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Something in the Way #4
Lake + Manning
The final book in the Something in the Way series, a love saga.
Manning and I have what happily-ever-after is made of . . .
A home he built us on the unshakeable foundation we fought for.
A life of laughter carved out of heartache and betrayal.
A love story to stand the test of time.
But between a trust that can’t be broken, joy that can’t be bridled, and passion that would scorch the sun, the empty spaces are becoming more and more difficult to ignore . . .
Fears that keep Manning up at night as he slips from our bed.
Our complicated relationship with a man he respects and one I don't know how to forgive.
And a sprawling, beautiful home with one small room I'm afraid I'll never be able to fill.
Manning and I have what happily-ever-after is made of . . .
But I'll beg the heavens for just one thing more.
Manning and I have what happily-ever-after is made of . . .
A home he built us on the unshakeable foundation we fought for.
A life of laughter carved out of heartache and betrayal.
A love story to stand the test of time.
But between a trust that can’t be broken, joy that can’t be bridled, and passion that would scorch the sun, the empty spaces are becoming more and more difficult to ignore . . .
Fears that keep Manning up at night as he slips from our bed.
Our complicated relationship with a man he respects and one I don't know how to forgive.
And a sprawling, beautiful home with one small room I'm afraid I'll never be able to fill.
Manning and I have what happily-ever-after is made of . . .
But I'll beg the heavens for just one thing more.
ebook
First published February 13, 2018
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February 20, 2018
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️! Lake + Manning, book 4 of 4. The conclusion to an epic, enchanting, forbidden, bittersweet & against-all-odds love saga!
“Manning,” I said when his tool belt pressed my inner thighs. “Your Drill.”
“That’s not my drill, Birdy.” He snickered…”
Books in series should be read in order:
Book 1: Something in the Way
Book 2: Somebody Else’s Sky
Book 3: Move the Stars
Book 4: Lake + Manning
In book 1-3 innocent high-school student Lake Dolly Kaplan fell in love with the much older construction worker, Manning Raymond Sutter. The story followed them while they hid their feelings, fought their attraction and denied their love. A breath-taking journey covering over a decade of an doomed against-all-odds-love.
Lake + Manning, book 4 is the final chapter in Manning and Lake’s epic love saga. From sabotage to setbacks to poor timing their love has survived and blossomed under grueling circumstances. But finding their way back to each other proves to be only half the battle as they tackle forgiveness, betrayal, secrets, family, future and legacy.
Nine words to describe Manning Raymond Sutter: Noble, conflicted, reflective, loyal, self-doubting, charming, insensitive, self-sacrificing and misguided.
Nine words to describe Lake Dolly Kaplan: Reflective, sweet, smart, meek, determined, naïve, insightful, patience and loyal.
Lake + Manning, told from dual POVs, is the conclusion to an all-consuming, forbidden and impossible love story, with emphasis on angst. What a journey! What a love! What an ending. Bittersweet to say goodbye!
Spell-binding! Heart-wrenching! Hopeful! Epic!
“You know I’ll always move the stars for you if need be,” he said.
***
Hero: ★★★★★
Heroine: ★★★★1/2
Plot: ★★★★★
Storytelling: ★★★★★
Sexual tension: ★★★★★
Sex scenes: ★★★★★
Story ending: ★★★★1/2
******************************************
OVERALL RATING: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Angst: | HIGH FOCUS |
Darkness: | LOW FOCUS |
Humor: | LOW FOCUS |
Kink: | LOW FOCUS |
Romance: | HIGH FOCUS |
Sex frequency: | MEDIUM FOCUS |
Suspense: | HIGH FOCUS |
ARC provided to me by author Jessica Hawkins in exchange for an honest review.
October 10, 2019
Update: I’m not sure why I originally gave this 2 stars. I didn’t even finish it because I was so annoyed. I was a much nicer person in 2018 apparently. Pity
—————————————————————————-
Spoilers!
I have refrained from reviewing any of the books in this series because I knew the way Hawkins chose to end things would make ALL the difference in my opinion. I'll start by saying the writing was great, nothing about the plot can take away from that. I had a strong emotional reaction to what was happening throughout the story and that will always receive compliments from me.. but the story itself... I also should mention (or remind) that I tend to be sensitive to the way authors treat women characters.. so yeah.. do whatever you want with that.
Everyone knows I am no fan of doormat heroines but I hate when a heroine exists only as background theme music for the hero. You know the ones who gets her heart broken by the hero and her emotional reactions help drive the story but are ultimately disregarded/trivialized in the end. While the H moves on and up in life, the h sits stagnant, pining, waiting...
Dear 2018,
A woman can get her heart broken and still move the f*ck on!! She can grow without him, I promise.
A lot of books in the romance genre then proceed to hurt and humiliate the heroine repeatedly before gift wrapping her (hymen attached) for the undeserving hero like a reward for having nice abs and a dick. Like, Congratulations on being an inconsiderate asshole! For all your hard work and sex appeal you win a virgin!!!
Lake is one of those heroines and Manning is one of those heroes. The thing is, there was room for redemption in this story. Manning made some cruel decisions (liiike...idk... MARRYING LAKE'S SISTER!!) but his heart was in the right place (sorta. but actually, no. It wasn’t) and Lake was screwed over but she had supportive friends and resources to grow from it and become better because of it.
But naw.
Dat ain't happen.
Lake does nothing, becomes nothing, is nothing without Manning. Just dead weight. Manning, who of course has a great life without Lake, reappears like an apparition, stakes his claim on Lake, and she relents. easily. We're supposed to ignore the fact that he hasn't checked on her in four years (the last time he saw her she was crying and he was breaking her heart) and also he's married to her sister.. Contentedly married.
Now let's pause
.
.
.
...This is where I have a problem with the author. She's been torturing Lake since the first book and putting a spotlight on her pain. Manning and Tiffany knowingly broke her heart and watched her fall to pieces... yet neither them nor the author felt her hurt deserved any sincere acknowledgment. And just when we thought Jessica Hawkins couldn't take anything else from little Lake, she took the last ounce of her self-respect by making her "the other woman" and never giving her the chance to redeem herself. Lake married Manning in the end but the whole ordeal stank with an air of "she's marrying her sister's downgraded sloppy seconds". Book4WasSupposedToFixThissss But alas, no redemption came for Lake. It's as if Hawkins believes giving her the boy in the end makes up for all she went through, and all she lost. But the thing is, he never really stands up for her either. It all just rubbed me wrong.
The conflicts for which this entire series was built on, were pseudo-resolved in less than a chapter. Literally, 3 books worth of family drama was dismissed in a few pages. Lake finally found some courage and then proceeded to completely miss the point...
She apologized to everyone (no one apologized to her btw), basically begged her family to take her back (for manning) and support her while she marries her sister's ex husband. (funny, Lake put more effort into making amends with her shitty family than Manning put in to their whole relationship. Go figure) And they all lived happily ever after. Then there was another 150 pages or so of "after happily ever after" bumps in the road that focused on getting the hero everything he ever wanted because... whatever. I don't even care.
Theee End!
—————————————————————————-
Spoilers!
I have refrained from reviewing any of the books in this series because I knew the way Hawkins chose to end things would make ALL the difference in my opinion. I'll start by saying the writing was great, nothing about the plot can take away from that. I had a strong emotional reaction to what was happening throughout the story and that will always receive compliments from me.. but the story itself... I also should mention (or remind) that I tend to be sensitive to the way authors treat women characters.. so yeah.. do whatever you want with that.
Everyone knows I am no fan of doormat heroines but I hate when a heroine exists only as background theme music for the hero. You know the ones who gets her heart broken by the hero and her emotional reactions help drive the story but are ultimately disregarded/trivialized in the end. While the H moves on and up in life, the h sits stagnant, pining, waiting...
Dear 2018,
A woman can get her heart broken and still move the f*ck on!! She can grow without him, I promise.
A lot of books in the romance genre then proceed to hurt and humiliate the heroine repeatedly before gift wrapping her (hymen attached) for the undeserving hero like a reward for having nice abs and a dick. Like, Congratulations on being an inconsiderate asshole! For all your hard work and sex appeal you win a virgin!!!
Lake is one of those heroines and Manning is one of those heroes. The thing is, there was room for redemption in this story. Manning made some cruel decisions (liiike...idk... MARRYING LAKE'S SISTER!!) but his heart was in the right place (sorta. but actually, no. It wasn’t) and Lake was screwed over but she had supportive friends and resources to grow from it and become better because of it.
But naw.
Dat ain't happen.
Lake does nothing, becomes nothing, is nothing without Manning. Just dead weight. Manning, who of course has a great life without Lake, reappears like an apparition, stakes his claim on Lake, and she relents. easily. We're supposed to ignore the fact that he hasn't checked on her in four years (the last time he saw her she was crying and he was breaking her heart) and also he's married to her sister.. Contentedly married.
Now let's pause
.
.
.
...This is where I have a problem with the author. She's been torturing Lake since the first book and putting a spotlight on her pain. Manning and Tiffany knowingly broke her heart and watched her fall to pieces... yet neither them nor the author felt her hurt deserved any sincere acknowledgment. And just when we thought Jessica Hawkins couldn't take anything else from little Lake, she took the last ounce of her self-respect by making her "the other woman" and never giving her the chance to redeem herself. Lake married Manning in the end but the whole ordeal stank with an air of "she's marrying her sister's downgraded sloppy seconds". Book4WasSupposedToFixThissss But alas, no redemption came for Lake. It's as if Hawkins believes giving her the boy in the end makes up for all she went through, and all she lost. But the thing is, he never really stands up for her either. It all just rubbed me wrong.
The conflicts for which this entire series was built on, were pseudo-resolved in less than a chapter. Literally, 3 books worth of family drama was dismissed in a few pages. Lake finally found some courage and then proceeded to completely miss the point...
