Overall 5
Spice 2
Cover Model: Sergio Carvajal
Cameos: Josh and Drew from The Devil and the Deep Blue Sea, Ben from The Devil You Know
Check the TWs! Two I will mention right off the bat: Rape (off page), Cheating
If you are looking for a sunshiny, happy-go-lucky book, this is NOT it. It's a complicated story that requires you to sit and really absorb the background of these characters. It's not a too plot-heavy book, but it requires a lot of empathy and understanding to see why these characters are the way that they are.
I went into this book blind. I did not realize how much angst, and wanting and yearning there would be in this love story. It destroyed me. I was extremely unprepared. And the crying - the bawling I did was completely unexpected. Like, literally, I crumpled and sobbed. I am writing this review immediately after finishing the book.
Juliet 'Jules' Cantrell feels indebted to her boyfriend's (Danny) family for taking her in at 15/16 after she leaves her abusive family. She lives in a shell of her true self by helping where she can (even being on her feet for 10+ hours after work), putting on an act, trying to be worthy of the help that has been given to her. But, this isn't Juliet. She's a poisonous girl who wreaks chaos to those around her - impacted by her tornado of venom that seems to infect everything. All she wants is to be happy, but even that's something she believes she does not deserve - a distant dream. So, even though she falls deeply in love with Luke Taylor, Danny's best friend, she can't let down the family who took her in for 2 years. She can't abandon them, and so, with the little control she does have, she self-sabotages and sacrifices her happiness. This is her retribution.
My boy, Luke Taylor, the sand and sunshine and salt on his skin, and in his hair...he will forever have my heart. I love him so much. I honestly do not know how he went so long without love - just waiting for Jules. I can't imagine how difficult it was, or how he saw himself - maybe undeserving as love, as well? Maybe he also felt that he would never be good enough for anyone - especially Jules. How could he love someone so much, and feel it's so unrequited at the same time? My heart broke throughout this entire book knowing how protective he was of her, how much he loved her, how much he wanted that 'hammock life' with her. I am still utterly broken by the years lost between he and Jules, and I can't seem to stop crying for the both of them. These are two broken souls who call out to one another, and Luke can't understand why he can't ever have Jules.
Danny Allen - Jules' boyfriend. I can't hate this boy. He is a well-loved, content young man who grew up with a Pastor father who had strict values, and a Mother who doted on him. He wasn't rich or even wealthy. He was just really naive in life, in an almost sheltered life kind of way - only seeing the good, and so easy to trust others. I cannot fault Danny for some of his ignorance. I never felt that he did anything to intentionally hurt Jules; and I will stand by this forever. He's not a villain in my book, just a bit naive in his thoughts and life, and my heart really breaks for him, too. It's almost as though he's an innocent boy that his parents never really wanted to grow up. I feel that he tried his best, and what makes this even more difficult is that we only ever read this book in Jules' POV, so we never know what Danny or Luke is thinking. It's only her interpretations of their acts and their responses. So, knowing how all of these characters are flawed in their own way, I give Danny the benefit of doubt.
Okay - let's talk spice. The scenes here are not very detailed; they're a few paragraphs long, and I feel this was done with a purpose. My interpretation is that we have to understand the deep connection between Jules and Luke. This connection is snapped into place, pulled taut, always on the edge of snapping, and the quick spice is almost like a way for the both of them to prevent the thread between them from breaking entirely - adding slack back into it. It shreds, it's tethered, it's torn, it's hanging on by the last fibers, and if they give in and go full-on "I love you" love-making, it'll be the end of everything that Jules is trying to keep in place...this house of cards of sort.
I'm sad we didn't get to see more of Luke and Jules after their HEA, but I'm glad they are making up for the lost time. Also, don't forget to read the Bonus: A Beach Wedding from Luke's POV.
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Popular Highlights in this book
“I haven’t loved many things in this world,” he says, “but I loved you from the minute I saw you, and whether it’s today or seventy years from now, I’ll love you with my dying breath.”Highlighted by 87 Kindle readers- “Don’t try to tell a man who’s waited ten years for you that you love him more.”Highlighted by 62 Kindle readers
- “Tell him I took care of something you should have been a little more concerned about,” Luke snaps.Highlighted by 57 Kindle readers
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Reviews with images
Undying Love
⚠️Please check trigger warnings before reading⚠️This was my last read for the summer & I’m so glad I chose it! Now, let me just warn you though, this is not your light, happy & so in love type of summer read. It will dig deep into your emotions & it will definitely make your heart ache a few times 🥺 Juliet & Luke’s love story is complicated, painful, hopeful & a testament of undying and unconditional love. Juliet went through a lot of trauma in the past so that’s why she feels unworthy & not enough at times. Luke was the first person who saw right through her, understood her & saw her potential & worth even when she doubted it herself. The book goes back & forth from past to present & I thought Elizabeth did such an amazing job with it. Everything flowed really well and you get to see how their relationship grow throughout the years. This was my first Elizabeth O’Roark book & it will not be my last!
Top reviews from other countries
Kindle Customer
The picture on the book perfectly embodies Luke
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 14, 2024
