Member Reviews
I loved this book and am looking forward to reading it again! The characters were great, storyline great and the build up to the end was fab, I was really rooting for the couple’s relationship to survive! A brilliant weekend read or summer beach read, get a copy and enjoy!!
Imagine waking up and finding out the last thing you remember actually happened years ago? That's the start of Alice's story here, but the real story here, is do you have to remember or can you start afresh?
I loved the characters in this, Callum was particularly swoon-worthy. Alice's parents made me laugh and Lewis and Migs seemed lovely.
The dates were so much fun and I'd have definitely fallen for Callum, probably before date 1!
My one criticism is where it ended, I'd have liked an epilogue - perhaps a year into the future to see where they all found themselves. Nothing major but I think it would have just given the story a bit more of a completeness.
Lovely writing, great fun, a definite beach read.
After an incident has left our protagonist without her memories, including those of her partners, he decides ti recreate their first ten dates to help recapture their love and hopefully regain her memory.
Whiole we mostly get Alice's POV we do sometimes get Callum's too which i really liked. as well as some cute flashbacks of them both which i feel helps them grow as characters.
Callum is really sweet and i was really rooting for the main couple to work in this and get back together properly, and i felt their relationship was wholesome and adorable.
While the lost memory concept is perhaps not something new, it felt new and unique here and i liked the spin the author put on this book, and i loved reading a genuinely happy, wholesome unproblematic couple
Oh this book… this book….it was actually perfection if you ask me. I swooned like I never swooned before!
Alice was in a car accident that’s left her in a coma for 3 months. When she finnaly wakes up the last 2 years of her life are whipped away from her memories. 2 very important years. Because of the amnesia she can’t remember she now has a boyfriends that moved in with her and who she is planning a whole life with. In her mind she is still a happy single, living alone and not believing in love. Callum realizes his soulmate can’t even remember how they fell in love, so he asks for a redo. 10 dates to make her fall in love with him again.
This is a very slow burn second change romance that will make you swoon from the very first chapters. And the angst is so real…. I loved how the author has handle the subject of amnesia and finding love again. Till the very last page I was at the edge of my seat wondering how this story was going to end.
The only complaint I have is the somewhat rushed ending. I really wished the story had an epilog set in the future for a more definite ending.
This is kind of like 50 First Dates (movie) which if you haven’t seen it, you should definitely watch it.
It’s the story of Alice and Callum. Alice got into an accident and lost two years worth of memories and was convinced that her and Callum (her brother’s best friend) were just friends still.
Alice is unsure if she loves Callum and he decides to recreate the ten dates that they went on when they first got together to spark her love for him and her memory.
This book is just so cute and I love how Rachel told Alice and Cal’s story. It was an enjoyable read and I was definitely rooting for them to get together in the end.
The author did a great job on the loss memory trope and you can tell she put a lot of research into it. I definitely look forward to reading more of her books in the future.
Thank you to NetGalley and Boldwood Publishing for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.
Alice wakes up on an hospital bed.She has forgotten the last 2 years of her life after a car crash. Next to here are not her parents or brother, but her brother's best friend, Callum.
Why is he here ?
Because during these 2 years that she forgot, they fell in love, and lived perfectly happy.
And now, because of a drunken driver, she can't remember that. And worst, she can't understand why she chose to live her life with him in the first place...
Callum is comprehensive, but desperate to find his soulmate back. So he offers her a deal, the same he offered two years ago : she will have 10 dates to fall in love again with him.
Lots of cute moments reading this book, as well as sad moments. I felt so heartbroken for Callum sometimes ! Rachel Dove perfectly describes all the thoughts Alice must have, all the fears an independant woman like her must feel when it comes to give her heart to someone. I really enjoye my reading, and would without any doubt advise it to my patrons.