She apologized to everyone (no one apologized to her btw), basically begged her family to take her back (for manning) and support her while she marries her sister's ex husband. (funny, Lake put more effort into making amends with her shitty family than Manning put in to their whole relationship. Go figure) And they all lived happily ever after. Then there was another 150 pages or so of "after happily ever after" bumps in the road that focused on getting the hero everything he ever wanted because... whatever. I don't even care.
Theee End!
Read
February 14, 2018Lake + Manning is now available! 😁
“It was a perfect perfect ending to their journey. I laughed. I cried. My heart is bursting with love.”—Nicole, Goodreads
Manning and I have what happily-ever-after is made of...but I'll beg the heavens for just one thing more.
Amazon ◆ iBooks ◆ Nook ◆ Google Play ◆ Kobo
★ Series Info ★
“It was a perfect perfect ending to their journey. I laughed. I cried. My heart is bursting with love.”—Nicole, Goodreads
Manning and I have what happily-ever-after is made of...but I'll beg the heavens for just one thing more.
Amazon ◆ iBooks ◆ Nook ◆ Google Play ◆ Kobo
★ Series Info ★
February 15, 2018
I think we as readers, can't get enough of Lake + Manning and their incredible love story, which has defied all odds, stood tests of time and fate and has been a series of
Bad Timings
This couple can't seem to catch a peaceful break. Now that they're together, don't for a second think that God's have cleared their path of all obstacles aka somethings in the way
The family still doesn't know they've found their way to the Big Bear, Tiffany doesnt know they're happy and moved on, Val & Corbin dont know their best friends secret and Daddy & Mom are still not talking to them
And it hurts Lake +Manning
This wasn’t the same kind of obstacle we’d come up against in the past. Back then, we’d had a sliver of control over our destiny , and we’d taken that little bit and pushed it wide enough to make room for ourselves. This time, it was out of our hands. This was the circle of life, and I was being weeded out of the ground.
Manning has a rock solid constitution and a calm demeanour. His job to make Lake happy and protect her always !!
Protect, Provide, Mate
And he's a master of all 3 ! He has crossed insurmountable mountains to be with her and he plans to keep her tightly by his side, come what may !
“You know I’ll always move the stars for you if need be,” he said. “Whatever it takes.”
Manning and I had thought we’d moved the stars, but fate would get the last laugh.
But fate still holds back the tiny piece of happiness from them and the control has been taken from them.
My heart just was full and I so wanted every happiness in the world for them
I have to mention here, the story is so TRUE at this point of time, it's heartbreaking. I have torn through exact same scenario in my life and I can actually feel Lake's anguish and hear her pleas. Like seriously!! So this story has been kind of personal for me and i loved the writing, the sentiments echoed and the smiles thereafter.
Manning Raymond Sutter saw Lake Dolly Sutter one hot day in July at a construction site and she lost a bracelet , while he lost his heart. Now almost 25 year later, while moving together in their backyard, surrounded by family of kids and dogs, & A Bad ass mom who can drive a stick their hearts are full, so is ours!
5 "MHM" Stars
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This couple can't seem to catch a peaceful break. Now that they're together, don't for a second think that God's have cleared their path of all obstacles aka somethings in the way
The family still doesn't know they've found their way to the Big Bear, Tiffany doesnt know they're happy and moved on, Val & Corbin dont know their best friends secret and Daddy & Mom are still not talking to them
And it hurts Lake +Manning
This wasn’t the same kind of obstacle we’d come up against in the past. Back then, we’d had a sliver of control over our destiny , and we’d taken that little bit and pushed it wide enough to make room for ourselves. This time, it was out of our hands. This was the circle of life, and I was being weeded out of the ground.
Manning has a rock solid constitution and a calm demeanour. His job to make Lake happy and protect her always !!
Protect, Provide, Mate
And he's a master of all 3 ! He has crossed insurmountable mountains to be with her and he plans to keep her tightly by his side, come what may !
“You know I’ll always move the stars for you if need be,” he said. “Whatever it takes.”
Manning and I had thought we’d moved the stars, but fate would get the last laugh.
But fate still holds back the tiny piece of happiness from them and the control has been taken from them.
My heart just was full and I so wanted every happiness in the world for them
I have to mention here, the story is so TRUE at this point of time, it's heartbreaking. I have torn through exact same scenario in my life and I can actually feel Lake's anguish and hear her pleas. Like seriously!! So this story has been kind of personal for me and i loved the writing, the sentiments echoed and the smiles thereafter.
Manning Raymond Sutter saw Lake Dolly Sutter one hot day in July at a construction site and she lost a bracelet , while he lost his heart. Now almost 25 year later, while moving together in their backyard, surrounded by family of kids and dogs, & A Bad ass mom who can drive a stick their hearts are full, so is ours!
5 "MHM" Stars
#BookBistroBlogApproved
Follow us on
FB - https://www.facebook.com/groups/BookB...
Blog -https://bookbistroblogcom.wordpress.com
Blog -https://bookbistroblogger.blogspot.com
Twitter - https://www.twitter.com/BookBistro
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/BookBistroBlog
March 25, 2019
*Spoilers*
Updated to a 1 star, because I am still angry about how the heroine was treated and I dont think the fact it was well written makes up for the bad messaging this book sent out.
Maybe 2.5 (so no rounding :/ )for the entire series, down with this new book unfortunately. Move the Stars was meant as an ending so I put a lot a weight on that being what Jessica intended us to have ONLY, I am not quite sure why she did book 4 but it did nothing for me.
This series was my introduction to Jessica Hawkins and initially I liked this story, the premise was good, I liked the first book but somewhere along the way I diverged on the path and went into the dreaded I really don’t like this book everyone else loves. Don’t get me wrong I liked parts of it, but over time as I have gotten a new book my enjoyment level went further down. The whole pacing of this story was a mess, I still don't understand why the entirety of the second book was to bond Manning to Tiffany when the aftermath would all be solved with ONE conversation when he finally got with Lake anyways, why take it so far if you weren't going to utilize any of the drama that came out of it beyond some cliche plot points to do a time jump?? Whatever! I think what it all comes down to is I had always thought this was mostly Lake's story because her emotional POV was the forefront always, but I realize now my frustration is because it was never about Lake, this story was all about Manning. This is how I know me and Jessica do not operate on the same wavelength.
I will break it down below with some spoilers:
I love her writing style, I have no complaints there. She writes beautifully, I love her words, if I had been able to buy into this story I would have been a happy camper but alas I admired the words but really disliked the story they were putting together.
I would have liked it more if I liked both characters but I only liked Lake. Manning is the worst kind of hero, he is the one that does so many horrible things and never faces consequences for them that rival what the heroine had to go through. It’s also the fact we got it force fed down our throat how selfless he is and he was anything but in my eyes. I just never could buy into his epic love for Lake, her character propped the love story, her emotional reactions to things he did to her is what kept the story going, without it the love story would have withered and died a million times. This whole series was about him despite that, what he wanted, when he wanted it and it was told at the expense of the female character and you can call me a ragey feminist but its 2018! I don’t want to read this kind of crap. I want fully formed heroines who have agency in the book, who aren’t in the story to be a hero’s reward. Manning could have spit on her and she would have taken him back probably. 11 years and she never met ONE man who she could have been happy with except Manning, while he had her and her sister! What happened to this realism I hear so much about? The entirety of this new book was Lake gushing over him, and I just can’t believe I paid for this. Lake was an afterthought this entire series and I just can’t forgive that, and I refuse to support a female author who has the audacity to give me this heroine in 2018! I am assuming Jessica just fell in love with her hero and let him monopolize the entire story. Hey, that is realistic I guess you could say, a man who comes in, acts horrible, and still gets everything he wants!!! This entire book is her trying to give him a baby lol
When I read a book I experience the emotions the characters experience as they go through their conflicts so I develop expectations for what I want from the story to resolve those conflicts. Lake’s pain was visceral in some areas and was described in great detail, I expected/needed atonement for that. In 3 books I got not ONE narrative plot point that I can say satisfied that need for myself, and I figure in books I like I get at least a third so that tells me I don’t vibe with the author, if all my pent up frustration never gets released. It annoys me that my bonding with her in these books was pointless because she was never going to get her comeuppance for all the times she was shafted in these books, which means I feel shafted as well. I got SOME things in book 4 but as I said too little too late, I already was wallowing in my bitterness over how things played out before, and it was also just cheesy and forced. Focusing on Lake in this book just felt like an afterthought and a new way to make Manning the glorified hero he isn’t.
There was nothing unique about this story, for one it was based on The Bronze Horseman (a misogynistic mess of a story about a toxic relationship), followed a lot of those plot points, thank you for leaving out the physical abuse! Also just in general it was another story about a girl who waits around for a guy to get his shit together, not exactly new ground! Also the Notebook ending of the third book….I mean come on….
This book 4 felt like it took every criticism the series had and gave one scene to correct it, which felt weird. No Manning POV (of course not, why change that now?). The fact he slept with her sister for FOUR YEARS is just over in a chapter, one big happy family. No one ever found out Tiffany helped put him in jail!!!!!!! SHE GETS A HAPPY ENDING!! LOL I honestly don’t know what this was, I am kind of speechless! I had to see it through though, and it was a hard book to get through. I could never have predicted that when I first picked up Something in the Way I would end up feeling like this, but I wish I had never read any of it tbh.
Again, I know people say realism is what Jessica does best, but for me nothing in these books was dealt with in a real way. Ha ha Manning remember when you used to f*** my sister?, ha ha Lake I do, let me go have a cigarette with her, brb!! JUST WHAT IS GOING ON???
Also the love scenes in the first books were sensual and sexy, the ones in this book were so OTT, I just had to laugh. This book I guess was just meant for ppl who idolize manning and want one of their own, that is not me! I dont care how great he looks without a shirt in the fictional world he inhabits lol
I know I am in the minority with this but I needed to say my piece because this is honestly the most frustrating story I have ever read in terms of the characters and their actions. I can overlook some questionable things authors do but it was just too much in this case. I realize this may seem harsh, but I am just so tired of how female characters always are written to service male characters pain/issues. This series may have just been my breaking point, but it really struck a nerve in me. All in all, I am going to avoid her books and that way she doesn’t have to see my ragey reviews.
