I don’t know what makes a great love story. Is it that instant attraction when boy meets girl? The passionate kisses and the fairy-tale ending? Or is it a lifetime of tragedy, paid in advance, for a few stolen moments of pure bliss? The pain and the suffering that, in the end, you can say are worth it for having found the missing piece of your soul?
The answer is: I don’t know. I don’t know what makes a great love story. I only know what makes my love story. I only know that finding Cole when I did, when Emmy and I were running from a nightmare, was the only thing that saved me. That saved us. He was more broken than I was, but somehow we took each other’s shattered pieces and made a whole. If that is what makes a great love story, if that is what makes an epic romance, then mine…ours is the greatest of them all.
**Contains material that some may find disturbing. Not intended for readers under the age of 18**
3.5 Stars for Cole & Eden.
★★★
My Casting:
*sigh* I hate it when everyone is raving about a book and I’m just left feeling barely lukewarm about it. That’s what happened with Pocketful of Sand.
This is the tragic story of a single mother, who is on the run from her secrets and a broken hero, who has his own set of demons, coming together to heal one another’s wounds, left by their traumatic pasts.
“I think broken people gravitate toward one another, like our shattered pieces connect on a level that unscarred people never know.”
I mean, it was ok. I didn’t dislike it. But I almost felt that Eden and Cole’s relationship development was a bit blink-and-you’ll-miss-it. One minute Cole was a mysterious, apparently crazy, almost-mute stranger and then the next thing you know, they’re bumping uglies. I kind of felt like, with their fragility, they needed a slow burn and the chance to build a solid foundation that they would be sure wouldn’t crumble. I didn’t get that, at all.
And can I just say, what the hell kind of genius is Eden’s little girl? Like, seriously, what six-year-old notices the way adults look at one another?? Most six-year-olds I know are oblivious to life beyond their toy box!!
And the ending…. Erm, sorry, what?! I wasn’t a fan of the ‘choose your own ending’ malarkey. The author gives you two option. One leads to a happy ending and one leads to a cliffhanger that makes way for a second book. When I read, I just want to lose myself in the book. Part of the beauty of being told a story is that you don’t have to make any choices for the characters and the author just sweeps you up in their world. It kind of pulls me out of that world when I have to make a decision about the story. I makes it less realistic and believable to know that there is the possibility of two different endings. In my opinion, the characters should dictate, not only to the reader, but to the author, what happens in their story. There shouldn’t be options!!
“She’s beauty for my ashes. And I’m hope for her heartache. We fit. Like we were made for each other.”
So, because I didn’t want to make the choice, I read both options. The first is sweet and offers a happy ending and a conclusion to Cole and Eden’s story. The second… What. The. Actual. Eff?! Obviously I don’t want to include spoilers, but ARE YOU SHITTING ME?! What the hell?! I’ll be interested to see the reviews of book #2 when it comes out, because I can’t even imagine where the author is going with that ending!
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