Author: J. Sterling
Genre: Romance, New Adult
Published on: March 25, 2015, self-published
Cammie:
It’s been ten years since I've seen him. Ten years. I have no idea what he’s doing, where he’s been or if he’s even still single. Have I thought about him over the years? Of course. Absolutely. But that doesn't mean anything, right? Just because you think about the boy you used to be in love with doesn't mean you’re still in love with him now. Does it?
Dalton:
I haven’t seen her in ten years. She’s the whole reason I’m even coming to this reunion. If it wasn't for her, I would have stayed home. I made mistakes back in high school. Hell, I was just a kid then. But I’m here to right my wrongs, tell her I’m sorry and win her back. She changed my whole life and she doesn't even know it. It’s time she knew.
Before I bought this book, I had some doubts about it. The reason isn't that I've yet to read a J. Sterling book that wows me. No, I simply cringed at how long the couple in this novel stayed apart. Going a whole decade without seeing the love of your life would be unbearable. It’s much like the situation in The Best of Me, in which the lovers are kept apart for a long while. How these couples did it, I have no idea. Even if I don’t have a significant other, I still feel for these characters.
10 Years Later is a somewhat quick read, compared to other books I’ve finished. The main characters are Cammie Carmichael (that’s a cute first name) and Dalton Thomas. They’ve known each other since their freshman year of high school. Cammie claims that she’s had a crush on Dalton since the first moment she saw him. They became friends for the next few years, until they started dating near the end of their senior year. Their happily-ever-after doesn’t come that quickly, though. Due to a silly misunderstanding, Cammie and Dalton fall apart.
For the next ten years, Cammie and Dalton remain estranged. Neither of them makes any move to get back in touch with the other. Cammie tries to keep up with Dalton on social networks, but to no avail. There's no way to find Dalton on the Internet, which drives Cammie crazy. The reason why is explained soon after in the book. The next time Cammie and Dalton see each other is at their ten-year high school reunion. Dalton has a plan to win Cammie back. She wishes he never got over her either, but Cammie won’t dare dream that big.
After a moment of tension, the book’s couple reunite. They both rejoice at seeing each other again after so many years. Cammie feels excited that Dalton loved her, after all. Both of them are happy that the other isn’t married. Seeing each other again doesn’t mean things will be easy, though. They both have hurdles to overcome before they can achieve happiness. Dalton has no plans to stay away from Cammie for another ten years, though. If it’s up to him, Dalton will never go away again.
10 Years Later is a great love story, despite being rather short. I liked it better than the author’s previous work, the Game series. Again, there is no strong villain, but there doesn’t need to be. Having a guy to fight Dalton for Cammie’s love wouldn’t have been a bad idea, though. There is plenty of conflict in the book, mostly due to Dalton’s job. The character development is much better than average. I think readers will be invested in Cammie and Dalton. Most of us can relate to them, anyway. There is always that one high school crush you never quite forget. Apart from the romance and the tension, there is plenty of humor throughout the book. The only drawback is that the Kindle ebook isn’t that well-designed. There are no markers to help you skip from one chapter to the other, nor is there a Table of Contents in the Go To menu. Don’t let this keep you from enjoying this book, though. 10 Years Later is a feel-good contemporary romance you’ll most likely enjoy.
My rating: ★★★★
4 stars - Definitely enjoyed it!
No comments:
Post a Comment