Updated to a 1 star, because I am still angry about how the heroine was treated and I dont think the fact it was well written makes up for the bad messaging this book sent out.
Maybe 2.5 (so no rounding :/ )for the entire series, down with this new book unfortunately. Move the Stars was meant as an ending so I put a lot a weight on that being what Jessica intended us to have ONLY, I am not quite sure why she did book 4 but it did nothing for me.
This series was my introduction to Jessica Hawkins and initially I liked this story, the premise was good, I liked the first book but somewhere along the way I diverged on the path and went into the dreaded I really don’t like this book everyone else loves. Don’t get me wrong I liked parts of it, but over time as I have gotten a new book my enjoyment level went further down. The whole pacing of this story was a mess, I still don't understand why the entirety of the second book was to bond Manning to Tiffany when the aftermath would all be solved with ONE conversation when he finally got with Lake anyways, why take it so far if you weren't going to utilize any of the drama that came out of it beyond some cliche plot points to do a time jump?? Whatever! I think what it all comes down to is I had always thought this was mostly Lake's story because her emotional POV was the forefront always, but I realize now my frustration is because it was never about Lake, this story was all about Manning. This is how I know me and Jessica do not operate on the same wavelength.
I will break it down below with some spoilers:
I love her writing style, I have no complaints there. She writes beautifully, I love her words, if I had been able to buy into this story I would have been a happy camper but alas I admired the words but really disliked the story they were putting together.
I would have liked it more if I liked both characters but I only liked Lake. Manning is the worst kind of hero, he is the one that does so many horrible things and never faces consequences for them that rival what the heroine had to go through. It’s also the fact we got it force fed down our throat how selfless he is and he was anything but in my eyes. I just never could buy into his epic love for Lake, her character propped the love story, her emotional reactions to things he did to her is what kept the story going, without it the love story would have withered and died a million times. This whole series was about him despite that, what he wanted, when he wanted it and it was told at the expense of the female character and you can call me a ragey feminist but its 2018! I don’t want to read this kind of crap. I want fully formed heroines who have agency in the book, who aren’t in the story to be a hero’s reward. Manning could have spit on her and she would have taken him back probably. 11 years and she never met ONE man who she could have been happy with except Manning, while he had her and her sister! What happened to this realism I hear so much about? The entirety of this new book was Lake gushing over him, and I just can’t believe I paid for this. Lake was an afterthought this entire series and I just can’t forgive that, and I refuse to support a female author who has the audacity to give me this heroine in 2018! I am assuming Jessica just fell in love with her hero and let him monopolize the entire story. Hey, that is realistic I guess you could say, a man who comes in, acts horrible, and still gets everything he wants!!! This entire book is her trying to give him a baby lol
When I read a book I experience the emotions the characters experience as they go through their conflicts so I develop expectations for what I want from the story to resolve those conflicts. Lake’s pain was visceral in some areas and was described in great detail, I expected/needed atonement for that. In 3 books I got not ONE narrative plot point that I can say satisfied that need for myself, and I figure in books I like I get at least a third so that tells me I don’t vibe with the author, if all my pent up frustration never gets released. It annoys me that my bonding with her in these books was pointless because she was never going to get her comeuppance for all the times she was shafted in these books, which means I feel shafted as well. I got SOME things in book 4 but as I said too little too late, I already was wallowing in my bitterness over how things played out before, and it was also just cheesy and forced. Focusing on Lake in this book just felt like an afterthought and a new way to make Manning the glorified hero he isn’t.
There was nothing unique about this story, for one it was based on The Bronze Horseman (a misogynistic mess of a story about a toxic relationship), followed a lot of those plot points, thank you for leaving out the physical abuse! Also just in general it was another story about a girl who waits around for a guy to get his shit together, not exactly new ground! Also the Notebook ending of the third book….I mean come on….
This book 4 felt like it took every criticism the series had and gave one scene to correct it, which felt weird. No Manning POV (of course not, why change that now?). The fact he slept with her sister for FOUR YEARS is just over in a chapter, one big happy family. No one ever found out Tiffany helped put him in jail!!!!!!! SHE GETS A HAPPY ENDING!! LOL I honestly don’t know what this was, I am kind of speechless! I had to see it through though, and it was a hard book to get through. I could never have predicted that when I first picked up Something in the Way I would end up feeling like this, but I wish I had never read any of it tbh.
Again, I know people say realism is what Jessica does best, but for me nothing in these books was dealt with in a real way. Ha ha Manning remember when you used to f*** my sister?, ha ha Lake I do, let me go have a cigarette with her, brb!! JUST WHAT IS GOING ON???
Also the love scenes in the first books were sensual and sexy, the ones in this book were so OTT, I just had to laugh. This book I guess was just meant for ppl who idolize manning and want one of their own, that is not me! I dont care how great he looks without a shirt in the fictional world he inhabits lol
I know I am in the minority with this but I needed to say my piece because this is honestly the most frustrating story I have ever read in terms of the characters and their actions. I can overlook some questionable things authors do but it was just too much in this case. I realize this may seem harsh, but I am just so tired of how female characters always are written to service male characters pain/issues. This series may have just been my breaking point, but it really struck a nerve in me. All in all, I am going to avoid her books and that way she doesn’t have to see my ragey reviews.
February 13, 2018
LIVE Amazon ➜ http://smarturl.it/landmonamazon
5 sweet stars <3
I devour it, I read it in one sitting!I loved everything about Lake + Manning!It has everything I wanted and even more!I love this series a lot and I couldn't wait to get more of these two together!Lake + Manning was sweet,heartwarming,passionate and epic!Their love story was like anything else!Lake and Manning have some really intense and passionate moments together!Their ending was perfect and I'm sad that this ended!I wish I could have more!I loved how Jessica Hawkins continue their story!It was nice to see how things are for them now and what they are thinking!I'm happy with how everything worked out for them!
5 sweet stars <3
I devour it, I read it in one sitting!I loved everything about Lake + Manning!It has everything I wanted and even more!I love this series a lot and I couldn't wait to get more of these two together!Lake + Manning was sweet,heartwarming,passionate and epic!Their love story was like anything else!Lake and Manning have some really intense and passionate moments together!Their ending was perfect and I'm sad that this ended!I wish I could have more!I loved how Jessica Hawkins continue their story!It was nice to see how things are for them now and what they are thinking!I'm happy with how everything worked out for them!
February 27, 2018
This turned out to be a really enjoyable read! The story just flowed and the writing was flawless! I really think this series gets better as it goes along, and this book is proof. Both Lake and Manning have their issues, but their chemistry with each other is never in question.
This series has loveable, strong, independent characters that actually grow and change once they meet, and a story that never feels rushed and allows the characters to really get to know one another. Loved it!
All in all, a truly heart-warming love story, and one I would recommend to all fans of contemporary romance. Read it!
In short:
Hero 5/5 | Heroine 5/5 | Plot (Point, Originality) 4/5 | Writing Style 4/5 | Steam 3/5 | Romance 5/5 | Angst-Suspense 3/5 | Darkness 0/5 | Humor 1/5 | Secondary Characters 4/5 | Drama-Conflict 4/5 | Mystery 0/5 | Twists 3/5 | Pace Steady | Action 3/5
ARC kindly provided in exchange for an honest review.
This series has loveable, strong, independent characters that actually grow and change once they meet, and a story that never feels rushed and allows the characters to really get to know one another. Loved it!
All in all, a truly heart-warming love story, and one I would recommend to all fans of contemporary romance. Read it!
In short:
Hero 5/5 | Heroine 5/5 | Plot (Point, Originality) 4/5 | Writing Style 4/5 | Steam 3/5 | Romance 5/5 | Angst-Suspense 3/5 | Darkness 0/5 | Humor 1/5 | Secondary Characters 4/5 | Drama-Conflict 4/5 | Mystery 0/5 | Twists 3/5 | Pace Steady | Action 3/5
ARC kindly provided in exchange for an honest review.
August 3, 2022
Title: Lake + Manning (Something In The Way #4)
Author: Jessica Hawkins
Genre: New Adult
Publication Date: February 13, 2018
I was not ready to let Lake and Manning go.. after what was suppose to have been a trilogy, I confess that I cried. Big fat tears that freaked my family out. Luckily for me, Jessica Hawkins felt the same. Thank You God!
After more than a decade of lost time, Lake and Manning are finally together... A future that is stable and unshatterable.
It's hard to explain a love like the one Lake and Manning have, it's a love that has stood the test of time and misplaced opportunities. In this book, lake and Manning plan their future, they are stronger than ever and their relationship is something every couple to strive to have- an unadulterated honesty, a love that is unconditional and strong.
Lake and Manning's relationship makes me weepy, happy tears people...happy tears. They deserve what they have after the obstacles they had to go through to be here...
I generally don't mind giving off a spoiler here and there but Lake and Manning's relationship is something you need to experience on your own. If you haven't read the previous books, I highly recommend it. I am so happy and content after having read this book and I wish you'd give it a try.
Reading Lake + Manning has been a sheer joy and an unexplainable experience. It is a book that is filled with challenges, emotional turmoil and let's not forget, hot passion. Their 'bedroom' scenes are woh! like seriously woh!
Lake + Manning is indescribable. It is passionate, emotional, heartbreaking and a jewel to read.
For more ...
www.jemimajamir.com
September 15, 2021
I said in an earlier review that I didn’t think this book was needed, and I stand by it. I think the last chapter (where they are 10-ish years later) could’ve easily been added to the end of Move the Stars. I certainly didn’t need to see them struggle more. The rest will have spoilers…
February 15, 2018
A LOVE STORY THAT STANDS THE TEST OF TIME AND WILL LIVE IN MY HEART FOREVER!
