10 Things to Do Before I Go by Chantelle Mathewson
Series: 10 Things ๏ธ๏ธ๏ธ#1
Genre: Romance, Contemporary
Pages: 212
Published: on 25th January, 2024
Format: eBook
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Book Synopsis:
As a twenty-two year old college drop out, Stella uproots her life for the summer to move into her Aunt Milly’s oceanside home in Maine. She has always felt as if everyone was doing so much better than her, and her Aunt Milly was the only one who ever made her feel heard. Hoping only to outrun a past in which she never felt good enough, the last thing Stella expects to find is love.
Until she meets Oliver.
Mid panic-attack on an unfamiliar beach, Stella opens up an abandoned journal and begins to read, finding within its pages a list of reasons to stay. When Oliver catches her invading his privacy not only is he not mad, but he is instantly intrigued. He makes it his mission to convince her she is worthy of every little thing she has convinced herself she doesn’t deserve.
Stella and Oliver have a spark that even disapproving Aunt Milly can see. But when pasts catch up and secrets are uncovered, will love be enough? Stella’s perfect picture of her oceanside escape is shattered and she has to choose – is she willing to recognize that nobody is perfect and love them anyway? Or will she run away like she’s always done?
Book Review
I came across this book when I was looking for something to read to fit BooksandLala Buzzword prompt of “before” and “after” for January. Honestly, I can say that I never expected to become as obsessed with this story as I am!
I believe this is the author’s debut novel and I think they did a brilliant job. I will point out that there are a few grammatical errors throughout the book which may annoy some people. However, I didnโt let it bother me. This tends to happen with self-published books, so keep it in mind if youโre thinking of reading.
This book hooked me right from the beginning and was an incredibly quick read. This book took me two days to finish which shows just how much I didn’t want to put it down. I think this was purely because of the MCs. I absolutely adored them both and I love how they interacted with each other. We follow the story from Stella’s perspective. Iโll admit that this story feels quite โinsta-lovey”… This trope usually isnโt my thing, but I became fully invested from the start.
The main focus of the story is surrounding the characters mental health struggles. I think the author represented these in a way that would help an outsider looking in to understand. The characters feel very relatable and I felt emotionally connected to them throughout. The side characters felt like a great addition to the story. I ended up loving them just as much as the MCs.
I liked the balance between there being some mystery, some spice and lots of emotions. I really enjoyed watching the MCs relationship develop as the book went on. This is definitely a more character-driven story rather than plot-driven. The ending did make me think that there may be a book two but I can’t find any information regarding it so that’s a little disappointing… *Update… I reached out to the author who said the next book should be coming out some time this year, yay!*
Although many people may not know this author, I highly recommend reading this book if youโre in the mood for a good romance.
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