Review: Eight Goodbyes by Christine Brae

☆☆➹⁀☆ 4 stars ☆➹⁀☆☆

What It’s About:

“One universe, nine planets, 204 countries, 809 islands and 7 seas, and I had the privilege of meeting you.” –Unknown

When Tessa Talman meets Simon Fremont for the first time, not only is she attracted to him, she’s intrigued by how different their lives are. He’s a dedicated scientist, practical, pragmatic, and grounded—while she’s a head-in-the-clouds romance author. As their relationship grows, they agree to meet in places around the world, while continuing to live on opposite sides of the globe.

Though their feelings for each other deepen, their priorities remain the same. Simon is in a hurry to be financially sound and settle down, but Tessa is enjoying her freedom and newfound success. Neither is willing to give in, but as each goodbye gets harder, Tessa begins to wonder whether fame is the path to happiness, or if she has everything she needs in Simon.

Just as Tessa finds the courage to go after her own happily ever after, the unthinkable happens, separating them in ways they never imagined.

To move forward, she must let go of the past, and determine once and for all if love is truly more powerful than the pain of goodbye.

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My Thoughts:

Eight Goodbyes by Christine Brae is an angsty but sweet love story.  It features a highly driven, logical, organized scientist who falls for a flighty, indie author with wanderlust.  This unlikely couple proves that opposites doo attract.

However, for much of the book, one half of this couple is more attracted to the idea of their relationship than the other.  Even though Tessa Talsman is a complete distraction from his goals, Simon Fremont follows her to the ends of the earth, quite literally.  Their initial meeting is terribly cute, and it gave me much hope for the story.  Sadly, Tessa is so affected by the loss of her family that she offers little in any relationship.  It became hard to see why Simon remained devoted to the relationship and patient with Tessa, except that she challenged his status quo.  Everyone around Tessa is grounded, making her seem self-absorbed and a bit flakey.

In an interview, the author stated that she pulled much from her life and experiences while writing this book.  She is an indie author with wanderlust, and her husband is pragmatic man who loves “his girl with her head in the clouds”.  They, like Tessa and Simon, create a perfect balance.

The shocking zenith of the story is dramatic and reminiscent of current events.  The impact of PTSD is featured heavily in the story’s denouement. Beyond the angst there are some solid messages about love, dedication, and second chances. I didn’t feel the chemistry between the main characters, but I did enjoy their banter.  Their individual stories were interesting (especially Simon’s fabulous family).  The message of living life to the fullest was especially meaningful; you never know how long you have to enjoy it, so squeeze all the goodness out of each minute.  The story is neatly wrapped up with an odd, but symbolic ending that punctuates the author’s message.

 

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About the author: Christine Brae is a full time career woman who thought she could write a book about her life and then run away as far as possible from it. She never imagined that her words would touch the hearts of so many women with the same story to tell. When not listening to the voices in her head or spending late nights at the office, Christine can be seen shopping for shoes and purses, running a half marathon or spending time with her husband and three children in Chicago.

Christine is represented by Italia Gandolfo of Gandolfo Helin Literary Management.

Author links:  Website | Twitter | Facebook

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