajun nor known for being exceptionally wise, is still kicking at eighty-five and says it's because she lets all her crazy out.

Hahaha... I love grannies... they always have such creative wisdom don't they??
But, I happen to agree with Nana Mae... keeping secrets and keeping everything to yourself can be toxic and can definitely lead to crazy reactions and outcomes. This defines Noah's dad and Jules mother perfectly... these two made me want to scream... I can't believe the secrets they kept from their own children. Betrayal hurts so much more when it comes from those who are supposed to protect and guard you.
As a mother of teenage daughters and being around the same age as Jules, I found it incredibly easy to fully immerse myself into her story. I was brought to tears so many times throughout the book because the emotions were so real. The most touching being the memories of those tender moments with her first love Noah at age 17. Powerful stuff people... especially for those of us who know exactly how it feels when you have your heart broken for the first time and experience that first true loss. Do we ever really get over our first loves??
Jules and Noah were torn apart by unexpected circumstances and when they finally meet again two decades later, they both find themselves thrust abruptly into facing the mistakes of their youth. Jules and Noah were both simply existing and had remained stagnant in their personal lives. Coming together and breaking down their protective barriers was exactly what they both needed to finally forgive, move forward and take steps to re-building themselves.
I was completely in tune with the relationship between Jules and her 18 yr old daughter... man, was that familiar territory. That point where we finally have to allow them to make their own choices... even if they aren't what we want for them. Yep... been there... done that! :)
I don't want to say much more because this book is so much better if you don't know too much going into it... but, I will say that I went through a variety of emotions reading this book. I felt anger, shock, disappointment, sadness, frustration... but also hope. By the end of the book the author brings us full circle and gives us one of the most wonderful HEA's... and, left me wondering that maybe all things do happen for a reason. And, in all honesty, it's forced me to reflect a little on how I parent my daughters.
If you are like me and you love romances that center around mature characters and you like the occasional trip on the emotional roller coaster... and, you don't mind a good cry... this is an excellent choice! This one is going to stick with me for a while... it's a keeper... :)

ARC was provided by the publisher via netgalley

www.ktbookreviews.com

[Lucrug · Rating 5 out of 5]

Noah e Julies si conoscono da piccoli,sono migliori amici e crescendo si innamorano. Si allontanano a causa di eventi gestiti principalmente dalla mamma di Jules. Dopo ventisei anni Noah ,arruolatosi nell'esercito appena diciottenne,si congeda e ritorna nella sua città ed è il caos...
Una storia delle seconde possibilità,in cui l'autrice affronta il delicato rapporto madre figlia,l'irrequietezza dell'adolescenza e infine il primo amore;quello con la "A" maiuscola. Quello che ti stravolge la vita quando lo perdi ma che ti fa rinascere quando lo ritrovi,annullando il tempo trascorso in un battito di ciglia....
Inizialmente la protagonista ,Jules, non mi è piaciuta molto,ma in corso d'opera si è ripresa.Becca e Seth li ho trovati meravigliosi e Noah dolcissimo nell'epilogo romantico.
" Il momento peggiore della tua vita,se lo vivi insieme alla persona che ami,diventa il migliore"...
⭐⭐⭐⭐,70

[MELISSA *Mel Reader* · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 "I'm Yours" Stars!
(BR with Sharon)





Jules Doucette grew up in Copper Falls, Texas to strict parents, and a very controlling mother. She meets a boy named Noah Ryan when she's little. They have been best friends since they were 7 & in 2nd grade. Noah & Jules are inseparable, and fall in love as they become teenagers. They plan their life together & even plan to marry. One decision destroys them both, & Noah is hurt and decides to join the Navy & leave the country to never return.



Noah is gone for over 2 decades. During this time Jules marries & divorces, & has a child. Her parents are now gone, but she is still living the life her mother planned for her. She runs her mother's bookstore, lives in her mother's house, & still lives her life as her mother would have wanted. She lives a boring life, & mostly spends her time with her daughter, best friend, & her Nana.