If I could pick ONE series for you guys to read, it would be The Something in the Way Series by Jessica Hawkins. I can't tell you what an epic journey she has taken me and MANY, MANY readers and friends on. It's unlike anything I've ever seen. EVER. The countless messages back and forth, the spoiler groups, the amazing posts in the Penthouse. Oh yeah, and the emotions this author put her readers through with this series is like...
😍😑🙄😯😥😒😖😱🤢😭😡💔❤️🔥😊😂😁😭🤤🧐🤩
I can't tell you how amazing this story was. I pulled an all nighter reading it, I couldn't stop, and I never ever want to say good bye to these characters. Lake + Manning is one of the most beautiful, emotional, and sexiest endings to a series I have ever read. I couldn't be HAPPIER with this gift she's given us. I've been invested in their lives, it's like they are a part of my family, a part of my heart ❤️ I'm so sad it's over, I really don't know what to do with myself now. I'll miss them so much, I know they'll not only live on in my heart forever, but in the hearts of many, many readers all across the world.
Thank you so much Jessica for giving us such a beautiful, epic, and UNFORGETTABLE love story. Thank you for bringing me along for the ride, it's been a TRUE HONOUR and I couldn't be happier that I was a part of it. #BearAndBirdyForever #Lanning #TiltTheUniverse #TheStoryWasALWAYSTheirs #SESGirlsForever #SomethingInTheWay #SomebodyElsesSky #MoveTheStars #LakeAndManning
--------------------------------------
✨Lake + Manning: Something in the Way, #4✨
The final book in the Something in the Way series, a love saga.
Manning and I have what happily-ever-after is made of . . .
A home he built us on the unshakeable foundation we fought for.
A life of laughter carved out of heartache and betrayal.
A love story to stand the test of time.
But between a trust that can’t be broken, joy that can’t be bridled, and passion that would scorch the sun, the empty spaces are becoming more and more difficult to ignore . . .
Fears that keep Manning up at night as he slips from our bed.
Our complicated relationship with a man he respects and one I don't know how to forgive.
And a sprawling, beautiful home with one small room I'm afraid I'll never be able to fill.
Manning and I have what happily-ever-after is made of . . .
But I'll beg the heavens for just one thing more.
Could this cover BE any more perfect?!
💖 RELEASE DATE: Tuesday, February 13, 2018 💖
⭐️It's Live!⭐️
AMAZON: bit.ly/LMSITW4-Kindle
iBOOKS: bit.ly/LMSITW4-iBooks
KOBO: bit.ly/LMSITW4-Kobo
NOOK: bit.ly/LMSITW4-Nook
GOOGLE PLAY: bit.ly/LMSITW4-Play
If I could pick ONE series for you guys to read, it would be The Something in the Way Series by Jessica Hawkins. I can't tell you what an epic journey she has taken me and MANY, MANY readers and friends on. It's unlike anything I've ever seen. EVER. The countless messages back and forth, the spoiler groups, the amazing posts in the Penthouse. Oh yeah, and the emotions this author put her readers through with this series is like...
😍😑🙄😯😥😒😖😱🤢😭😡💔❤️🔥😊😂😁😭🤤🧐🤩
I can't tell you how amazing this story was. I pulled an all nighter reading it, I couldn't stop, and I never ever want to say good bye to these characters. Lake + Manning is one of the most beautiful, emotional, and sexiest endings to a series I have ever read. I couldn't be HAPPIER with this gift she's given us. I've been invested in their lives, it's like they are a part of my family, a part of my heart ❤️ I'm so sad it's over, I really don't know what to do with myself now. I'll miss them so much, I know they'll not only live on in my heart forever, but in the hearts of many, many readers all across the world.
Thank you so much Jessica for giving us such a beautiful, epic, and UNFORGETTABLE love story. Thank you for bringing me along for the ride, it's been a TRUE HONOUR and I couldn't be happier that I was a part of it. #BearAndBirdyForever #Lanning #TiltTheUniverse #TheStoryWasALWAYSTheirs #SESGirlsForever #SomethingInTheWay #SomebodyElsesSky #MoveTheStars #LakeAndManning
--------------------------------------
✨Lake + Manning: Something in the Way, #4✨
The final book in the Something in the Way series, a love saga.
Manning and I have what happily-ever-after is made of . . .
A home he built us on the unshakeable foundation we fought for.
A life of laughter carved out of heartache and betrayal.
A love story to stand the test of time.
But between a trust that can’t be broken, joy that can’t be bridled, and passion that would scorch the sun, the empty spaces are becoming more and more difficult to ignore . . .
Fears that keep Manning up at night as he slips from our bed.
Our complicated relationship with a man he respects and one I don't know how to forgive.
And a sprawling, beautiful home with one small room I'm afraid I'll never be able to fill.
Manning and I have what happily-ever-after is made of . . .
But I'll beg the heavens for just one thing more.
Could this cover BE any more perfect?!
💖 RELEASE DATE: Tuesday, February 13, 2018 💖
⭐️It's Live!⭐️
AMAZON: bit.ly/LMSITW4-Kindle
iBOOKS: bit.ly/LMSITW4-iBooks
KOBO: bit.ly/LMSITW4-Kobo
NOOK: bit.ly/LMSITW4-Nook
GOOGLE PLAY: bit.ly/LMSITW4-Play
March 1, 2018
4 ★'s
“I’m allergic to stick shift.”
Happily Ever After could not have happened to a better couple...or a more deserving one. Granted, I was pretty satisfied with the outcome of Move the Stars but this is what we deserved! Thank you Jessica Hawkins!
So that's pretty much it in a handbasket...lots of sweetness and lots of romance but it's not all smooth sailing...of course not. Lake + Manning just have to be tortured a. little. bit. more. Ugh!
And it was quite the adventure. I do have to say I was shocked that this book is four years after Move the Stars and I was really shocked at how little had actually happened...or hadn't happened. Luckily, we get to experience all those details.
Unfortunately, I can't share them with you no matter how much I really want to. Just grab the book, sit back and enjoy...you won't regret it!
“I’m allergic to stick shift.”
Happily Ever After could not have happened to a better couple...or a more deserving one. Granted, I was pretty satisfied with the outcome of Move the Stars but this is what we deserved! Thank you Jessica Hawkins!
So that's pretty much it in a handbasket...lots of sweetness and lots of romance but it's not all smooth sailing...of course not. Lake + Manning just have to be tortured a. little. bit. more. Ugh!
And it was quite the adventure. I do have to say I was shocked that this book is four years after Move the Stars and I was really shocked at how little had actually happened...or hadn't happened. Luckily, we get to experience all those details.
Unfortunately, I can't share them with you no matter how much I really want to. Just grab the book, sit back and enjoy...you won't regret it!
October 17, 2023
▪︎ UPDATE ▪︎ Removed 1 star because I'm still pissed that the author tried to redeem Tiffany.
▪︎ Original ▪︎
I was in awe and I swooned like crazy. The love between these 2 is bigger than them. Bigger than anything. I'm soo soo happy with their HEA because it was "Their" happy.
There's about 10% of this book I'd have been 100% happy if it wasn't included.
This last installment of the Something in the Way series was not perfect for me because I have an ISSUE with Tiffany. I don't agree with this choice AT ALL and I can't believe it was included in this book. I wanted to DNF it at that point BUT I pushed through. I don't believe it was what Lake wanted and this was supposed to be Lake + Manning STORY .
I LOVED the series. It will be unforgetable!!! However this last book was not necessary and I wish I hadn't read it.
This author has made a huge fan out of me. I've loved everything she's written. She has a special way of telling stories. She makes me feel EVERYTHING!
This series made me VERY emotional (every emotion was had).
The man I loved, a man both tough and sensitive, determined but attentive. It wasn’t about anything or anyone else but us.
“You know I’ll always move the stars for you if need be,” he said. “Whatever it takes.”
☆☆"You love me with an intensity that can’t be reckoned with. I fear for anyone who tries to get in our way. I’d say I want to spend forever with you, but forever isn’t long enough.”☆☆
We were two stars forever locked in a triangle that only seemed to hurt us. But at least we had each other.
"If my life wasn't everything it is," he said, nodding toward our house "it would be nothing."
"This is our life. We can do whatever we want."
"No matter what, the story would only ever be about us"
BR with Mel ❤
▪︎ Original ▪︎
I was in awe and I swooned like crazy. The love between these 2 is bigger than them. Bigger than anything. I'm soo soo happy with their HEA because it was "Their" happy.
There's about 10% of this book I'd have been 100% happy if it wasn't included.
This last installment of the Something in the Way series was not perfect for me because I have an ISSUE with Tiffany. I don't agree with this choice AT ALL and I can't believe it was included in this book. I wanted to DNF it at that point BUT I pushed through. I don't believe it was what Lake wanted and this was supposed to be Lake + Manning STORY .
I LOVED the series. It will be unforgetable!!! However this last book was not necessary and I wish I hadn't read it.
This author has made a huge fan out of me. I've loved everything she's written. She has a special way of telling stories. She makes me feel EVERYTHING!
This series made me VERY emotional (every emotion was had).
The man I loved, a man both tough and sensitive, determined but attentive. It wasn’t about anything or anyone else but us.
“You know I’ll always move the stars for you if need be,” he said. “Whatever it takes.”
☆☆"You love me with an intensity that can’t be reckoned with. I fear for anyone who tries to get in our way. I’d say I want to spend forever with you, but forever isn’t long enough.”☆☆
We were two stars forever locked in a triangle that only seemed to hurt us. But at least we had each other.
"If my life wasn't everything it is," he said, nodding toward our house "it would be nothing."
"This is our life. We can do whatever we want."
"No matter what, the story would only ever be about us"
BR with Mel ❤
April 7, 2019
I was so excited to read this and what a perfect ending to this series. I could read about these characters forever and not get bored. I don't want it to end!
