Review: The Edge of Always by J.A. Redmerski - 3 Wine Glasses

Title: The Edge of Always 
Series: The Edge of Never
Author: J.A. Redmerski
Published: November 5, 2013; Forever
Format: E-Book/Print
ISBN: 978-1-4555-4901-6
Links: Goodreads | Kindle | Amazon | B&N
Reviewer: Crystal
Source: NetGalley
Rating: 3/5

He was taking the long road. She was taking the road to nowhere. It just so happened that they led to the same place…
When everything falls apart, love remains . . .
THE EDGE OF ALWAYS
Camryn Bennett has never been happier. Five months after meeting on a Greyhound bus, she and her soul mate Andrew Parrish are engaged—and a wedding isn’t the only special event in their future. Nervous but excited, Camryn can’t wait to begin the rest of her life with Andrew – a man she knows in her heart will love her always. They have so much to look forward to—until tragedy blindsides them.
Andrew doesn’t understand how this could happen to them. He’s trying to move on, and thought Camryn was doing the same. But when Andrew discovers Camryn is secretly harboring a mountain of pain and attempting to numb it in damaging ways, there is nothing he won’t do to bring her back to life. Determined to prove that their love can survive anything, Andrew decides to take Camryn on a new journey filled with hope and passion. If only he can convince her to come along for the ride…

Thoughts:

First let me say that I loved, loved, loved The Edge of Never. The writing, the story telling, the characters... it all clicked for me. The Edge of Never ended up being a beautifully intense story and a favorite of mine. The ending was so right that I couldn't anticipate what the next book for Camryn and Andrew would be but was looking forward to getting more time with these characters. Unfortunately, The Edge of Always, just didn't stand up to the first book for me. And maybe that is my fault, my expectations were too high.  I liked The Edge of Always, it was okay, but I didn't love it and honestly, I think I would have been happier with the HEA I found in The Edge of Never alone. This one just fell flat for me...

After facing tragedies and navigating a jarring road to happiness, Camryn and Andrew are moving forward with their lives together. Engaged to be married and expecting many bright blessings to come they are blindsided when tragedy strikes again. Andrew has faith that their relationship can make it through these new obstacles, but when Camryn falls into state of depression and uncertainties, he has to fight extra hard to make sure that Camryn keeps her faith in them as well. 

Full of heart ache and loss, The Edge of Always, takes that happily ever after that we found in the The Edge of Never and turns it on it's ear. It's a fight, and a struggle, for Camryn and Andrew to hold onto their relationship. Camryn is ready to give up but thankfully Andrew isn't. And the only way he can think to keep hold of Camryn is to take her back to where it all started. So they embark on another road trip. But for Camryn, it's not just a road trip. It's a journey of loosing herself and finding her way again. For the first half of this book, and probably up until the last few chapters, the plot did drag. A lot. The tragedies and circumstances were predictable. And while, yes, a lot of them were sad and did touch my heart with the emotions and  consequences that the characters struggled through, the drawn out scenes and over explanations lessened the poignant quality to them at times. And then the last half of the book was powered through with many time gaps ranging from months to years. Sometimes these worked, sometimes they didn't. 

I did love Andrew, his character stayed true to the one I found in The Edge of Never. He was incredibly understanding, protective, and loving throughout the story, and just as sexy. But I struggled to find that connection with the characters that I found in the first book. And Camryn really frustrated me at times, and not in that good 'I want to shake you, come to your senses woman, I like you too much to hate you' kind of way. There was points in the story that really got me, scenes that grabbed my heart right out of my chest, they were few and far between but did keep me reading. The writing was seamless but the story just wasn't there. And though I really like the ending, it didn't blow me away like the ending of The Edge of Never did.