- This was an ARC Read -Available Formats through Amazon: Kindle Edition & Paperback
File Size: 574 KB | Print Length: 252 Pages
Publication Date: November 30, 2012
Publisher: Pelican Book Group : White Rose Publishing
ASIN: B0181NIQQW | ISBN-10: 1611161983 | ISBN-13: 978-1611161984
Language: English | Main Genre(s): Christian Romance, Contemporary Romance
Format Jess Read This Novel In: eBook - MOBI File
Jess Obtained This Book Through: NetGalley
"No Substitute" by Susan Diane Johnson
What was I thinking? : I have enjoyed other christian romance novels. I liked this novel's cover and its book description made it sound like a novel I would typically enjoy.
Author's Book Description : Former high-school sweethearts, thrown together by a matchmaking teenager, must forgive to find love.
Amy Welsh knew when she came back to the small Washington town of Goose Bay she'd eventually run into her high school sweetheart—the one who broke her heart seventeen years ago.
No longer the teenage boy she remembered, Quentin Macmillan could potentially be everything Amy's ever dreamed of. As she lets him into her life, the hurt she's tried to ignore resurfaces. Forgiveness isn't as simple—or easy—as it sounds, especially after Quentin and Amy discover his teenage daughter has been manipulating their feelings.
Will Amy open her heart to healing, and find the future God has prepared for her?
My Book Review : I'm going to be straight with you, I was not a fan of this novel. Now I'm going to put my professional hat on and TRY to nicely explain to you my view point about it. Yet, it can be hard to do so without ranting a bit so if you want to skip this section that’s okay.
1.5 out of 5 stars. A woman goes back to the town she lived in as a teen in hopes of overcoming her past and the man who left her behind. Yet, what she finds is a yearning for more still ... will she get what she yearns for or finally move on with her life.
Though I did root for the main characters, Amy & Quentin, to get back together and their romance to flourish, I was not a fan of this novel. Therefore, if you are looking for a bunch of positives to read about stop this review here and just check out the book preview below (at the bottom of this blog review post) to see if you can get into it instead. For reasons why I was not a fan and POSSIBLE SPOILERS, keep on reading ...
- Even though I enjoy Christian Romances, I am not a fan of “preachy” ones. This novel wasn’t quite preachy but felt that way enough during the scenes when Amy (mostly) prayed to the Lord (because of the way she was praying, the sentences that were written for her) that I was uncomfortable reading them. Especially since she is thirty-four years old and the way she was praying sounded like it might be more suitable in a Young Adult novel instead.
- Though I read a LOT of romance novels where one of the main characters has a deceased partner (wife or husband) and they fall in love with the other main character, I am always curious about how they would “rate” the new significant other compared to their previous one. And no that is never mentioned in any of the novels I read. HOWEVER ...
- I did NOT appreciate how Quentin belittled the connection that he shared with Amy.
- Yes – Quentin had every right to be scared at what Amy & he had planned to do when they were younger.
- Yes – Amy’s teenage self could have been pressuring Quentin into doing what they had planned and he had every right not feel comfortable about it.
- BUT DO NOT GO TO ANOTHER WOMAN (EVEN IF SHE IS A TEENAGER AND YOUR LONG TIME BEST FRIEND) TO CONFIDE YOUR FEARS IN!!! He should have talked to Amy.
- I get Karen was his best friend. But BECAUSE OF KAREN'S OWN SITUATION couldn’t she have used the same pressure that Amy was doing to get Quentin to do what he actually did?!
- I mean COME ON!! Yes, Quentin grew to love Karen (his wife) more than he originally did ... but by then they were all about the common goal of staying married ... but geez man you messed up.
- I mean what Quentin could’ve done was -- talk to Amy and tried a long distance thing. OR still let Amy go but not have gotten married to Karen. Then their situation would have been that Quentin could’ve helped Karen through her issues while still just staying Karen’s friend and their relationship might have grown into more making them end up being together anyways, which I would SOO have accepted that better as a storyline.
- Yet what really happens is Quentin THEN says the feelings he shared with Amy when they were younger wasn’t love ... I call bulls***! You don’t have that strong of continual feelings afterwards and have not been in some form of love.
- I did NOT appreciate how Quentin belittled the connection that he shared with Amy.
- Then there was Quentin’s daughter, Shayna.
- I do not say this often but this girl annoyed me to NO END. So much so, that I kind of hated Shayna and the way she manipulated both Amy and her father.
- Yes, I know Shayna was “technically” a good kid and as I grew up with a single parent for a few years, I understand the closeness of a bond that can be shared. HOWEVER ...
- The way Shayna played EVERYONE (except her best friend) that was close to her, just to “try” to bring Amy & Quentin together really irked me.
- She is SOOO lucky that the guy she chose to “scheme” with was a nice guy and not someone who could truly harm her like Quentin was first worried about.
- Then to have Quentin and Amy just brush it all off, especially the fact that Shayna did put herself in possible harm’s way in a way, made me mad.
- Quentin needs to step up and be a father not a friend!
I could probably go on but I am just tapped out on this one. If you still try this novel after reading my review, than I wish you good luck and hope you’ll like it better than me. If you DO or HAVE read this novel PLEASE LET ME KNOW YOUR THOUGHTS!! Of course, I cannot say I recommend it.
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Purchase This Book Here :
My Previous Mention(s) of this Author's Books/Characters :
Author & Publisher's Novel Extras :
Book Teaser(s) :
This father was about to ruin his relationship with his daughter, and she had wet pants. There must be some humor in this somewhere. If only it weren't so tragic. ~ within Chapter 6
If he'd told anyone that a cat was running from a duck, they wouldn't believe him. ~ within Chapter 7
Book Preview(s) :
For more information on this book and/or any other books by Susan, then please check out her Amazon Page.
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