3.5★
It starts off intriguingly, making me wonder what happened to Alice before she lost her memory. However, the subsequent chapters' character exchanges are disturbing and slow down the plot.⠀
⠀
I also have difficulty distinguishing between the past and the present because the writing in Alice and Callum's past is not italicized (?) The chemistry between Alice and Callum, on the other hand, makes my heart giddy, and it's a quick read I can't put down!⠀
⠀
Thanks to Netgalley and Boldwood Books for the eARC! I enjoyed it. ⠀
⠀
hooked and hooked some more. Loved all of this and couldn't put it down. I was like oh my. I need to know more. Read it.
This has been my favourite romance read of the year so far. It was very addictive and based on a really interesting and original premise. Callum was a fiercely loyal, patient and kind partner as he helped Alice rebuild the pieces of her life after suffering a tremendous brain injury.
There were times through this story where I laughed and others where I sobbed my little heart out. It was a true rollercoaster that I experienced with the characters. The complexity of memory definitely comes through as Alice wonders why she remembers certain things and not others, leaving her to question some of the choices she made before the accident.
I was never in any doubt that Callum was perfect for her, but Alice will be able to place the pieces of the puzzle back together before she loses Callum for good?
The ending of the book was both devastating and beautiful. I felt like my heart had been ripped out, trampled on and then stitched back together.
A truly gorgeous, heart-warming read that explores human connection in its most complex, and yet simplest form - love.
Ten dates
This cute romance is better than “50 first dates” as a traumatic brain injury takes away the memory of a love story and the couple needs to fight to rekindle the romance. This sweet story was one I couldn’t put down and shows soulmates always win out in the end.
I received a free advanced review copy and offer my honest opinion voluntarily.
B O O K R E V I E W
ᴛᴇɴ ᴅᴀᴛᴇsᴀᴜᴛʜᴏʀ: ʀᴀᴄʜᴇʟ ᴅᴏᴠᴇ
ᴘᴜʙʟɪᴄᴀᴛɪᴏɴ ᴅᴀᴛᴇ: ᴍᴀʀᴄʜ 10, 2023
⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ / 5
Thank you @netgalley and @boldwoodbooks for this ARC in return for my honest review.
‘We’re soulmates, sparrow. Your mind might have lost me, but your heart didn’t. Give it time.’ - Callum
THIS BOOK! If you like the movie 50 First Dates with Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore, then this book needs to be added to your list. Second chance romance, super cute, and not cheesy, Rachel Dove writes this book where Alice was in a car accident that had left her in a coma. After 3 months, she wakes up and she thinks she is okay, but turns out she can’t remember the last 2 years which include events like her best friend and brother getting married and pregnant. She also doesn’t remember the relationship she was in with her frenemy Callum (her brother’s best friend who she has known basically their whole lives).
When she is finally able to go home Callum is determined to get the woman he is in love with back in love with him. He recreates Alice and his first ten dates to try and bring her memory back of him and his love. Will it work?
A couple madly in love until tragedy strikes and Cullen beloved fiancé loses her memory. Bound and determined to make her fall in love with him again, Cullen embarks on a journey of recreating the 10 days that led up to their first “I love you”. Wonderfully written, and a delight to behold!
After a car crash and subsequent coma, Alice wakes up not remembering the past few years, including her relationship with Callum. She agreed to ten dates with him, just like at the start of their relationship.
I thought this book had promise, but it took way too long to get to the dates. A lot of them felt rushed at the end/almost pointless.
I received my copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
When Alice McLaren wakes up from her almost three-month coma from a car accident, she can't figure out why her frenemy and brother's best friend Callum Roberts is at the hospital. She soon realizes that he's more than a friend, and the past two years of her life are a blank slate, including how they become a couple and fell in love. Callum, knowing Alice so well, challenges her to go out with him on ten dates, the same challenge from the start of their relationship to see if she'll fall in love again and hopefully remember their love.
