Hey guys! Welcome to my stop on the Art of Letting Go and Keeping Faith Blog Tour hosted by Xpresso Book Tours. Click here to follow along with the full tour schedule. Yesterday I reviewed Book One (click here to read my review of the first book), and today I have a review of Book Two for you!
The Art of Keeping Faith
Uni Files #2
by Anna Bloom
Publication date: April 9th 2014
Genre: New Adult, Romance
Add: Goodreads
Synopsis
Lilah and Ben. They are meant to be a thing.
Well they were. The best thing ever. That was until Lilah decided to teach herself a lesson, and let go of Ben as she learnt The Art of Letting Go.
Now it's a new academic year, and Lilah has it all to play for and it all too lose as she battles scary lecturers, evil PR girls and her own inability to make the right decision at the right time.
Life has moved on for Lilah and her friends, and life off campus is more complicated than any of them would have guessed. As the reality of being second year students sets in and the study starts to build up, cracks begin to appear in the very fabric of their friendships. There is a chance that none of them are going to complete Year Two in one piece.
Facing down her worst enemy: herself. Lilah has to try and change her own past mistakes when she realises that the only way she is going to get the future she wants is if she manages to learn The Art of Keeping Faith in herself.
The Art of Keeping Faith is the second year in The Uni File Series and continues Lilah McCannon's diary as she searches for love, tries to find and earn trust, and ultimately discovers who she is really meant to be.
Sometimes the only way to meet your future is to face your past.
I was so excited to begin The Art of Keeping Faith and spend more quality time with Lilah, Ben, and their friends. In her second year at the university now, Lilah is now living off campus, sharing an apartment with her twin, Tristan, and her best friend, Meredith. She's coping with Ben's absence as best she can while studying and working.
I don't know how Bloom does it - she can express an entire range of emotions in one moment that will have me laughing with happiness while wiping away tears of sadness. I felt every emotion of Lilah's so clearly it was like I was there with her. Lilah has been through so much, and I was proud of the growth of her character in the first book and even more so in this one.
As much as I wanted Lilah and Ben to be together (and in the same place!), I understood Ben needed the freedom to pursue his dream with his band. Like the saying that begins with "if you truly love something, set it free," Lilah has given Ben her trust and understanding, setting him free. The awesome thing is, he wants to be with her. He loves her as much as she loves him.
The ups and downs of their relationship felt so realistic to me. There were moments that Lilah had that I understood so perfectly. The Art of Keeping Faith ripped at my heart at times while filling it up at others. I must say, this series is a new favorite of mine. I truly feel changed for the better now that I know Lilah and Ben.
My Rating:
The Art of Letting Go
Uni Files #1
by Anna Bloom
Publication date: September 25th 2013
Genre: New Adult, Romance
Source: Review copy
Purchase: Amazon
Synopsis
For Lilah McCannon, life has taken a bit of a wrong turn. Engaged to a guy she is not in love with and stuck in a job with her tyrannical father as her boss, life has definitely not turned out the way she expected.
At twenty-five years old, Lilah knows that she has a simple choice: live the life she has created or change it.
Enrolling on a course at the local University, Lilah sets out with some clear rules to ensure her success at being a grown-up. No alcohol, no cigarettes, no boys, and no going home. But the last thing she anticipates is meeting Ben Chambers, the lead singer of a local band. With Ben, it's instant, it's hot, and it's deep, but when Ben is offered the opportunity of a lifetime and it looks like his future lies on a different path to hers, Lilah has some heart-rending decisions to make.
With the academic year slipping by too quickly, Lilah faces a barrage of new challenges. Will she ever make it up the library stairs without having a heart attack? Can she handle a day on campus without drinking vodka? Will she ever manage to read a history book without falling asleep? Most of all, will she be able to make the ultimate sacrifice and learn The Art of Letting Go?
About the Author
Anna Bloom is a contemporary romance writer who writes about life as it happens. Combining a busy schedule of looking after two small children whilst working in a local school and completing The Uni Files series.
Anna's main aim in life is to create the perfect book which makes a reader laugh and cry at the same time, hopefully causing a convulsive (impossible to ignore) donkey noise. It's a work in progress! Anna also spends a lot of time imagining kissing hot guys - all in the name of her art.
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Glad you liked this one, too, Jennifer! It sounds like she has a way with words and emotions! I love how realistic the romance sounds!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Giselle! She really does, and the romance is so well done! Love this series! :)
DeleteOh boy, I want to read this series, Jennifer!! I love it when an author can evoke such emotions AND I also love seeing a lot of character growth. Fantastic review, my dear!
ReplyDeleteI loved these two books so much, I bought the novellas, too! Hope you love this series as much as I do! Thank you, Brandee! :)
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