Beyond the Roses
Life isn’t measured in time, but rather moments, memories.
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1. BEYOND THE ROSES by Monica James
SYNOPSIS
To the outside world, my life is perfect. I’m young and rich, and some may even say I’m beautiful. But I would give anything to be somebody else because after being extraordinary all my life, all I wish for is… silence. My name is Lola Van Allen, and there’s no easy way to say it, but… I’m dying.
When my doctors reveal all hope is lost, I decide to spend the time I have left sharing my experience at Strawberry Fields, a summer camp for terminally ill children. No matter my fate, I yearn to make a difference.
Things are quiet and slow-moving until I meet him. Dr. Roman Archibald. From the moment our lives entwine, he pushes me until breaking point. But for someone who has nothing left to lose, I push back twice as hard. Roman challenges me in ways I never imagined, revealing things aren’t always what they seem.
This is my story… and how I got a second chance at life.
BOOK REVIEW
Beyond the Roses by Monica James was an emotional story about people in the midst of constant loss and despair trying to accept the notion of very early death. The book was about life and hope and sacrifice. Or at least, it was supposed to be…
Don’t get me wrong, Beyond the Roses was not a bad book, but it was not amazing either. First of all, I had a really rough time getting into the story. The plot was not some out of this world unique piece of literature (I could easily tell where it was about to go). The flow of the events was so all over the place, not smooth by any means. Secondly, I found it hard to figure out how I felt about some of the characters, not even mentioning the fact that there were too many of them, especially absolutely irrelevant to the development of the plot ones. I didn’t feel the depth and significance of the formed connections, as well as feelings. But maybe, I’m just dead inside… Thirdly, and this is the point people will definitely find to be the most hateful one, I didn’t understand or rather buy the relationship between Lola Van Allen and Dr. Roman Archibald… Initially, I expected something similar to the one between Willow Taylor and Simon Blackwood in Medicine Man by Saffron A. Kent, but I was so terribly wrong. The chemistry was instantaneous but came out of nowhere? I don’t know…
Anyway, rather than concluding that you should skip reading Beyond the Roses, I would advise that the book is just not for everybody. I praise the author for being bold and writing something different, but the execution was not it for me.