How to Say Goodbye by Amber Lin

 "Be near me so that I can be near you..."

I adore the worlds Amber Lin creates with their complex, damaged characters who often struggle with the same things I struggle with. People I'm seldom instantly drawn to, but who always win me over. How to Say Goodbye is this kind of story.

Description...

Amy has a secret: no one’s ever held her hand. She doesn’t even know how to hug. Everyone thinks she’s smart, but straight A's are way easier than making friends. Then she meets Dane, a golden-haired surfer whose easy charm and hot touch teach her what she longs to know.

Dane lives for the salty breeze and a sweet wave, because that’s all he has. He’s been on the streets since he was fourteen. A drifter. Homeless. Then he meets Amy. Smart and accomplished, she’s everything he’s not. He wants to be the sort of man who deserves her.

Except that means facing down his past—and that past might very well swallow them both.

My review...

If you've read Amber Lin's stories you already know that she has an amazing talent for showing us the very best in people, but also the very worse in people and doing it in a way that no matter their past, no matter their crimes, we can't help but end up loving them. Amy and Dane are such provocative, emotionally complicated people and I truly wasn't sure, until the very end, if I'd be able to care what was to become of them - either apart or together. From childhood, they'd both been emotionally abandoned and didn't quite know how to feel for another person in a healthy relationship. To say I enjoyed watching them grow is true, and yet, I didn't enjoy watching their pain. My heart ached at how wounded and broken they had become over time, but they found in each other what they had lost. What they needed to be whole again.

The bottom line...

If you enjoy the 'coming of age' angsty feel of the New Adult genre but want a storyline that hasn't been done to death, I'll say to you... Stop reading reviews and buy this book. Amber Lin's stories will haunt you, uplift you, and make you want more.

An eARC was generously provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.

Chance of Rain by Amber Lin

Description...

The only things Natalie Bouchard wants to change are the weekly specials in her Gram's diner. So when her high school sweetheart strolls back into Dearling, Texas, she allows herself to indulge in a little flirtation, but that's as far as it goes.

Navy SEAL Sawyer Nolan has returned to sell his father's land and get the hell out, no matter how enticing he still finds Natalie. Until a storm rolls over the Texas hills, stranding them together at the farm…and the memories of their steamy past lead to a reunion filled with hot days and long nights.

Soon Natalie's so far under Sawyer's skin he can't imagine being without her. But he has a lot of history in Dearling he'd like to leave behind, and Natalie is practically married to this town. If Sawyer wants to be more than just another person who leaves Natalie, he'll have to give his hometown—and himself—one more chance.

***** 

4.5 poignant, charming, sexy stars!!

Amber Lin is an author who knows how to write darkly emotional, deeply sensual stories. I read – and loved – her Lost Girls series, though I have to be in the mood for a story that will rip my heart out, chew it up, then put it back together again, each and every time. I look forward to these stories because sometimes they’re exactly what I need.

When I saw Chance of Rain at Netgalley, I knew I had to read it, but honestly, I was expecting a darker story, similar to those found in Lost Girls, so I didn’t dive in right away. (Those of you who know me and follow my posts will remember that the past six months of my real life has been full of emotional loss. My son went off to Uganda to serve a Christian Mission. My 11 year old dog had to be put to sleep, and lastly, my mom passed away in November. To say I had not been in the mood for a dark story at the time, is to say the last.)

Yesterday, while browsing my “Currently Reading” shelf which is more like a “Don’t Forget These Books” shelf, I saw this one sitting there and decided to read a few pages to get a feel for it. Those few pages turned into a few chapters, then a few chapters more, and before I knew it, it was 3:30am and I had finished it.

And loved it.

My review…

Chance of Rain is not at all the story I expected it to be. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a wonderful story, but there wasn’t the level of angst and drama found in Lost Girls. This is a contemporary romance with a “you can go home again” and “second chance romance” plot. It’s sweet, very sexy, and the characters are real people with real lives, real hopes, and real dreams. And while it’s not dark, it’s still a poignant, romantic, inspiring story about letting go of the past in order to have a future filled with happiness, love, and a happily ever after you never imagined could be yours. You only have to reach for it, work for it, and never let it go.

The bottom line…

I’m so glad I saw this on my shelf and took a chance. It’s exactly what I needed and I hope there will be more such stories from this truly amazing author. Brava, Amber Lin! I’d love to see what you can do with Historical Romance… no doubt it’d be brilliant!

My thanks to Carina Press for providing a copy of this story in exchange for my honest thoughts. What a great story this is!

(And for the record, everything has a positive side if you just look for it. Yes, my son's in Uganda, but he's serving God's children there and our temporary loss is their much needed gain. My Honey dog, while we miss her terribly, lived a long, happy, pampered life. And my mom... that's the hardest loss of all, but she's no longer in pain and that alone makes our loss bearable.

Thank you to everyone whose thoughts and prayers carried me through these tough times. You're all proof that angels do not have wings!)

Purchase Chance of Rain at Amazon and other ebook retailers!