Julie C. Gilbert - Never Again

Tuesday, April 21, 2015

18. Never Again by Julie C. Gilbert (2015)
Kindle Worlds Novella: The Lei Crime Series Book 1/Defining Moments Series Book 1
Length: 83 pages
Genre: Short Story
Started: 18 April 2015
Finished: 21 April 2015
Where did it come from? Many thanks to Julie C. Gilbert for sending me a copy of this book to read from Amazon.
How long has it been on my TBR pile? Since 12 April 2015
Why do I have it? I like short stories and Julie C. Gilbert is a new author for me.

College junior Alana Adams would never have believed that one breakup could cause such problems; yet for her ex-boyfriend Nathan their breakup was just the beginning. It all begins when Alana catches him passionately kissing another woman after she comes home from her class. After she unleashes an angry and emotional tirade against Nate and his bleach bottle blonde bimbo, Alana promptly dumps Nathan and turns to her best friend, Michael, for advice and emotional support.

Nathan is initially shell-shocked and utterly dumbfounded by what he sees as Alana's obvious overreaction to the situation. At first, he apologizes and showers Alana with gifts in an effort to win her back. Then, as time passes, Nate convinces himself that although Alana may have had a legitimate reason for her initial treatment of him, her continued avoidance of him is becoming entirely unacceptable. Nate tries his best to get her to see reason - he tries to convince Alana that they truly belong together; that they are ultimately meant to be - yet she still insists on being stubborn.

When all his subsequent efforts to win her back fail - and as Alana's rejection further sinks in - Nate concludes that the only real obstacle to their relationship seems to be Michael. Apparently, if they are to have any hope of a lasting relationship and a bright future together as a couple, Alana needed to forget about her best friend. Eventually, Nathan comes to the sobering realization that there is only one viable solution to their problem: kill Michael Stevens.

This is the first book by Julie C. Gilbert that I've ever read. In my opinion, this was a really thought-provoking, totally believable story. The plot was realistic and well-developed, filled with a poignancy that touched me. While the scenario described in the story has never actually happened to me - and I hope that it never does - this story still resonated with me.

The characters were well-developed and reacted plausibly within the story; and I truly felt that I could relate to them. Overall, I really enjoyed reading Never Again, and look forward to reading more from this author in the future. I give this book an A+!

A+! - (96-100%)

May you read well and often

0 comments: