RENEE CARLINO REVIEWS
SWEET THING
by Renée Carlino
contemporary // romance // music // quarter-life crisis
So. Much. Love.
Everything is rad. I am so happy this book was calling out to me from my TBR list. I’ve been in such a reading slump this month and this was just perfect. It drew me in right away and kept me hooked with beautiful writing, unique and well-developed characters, and music expertly weaved into the heart of the story. And Will. WILL …
I don’t think I can carry on with life knowing that Will Ryan isn’t in it. He’s a saint. That’s it. The end. A gorgeous, loving, gifted angel with more patience than humanly possible. (but he’s an angel, so human limitations don’t apply, obviously.) He was so refreshing. I feel wrong calling him a rockstar because of what the title implies, but he IS a rockstar. He’s a true rockstar who has respect and passion for music and people, not fame or drugs or money. And holy crap, he’s not a manwhore! And maybe he’s technically not a “saint”, but the angel thing still stands.
"committing yourself to someone requires a leap of faith— that’s why it’s so hard for some."
Okay so… Mia was frustrating, no doubt. I’ve heard high praise for this book, but also some complaints regarding Mia and her attitude toward perfect, angelic, teddy-bear Will. I agree that she could be fantastically infuriating, BUT if she hadn’t been, the lessons she learned wouldn’t have been as powerful.
"I was learning the hard way what happens when you take the people you love for granted."
Her behavior never detracted from anything for me. I root for her and care for her. She’s struggling through a quarter-life crisis, and no matter how much she tries to convince everyone that she has her life together, she’s terrified. She’s terrified of meaningful relationships, of leading a dull, meaningless life, of the future in general… and I don’t think I’ve ever been able to relate to anyone more (add that to her watching her old dog slow down and I KNOW I’ve never been able to relate to anyone more. I lost my 15-year-old puppy and my 17-year-old kitty within the past few years, and I just had to put the book down and cry a couple of times when Mia and Will were caring for Jackson. ughhh Right in the heart).
But back to Mia. I want to shake her/scream in her face as well as commiserate with her. I could always understand where she was coming from, no matter how atrocious her behavior toward Will. (Except when she wouldn’t return his phone calls— especially after watching the video where he was so obviously miserable. That was not cool.) But most of the time, I found myself agreeing with her thoughts and knowing that Mia and I would be total BFFs… you know, if she existed and all. minor details.
"I love flying. It’s an escape for me. There’s nowhere to be; it’s like surrendering to fate."
RE: Audrey: "She’s happy and nice to the point where I feel like an asshole just being around her." (By the way, I’m still laughing about Audrey and the fucking finger cymbals. oh my god)
"If I was guarded it was because I was realizing how little control I had over my feelings and it scared me."
I loved watching Mia grow and learn. I also appreciate how Will never gave up on her, but stepped back and let her pull herself together. This book recognizes that you cannot use a significant other to make yourself whole. Only YOU can do that, and I don’t see this harsh reality represented very often. There is a beautiful cast of supporting characters as well who help her along the way. And the music ties everything together so perfectly. It’s sometimes very technical, but always fascinating. Will masters live looping at one point and I could picture him up on stage, crafting these intricate songs on various instruments all at once, and I felt awed by his talent. I’ve also been listening to the Jon Schmidt song all day that Mia plays for Jenny and Tyler. It’s ahhhhhmazing!
NOWHERE BUT HERE
by Renée Carlino
contemporary // romance
I went into Nowhere But Here with the expectation that it would fall short of Sweet Thing. I mean, how could anything compete with that? I was awed and touched by every detail of that book, so of course I was excited for more from Renée, but I knew nothing could touch Mia and Will.
And I was wrong.
Nowhere But Here is a beautiful story about learning how to open yourself up to life and love. A heartwarming romance. The writing is lovely. I could see and feel everything so clearly. Even the side characters really came to life and stayed with me. And excuse me for a second, I'm still swooning over Jamie.
There were a few things present here that, under other circumstances, would lessen my enjoyment of the story. There was insta-love, a practically-superhuman flawless main character, and I knew what the twist was going to be from the start. But I wasn't fazed by any of it. In fact, it added to the story for me. The love was sweet and beautiful. Jamie's ability to do-it-all was completely endearing. And even though the big reveal didn't shock me, I was thoroughly entertained in trying to figure out the why of it all.
I saw a lot of Will (Sweet Thing) in Jamie-- which is not a complaint in any way. They are amazing guys and I wish more characters were like them. I love them both and even though Jamie is a Red Sox fan, he may have won me over even MORE than Will somehow.
This book also taught me something new about my all-time favorite movie (life jacket UNDER the door. who knew?). Wins all around. lol
I'm so sad that this is over but excited to see what's next from Renée Carlino
"You're always so curious about the world but terrified to be a part of it."
AFTER the RAIN
by Renée Carlino
contemporary // romance
Oh... boy... I'm so sad. I did not enjoy this book. It lacked all the magic of Sweet Thing and Nowhere But Here. It didn't even feel like I was reading a Carlino book. The quality of writing and the story were incredibly poor. I spent the entirety of my reading time picking apart the storytelling, dumbfounded that this came from the same person who gave me Mia and Will.
More than a year after reading Sweet Thing, I can recall some of the smallest details about it, but just months after finishing After the Rain I'm having a hard time remembering the characters' names. It felt like Carlino combined the writing of several different authors and lost her own voice here.
After the Rain was a five star read in the beginning, but after the main characters met, the story fell down a steep decline. Everything about their interactions and personalities felt so false. Ava opened up to this complete stranger just minutes after meeting him. For a girl who spent five years in a self-imposed isolation, I would not expect her to confide in this random visitor-- a complete stranger. And Nate-- on one page he's callously telling her to "forget" (no spoilers) and a few pages later he's so compassionate, saying "nobody appreciates the tragedy she's been through, and how could anybody be so cold to her?" I'm sorry, weren't you just doing the same thing?
They were so wishy-washy and never became real people.
I remember at one point, Ava calls him and hears a woman speak in the background, so she hangs up on him and refuses to talk to him again. I mean REALLY? He could have been at work or in public or out with friends. Oh god that pissed me off so much. Why on earth would this guy even want to be with a girl who'd fly off the handle like that? And I can't even remember any other details about the book to comment on.
Ugh I'm so sad I didn't like this, but I'm still looking forward to what's coming next.