Re-read in April 2019 💛
Just love going back to read books that I really enjoy :)
Re-read in April 2019 💛
Just love going back to read books that I really enjoy :)
February 10, 2018
***ARC Provided by the Author***
If you are reading this and haven't read the other books, stop now. This is the 4th in the series and, by definition, there are going to be spoilers of the books before this one...as you can't review the 4th book without giving away some things that got them here. Heck, the title is a bit of a spoiler. So, if you haven't read all of them, off you go. Stop reading.
Full disclosure. I was happy with the ending of Move the Stars. I liked where it ended, on the precipice of Manning and Lake finally getting their stars aligned and starting their happily ever after. There was a certain joy to ending at their beginning and I was wondering if this book was going to measure up to the perfection of the others, particularly of the 3rd, Move the Stars, which was my favorite book for all of 2017.
With Jessica Hawkins writing it, I was worried for nothing. She started at the end of perfection and gave us even more of exactly that, perfection.
This book is exactly as the title implies. It is their story. While there are other characters, and a lovely subplot for some characters who also deserved their story told, the bulk of this book is Lake and Manning. After 3 books of angst, of reading scenes about them being apart and DYING for Lake and Manning to be together, there was some sheer joy in spending time with them, in being able to be a part of their future.
In some ways, this is an extended epilogue. Although I hesitate to say that, as that almost sounds like a criticism. It's not. But it is the "what comes after" and it is the resolution to the angst. Was it nice to see them work it out, and to finally be together? Yes, it was. In fact, more than I was expecting. I knew I was going to enjoy this book, and the minute it appeared on my Kindle I started reading, but how much I loved it actually surprised me. You look to Jessica Hawkins for the tear jerking angst, for the forbidden. This book shows a different side to her as an author, and it shows that she can write a happy couple just as amazingly as she writes one that is struggling to find that happy.
But at least for me, while this book is the ending to the story that was told in the first 3 books, it is almost a standalone. Yes, there are characters and relationships from the first books, but what works so well is this is a beautiful story of people who are in love, and who stay that way. Of a couple who are committed to being a couple, and to figuring out the things that life throws at them, as a couple.
Are there challenges? Yes. Of course there are. But there is also a joy in watching Lake and Manning be exactly that...Lake and Manning. Not Lake and the man married to her sister, or Lake and the man who is too old for her, or Lake and the man her father wants her to avoid...just Lake and Manning.
This book, while it really could be read as a standalone, is, more than anything, an absolute gift to readers who have been there from the beginning of their story. And, it is their story now that there is no longer something getting in the way of their happiness.
I couldn't recommend it more.
***This and other reviews featured on our blog Booked All Night http://bookedallnightblog.com/***
If you are reading this and haven't read the other books, stop now. This is the 4th in the series and, by definition, there are going to be spoilers of the books before this one...as you can't review the 4th book without giving away some things that got them here. Heck, the title is a bit of a spoiler. So, if you haven't read all of them, off you go. Stop reading.
Full disclosure. I was happy with the ending of Move the Stars. I liked where it ended, on the precipice of Manning and Lake finally getting their stars aligned and starting their happily ever after. There was a certain joy to ending at their beginning and I was wondering if this book was going to measure up to the perfection of the others, particularly of the 3rd, Move the Stars, which was my favorite book for all of 2017.
With Jessica Hawkins writing it, I was worried for nothing. She started at the end of perfection and gave us even more of exactly that, perfection.
This book is exactly as the title implies. It is their story. While there are other characters, and a lovely subplot for some characters who also deserved their story told, the bulk of this book is Lake and Manning. After 3 books of angst, of reading scenes about them being apart and DYING for Lake and Manning to be together, there was some sheer joy in spending time with them, in being able to be a part of their future.
In some ways, this is an extended epilogue. Although I hesitate to say that, as that almost sounds like a criticism. It's not. But it is the "what comes after" and it is the resolution to the angst. Was it nice to see them work it out, and to finally be together? Yes, it was. In fact, more than I was expecting. I knew I was going to enjoy this book, and the minute it appeared on my Kindle I started reading, but how much I loved it actually surprised me. You look to Jessica Hawkins for the tear jerking angst, for the forbidden. This book shows a different side to her as an author, and it shows that she can write a happy couple just as amazingly as she writes one that is struggling to find that happy.
But at least for me, while this book is the ending to the story that was told in the first 3 books, it is almost a standalone. Yes, there are characters and relationships from the first books, but what works so well is this is a beautiful story of people who are in love, and who stay that way. Of a couple who are committed to being a couple, and to figuring out the things that life throws at them, as a couple.
Are there challenges? Yes. Of course there are. But there is also a joy in watching Lake and Manning be exactly that...Lake and Manning. Not Lake and the man married to her sister, or Lake and the man who is too old for her, or Lake and the man her father wants her to avoid...just Lake and Manning.
This book, while it really could be read as a standalone, is, more than anything, an absolute gift to readers who have been there from the beginning of their story. And, it is their story now that there is no longer something getting in the way of their happiness.
I couldn't recommend it more.
***This and other reviews featured on our blog Booked All Night http://bookedallnightblog.com/***
February 15, 2018
REVIEW TO COME
4 Stars!
(BR with Berry Nice)
4 Stars!
(BR with Berry Nice)
Read
January 3, 2023finally finished this series and tbh, i have no idea what to rate. I need to sit on it for while bc this was too much of a rollercoaster.
February 15, 2018
Estou sentindo e sentindo.....apaixonada por Lake, Manning e pela vida que eles construíram depois de tantos desencontros e impedimentos.
O que era para ser uma trilogia, virou um quarteto de livros deliciosos de ler, sendo esse último o maior presente que um leitor poderia querer depois de tanto apego com dois personagens.
No final de Move the Stars, o terceiro livro dessa série, já tínhamos o início do final feliz para esse casal, mas faltavam conclusões, dramas a serem resolvidos e o principal de tudo, faltava acompanhar a construção do futuro e a união que eles tanto desejaram.
O título Lake + Manning define bem o foco desse livro. O interessante é que ele funciona como um epílogo estendido (mas com partes boas e ruins em uma união, de relacionamentos abalados, reencontros...) e também como um livro quase único, já que possui um drama principal inserido e muito bem desenvolvido. Não existe mais nada no caminho do relacionamento deles, mas sim os desafios que como um casal deverão lutar para superar.
Sobre a autora Jéssica Hawkins, o que posso falar é que ela tem uma escrita fluida e madura. É moderna, atual e sem vícios. Ela possui o dom em caracterizar muito bem seus personagens e conduzir o amadurecimento deles ao longo da história, mostrando as qualidades e defeitos de todos os envolvidos, sem ser tendenciosa.
Foi um prazer imenso descobrir essa série e acompanhá-la por um ano seguido, além de surtar junto, sentir as angústias, impotência e todo o afeto envolvido.
Lake e Manning são como dois amigos meus, que vi e acompanhei de perto o quanto sofreram, erraram e acertaram ao longo de suas vidas. Eles são inesquecíveis para mim! 💗
Arc gentilmente cedido pela autora. Obrigada.
O que era para ser uma trilogia, virou um quarteto de livros deliciosos de ler, sendo esse último o maior presente que um leitor poderia querer depois de tanto apego com dois personagens.
No final de Move the Stars, o terceiro livro dessa série, já tínhamos o início do final feliz para esse casal, mas faltavam conclusões, dramas a serem resolvidos e o principal de tudo, faltava acompanhar a construção do futuro e a união que eles tanto desejaram.
"Acima de nossas cabeças, o céu moveu e reorganizou-se. Não poderia ter sido uma maneira mais perfeita de começar o juntos para sempre."
O título Lake + Manning define bem o foco desse livro. O interessante é que ele funciona como um epílogo estendido (mas com partes boas e ruins em uma união, de relacionamentos abalados, reencontros...) e também como um livro quase único, já que possui um drama principal inserido e muito bem desenvolvido. Não existe mais nada no caminho do relacionamento deles, mas sim os desafios que como um casal deverão lutar para superar.
Sobre a autora Jéssica Hawkins, o que posso falar é que ela tem uma escrita fluida e madura. É moderna, atual e sem vícios. Ela possui o dom em caracterizar muito bem seus personagens e conduzir o amadurecimento deles ao longo da história, mostrando as qualidades e defeitos de todos os envolvidos, sem ser tendenciosa.
Foi um prazer imenso descobrir essa série e acompanhá-la por um ano seguido, além de surtar junto, sentir as angústias, impotência e todo o afeto envolvido.
Lake e Manning são como dois amigos meus, que vi e acompanhei de perto o quanto sofreram, erraram e acertaram ao longo de suas vidas. Eles são inesquecíveis para mim! 💗
Arc gentilmente cedido pela autora. Obrigada.
February 12, 2018
My heart is so full right now. Thank you, Jessica Hawkins for giving us this magnificent love story. I wanted to read it very slow because I didn't want this story to end but I just couldn't help myself. Lake + Manning will forever be one of my favorite couples. I love their love, their strength, their passion. It was beyond anything i could have imagined. All the stars in the universe!!!
February 14, 2018
I am going to pretend that I didn't finish this book, that I'm somewhere in the middle, in the midst of the drama between Lake and Manning as they sort out being adults TOGETHER. My favorite couple, finally with a complete story, and I should be super happy, but I'm more sad. I've loved these two, so so much, so this book, this final ending to their story, is overwhelming. I could read books about these two forever. This won't be my normal style of review, because I'm just far too emotionally invested in this story. Broken into several parts and spanning many years, we get to see Lake and Manning as grown ups; we get to see that all the angst and pain and heartbreak was worth the fight to be together. Like the rest of the Something in the Way series, Lake + Manning follows the journey of the loving couple who fought against all odds to be together. As the fourth book in a series, it finally centers around the two as a couple after they have overcome so much. They are each other's family, they are each other's world, but they also want more and this book is the story of that something more. The Something in the Way series is an epic saga, a journey filled with emotions that will make you fall in love and cry as you read and Lake + Manning is the perfect ending. (even if I am not ready for it just yet.)