One day her carefully structured life is thrown into chaos when after 26 years the love of her life returns to Copper Falls. They lock eyes & it's like she's thrown back in time. Other than in her dreams, she hasn't seen Noah since they were 17. He takes her breath away. He is still just as beautiful as she remembers, except he's a man now, and filled out in all the right places. Old memories resurface & his presence stirs feelings she didn't know still existed. They never had closure or said goodbye all those years ago, & they feel unfinished still.



Jules realizes she still carries a torch for him. She feels silly & like a teenager when it comes to Noah. Even though she has been with other men since Noah, no one has ever made her feel the passion, or heart and soul kind of love she felt for Noah.



Noah has returned & retired from the Navy, but they still don't just pick up where they left off. There are a lot of issues, obstacles, & hurt feelings. Secrets are revealed from the past that rock their world, and we get a bit of drama.



But ultimately this is a story of second chance love, & 2 hearts finding their way back home. I really enjoyed this one, & thought it was a beautiful, sweet story. First loves are reunited & become one again, & did I mention it's hot as hell! OMG, Navy Seal Noah is yummy!!! :D



-I'd seen him so many times before. Except he was a man now. With something in his eyes that resembled lost.

-My God, he was positively edible.

-Shit, he looked like sex dipped in chocolate.

-"The harder, complicated relationships that you have to fight for are the ones worth something."



-"You aren't the only one that hasn't been able to love anyone, Jules."

-"There's only one woman that ever fit that bill."

-I'd spent a week of nights just like this, falling asleep to the memory of being in his arms. Remembering every touch and every kiss and every inflection of each word we'd said since he hit town. And every look. God, those looks of his- they were worth more than a million words.

-"You've had my heart from the first time you ever kissed me till now."

-"I'm yours."

[~♡AB♡~ · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 Stars



Jules is a 43 year old divorcee with a 17 year old daughter. For 26 years she has been living with a big regret that has stopped her from realizing her dreams and held her back from being who she truly is.

When Noah comes back home with a fiancee in tow, all the pain and secrets are brought to the forefront. As teenagers, they loved each other hard and passionately but betrayals and secrets ruined their chance.

It was very emotional and you just have to read it to experience this wonderful story for what it is. A great second chance romance.

[Natasha is a Book Junkie · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Never settle, baby. Never, ever settle.”

Second chance at love stories are my personal weakness. I love when characters are given a chance to re-do their lives, mend their broken hearts, correct the mistakes of their youth by choosing a different path in life, a better one, a happier one, and embrace a happy ending that should have been theirs in the first place. These stories literally make my skin tingle and while many have moved me and kept me enthralled, very few have truly left a mark on my soul as this beautiful tale has. Couple that with an exquisite writing style and a myriad of characters I adored, and I was in book heaven. This is one of those timeless love stories that shows us how unique true love is, how hard it is to find it, or let go of it. I giggled, I swooned, I fought to catch a breath while sobbing like a baby, and I have loved, loved every single moment of it. One of my favourite books of the year, one of my favourite stories ever.

“Whose life was I living? Mine or my mother’s?”

Julianna “Jules” White is a woman in her early forties, a mother to a rebellious teenager, a small business owner, a divorcée. She lives a normal life in the same small town where she was born and raised, the same normal life her mother lived, the same normal life her mother expected her to live. But everything in Jules’ life has been the result of one bad choice, one moment in time when she trusted someone else to make the right decision for her, and she has felt the crushing weight of regret in every breath she has taken ever since. And then, after twenty-six years of living a half-life, everything comes to a standstill when the love of her life comes back to town.

“Once upon a time you thought you’d die without him. Then you thought you’d crumble into dust if you ever saw him again. Well, he’s back. And you’re still standing.”

Noah Ryan is the boy who stole Jules’ heart when they were just kids, and he never gave it back. He is the boy who left her heartbroken, confused, angry, alone at seventeen and forced to forget every dream they ever made together. Her choices drove him away, but the day he left her swearing never to return again was the day Jules’ life became everything she never wanted. She closed her heart off to everyone who ever tried to love her, giving only part of herself to them, because her whole heart never stopped belonging to the one who got away. And now, as a forty-three-year-old woman, she is faced with the biggest ghost from her past as he returns with the proof that he has moved on in life.

