FIRST THINGS FIRST: I know this book can technically be read as a stand-alone contemporary romance, but I HIGHLY recommend reading the original Transcend duology first. It gives backstory to Nate’s character that you won’t otherwise get and it adds so much more meaning and depth to a few of the characters, and this story as a whole! Also, it makes everything that much more emotional and beautiful 🥺❤️
Seriously, unless you absolutely can’t, PLEASE read the duology first! You’ll thank me later, I promise.
Now, I have to be very honest and admit that I had a little bit of a tough time getting into this book at first because I had a lingering crush on Nate, thanks to the original Transcend duology 😂 I was so jealous for the first chunk of this book, because in my mind, I’d already laid a claim on him and I didn’t want him with anyone else 🙈 Is that normal? Am I crazy?? CAN ANY OTHER BOOKWORMS RELATE TO THIS FEELING???
Once I got over that jealousy though, I can confidently say that Nate got the happy ending he’d always deserved in this book and it made my heart so happy to see it 😭❤️ After everything he’s been through, this is all that was missing to his story and I’m infinitely glad we got to see it! (Especially since this book wasn’t originally planned)
Seeing Morgan grown up (she’s only ten now, but STILL) was also just… perfect and it made me so emotional because last time we saw her, she was a baby 😭😭❤️ I absolutely love how she flourished into her own person and her own character! I love that throughout this book, she was still growing and changing and finding herself as a person. THAT felt really important to see. And her relationship with Nate??? That did things to my heart that I wasn’t ready for and now I need more books with father-daughter relationships, because DAMN 🥺
And I love that Jewel E. Ann managed to throw in so much humour into the book (she seems to be really good at that 😂❤️)! Like, the story itself is wholesome and emotional, but there are also so many scenes where I just burst out laughing 😂 So it’s not like you’ll be bawling the whole time! At the heart of it, I would definitely consider this book a romantic comedy, because it had that feel-good aspect to it 🙊
I’ve also never read a book where the characters were in their forties, so this was new and interesting for me! I felt like, in a lot of ways, it made the book feel more mature, which certainly wasn’t a bad thing! It was a little hard to wrap my head around at first—because I wasn’t used to it—but it didn’t take away from my enjoyment of the book!
Also, the little nods to the original duet that we got were perfection and made my heart so full and happy 😭❤️ I LOVE that we got cameos from Swayze and Griffin in here—it really was the cherry on top to this book! Jewel E. Ann did a wonderful job at taking us right back into the world of the Transcend characters and wrapping their stories up with a wholesome happily ever after ❤️
One True Daydreamer 