The Beginning of Everything by Jackie Fraser

 

I absolutely LOVED this book.


Once again, Jackie Fraser delivers a slow burn romance-ish novel that I could not put down. 


A middle aged woman runs away from her old life and towards the possibility of a new one. Whatever she is leaving behind is terrible enough that she does not talk about it (or even want to think about it) to the point that it is not initially clear exactly what has happened.  


This MF romance-of-sorts is free of most of the usual tropes as this woman struggles to accept a male friend into her life, let alone admit there may be some romantic feelings there. Our heroine, Jess, is a patchwork of seeming contradictions - brave yet terrified, attractive yet scarred, beginning her life after an ending. Her self-deprecating inner dialogue was painful to read but only because it is so relatable.  This book delivers an honest account of a middle aged woman who is both victim and survivor. Essentially, I just wanted to root for her (and for the male MC) and I could not wait, at the end of each chapter, to see what would happen next. 


I was a huge fan of The Bookshop of Second Chances,  so I was over the moon to be able to read this ARC and it did not disappoint.  I was hoping for another romance with a 40 something year old character but this was so much more.


Being a person with emotional baggage and trying to form relationships is is hard and awkward and that is portrayed realistically here.  It was not a happy story, per se, but it was incredibly heartwarming. The characters are flawed and messy but in a subtle and relatable way.


I loved everything about this book. I completely recommend it for anyone looking for something that may build slowly but delivers a tender, lovely romance about a couple of semi-broken adults. 


If you like a fast paced, spicy romance with a couple of hot, nubile MC’s, this probably is not for you. 


I would like to thank Net Galley and Random House Publishing Group for the opportunity to review this ARC. I cannot say how grateful I am for this. This review copy was provided to me at no charge; my review of it is my voluntary offering and is my honest feedback. 


Most of all, thank you to Jackie Fraser, for writing another wonderful book.


#SlowBurnRomance

#MFRomance

#MiddleAgedMCRomance

#BrokenPeopleHeal

#NetGalley

#RandomHousePublishingGroup

#TheBeginningofEverything



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