Book Review: How to Love

Title: How to Love

Author: Katie Cotugno

Pages: 389

Genre: Contemporary, Romance

Published: 3rd of October 2013 by Quercus

Source: Self purchased

Synopsis: 

This is a love story. But it’s not what you think. This is not a first kiss, or a first date. This is not love at first sight. This is a boy and a girl falling in messy, unpredictable, thrilling love. This is the complicated route to happiness that follows.

This is real. This is life. This is how to love.

BEFORE:

Reena has loved Sawyer LeGrande for as long as she can remember. But he’s never noticed her, until one day… he does. They fall in messy, complicated love. But then Sawyer disappears from their humid Florida town, leaving a devastated – and pregnant – Reena behind.

AFTER:

Three years later and there’s a new love in Reena’s life: her daughter Hannah. But just as swiftly and suddenly as he disappeared, Sawyer turns up again.

After everything that’s happened, can Reena really let herself love Sawyer again?

Review: this review contains slight spoilers, so read at your own discretion

I believe the most important thing to remember or know about this book, is that it is full of horrific flaws, that you may or may not forgive. I think its about finding a balance between all the terrible and the not terrible within this book.

I feel like people either decide this is a hit or a miss of a book. I somehow fell into the middle of that hit and miss nature, because while I did enjoy this, I knew it wasn't an entirely healthy book, and I will happily mention or point that out. I know why people dislike this book, and believe me I agree with you, but I still liked it.

Time for the actual review.

This book had such an amazing promise, I loved the opening chapters, as you really delve into Reena (who I didn't connect that dots to was actually Serena, oops..). The more this book progressed the less I liked it, but I think that had to do with the self destruction of a certain character, and that character leading another astray.

I think with this book, you really get a good look into how different people function when put in a certain position, and then having that situation flipped and then torn out of proportion.

There are so many things I like and I don't like about this book, so lets make a list:

Bad:

~ The situations that Reena was put in, no thrust upon, when the other party (person) willingly knew that Reena disliked crowds.

~ Sawyer. Like him as a person 100% equaled bad, less so in the after parts. But really, the amount of times I just really wanted to shake him so hard, that he'd puke or something is just incredible. The way he destroyed himself, and then the people around him. What he did to Reena, is just NO. I think rather than Sawyer's name meaning "person who cuts wood", it should be person who destroys families, because he just UP AND LEFT. He did so many horrible things, and he just believes he can get away with every horrible thing he's done in the past after being back in town for a few weeks.

~ Reena's and Sawyer's family and the way they treated Reena in those two years, was just so horrible

~ How Reena changed for Sawyer

~ I think I could continue with more bad, but I don't feel like it.

Good:

~ The fact that Sawyer GREW UP. I think it really did show/provide him with a character arc, I just wish with him growing up, he was less of a meanie.

~ Hannah. Hannah is just a beautiful bundle of toodlerness.

~ Shelby. I want a best friend like Shelby. That is really all you need to know about Shelby, is that she is like so awesome.

~ I liked the ending, though I believe having like a little novella about after the novel would be a really great thing.

~ That Reena and Sawyer were together in the past and the now. Even though they were dysfunctional, you knew they were going to end up together, because really they just fit. Sawyer just needed to grow up.

Overall I think this is a good novel, I enjoyed it, even with all the parts I disliked.

PS: I bought the orange cover, because I looked at it on here, and it looked like a blood orangey colour, and it arrived and its like FLURO ORANGE/PINK, what the hell. Like I am so disappointed by that, but it has like such a pretty spine.

:)

Rating: ★★★★