“It’s been a lot of years. Everything got put away—doors locked up tight. But now you fall out of the sky and knock all those doors open. And suddenly I’m not sure where I am half the time.”

What follows is a heart-warming, comical at times, sexy, moving, somewhat bittersweet tale of giving love a second chance, but also of parenthood and finding that golden balance between overprotectiveness and letting your child make their own mistakes in life. Jules is not just a woman fighting to get her heart to beat again—she is also a mother desperately trying not to make the same mistakes her mother made, and to be the kind of parent she has always wished she had.

“And the romp in the rain?” she said, gesturing to the door. “That was—what?”
“Me finding him in the park,” I said.
“Because that was your obligation?”
I huffed out a breath. “No, Nana Mae, that was me looking to help a friend who was hurting.”
“By falling into his mouth.”
I stared at her. “So—my daughter’s having sex right now.”
She paused and raised her eyebrows as she looked down. “Better subject?”
“Frighteningly so.”

Every part of this story got to me, every part of it made me feel, and what I loved the most was how imperfect the premise of this story was, how heavily tainted by one single mistake these characters’ lives have been, and how heavy the price of some happy endings can be. I was left smiling through my tears, replaying all the what-ifs in my head, knowing that this story was the best example of human resilience, forgiveness, and unconditional love. This is a book you will want to hug, revisit, tell your friends about. And it is a story you will forever hold dear in your heart.

“I’ve spent two decades living behind lines I never crossed. Twenty years of holding back, not giving my heart completely, not even to my husband. Not ever wanting to feel crushed like that again. And fifteen minutes with you blew all that away.”

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[Allison ❤️Will Never Conquer Her TBR❤️ · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 Second Chances Stars!





Wow! What an emotional journey this book took me on! Loved it.

Jules and Noah have a history dating back to their teens. A history that included Jules making some pretty tough decisions, Noah fleeing, and Jules being left at age 17 to pick up the pieces. Fast forward twenty-six years, a daughter born, a marriage failed, Jules is still putting one step in front of the other, running her late mother's bookstore and just staying sane. A single mom, a mother that, even from the grave, has dictated her life path, a teen daughter just hitting the age her own life fell apart, Jules stumbles along...until Noah Ryan, retired Navy Seal, steps back into town. It's as if not a day has passed and all the raw pain comes to a head... Why now? Why 26 years later?





If you're a fan of angsty, emotional reads, this book is for you. My heart broke for these two characters. Thrown a major curve ball as teens, victims of Jule's controlling (bitch) mother, life moved on for them but their hearts belonged to each other.





I love a second chance romance. In Don't Let Go we get to experience young love through Jules' memory, flashbacks of her high school sweetheart, their bitter breakup...then watching life come full circle for them when he returns. Can they get it all back? Have they ever really lost it?


The book both broke my heart and put it back together one page at a time. Neither character was perfect, both making mistakes, but with love, friendship, and family...happiness will prevail. The author creates a great story, strong secondary characters and a total feel-good ending. So, the tugs to the heart strings and the tears shed along the way is worth it! I promise!

***This book is tagged NA but it's from Jule's flashbacks. The book timeline, both characters are in their forties. Which I loved!

And I thank you!

[Philomena Callan Cheekypee · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my second read by this author and definitely my favourite. I absolutely loved it.

I found this to be a brilliant read. The storyline is brilliant and the writing is beautiful. If your looking for a story that will give you lots of feels then this could be the book for you. I’m definitely looking forward to reading more from this author.

[Mysza · Rating 4 out of 5]

*** 3,5 stars

[Anne OK · Rating 5 out of 5]

READ THIS BOOK NOW! DON'T WAIT! IT'S ABSOLUTELY OUTSTANDING! It is as good as The Sweet Gum Tree and that surprised me -- in a very very good way.

FULL REVIEW SHORTLY.

[Serialbookstarter:Marla · Rating 5 out of 5]

The H left the h at around age 17- 18 because her mother forced her to give up their baby for adoption. 26 years later he’s back in town looking fine a tiring a 20 something pregnant fiancé. This one brings the angst bug in that cozy small town atmosphere. Worthy of a read.