"He and I were solid - we'd moved the stars on our own."
Told from Lake's perspective, Lake + Manning takes us into adulthood, our main characters finding themselves sharing a home and a dog together as they go about their dream careers. We revisit the pain of the past, the family ties once severed, the friends who stuck by them, and the natural flow of the relationship they moved the stars for. There's always been a serious tone to the series, but it was even more apparent in this final book. The book reads like an adults story, our young, impressionable Lake and strong, determined Manning finally embracing that they must accept their flaws and their great things in order to be great together. There's some angst, because it wouldn't be a Jessica Hawkins book without it, but it definitely is more of a love story, an easy, natural, realistic story. It's about a happy couple and some of their setbacks, but it's mostly a novel that will bring joy to every readers heart that ever fell for Lake and Manning in the series.
" 'Has it always been him?'
'Always' "
Yes, Something in the Way could have been complete as a trilogy, as it was first planned, but Lake + Manning is the sort of ending that readers, and Jessica Hawkins, needed. It's a book that comforts, that makes you feel joy, that gives you faith in a relationship that took so much work. It is such a passionate book, one that clearly took time to tell, and I am so appreciative for this little final bit of Birdy and her Bear. It's unforgettable, the best sort of book with the best sort of characters. I'll miss them and if you haven't met them yet, you should. I'm going to go cry now.
ARC provided.
Amazon
"He and I were solid - we'd moved the stars on our own."
Told from Lake's perspective, Lake + Manning takes us into adulthood, our main characters finding themselves sharing a home and a dog together as they go about their dream careers. We revisit the pain of the past, the family ties once severed, the friends who stuck by them, and the natural flow of the relationship they moved the stars for. There's always been a serious tone to the series, but it was even more apparent in this final book. The book reads like an adults story, our young, impressionable Lake and strong, determined Manning finally embracing that they must accept their flaws and their great things in order to be great together. There's some angst, because it wouldn't be a Jessica Hawkins book without it, but it definitely is more of a love story, an easy, natural, realistic story. It's about a happy couple and some of their setbacks, but it's mostly a novel that will bring joy to every readers heart that ever fell for Lake and Manning in the series.
" 'Has it always been him?'
'Always' "
Yes, Something in the Way could have been complete as a trilogy, as it was first planned, but Lake + Manning is the sort of ending that readers, and Jessica Hawkins, needed. It's a book that comforts, that makes you feel joy, that gives you faith in a relationship that took so much work. It is such a passionate book, one that clearly took time to tell, and I am so appreciative for this little final bit of Birdy and her Bear. It's unforgettable, the best sort of book with the best sort of characters. I'll miss them and if you haven't met them yet, you should. I'm going to go cry now.
ARC provided.
Amazon
March 3, 2018
Release Date: February 13, 2017
Genre: New Adult Romance (NOT a standalone)
I am so glad that Jessica Hawkins decided to write this book as it truly wraps up everything in the Lake and Manning saga! This is the PERFECT series for those who love forbidden romances (especially if you don't mind a BIG love triangle and a ton of angst). I very much recommend it to everyone who read the previous books in the series. This one is going to put a smile on your face!
Lake + Manning is the 4th book in the Something in the Way series. For those who are not familiar with the series please note that you MUST read each book in order of publication. The entire series follows Lake, Manning, and a cast of some very unforgettable characters. It's a tale of forbidden love (age gap + love triangle) that tears at the emotions and wreaks havoc on readers hearts. It's one of those unforgettable series that you won't be able to stop thinking about long after you have read it. I read the first book on a whim and immediately picked up the other ones because I was so invested in these stories- YOU WILL BE TOO!!
I won't go into any further details about this book or the others in the series because it would spoil it for those who haven't read it but let me tell you, this particular book that I am reviewing does an amazing job at bringing everything together and tying everything together in a beautifully epic bow! So make sure to grab a copy if you have read the other books in the series. It is very much worth it.
This book would be PERFECT for you if:
➜ If you have read the previous 3 books published (this is NOT a standalone)
➜ You enjoy new adult, forbidden romances with twists and turns
➜ You like stories that are FINALLY tied up in nice little bows
Actual Rating: 4 stars
Visit my blog for more book reviews, recommendations, sales, upcoming releases, and so much more ➜ https://www.prettylittlebookreviews.com/
Genre: New Adult Romance (NOT a standalone)
I am so glad that Jessica Hawkins decided to write this book as it truly wraps up everything in the Lake and Manning saga! This is the PERFECT series for those who love forbidden romances (especially if you don't mind a BIG love triangle and a ton of angst). I very much recommend it to everyone who read the previous books in the series. This one is going to put a smile on your face!
Lake + Manning is the 4th book in the Something in the Way series. For those who are not familiar with the series please note that you MUST read each book in order of publication. The entire series follows Lake, Manning, and a cast of some very unforgettable characters. It's a tale of forbidden love (age gap + love triangle) that tears at the emotions and wreaks havoc on readers hearts. It's one of those unforgettable series that you won't be able to stop thinking about long after you have read it. I read the first book on a whim and immediately picked up the other ones because I was so invested in these stories- YOU WILL BE TOO!!
I won't go into any further details about this book or the others in the series because it would spoil it for those who haven't read it but let me tell you, this particular book that I am reviewing does an amazing job at bringing everything together and tying everything together in a beautifully epic bow! So make sure to grab a copy if you have read the other books in the series. It is very much worth it.
This book would be PERFECT for you if:
➜ If you have read the previous 3 books published (this is NOT a standalone)
➜ You enjoy new adult, forbidden romances with twists and turns
➜ You like stories that are FINALLY tied up in nice little bows
Actual Rating: 4 stars
Visit my blog for more book reviews, recommendations, sales, upcoming releases, and so much more ➜ https://www.prettylittlebookreviews.com/
February 18, 2018
I'm so confused.
Move the Stars said, the highly anticipated conclusion to the Something in the Way series but apparently it wasn't? So why was it so freaking rushed if we were getting yet another book?
Not getting my hopes up for this but if it really is the final book in the series then it better make up for the utter disappointment that was the previous last one.
Update: it didn't.
I have read a lot of doormat heroines but my god Lake takes the cake. She actually apologized to these people and we got Tiffany's BS attitude again. What the actual fuck is this. I only liked the ending, that was a noble thing to do but the rest? Hell to the no. I can't believe the direction this series took.
Move the Stars said, the highly anticipated conclusion to the Something in the Way series but apparently it wasn't? So why was it so freaking rushed if we were getting yet another book?
Not getting my hopes up for this but if it really is the final book in the series then it better make up for the utter disappointment that was the previous last one.
Update: it didn't.
I have read a lot of doormat heroines but my god Lake takes the cake. She actually apologized to these people and we got Tiffany's BS attitude again. What the actual fuck is this. I only liked the ending, that was a noble thing to do but the rest? Hell to the no. I can't believe the direction this series took.
February 22, 2018
REVIEW: 5 FINAL STARS
"You know I'll always move the stars for you if need be. Whatever it takes."
Enter here for a giveaway for an ecopy: http://bit.ly/2Hb7GdF
I'm sure I can hear you saying this now...."Oh sure, another 5 STAR review from Bee for another Jessica Hawkins book." Well, you have to know I've never lied about her ability to feed your emotions and turn you inside out!! Right? I'm sure you've all taken my advice with the first three books already, so you know I mean business! Right? I thought so! So, with that being said, just go ahead and bypass all my giddiness and grab the book HERE: http://amzn.to/2stCtz2
If you are willing to see what the book made me feel, read ahead.....but remember, if I thought the ending of Move the Stars was left in a perfect spot for us to carry on with our own imaginations as to how life was going for Birdy and Bear, then the ending to this one is drop-down-to-your-knees-and-bow-down worthy. Yep. Worthy.
First and foremost, we got to see a very protective and powerful side of Manning in this book. OMGosh....he was everything for me. Everything. He wanted to possess her with this ferocity because his entire world rested in her being. He mastered the art of seduction. He honed the skills needed to calm an emotional Lake. He owned her heart outright and took care of it amazingly well. I swooned hard every time he spoke to her, calmed her, confirmed her, loved her....anything and everything he did was FOR her and I couldn't sigh enough. He just made me smile. There was nothing he did that I didn't trip over. He was everything. Jessica is the purveyor of amazing Book Boyfriends.
"You'll have to be satisfied knowing it'll only be you and me - but it'll always be you and me."
Lake. My heart hurt for her. To not give anything away, Jessica did a phenomenal job writing her torment. Writing her perceived failure. I wanted to hug her through the pages and hold her while rocking. I couldn't stop reading her story, but I knew that no matter what, Jessica would do it justice.
The emotions in this book are heavy, ones that you can just feel. They are palpable. They are gritty. They are raw. And they are emotional! I loved this last look into Bear and Birdy's world that gave us just that little unexpected bit more of them. It was an emotional journey how they battled all the issues plaguing them after finally deciding that they were the ones that belonged together, no matter what. Lake + Manning was beautiful and painful, tragic in some spots, but beautiful nonetheless. Jessica writes emotion with such passionate conviction. I wish I knew how she did this. How does she make me feel every single syllable she writes?
Every single book.
Every single character.
Every single storyline.
Sucks. Me. In.
There is nothing better than a book that can make me feel. One that can pull me in with relatability and reality, consequences and truths. I love that Jessica makes her books so real. There is always an element of truth, something you can grasp onto and actually understand and empathize with. She has been my go-to favorite author since December 2013, and this series is proof as to why. She never fails at making me feel her books. All the emotions. Every time.
"No matter what, the story would only ever be about us."
