Julia London

I am going to give this book props for its depiction of OCD. I think that a lot of depictions of OCD tend to focus on the compulsions and not the obsessions, and the way the hero's obsessions were depicted ran particularly true. The hero is convinced that he is sexually deviant, and I think that it is strange that his rakehell brother did not acknowledge that he wasn't so much sexually deviant as much as he was socially anxious and didn't get out much. If he had, he would know that liking threesomes and consensual binding is pretty tame as far as kinks go. I also like like that it was acknowledged that the heroine couldn't "cure" him of his OCD, but instead had to learn to accept it.… (mais)

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of this story in exchange for my honest review! Meet Nora November: lawyer in her father's law firm, daughter to smothering/indifferent/judgmental parents, grieving her grandfather's death, and generally stuck in her unhappy life until she has an NDE (near death experience). We follow her as she adjusts to her new "After," and as she struggles to remember just how and why she died. As she works to reconcile her new lease on life with her old self, she comes to understand that her old "Before" life is like a familiar but ill-fitting coat that everyone seems to want her to continue to wear. Those readers who struggle with the lows of depression will recognize Nora's constant fight to pull herself out of her self-doubt and sadness. In her "After," Nora looks for Jack, having met and clicked with him during a hostage situation in her "Before." Jack, who works as a hospice/palliative care aide, has his own difficulties coping with the heaviness of his job, and also must strive to look for brightness in the dark. With two elderly parents in hospice I may not have been in the best headspace for this book, with its themes of death and sadness and regret. But I couldn't help but focus instead on the inter-twined themes of love and hope and redemption in amongst the despair. I feel, so much, for Nora and I so admire her perseverance in the darkness. I was rooting for her to keep going and find her way, and to keep looking for the silver linings even when life threatens to drag you down. Both she and Jack are aided by a great cast of supporting characters as they both work towards becoming who they want to be. I loved this book!… (mais)