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A review by libbi_cat
As You Turn Away by Molli Moran
4.0
Note: Molli and I met online, and as a friend before I became a fan of her writing, my review might be influenced by my fondness for her. :)
I was really excited when I found out Molli was self-publishing her book-a novel I had tracked the writing of on various social media sites. Unfortunately, real life responsibilities and obligations kept me from reading the book until now. Being on vacation, I made sure to bring my copy with me so I could read and hopefully finish the book while away. I ended up reading the book in one session on a sunny afternoon.
I think Molli's strongest aspect of writing is creating an environment for the reader to lose themselves. Perhaps because I am familiar with the family life culture she portrays in the novel is why I can relate with the Walker's, but I think anyone reading this story will immediately feel the warm, homey feeling reading about the Walkers creates. And yet I could also relate to Quinnlan's family and the struggle that comes when career life becomes more important than family life.
I liked that I could relate to both of the main characters, as it made their story more sympathetic. I especially loved all of the side characters, and I hope Molli explores their stories as well in the future. My favorite Walker boy is Ethan, so please write a story about him Molli! :)
Overall, the love story is nice, but not epic.And maybe that's what Molli was going for-a nice, slow Southern romance. But like another reviewer mentioned, their romance when they were younger burned brighter. When they hooked up by the end, it felt calm and almost like the characters were settling. Certainly they made adult choices, and I liked that Quinn wanted to heal herself before entering into a relationship with Jonah in the long run. Personally, I like my romances to burn and burn bright, and while this is definitely a solid and adult relationship, it was just too grounded in reality for my preferences in romance novels.
Another slight nit-pick:Sometimes I felt the back and forth between the past and present relationship drama was too random. I'd turn the page, and there was a flashback, and I couldn't feel the connection to the present happenings. It wasn't always, but it was certainly more than once. I also felt like there were too many of them. I think the novel could have been stronger with a short prologue describing how they broke up and what they were before, and then telling the rest of the story in the present.
I'm excited to read more from Molli in the future! I'm sure her next work will be as an enjoyable read as this one.
I was really excited when I found out Molli was self-publishing her book-a novel I had tracked the writing of on various social media sites. Unfortunately, real life responsibilities and obligations kept me from reading the book until now. Being on vacation, I made sure to bring my copy with me so I could read and hopefully finish the book while away. I ended up reading the book in one session on a sunny afternoon.
I think Molli's strongest aspect of writing is creating an environment for the reader to lose themselves. Perhaps because I am familiar with the family life culture she portrays in the novel is why I can relate with the Walker's, but I think anyone reading this story will immediately feel the warm, homey feeling reading about the Walkers creates. And yet I could also relate to Quinnlan's family and the struggle that comes when career life becomes more important than family life.
I liked that I could relate to both of the main characters, as it made their story more sympathetic. I especially loved all of the side characters, and I hope Molli explores their stories as well in the future. My favorite Walker boy is Ethan, so please write a story about him Molli! :)
Overall, the love story is nice, but not epic.
Another slight nit-pick:
I'm excited to read more from Molli in the future! I'm sure her next work will be as an enjoyable read as this one.