~BEE
TOP READ OF 2018
Amazon: http://amzn.to/2stCtz2
The FULL series: http://amzn.to/2Brukho
"You know I'll always move the stars for you if need be. Whatever it takes."
Enter here for a giveaway for an ecopy: http://bit.ly/2Hb7GdF
I'm sure I can hear you saying this now...."Oh sure, another 5 STAR review from Bee for another Jessica Hawkins book." Well, you have to know I've never lied about her ability to feed your emotions and turn you inside out!! Right? I'm sure you've all taken my advice with the first three books already, so you know I mean business! Right? I thought so! So, with that being said, just go ahead and bypass all my giddiness and grab the book HERE: http://amzn.to/2stCtz2
If you are willing to see what the book made me feel, read ahead.....but remember, if I thought the ending of Move the Stars was left in a perfect spot for us to carry on with our own imaginations as to how life was going for Birdy and Bear, then the ending to this one is drop-down-to-your-knees-and-bow-down worthy. Yep. Worthy.
First and foremost, we got to see a very protective and powerful side of Manning in this book. OMGosh....he was everything for me. Everything. He wanted to possess her with this ferocity because his entire world rested in her being. He mastered the art of seduction. He honed the skills needed to calm an emotional Lake. He owned her heart outright and took care of it amazingly well. I swooned hard every time he spoke to her, calmed her, confirmed her, loved her....anything and everything he did was FOR her and I couldn't sigh enough. He just made me smile. There was nothing he did that I didn't trip over. He was everything. Jessica is the purveyor of amazing Book Boyfriends.
"You'll have to be satisfied knowing it'll only be you and me - but it'll always be you and me."
Lake. My heart hurt for her. To not give anything away, Jessica did a phenomenal job writing her torment. Writing her perceived failure. I wanted to hug her through the pages and hold her while rocking. I couldn't stop reading her story, but I knew that no matter what, Jessica would do it justice.
The emotions in this book are heavy, ones that you can just feel. They are palpable. They are gritty. They are raw. And they are emotional! I loved this last look into Bear and Birdy's world that gave us just that little unexpected bit more of them. It was an emotional journey how they battled all the issues plaguing them after finally deciding that they were the ones that belonged together, no matter what. Lake + Manning was beautiful and painful, tragic in some spots, but beautiful nonetheless. Jessica writes emotion with such passionate conviction. I wish I knew how she did this. How does she make me feel every single syllable she writes?
Every single book.
Every single character.
Every single storyline.
Sucks. Me. In.
There is nothing better than a book that can make me feel. One that can pull me in with relatability and reality, consequences and truths. I love that Jessica makes her books so real. There is always an element of truth, something you can grasp onto and actually understand and empathize with. She has been my go-to favorite author since December 2013, and this series is proof as to why. She never fails at making me feel her books. All the emotions. Every time.
"No matter what, the story would only ever be about us."
~BEE
TOP READ OF 2018
Amazon: http://amzn.to/2stCtz2
The FULL series: http://amzn.to/2Brukho
February 13, 2018
After the emotional roller coaster ride we’ve had from the three books, you’d think this last one in the series would be all fudgin rainbows, unicorns, and sunshine! But oh no no no, not in Jessica Hawkin’s book. We got another roller coaster ride. A big one!! Gosh, I cried a freakin river! Jessica why you do this??? But it’s still so damn good! This journey with Lake and Manning has been a tough one. It was painful. It was heartbreaking. I’ve never felt these SO MUCH feelings for a book. For these characters. But all the more reasons why I loved them so hard. I have never been this so emotionally invested in a book. In these characters. And I actually do not thought them just as characters, I felt like they were really real.
It felt so so good after everything Lake and Manning endured, after years and years of wrong timing, they finally, FINALLY, got what they deserved, a happily ever after! Although of course it still was not easy, what GREAT love was? It just made everything worth it. The love between these two are inevitable. They are just meant to be. I loved Lanning so much that I know I won’t ever let go. After reading this last and final book of the series, I know for sure I would still imagine scenarios of them in my head. I’ve never stopped thinking about them. That’s how they made such an impact to me. How they made a mark in the deepest parts of me.
I cannot thank you enough Jessica Hawkins for writing a masterpiece of a series. You made something very special. A story that will forever be in my heart and soul *cries hard again* I loved every journey we had throughout the series. Especially the spoiler groups! I loved it. Never experienced anything like that. And for that, you deserve a standing ovation and a big round of applause *stands and claps hard*.
It felt so so good after everything Lake and Manning endured, after years and years of wrong timing, they finally, FINALLY, got what they deserved, a happily ever after! Although of course it still was not easy, what GREAT love was? It just made everything worth it. The love between these two are inevitable. They are just meant to be. I loved Lanning so much that I know I won’t ever let go. After reading this last and final book of the series, I know for sure I would still imagine scenarios of them in my head. I’ve never stopped thinking about them. That’s how they made such an impact to me. How they made a mark in the deepest parts of me.
I cannot thank you enough Jessica Hawkins for writing a masterpiece of a series. You made something very special. A story that will forever be in my heart and soul *cries hard again* I loved every journey we had throughout the series. Especially the spoiler groups! I loved it. Never experienced anything like that. And for that, you deserve a standing ovation and a big round of applause *stands and claps hard*.
February 13, 2018
Phenomenal! This book isn’t not to be missed. If you thought you loved Lake + Manning before wait until read this book. I can’t believe it’s over. I feel like I just closed a chapter on old friends. Does this make sense? Review to follow.
Lake + Manning’s relationship has never been easy. If you’re reading the fourth installment of Something in the Way, you already know that Lake and Manning’s relationship has always been complicated. Well, the complexities didn’t end with Move the Stars. Lake and Manning are now pursuing their dreams together. Just like in any relationship, life isn’t always simple. Lake and Manning have similar goals, but are they out of reach? Is having it all in their stars?
There is no doubt in my mind that you are going to read this book if you have read the other books in this series. Lake + Manning is phenomenal! This book is not to be missed. If you thought you loved Lake + Manning before, wait until you read this book. I can’t believe their story is over. I feel like I just closed a chapter on old friends. I’m happy the way it all ended. Jessica Hawkins moved the stars for her fans with her unputdownable conclusion to this series.
This review appears on www.kindlecrack.net, www.facebook.com/kindlecrack, Goodreads, Amazon, Pinterest, Google+ and Twitter. A review copy of this book was kindly provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.
February 10, 2018
I am in awe of Jessica’s writing and this story.
It was a perfect perfect ending to their journey.
I laughed. I cried. My heart is bursting with love.
I honestly want to say so much but don’t want to spoil it for anyone else.
I can’t wait for the world to read Lake + Manning!
Thank you Jessica for allowing us to take this journey!!
It was a perfect perfect ending to their journey.
I laughed. I cried. My heart is bursting with love.
I honestly want to say so much but don’t want to spoil it for anyone else.
I can’t wait for the world to read Lake + Manning!
Thank you Jessica for allowing us to take this journey!!
May 20, 2021
Something In The Way Series
Something In The Way ➟ 4 stars
Somebody Else’s Sky ➟ 4 stars
Move The Stars ➟ 4 stars
Lake + Manning ➟ 3 stars
Book: Lake + Manning
Rating: 3 Stars
Favorite Quote: “You know I’ll always move the stars for you if need be,” he said. “Whatever it takes.”
Trigger Warning: Infertility
Summary
This is Lake + Manning’s beginning. After over a decade of knowing each other, they finally were able to come together and start the rest of their lives together. From the moment they met it was always them, they were always destined for each other. However, the universe has never been on their side. Lake and Manning have each other but they want more – a family. But that may not happen.
Review
Well, this was a bit of a disappointment. Just after everything Lake and Manning have been through, I think they deserved one book where they were just happy. There were sweet moments in this book, and they did have an HEA, but they had to go through more challenges when it came to starting a family. Personally, after reading three books of hard times for these two I couldn’t read another book like that, so I was bored during this.
↳Plot. This book picks up a couple years after the third book ended. Lake and Manning were finally at the beginning of their rest of their lives together. They are planning a future together, getting married, working and wanting to start a family. This book spans those years and the challenges they face starting a family. This book felt slow compared to the other ones. This is probably because the other three books were filled with so much tension and angst, but this was much more just Lake and Manning embracing their love. Nonetheless, I wouldn’t have minded that if there weren’t the added infertility problems that seemed to drag on forever, I skimmed a lot during this book. I don’t want to come off as insensitive to infertility problems, but I just did not see why Jessica needed to add more pain and hardship to Lake and Manning’s life. They had been through enough! So, in all I didn’t enjoy the plot that much.
↳Characters. I was finally starting to like Lake, but she just had to bother me AGAIN in this book. I don’t understand how after everything her and Manning have been through, she felt like she needed to hide her infertility problems from him. I understand that Manning has always wanted to be a father and how important this was for him, but Lake knows that Manning ‘s love for her goes beyond the universe so he wouldn’t have ever been mad or angry towards her. He would have been there and been the respectful partner he was – which he is when she FINALLY tells him after months of knowing. This just seemed like book one, childish behavior from Lake so I was very much bothered that. So, even at the end of this series I don’t like Lake that much. Manning was okay in this book; I didn’t get too much from him because there was no POV from him in this book which was a letdown. I felt like this book was more just Lake’s story with Manning as the supportive side character. Manning was a good husband and I definitely think he has become an amazing man by the end of this series!
↳Romance. The romance was okay. Manning and Lake had their cute moments, but I just couldn’t get into it in this book. I felt like their explosive chemistry was gone. I still enjoyed them, and I was happy they did get everything they ever wanted by the end of the book.
↳Ending Thoughts. This series has been a wild ride! I didn’t expect to enjoy this series as much as I did but I actually loved it. Even though this last book was a letdown, I really enjoyed Lake and Manning’s story. All the angst, tension, pain, betrayal and turmoil I went through was so worth it! I am going to miss them, but I am so excited to read more of Jessica Hawkins novels!
