If you ever read a romance and thought "this all happened way too fast" then try this book out for a spin. Not only the romance have a burning backstory, but the actual falling in love and development of the relationship is almost painfully slow. It is one of the rare romances I didn't manage to finish in the space of a couple of hours. In fact, if I'm honest, I haven't even finished it yet, but I'm super close. The major props for this story are the verisimilitude of the characters, And I mean every character, and the flow of the action. Though nothing in the book ever really reaches heart-pounding excitement, Talya Andor practically measures out the spaces between peaks and troughs of action. I don't want to give away any of the story, seriously, just go read it, but suffice to say there is more than one "mini" climax in this story as well as the famed major climax, the turning point, that from which there is not return. And you definitely feel the tension burning. If you held a gun to my head and told me I had to offer a criticism it would be this: Soren is a wimp. Yeah, he grows and "comes out of his shell" (Jezzy Christ she used this phrase enough) but when he's faced with his major confrontations, primarily with his mom, he doesn't appear to have developed all that much. I mean, yeah, he's more sure of his own actions and desires, but he fails to really face the problem and resolve it with his mom. Therefore the drama in his house extends for most of the book, often making me want to rip my hair from my head one handful at a time. So there you have it. A slow-burning romantic story. Be forewarned of the school setting (albeit college), and the sometimes being hit over the head with an idea like the beating of a dead horse, but the MCs are extremely likeable and the overall development was very rewarding. The first thing I noticed about this book is how incredibly LONG it is. I'm used to reading long books, but those are usually fantasy or historic novels where it takes quite an amount of time to ease the reader into the world that is created and described. I bought this book because of the blurb, it seemed interesting, but it was the length that kept me from reading it for a while. I thought, this just has to be boring at some point, too lengthy, too drawn-out. The thing is, it wasn't. Talya Andor manages to write a 500-page-book about a topic other authors write 100 pages about - and make it seem natural. The pace, the plot, the character development, it all felt just right, as if (almost) every page was needed. I loved how Soren and Lucas interacted, how their inexperience shone through, but how they still dealt with every situation - with the help of their friends, yes, but also because they're aware of what they want and willing to go for it. There were a few characters in this book that annoyed me, but that was probably very intentional. Soren's mother, for example. And I did find myself skimming through some paragraphs - mainly because I tend to be impatient, definitely not because the writing was dull. The only thing that I felt really impatient about was the resolution of the problems at work. You understand about those basically from the first page you read - it would have been nice if these guys could have done something about it sooner.Definitely a recommended read!!
What do You think about From The Inside Out (2012)?
