Book Review – Waiting for the Sun by Robin Hill

Waiting for the Sun: Waiting for the Sun, Part One
Wow. I loved it. Yep!!! You guys were right about this one. Totally reminiscent of our old school indie feels!!

I mean… from the “meet-cute” to the “just hanging out as friends” to the obvious attraction, and the TOTALLY believable push-pull (and all the heartbreaking history behind it). I believed it. Felt every “feel” and especially the “whys” of this emotional journey.

Leslie M: Guess what I read today and LOVED??? Waiting for the Sun!! I was lucky enough to get an ARC and it was fabulous.  …I have quite the book hangover. After two recent 5 stars (Waiting for the Sun & Behind the Bars) I just can’t figure out what to read. *grumble* Everything I try is boring me.

Jean: I’m reading Waiting For The Sun! You guys! Robin is giving me the feels we’d get from our old school books! So well written and ready to get my heart torn apart!

Leslie M: Jean, I was thinking same exact thing! I knew I would like the story, but I didn’t expect a debut author to be so… (not sure of right word) “polished”! I was shocked that our little Robin wrote those steamy love scenes!! *waggles eyebrows* R., you do in fact belong to us!! Don’t forget it either. Especially when you are all famous.

Lisa: Waiting For The Sun….it’s so good!!! Everyone MUST read it! Frankie is so darn adorable (much like our very own Robin Hill), and Darian is…well, Darian is swoon…thud!!!

Nay: This book is so smart, so sexy, so quirky in just the right places, so romantic, so angsty, so ALL of it! I loved the characters, especially Darian, I loved the way it’s written, and the story kept my rapt attention from beginning to end. There are certain books that a reader just connects with from the very beginning and for me, this is one of them. And now I can’t wait for the next one!

Liz: It gave me all feels. When you heart drops to your stomach that is my epitome of a 5 star… oh the angst. Of course I hate the cliff hanger I am not good with the part twos or threes. I should have waited until it was complete. Please tell me it will be out soon. I will need to read it again before the second book is released. Everyone who didn’t buy the book run now get it. It will worth it guys. I’ll have to wait for my review after I digest it. I just stayed up all night bl I couldn’t put it down. I have to get up in an hour for work. Power nap or suffer through the day.

Cheryl: Listening to Bastille – World Gone Mad while reading the prologue in Waiting for the Sun. Coincidence? I. Think. Not! Sniffling already and biting my nails in anticipation of the cliffhanger. UGH. …I love Darian and Frankie. On the other hand, I am not looking forward to having to wait for more!! *hate cliffhangers*

And what I loved the most was how authentic the heroine was. Fun, quirky, insecure at times, and yet still plenty confident. But TOTALLY human when it came to her heart, her thought process, and her expectations of love. I LOVED that. Trying to convince herself that she was good with a friends-with-benefits” fling, and yet being unable to resist being so caught up in the moment, hoping for so much more.

Maybe it isn’t him.

Of course it isn’t him.

I’m just missing… something. I just want… something.

Oh the mixed signals. Oh yes. This was one of those “OH NO HE DIDN’T!!!!!!! ” books. I was swooning, and then I was fuming and so happy to be feeling that intensely.

The first half had me curious, and enjoying it at its calm, sweet and sexy pace. It was good (because of the solid writing and how real the characters felt), albeit, not incredibly addicting… yet.

But’s the second half that had me HOOKED. And I mean the further it went, the closer it got to the end, the more intense it became. I cried twice, at two VERY different moments and for two very different reasons. But both, incredibly sad. I almost emailed the author to give her a piece of my mind about… HIM!!!  Grrrrrrrrr!!! And yet, I knew the “whys” of it (one of the scenes where I cried that really brought it to life), but I still fumed. But you KNOW I love feeling like that. This was exactly the “feel” that I’m always looking for.

“It feels like we’re dating.”

Darian stiffens beside me, and my gaze drops to his fingers wrapped tightly around the armrests.

“We’re not dating,” he says, his tone brisk.

“I don’t mean it like we’re serious or anything.”

“Because, Francesca, I… can’t.”

I put the rose back in the vase. “I know.”

So what’s it about?

