Member Reviews
Another Shot by Stephen Anthony Brotherton by is an interesting novel. Jo-Jo comes searching for Freddie almost after thirty years. After their teenage love affair, they parted ways and moved on with their lives. How does the reentry of Jo-Jo in Freddie's life affect him?
The rekindling of their love brings back so many memories, untold feelings and apologies. Freddie and Jo-Jo both are still in love with each other but they dont know what to do with that love. The timeline in the story is unique.
The author also mentioned a thing or two about certain mental illnesses, broken families and kids dealing with their broken parents. The best part is the author wrote this story inspired by some true events in his own life. An entertaining book. The pace felt a little slow in between the pages but the story as a whole is very sweet.
I think a lot of people will be able to relate to the premise of this novel being about first love. I liked the idea of the story being told from multiple viewpoints and going back and forth into the past and back to the present to give the reader some idea of what had occurred, but in this case I think it hurt this book. The characters were not fully developed and I found that I really didn't understand what drew them together and why I should care about their story. Thanks for the ARC, Net Galley.
I really enjoyed this book. It was told from both characters flipping from past to present. A couple who were high school sweethearts meet again after thirty five years. I can real to this because this happened to me and my now husband! Needless to say I was hoping this story had a different ending than it does. I recommend this book for anyone who likes a good love story.
Thank you Net Galley for the ARC.
This was a great read and I enjoyed it immensely. Jo-Jo seeing Freddie right before she emigrates and the missed opportunities in their relationship make this book very bittersweet. The flashbacks brought an added connection to the characters' relationship that I don't think that I would have had without it.
After being widowed for 2 years. Jo-Jo feels it finally time to get back in touch with her former flame and first love Freddie.. She is also encouraged by her daughter Amy.
Despite it being 35 years since they last saw each other, Freddie agrees to meet. But what will happen as Jo-Jo is planning to emigrate to be with her grandchildren.
The story is told by Jo-Jo and Freddie. Each person takes it in turn. The story flicks back in time to reveal what their relationship was like..
The chapters are short and the dates are clearly marked so you cannot get lost and confused in the book. At times I felt the chapters went too quick but that may be the author's way of building up suspense. And if it was it worked.
I did enjoy the book and I was really getting into the story line but I felt the ending was a bit abrupt. It was like it was unfinished and did not make sense. Perhaps there is going to be a second one?
It has left me with some unanswered questions and it differently surprised me, especially when I thought I had the plot figured out.
I loved the characters in this book, they all came to life for me and brought back so many memories of my teenage years in the early eighties.
The book reminds us all to make the most of every moment.
I wanted so much for the ending to be a happy one but real life isn't like that. Hopefully there will be a follow up.
An extremely well written love story!
This was nice. I liked the overall story and was surprised a little with the ending, even though the blurb clearly mentioned it. The premise of the story with teenage lovers meeting after all these years when their lives have taken huge turns, is sadly heart-wrenching. It did peak up my hopes as the story progressed about the future of these two people who had feelings for each other, and might be having now too, but I'm usually fine with realistically sad endings so I knew what I was in for. Having said that, apart from the flashbacks that filled in the gaps for the readers and outlined their teenage love story, I felt the writing to be a little too slow for my taste. There were bits of too many emotions and this might be my personal preference but I can't read about emotions without having them backed up by actions. I did feel for both the characters, though so that's definitely worth mentioning. I would recommend this to all those looking for a good romance that is well crafted to make you feel sad at the end.
There's always something about that first love that stays with us and Freddie and Jo-Jo's story is not exempt from that. Jo-Jo seeks out Freddie thirty five years after they'd gone their separate ways. Their meeting triggers memories of their young love, their decisions and paths in life after that and in a way it makes you nostalgic because you can't stop but ask yourself too "what if..?"
This book and especially their love story and life decisions are relatable.
The writing format makes it easy to read their insights back and forth making it easier to relate to and empathize with a character. I'm glad I got an arc from NetGalley and do wish that there was a better ending but I know with life, well, not everyone loves apples.
We've all been Freddie and Jo-Jo. First loves, reunited.
This is a lovely story ideal....in theory. We explore the past, where Freddie and Jo-Jo first met and fell in love, we also explore why they broke up. This is a story about revisiting the past...and trying to bring it into the future. I was left a little ... empty when finished. I mean...sure, I ran to Facebook and IMMEDIATELY looked up my first love, but ...why revisit something that hurt so bad.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book.