Customer Reviews
I absolutely love this author, but this story was a little out there. You could see it being unconventional as a positive, but the characters and course of falling in love were a little forced, and the story itself a little all over the place.
It's Renee so no surprise the book is incredible. Grabs you in beginning and doesn't let go, as all her books do. I was not a fan of Ava though so 4 not 5 stars on this one. Great story line...auto buy author for me.
“When we’re young, we want so badly to connect with others that we end up reflecting them, losing ourselves in the process.”I continued my Renee Carlino marathon with After the Rain, and like every book of Renee’s, I devoured this in no time. In many of her books, Renee dives deep into the grief of the loss of a loved one. I think this is a subject she knows well, unfortunately, as it’s a common theme in her novels. Somehow she has a way of writing it in a way that isn’t completely heartwrenching, which could be seen as a good thing or a bad thing. With death occurring early in the book, it’s easier to separate oneself from the sadness. This story was more about life after loss, which made the character growth exponential. I really enjoyed getting into the trenches of Avelina’s life and experiencing the sadness with her. I only wish there had been a little more show than tell. I didn’t feel this story quite as deeply as I wish I could have.I found there to be a fair amount of repetition in this book and I was sure this was going to be another three-star read for me. Luckily, there was a twist in the latter half of the book that completely caught me off guard and redeemed the story. It had the deep, heartfelt love I was looking for and showed the characters moving forward in a healthy way. I absolutely loved the ending and the significance of the title. These pleasant surprises made me bump up my rating, something I rarely do past the halfway mark of the story. Usually, I know pretty early on where each book falls on the scale of my rating system.Overall, this was a pretty quaint read, but Before We Were Strangers and Swear on This Life are holding strong as my favorites. We will see where Sweet Thing and its companion novella fall on the spectrum soon!
After The Rain is a sweet romance about finding your way back after being irrevocably broken. Avelina is lost and her soul broken after losing her husband and her love. Meeting Nate, a doctor, slowly makes her want to open up again but it takes time and trust.I enjoyed After The Rain but I felt Nate was too pushy at times. He wanted Avelina there was no doubt about that but for me it was on a physical level. I needed their courtship to take their time. To establish a connection on the emotional level which I felt it lacked. It moved to fast.There was some great secondary characters. Especially Nate’s uncle and Aunt who cared for Avelina on the ranch.Overall a great and fast romance.
Historically, I've enjoyed most of Renee Carlino's books. After the Rain? Not so much.None of the character's actions or feelings are believable. It's insta-love, insta-hate, insta-everything. And don't even get me started on the medical parts of the story...what a joke.Honestly, I had a hard time finishing this book. The only part that made me smile was Poops.I'd skip this one.
