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. Today I have a review of Book One for you, and tomorrow I'll have my review of Book Two for you!
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?
There's something about Lilah! She's hilarious, full of life, and also adorably clueless as hell. In The Art of Letting Go, Lilah finds herself heading towards thirty years old stuck in a job she hates, engaged to a man she doesn't want to marry, and living under her father's thumb. And then along comes Ben.
Lilah has made drastic changes by the time she meets Ben - she's walked away from her job, is enrolled in college as a history major, and is living in a tiny dorm room. Meeting him changes everything, especially when he's revealed to be her roommate. She's swept off her feet, and I was, too! Ben is charming, authentic, musically talented, and a great cook. Tall dark and handsome is exactly how I like them.
They face several obstacles they must overcome in order to be together, and one of the biggest is when Ben's band is given the opportunity to go to the U.S. to record an album, Lilah finds out he won't be coming back to the university next year. The question she wrestles with is if she should continue seeing Ben and be happy in the moment while knowing their paths are heading in different directions or does she try to protect herself and end things now?
I loved how the characters reacted in surprising and unexpected ways. This made the book all the more special to me. The title, The Art of Letting Go, could not be more perfect for the story being told. I felt Lilah's emotions so strongly that I laughed and cried along with her. I wanted nothing more than to have a drink with her and give her a hug on her bad days and celebrate with her on her good days.
My only issue with the book, which is a completely minor one, is that many times contractions weren't used. It disrupted the flow of the dialogue for me at times but didn't disrupt the story itself. I just felt it's more realistic for a character to say "it's" rather than "it is" for example.
The Art of Letting Go is the first book in a series that you'd be crazy to miss! I have a strong feeling you're going to love Lilah and Ben as much as I do, not to mention their friends.
My Fave Quotes
"There are three words to describe me: Frumpy, dumpy, and old. The Student Union should give me a special badge: 'Old Person. Approach with Caution.'" ~Lilah
"She laughs and makes herself at home squeezing into a tiny gap between boxes on the bed. There is no chance I could have maneuvered one butt cheek in a space that small." ~Lilah
My Rating:
Book Two
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.
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.
Author Links
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For a NA romance book, this series sounds great! So glad to see you enjoyed the first book and I hope you enjoy the second book too :)
ReplyDeleteChanzie @ Mean Who You Are.
I loved the strong emotions this book brought out in me. The angst! The bliss! It's written so well I really felt all of Lilah's emotions, and it was wonderful.
DeleteThank you, Chanzie! :)
Sounds like one hell of a start and I already love the sounds of Lilah she would def. mesh with me!! Great review! :)
ReplyDeleteLilah is awesome! I'd love to hang out with her - never a dull moment, and her observations are so right on. Thank you, Giselle! :)
DeleteWell, I read the reviews out of order. *duh* But I still want to read this series! Lilah sounds like a heroine I could really identify with. And I think I might actually own this one. ;) Great review, Jennifer!
ReplyDeleteLol, that's okay. ;) I really love Lilah. She's someone I could totally see myself hanging out with! I think you own, it, too because it was free I think when the cover for the second book was revealed. I think we both bought it at the same time. Thank you, Brandee! :)
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