That said… this author has a way of pulling the rug right out from underneath me, ’cause she explores love stories in all of their glory and heartache. This is not a romance, but that said, this is a HUGE love story (a few in fact – in different ways) and one to feel with your whole heart. If you let yourself go… you will feel the incredible energy on all levels.
Liz: I just finished Sorrow by Tiffanie DeBartolo. Her writing is extraordinary subtlety. All the feels. I felt a kinship to the book since I live about 8 miles from the library. It was meant to be the book and I.
Colleen Hoover: It’s so good! My favorite author right here 😍 <— YEP!! She commented on my post on Facebook with this!!
Michelle: What’s your 2 favorite books by her Maryse? 🥰
Maryse: EASY!!! And both are unforgettable and in my ALL TIME FOREVER FAVORITES: How to Kill a Rock Star and God Shaped Hole!!! 😀
Wide open trust and love, loyalty and potential betrayal and hurt, and yes… definitely a certain sorrow (though I’ll let you explore that part). 😉 But in the end, even though I found the beginning slower, the last third of the book had my heart on edge and I was so fully invested.
Yep… it’s a somber read – or should I describe it more as a “quiet” book for a large part of it? Relatable… I feel like I’ve known people like these characters. Or like I could know them.
She’s an artist (her name is October) so vivid and alive and willing to explore everything, her heart wide open to love and life…
October says she was inspired to create this Living Exhibit after a difficult period in her life. “There’s nothing like heartbreak to crack a person wide open. But the cracks can sometimes act as reservoirs too. Not only for pain, but for joy as well.
…and he’s a reluctant hero – “Joe” – that fears letting himself go.
That day, like most days, I’d woken up with the sense that I was invisible, that I’d disappeared inside the heavy, cloudlike mass of my past, that I’d gone too far astray and was unable to get back on track no matter how hard I tried.
Somber, because the entire story plays out through his POV (and if you ask him, he doesn’t at all feel like he’s a Hero at all). He admits it right from the getgo that he is not a brave man. He’s quiet, and brooding, contemplative and reclusive. He has deep regrets from his past that he has yet to come to terms with, though fond memories of his very best friend and blood brother from his childhood all the way into his college years. But in the end… another regret.
I was at a crossroads. And while finding myself at a crossroads was not new to me, I’d gone the wrong way at almost every turn.
It would seem Joe denies himself a lot of opportunities.
Except for this one.
The one where he takes a job with a famous artist building her sets for her, and he develops an incredible bond with her. One he’s wary of taking a chance on, but her magnetic pull and their incredible connection feels like a safe haven. Almost. ‘Cause that said… there just might be something in the way.
“Sometimes I meet people and I just know things about them.”
“What did you know about me that day?”
She let her head fall back and stared at the ceiling. Then she looked at me again and said, “That you belong here.”
And this is where I’m going to leave this story.
October whispered, “You know what I like about you?”
I couldn’t have answered that question if my life depended on it. “My dynamic, outgoing personality?”
She laughed and then said, “You understand how to exist inside silence. Most people don’t know how to do that.”
“I like silence.”
“I like silence too.”
See… very gentle, quiet, almost peaceful.
BUT let me tell you… there’s one HECK OF A TWIST!!!!!!! And then ohhhhhh I WAS SO IN. Even though it felt like it was moving at a quiet, gentle pace, I KNEW I was in for something big!
Maryse: Oooooooooooooh!!! MAJOR AWESOME TWIST in Sorrow!! I just hit it. GASSSSSSSP!!!!! It’s been okay pretty good so far, but now it just got REAL!
I’ll be honest in that I took my time reading it due to the somber mood, and put it down a few times to intersperse my reading with other lighter romances, yet I was so curious where this one would go, and happy to keep picking it back up. BUT I WAS SCARED!!!!! And I wasn’t sure if my heart as of late, was ready for it. You know?
But it was so worth it. Especially that ending!!!!!
If you love super-angsty and tumultuous love stories like I do (though I will admit the turmoil is gentler in this one due to the natural feel and flow of the story – and being in a reticent man’s head), and if you love stories that have the potential to go anywhere, whether it be full on destruction or full on personal growth, or both, and who knows how it will end… this is for you!!
4 to 4.5 STARS!!! <— I’m fluctuating because the first half had a slower pace, kind of heavy, but once I hit the twist and then especially the last third of the book, I could NOT put it down, and that incredible twist had me on edge the whole way through. That said, I didn’t devour it as I expected, so I just need to think about it, digest it, and remember it, and then I’ll know for sure.
P.S. Thank you to the author for sending me this review copy!! 😀
➔➔➔ Love this author? Browse more Tiffanie DeBartolo features and reviews on my blog. 😀
➔➔➔ Looking for more of my must-read recommendations? Browse my 5 star and 4.5 star and 4 starreviews. 😀
I might have to give this one another try. I start then put it down. The beginning is very slow and I didn’t get very far. But it’s still on my list.