REVIEW – The Edge of Always by J.A. Redmerski

Ring the bells that still can ring
Forget your perfect offering
There is a crack in everything
That’s how the light gets in.

Leonard Cohen, “Anthem”

SYNOPSIS

Camryn Bennett has never been happier. Five months after meeting on a Greyhound bus, she and her soul mate Andrew Parrish are engaged—and a wedding isn’t the only special event in their future. Nervous but excited, Camryn can’t wait to begin the rest of her life with Andrew – a man she knows in her heart will love her always. They have so much to look forward to—until tragedy blindsides them.

Andrew doesn’t understand how this could happen to them. He’s trying to move on, and thought Camryn was doing the same. But when Andrew discovers Camryn is secretly harboring a mountain of pain and attempting to numb it in damaging ways, there is nothing he won’t do to bring her back to life. Determined to prove that their love can survive anything, Andrew decides to take Camryn on a new journey filled with hope and passion. If only he can convince her to come along for the ride…

REVIEW

We’ll get through it together. We always get through everything together.

I read THE EDGE OF NEVER in a gulp, barely coming up for air. I can’t explain why I loved this simple tale of a love story set against a road trip, but I did. Some books are just like that.

So I jumped right into THE EDGE OF ALWAYS with wild abandon, hoping the ride would keep on like it had been.

You can’t go backwards, though. The ride is different this time. After all, Camryn and Andrew are different. The road trip that led to their great love story has ended. What will they do in the everyday world? A couple founded in wanderlust can’t really be happy standing still, right?

Life is a mysterious, often unfair, thing. But I think I’ve learned in my time with Andrew that it can also be a wonderful thing, and that’s usually when something happens that seems unfair, it’s just Life’s way of making room for better things to come. I like to think that. It gives me strength when I need it most.

Without giving major plot points away, I’ll suggest that life doesn’t get any easier for Camryn and Andrew this time around. New love is one thing…settling into a relationship is a different feeling altogether. Half of the first book is dedicated to the slow, passionate build toward the inevitable sparks and explosions that only new love can bring. They faced down their demons and came out the other side strong and looking forward to the future. Now inked with their mythical, integrated tattoos, fitting together on the surface is easy. Staying together is harder. Steering their way toward a future that’s meaningful to them both proves hardest of all.

Extra points to J.A. Redmerski for capturing all the feels, especially heartbreak, and making me still want to keep reading. The hope is palpable as you read THE EDGE OF ALWAYS. So many obstacles set up camp for Camryn and Andrew and they just keep moving forward. This couple craves a life less ordinary. Their strength comes out of weak moments conquered together. Their story won’t end with a picket fence, though.

THE EDGE OF ALWAYS is certainly a ride worth taking. I had the widest smile by the end, seeing them far in the future. I think it’s safe to suggest that if you really loved Camryn and Andrew the first time around, this time you will too, if you can let them become who they’re meant to be.

4.5 stars

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