If you have been on this blog before, you might have noticed that I have a love affair with a few authors because they are on here multiple times. J.A. Redmerski is one of those authors and if you don't want to search through the entries to find other reviews of her books, you can click here and here. Yeah, I have a mad author crush on her.
I realize that you may be reading this and thinking well if she's already a J.A. devotee then this review is biased. I promise it is not. When a book moves me so much that I am crying on my couch and not ashamed of it when my roommates walk in and catch me, you know that this book is dang good. When the book first opens, you're immediately thrust into this world of heavy depression. It's not that the main character Camryn acts like she wants to die or anything, but it's her lack of will to truly live that settles heavy in your chest. I truly think that she is an example of an individual grieving and just going through the motions of life. While the decision to board a grey hound with no destination may seem odd and dangerous to some; but I think the reason this book has become so popular, (hello NYT bestseller list!) is because everyone at some point in their lives just wants to ditch it all. When Camryn boards the bus, I felt like I was totally in solidarity with her. Then she meets Andrew, and things definitely change for her. Andrew is the boy who seemed to know how to fix things. After reading the first chapter in his POV I was sold. I am a one hundred percent Andrew Parrish fan. I love that guy. I wish he were real. Seriously.
As I was reading this I became so completely immersed in the story. Sometimes when I sit down to read something, I still have all of these other thoughts running through my head. The Edge of Never captivated me. There are stories that pretty much leave you incapacitated to deal with life after you finish them, and this is one of those books. The plot was a journey you became invested in. At every stop on the trip I couldn't wait to see what was going to happen. The best part about this journey was nothing was contrived or cliche. It was a slow building of trust and relationship between two people. I've re-read it twice since I originally read it. It's that good.
Andrew's and Camryn's journey is something that is so gratifying. I guess you could say that their road trip with no destination is a metaphor for how they were feeling in life. Ultimately they ended up at their destination, and there was a major WTF moment when they got there. This moment was SERIOUSLY out of left field. I was bawling my eyes out unashamedly, (not easy to make me do with since I was around people) almost at the point of breaking my computer because I DID NOT SEE THIS COMING. Seriously, well done Redmerski, well done. It takes a lot to surprise me and the major plot twist did me in.
You guys, seriously, I know I rave about all the books on my blog, (mostly because I only post about books I reeeeally like) but seriously, if you have not read this one, go freaking read it. It is beautiful, and yes in my completely little girl romantic heart I LOVED this book. As a loyal stalker, I mean fan of J.A. Redmerski you NEED to go buy this book, and if you already have and are as in love with it as I am: power to the people man. If I did a favorite book list for the year, The Edge of Never would definitely be on there.
Oh Yeah Count:
OH YEAH I LOVED IT
Oh Yeah Count:
OH YEAH I LOVED IT
Buy It!
Book
description
Twenty-year-old
Camryn Bennett had always been one to think out-of-the-box, who knew
she wanted something more in life than following the same repetitive
patterns and growing old with the same repetitive life story. And she
thought that her life was going in the right direction until
everything fell apart.
Determined not to dwell on the negative and push forward, Camryn is set to move in with her best friend and plans to start a new job. But after an unexpected night at the hottest club in downtown Raleigh, North Carolina, she makes the ultimate decision to leave the only life she’s ever known, far behind.
With a purse, a cell phone and a small bag with a few necessities, Camryn, with absolutely no direction or purpose boards a Greyhound bus alone and sets out to find herself. What she finds is a guy named Andrew Parrish, someone not so very different from her and who harbors his own dark secrets. But Camryn swore never to let down her walls again. And she vowed never to fall in love.
But with Andrew, Camryn finds herself doing a lot of things she never thought she’d do. He shows her what it’s really like to live out-of-the-box and to give in to her deepest, darkest desires. On their sporadic road-trip he becomes the center of her exciting and daring new life, pulling love and lust and emotion out of her in ways she never imagined possible. But will Andrew’s dark secret push them inseparably together, or tear them completely apart?Due to sexual content and language, this book is recommended for 17+ – Adult Contemporary Women’s – New Adult Fiction
Determined not to dwell on the negative and push forward, Camryn is set to move in with her best friend and plans to start a new job. But after an unexpected night at the hottest club in downtown Raleigh, North Carolina, she makes the ultimate decision to leave the only life she’s ever known, far behind.
With a purse, a cell phone and a small bag with a few necessities, Camryn, with absolutely no direction or purpose boards a Greyhound bus alone and sets out to find herself. What she finds is a guy named Andrew Parrish, someone not so very different from her and who harbors his own dark secrets. But Camryn swore never to let down her walls again. And she vowed never to fall in love.
But with Andrew, Camryn finds herself doing a lot of things she never thought she’d do. He shows her what it’s really like to live out-of-the-box and to give in to her deepest, darkest desires. On their sporadic road-trip he becomes the center of her exciting and daring new life, pulling love and lust and emotion out of her in ways she never imagined possible. But will Andrew’s dark secret push them inseparably together, or tear them completely apart?Due to sexual content and language, this book is recommended for 17+ – Adult Contemporary Women’s – New Adult Fiction
Giveaway:
(1)
Signed paperback copy of THE EDGE OF NEVER, (1) Kindle or Nook copy,
(1) sterling silver custom book pendant necklace $200 value. Open to
United States and Canada only.
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About
the Author
Author
of THE DARKWOODS TRILOGY and DIRTY EDEN, mother, werewolf &
zombie fanatic, book addict and a happy hermit obsessed with the
Universe. Oh, and AMC’s “The Walking Dead”.
Addictions:
Starbucks every morning, trolling Barnes & Noble’s shelves once
a week, detesting winter, shopping flea markets and preparing for the
collapse of society as we know it. Do I own a tin foil hat? Maybe.
:-)
I
was born in Arkansas and have lived here most of my life, except the
couple of times when I lived in Pennsylvania. I started my first
novel at the age of thirteen and have been writing something ever
since. Generally, I love characters in life and on paper. I pay
attention to people, especially those whose personalities make them
different from the rest of us: the drug addict roaming the Laundromat
that talks to himself, the young, inattentive mother in the park with
the meanest kid on the playground – (the entire cast of ‘Swamp
People’) – characters fascinate me and I hope that it shows in my
literary work.
Author: J.A. Redmerski
Release date: November 15, 2012
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Age Group: New Adult
Tour organized by: AToMR Tours
LOL, loved your review! *blush* Thanks for participating in my tour! :-)
ReplyDeleteThis is one amazing book!!!! I can't say enough about it. This one made it into my "to be read again and again and again and again" pile! :)
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