Francesca (Frankie) had a fun-filled weekend planned with her very best friend at an outdoor indie rock concert. Normally more reclusive, she was going to live by her father’s last words and live a little. So when her friend bailed on her at the last minute, Frankie decided she’d attend the concert on her own and have fun. Live a little.

Maybe Jane’s right. Maybe I do need this. If it wasn’t for the diner where I work, I could easily go weeks without seeing another human. I’m not what you’d call a social butterfly. I’m more of an antisocial caterpillar who’s yet to don a pair of wings. It’s not that I’m shy; I’m just…

Stuck in my ways. An introvert. A loner.

But when she arrives at her hotel, and is told there are no rooms reserved for her, nor are there any left (all the hotels are booked due to this huge concert), she’s ready to hightail it back home and forget about being adventurous. She wants to be back in the safety and comfort of her cozy log cabin in the woods. With a creek! I don’t blame her. It sounds like heaven to me!! LOL. Gah I loved Frankie!!!

My stomach clenches. If I go home, I’ll spend another six months eating frozen dinners and binge-watching Netflix. I’ll want to change. I’ll want to live a little, but I won’t actually do it because brooding is way too easy.

Can a person brood to death?

LOL!!! I SO get you, Frankie!!!

Anyway, “Darian” sees her from across the hotel lobby exasperated over her roomless situation and offers her a room… after all. He has a whole floor of the hotel reserved for him and his company.

“I booked the entire top floor for myself, which leaves three available rooms. You can have one if you want it.”

Oh. My. God. Mr. Beautiful just offered me a room. The best romantic comedies start this way. But… so do the best horror movies. And probably the best porn.

“Why?” I ask.

“Why am I offering you a room?”

“Why did you book the entire floor?”

“So I could proposition you— clearly.”

Laughter bubbles out of me, but I dial it back.

“I’m kidding,” he says. “I’m here on business…”

Yep. You guessed it. Darian is an indie music producer. Manager? Anyway, I can’t remember the ins-and-outs off my head of what exactly he is, but he’s essentially the head of a very successful indie music company.

And she reluctantly accepts his offer (internally swooning over how sexy he is).

“I’m alone all the time. And I don’t mind being alone, except being alone is so… lonely. Jane says all I need is a herd of cats— and now I can’t stop talking. Oh God. Just kill me.”

As I start to stand, Darian’s fingers circle my wrist. “Don’t go.”

He draws the bedding back, making room for me. I hesitate.

“Just sleep,” he says in a low voice. I lie down beside him, my back to his chest.

He wraps his arm around me. “I’m familiar with lonely.”

*my heart*

And so the story begins…

Great writing, and fantastic little details during conversations that made the conversations flow naturally. The characters came to life and moved as if I were watching a movie.

Leslie: Maryse, that is it! The “flow” of Waiting for the Sun was perfect. I couldn’t think of the word. I am DYING for part 2 as I have no idea where story going.

And yes, I was so excited about a certain… part, and then I was all… WHAT? OH RIGHT!! GAH!!!!!! LOL! That’s right. To be continued…  Tee hee!

But no worries. I can go with this kind of “cliffhanger” because it’s not so much a cliffhanger since the end of this one essentially came to a solid conclusion… it’s just the start to part 2. 

I’m in!

4 stars! Easily!! And maybe even 4.5 stars (yes I’m vacillating), but I’m going to wait until it all comes together to reevaluate (which is what I often do when I complete duets and trilogies).

P.S. IMPORTANT NOTE!!!! Thank you to the author for sending me this review copy. And yes, I want everyone to know that Robin is one of my very best book-buds (she’s known as “R” here, in our book crew), and has been in our crew for years. I adore her, and her taste in books (she loves the shock and pain and elation of emotional angst and crazy endings, like I do).

BUT!! It’s very hard on me, reading a friend’s book. I dunno. I worry. What if I don’t love it? *bites nails*. What if I DO love it, and nobody believes me? *Double bites nails*. I struggled with whether I would actually review this book or not, in case other readers (knowing of our friendship) might think the review is biased. But I want to assure everyone, this review is honest and from my heart (as they all are). True, she’s my friend, but I’m not sugar-coating. This book is really good.

Tagged as: 4 stars, 4.5 stars, contemporary romance