[Tanja ~ KT Book Reviews · Rating 5 out of 5]

The last thing I expected when looking at the cover of this book was a story of love, loss and longing spanning 26 years. It looked to be more of a New Adult read. What I found in the pages of Don’t Let Go has and will stick with me for awhile to come.

Noah and Jules loved each other with all the passion of first love. They loved hard and fierce. It was when life took a turn for the unexpected that all things came to a screeching halt. Decisions were made for them that will affect them for the rest of their lives.

Noah, young and unable to really deal with his emotions takes off and joins the military. Jules, being suffocated by her mother stays and endures the domineering ways of her mother and the unwavering hatred of Noah’s father.

Moving forward twenty six years Noah returns home and what he finds is staggering. Issues were left unresolved. Lies were told and emotions run high.

My emotions were all over the place while reading this one. I cried many, many times. Laughed out loud and shook my head in disgust. It is a fantastic read if you are looking for an emotional read with heart and longing.

Honestly it’s one of my favorite reads of the year so far.

5 STARS
T~

[Sabrina · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars..

I'm not a "Feels" reader --------but this book gave me goose bumps... It was heartbreaking, exhausting, and oh so good!!
If you want angst, soul mate love , and lots of feels -- go get this book now!!!

[Sabrina Fornero · Rating 5 out of 5]

Un libro che strappa il cuore e tenta di ricucirlo con tutte le sofferenze che ne conseguono, è un libro generazionale che affronta la vita in tutte le sue età e le sue sfaccettature.
La storia inizia con una Jules quarantenne e sua figlia Becca alle prese con l'adolescenza e tutti i suoi scompensi ormonali in una piccola cittadina del Texas, tutto così normale ed estremamente provinciale fin quando non torna Noah che non è solo il figliol prodigo del proprietario della tavola calda dirimpettaio della libreria di Jules ma... il suo prima, perché c'è un momento in cui Jules è caduta a pezzi e solo dopo ha potuto costruirsi un futuro.
Jules e Noah diciassettenni erano tutto, avevano conquistato tutte le loro prime volte insieme ed erano in procinto in tre di diventare una famiglia ma... una mamma arcigna ed egoista ha fatto il quarto incomodo e tutto è precipitato.
Un libro sulle seconde possibilità, una storia che ha del surreale che rattrista ma allo stesso tempo dona speranza, ho gioito e sofferto con loro e... l'incontro, quello che meno ti aspetti mi ha fatta capitolare.
Sono contenta di aver recuperato questa lettura, il libro ne vale veramente la pena.

[Ada · Rating 2 out of 5]

1.5 stars
I'm still staring at all the 5 stars reviews and thinking "What is wrong with me? What possessed me to read this?" Then I remember it's all Ami's fault and I feel better. :)))
They say if you have nothing nice to say don't say anything at all. Those people were smart, let me tell ya.

Thank you for the BR, Ami and Jeanne.
P.S. Ami, you're lucky I love you.

[Sara · Rating 5 out of 5]

4,5 ⭐
«Be’, qualcuno mi ha detto che a volte sono le storie d’amore difficili e complicate, le storie per cui devi lottare, quelle che valgono davvero»

Ho letto questo libro grazie al consiglio della mia amica Annuccia, non avevo mai sentito parlare di quest'autrice e soprattutto non conoscevo questo libro e ora posso dire che sono contenta di averlo letto.
Ho amato tantissimo la storia di Noah e Jules, in molte scene avevo gli occhi lucidi e un nodo alla gola, in molte altre sorridevo e in altre avevo le guance bagnate dalle lacrime. La lettura è stata scorrevole e per nulla pesante, scorrevo le pagine e senza accorgermene ero già a metà libro. Alcune cose e scene le avevo previste e poi infatti si sono avverate ma in linea generale questo libro mi è piaciuto davvero tantissimo!
Mi è piaciuto inoltre ed ho trovato davvero una cosa originale trovare a fine libro la ricetta della torta “Mississippi mud” di nonna Mae...
Libro assolutamente consigliato!😍🔝

[Nikki · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 Stars