*This book was an ARC provided to me for free in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and comments are my own.

Synopsis

“Chloe Carlyle has always longed for the perfect family.

Growing up with an alcoholic single mother, she has seen her share of heartbreak and disappointment, and is striving to build a new legacy for herself. After graduating from college, she takes a job working as a summer girl for the Reeds––a wealthy, accomplished family that personifies her American dream. Her summer takes an unexpected turn when the Reeds’ eldest son Tyler, the star quarterback for Notre Dame, shows up and turns her life upside down.

An ambitious young woman with a wry sense of humor, Chloe never imagined herself as the type to succumb to the looks and charms of the hometown hero, but she falls hard for Tyler, and is devastated when they part ways at the end of the summer. As she heads off to law school, Chloe tries to convince herself this was just a fling, but she can’t quite get over him. It’s not until Tyler contacts her out of the blue late one winter night that everything changes.

After doing everything in her power to build the perfect life, Chloe soon learns that there are things beyond her control. She must draw on inner reserves of strength as her life takes unpredictable—and sometimes heartbreaking—twists and turns, and she finds herself faced with decisions she never thought she’d have to make. Poignant, heartfelt, and emotional, Finding Bliss is a reminder that you don’t have to live a fairytale life in order to have a happy ending”

For those who are unfamiliar with Dina Silver’s One Pink Line…I highly recommend you read it as well. It is a superbly written book. Finding Bliss is a spin-off of One Pink Line, but you do NOT need to read one in order to read the other. However, I think you’d be doing yourself a great disservice by not reading both. They are both beautiful stories in their own right. You can read my very brief but straightforward review about One Pink Line here.

So, my thoughts on Finding Bliss…

First thoughts were…this is good, this is really good. But, then my heart broke and then it healed again, then I was angry, then I was sad and then I was happy again…This is definitely an emotionally charged book.

What I really like about Dina Silver’s writing is that it is extremely realistic. Her stories aren’t sugar coated, people struggle, suffer and fight, they’re faced with hard decisions and sometimes things don’t work out. She focuses on real issues that everyone can relate to and dives in with all her might. There is a rawness to her writing that is so real. The characters are lovable, revered, moving and sometimes sickening. This particular book explores alcoholism and mental illness as well as a whole slew of other topics I’d rather not divulge to avoid spoiling it for you! I will say, this book is incredible! The protagonist, Chloe takes on a huge responsibility at an early age, and that specific characteristic stays with her throughout the book. She remains responsible, dependable but utterly naive at times. Her character develops well throughout the book and she, in my opinion, becomes an amazing and inspirational woman. The hurdles she faces and overcomes make you appreciate all you have and all you strive to be in a world filled with many unforeseeable obstacles. Not many people would endure and persevere the way Chloe did. I have a lot of thoughts on the other characters namely Tyler and Cam but I feel this may give away too much and this book is worth the read.

If you are looking for a deeply poignant story that shows you it isn’t impossible to stand up again after repeatedly falling, a story that shows not every happy ending is in fact YOUR happy ending, and that no matter what obstacles you face there is always a way to overcome them, then this book is definitely for you. I look forward to reading more from this author.

Finding Bliss is slated for release July 16, 2013.

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