This book is heartbreakingly lovely. I enjoyed reading their repeat dates, but also how each deals with the trauma of the car accident and the aftermath. Each of their perspectives felt real and not sugar-coated. Callum's love, commitment, and patience made him such a special character that I always enjoyed when we jumped into his POV.
My one major critique is that the ending felt rushed. Two-three more pages would've made a big difference. And normally I find epilogue's hit or miss, and this book would've been done well with one.
It's my first Rachel Dove book and certainly won't be my last.
Thank you to NetGalley, Boldwood Books and Rachel Dove for providing me with this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
I loved this book! I'm a huge fan of the movie "The Vow" and "50 first dates" and this book reminded me of both of those movies. I absolutely fell in love with Callum. He went all out to show and prove to Alice how much he loved her. He's truly one of the best book boyfriends out there. I loved the concept of recreating their dates to help jog Alices memory. It made me so giddy and excited to find out what each date consisted of.
Overall this was a cute and fun read! I thoroughly enjoyed every page of this book and I look forward to reading more Rachel Dove books soon!
Tropes: slow burn, second chance romance, childhood friends to lovers trope
Thank you for this arc!!
My rate is 2.5. This book reminded me of 50 first dates and the vow. The beginning of the book is good but I did find myself hard to be hooked. Only one thing that I didn’t like was the use of ‘ instead of “. Callum was so sweet and understanding.
"Fate wasn't just a cruel mistress, it was a vindictive bitch"
Imagine losing a whole chunk of your memories, the memories where "friendship " develops into love and you have no idea how you came to love someone. Where your heart remembers, like muscle memory how to feel but your head just hasn't caught up yet and you feel like you're living someone else's life.
This was absolutely sweet, I'm in love with Callum and I don't often do 'book boyfriends' I adore the thought, effort and whole heartedness he put into his relationship with Alice and the way he recreated their first dates togerher to try to help Alice regain her memories.
The banter between Alice and Callum is something else. They are friends/frenemies to lovers, and their knowing each other goes all the way back to childhood, and the history they share can't be matched.
I could relate to Alice wanting her independence and hating relying on people and recovering after an injury. This was a moving book, that made my heart twinge.
If you enjoyed 50 first dates or The vow, where characters have to show love and start over , get a second chance then this is the book for you.
I haven't read any of Rachel Dove before, but she's certainly on my bookdar book radar) now.
Rating this book 4.25.
Thank you to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for access to this ARC.
I was fully invested in this love story, I felt all the feels. The main character, Alice wakes up from a coma, following a crash, and has forgotten the last two years of her life, which included her relationship to her boyfriend, Callum.
It's a slow burner, predictable romance but i loved it. Callum is the dream. If I ever find any one close to how dedicated Callum is towards Alice, I would be very happy indeed.
I would’ve loved an extra chapter to give us a glimpse of their life in the future.
This is a five-star read that will sweep you up in the romance. This had its moments where I did wonder what was happening, but most of all it was just a wonderful story that swept me up and made me care so much about Callum and Alice. This story really does make you stop and think what if? What if that moment happens and life changes in an instant, what would you do if your significant other forgot your relationship, would you leave them in the hospital, or make them remember you in the best way possible. When you put yourself in Ali’s place, waking up and having had everything move on, must be so confusing and then to have the head injury as well that must be so awful. But then again, maybe falling in love all over again, just sounds amazing, especially when you know deep in your heart, they are your soul mate, but it can be a struggle when your brain is questioning everything. Do not miss this great story, I am so excited to find a new author to me, as it means I get to add more to my TBR pile and another author to stalk.
I don’t like growly, alpha style men and so this wasn’t the book for me. I very much put Callum into that category as a wannabe - they way he spoke and acted.
I love a book where I get a huge crush on the guy, but in this case Callum just annoyed me.
I wasn’t overly keen on Alice either, she was having a bad time, I get that. The book started with such promise but then I just found her whingey and him controlling.
It will have an audience who love it, but it wasn’t for me sadly .