Something In The Way ➟ 4 stars
Somebody Else’s Sky ➟ 4 stars
Move The Stars ➟ 4 stars
Lake + Manning ➟ 3 stars
Book: Lake + Manning
Rating: 3 Stars
Favorite Quote: “You know I’ll always move the stars for you if need be,” he said. “Whatever it takes.”
Trigger Warning: Infertility
Summary
This is Lake + Manning’s beginning. After over a decade of knowing each other, they finally were able to come together and start the rest of their lives together. From the moment they met it was always them, they were always destined for each other. However, the universe has never been on their side. Lake and Manning have each other but they want more – a family. But that may not happen.
Review
“I love you, Lake Sutter. I don’t know why you trusted me that first day or any day after it. You mesmerized me. There was, and still is, something in the way you are. Your blue eyes brought peace and light to my dark and noisy head.” He drew back and took a moment to collect himself. “I think maybe you saved me, Birdy.”
Well, this was a bit of a disappointment. Just after everything Lake and Manning have been through, I think they deserved one book where they were just happy. There were sweet moments in this book, and they did have an HEA, but they had to go through more challenges when it came to starting a family. Personally, after reading three books of hard times for these two I couldn’t read another book like that, so I was bored during this.
↳Plot. This book picks up a couple years after the third book ended. Lake and Manning were finally at the beginning of their rest of their lives together. They are planning a future together, getting married, working and wanting to start a family. This book spans those years and the challenges they face starting a family. This book felt slow compared to the other ones. This is probably because the other three books were filled with so much tension and angst, but this was much more just Lake and Manning embracing their love. Nonetheless, I wouldn’t have minded that if there weren’t the added infertility problems that seemed to drag on forever, I skimmed a lot during this book. I don’t want to come off as insensitive to infertility problems, but I just did not see why Jessica needed to add more pain and hardship to Lake and Manning’s life. They had been through enough! So, in all I didn’t enjoy the plot that much.
↳Characters. I was finally starting to like Lake, but she just had to bother me AGAIN in this book. I don’t understand how after everything her and Manning have been through, she felt like she needed to hide her infertility problems from him. I understand that Manning has always wanted to be a father and how important this was for him, but Lake knows that Manning ‘s love for her goes beyond the universe so he wouldn’t have ever been mad or angry towards her. He would have been there and been the respectful partner he was – which he is when she FINALLY tells him after months of knowing. This just seemed like book one, childish behavior from Lake so I was very much bothered that. So, even at the end of this series I don’t like Lake that much. Manning was okay in this book; I didn’t get too much from him because there was no POV from him in this book which was a letdown. I felt like this book was more just Lake’s story with Manning as the supportive side character. Manning was a good husband and I definitely think he has become an amazing man by the end of this series!
↳Romance. The romance was okay. Manning and Lake had their cute moments, but I just couldn’t get into it in this book. I felt like their explosive chemistry was gone. I still enjoyed them, and I was happy they did get everything they ever wanted by the end of the book.
↳Ending Thoughts. This series has been a wild ride! I didn’t expect to enjoy this series as much as I did but I actually loved it. Even though this last book was a letdown, I really enjoyed Lake and Manning’s story. All the angst, tension, pain, betrayal and turmoil I went through was so worth it! I am going to miss them, but I am so excited to read more of Jessica Hawkins novels!
April 22, 2018
Initial reaction: Much better than the third book in the series, and a more fitting end to the series in terms of events, but so many skirted details and unanswered questions left me wanting more from this particular book. Granted, this book was in Lake's perspective, but I still felt like Manning was the focus of the book, and that was another thing that left me not really taking as much as I wanted to from the series. Still apt to try Hawkins other books, though.
Full review:
In my reflections after reading this book, I honestly feel like this book should've been the book end to a proper trilogy, because its quality was more in line with the first two books in the "Something in the Way" series. "Move the Stars" had some major details in it that helped shape the framework of this story, but mostly for me - it was cumbersome, uneven, and felt like filler with huge time jumps that threw me out of the story more often than not. "Lake + Manning" brings the remaining story in Lake's perspective, picking up where the last book left off for events. I'll start off by discussing the good in this book - it tackles some realistic fears between the main two characters: topics that include pregnancy/fertility, returning home after some intense family rifts, facing social ostracism because of a family member's past, among other things. I should also say that being able to fold these two flawed characters together through so many situations is commendable, but as I'll explain in this narrative's flaws - that can be a double edged sword when it comes to *how* that's done. The pacing in this novel was miles better than the previous one, and it was a relief to be able to be able to follow and identify some of the more palpable conflicts in this novel versus struggling through situations that hinged more on cliches.
That being said...
Despite this novel being told through Lake's perspective - it still didn't fully feel like Lake's story. One could argue that Manning has been a significant presence through this entire series (and my expectation lent to that), but it's hard to know whether or not Lake - the character - is truly showcasing her own flaws and insecurities in her sense of aiming to do what she thinks Manning would find favor with or if this is a problematic, misogynistic New Adult romance cliche where the heroine's wants/needs are sidelined in favor of the hero's, and the ship that being shipped disregards the context in which the relationship has been built around. Part of what makes me want to say the latter is the case is because some pretty big conflicts that have been present throughout this entire series get majorly shafted in a way that left me feeling unfulfilled with how easily they were cast aside/resolved. Don't get me wrong, they were *addressed* but actually seeing the heroine deal with them is scant at best.
*still writing*
Full review:
In my reflections after reading this book, I honestly feel like this book should've been the book end to a proper trilogy, because its quality was more in line with the first two books in the "Something in the Way" series. "Move the Stars" had some major details in it that helped shape the framework of this story, but mostly for me - it was cumbersome, uneven, and felt like filler with huge time jumps that threw me out of the story more often than not. "Lake + Manning" brings the remaining story in Lake's perspective, picking up where the last book left off for events. I'll start off by discussing the good in this book - it tackles some realistic fears between the main two characters: topics that include pregnancy/fertility, returning home after some intense family rifts, facing social ostracism because of a family member's past, among other things. I should also say that being able to fold these two flawed characters together through so many situations is commendable, but as I'll explain in this narrative's flaws - that can be a double edged sword when it comes to *how* that's done. The pacing in this novel was miles better than the previous one, and it was a relief to be able to be able to follow and identify some of the more palpable conflicts in this novel versus struggling through situations that hinged more on cliches.
That being said...
Despite this novel being told through Lake's perspective - it still didn't fully feel like Lake's story. One could argue that Manning has been a significant presence through this entire series (and my expectation lent to that), but it's hard to know whether or not Lake - the character - is truly showcasing her own flaws and insecurities in her sense of aiming to do what she thinks Manning would find favor with or if this is a problematic, misogynistic New Adult romance cliche where the heroine's wants/needs are sidelined in favor of the hero's, and the ship that being shipped disregards the context in which the relationship has been built around. Part of what makes me want to say the latter is the case is because some pretty big conflicts that have been present throughout this entire series get majorly shafted in a way that left me feeling unfulfilled with how easily they were cast aside/resolved. Don't get me wrong, they were *addressed* but actually seeing the heroine deal with them is scant at best.
*still writing*
February 14, 2019
3 Stars
**I would advise against continuing on this review unless you have read the previous books in the series, as this might unintentionally spoil some things. I am going to add a general spoiler tag for that reason**:
**I would advise against continuing on this review unless you have read the previous books in the series, as this might unintentionally spoil some things. I am going to add a general spoiler tag for that reason**:
March 13, 2019
So as everyone knows I didn't love this series! I read them all because I needed closure! The author is that fantastic!
This one gave me all the closure I needed! But what I missed was the appology Tiffany owed to Lake! I needed that, because Tiffany did herself as a victim in the previous one and a bit in this one. She did know what she did and it was kind of her fault all the missed years they could've had.. I will forever dislike Tiffany, even though in the end everything was okay. For me it wasn't!
Lake has grown so much, it was good to see how she went forward! Everytime she is looking at Manning I imagine him on that wall looking at Lake and that that was their beginning and not with all the drama between. For me that doesn't excist because otherwise I would hate Tiffany forever. I'm going to forget it all happened!
This one gave me all the closure I needed! But what I missed was the appology Tiffany owed to Lake! I needed that, because Tiffany did herself as a victim in the previous one and a bit in this one. She did know what she did and it was kind of her fault all the missed years they could've had.. I will forever dislike Tiffany, even though in the end everything was okay. For me it wasn't!
Lake has grown so much, it was good to see how she went forward! Everytime she is looking at Manning I imagine him on that wall looking at Lake and that that was their beginning and not with all the drama between. For me that doesn't excist because otherwise I would hate Tiffany forever. I'm going to forget it all happened!
April 28, 2020
Sobbing....
What a perfect ending to Lake and Mannings story. I absolutely adore them.
This series has taken me on a wild ride and brought out so many emotions. Starting off in the 90’s when Lake was just sweet sixteen and Manning was 23, it has followed their journey over the course of many years and seen them both grow up and fall deeper in love.
If you love age-gap romance then I urge you to read this series. It was tough reading at times, but one thing was always clear, and that was how these two felt about each other, regardless of the obstacles that stood in their way. Absolutely brilliant writing by Jessica Hawkins; I’m so glad I finally got round to reading these books. I already want to start it all over again.
What a perfect ending to Lake and Mannings story. I absolutely adore them.
This series has taken me on a wild ride and brought out so many emotions. Starting off in the 90’s when Lake was just sweet sixteen and Manning was 23, it has followed their journey over the course of many years and seen them both grow up and fall deeper in love.
If you love age-gap romance then I urge you to read this series. It was tough reading at times, but one thing was always clear, and that was how these two felt about each other, regardless of the obstacles that stood in their way. Absolutely brilliant writing by Jessica Hawkins; I’m so glad I finally got round to reading these books. I already want to start it all over again.
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