ARC Review: Me After You by Mindy Hayes

Me After You by Mindy Hayes
Release Date: November 18th, 2013
Buy: Amazon

Goodreads Summary

Widowed at twenty-five, Sawyer Hartwell has no choice but to return to her hometown. Broke and alone, the intention was to heal and find herself again, but how can she heal in a place filled with so much sorrow and memories she yearns to forget?

Dean Preston has regretted leaving Willowhaven since the day he rode off on his motorcycle six years ago, destroying the only love he had ever known. Returning too late, he's found small comfort in a new life with Lily, but with Sawyer back he's not sure of anything anymore.

The time has come for Sawyer and Dean to face the past, to learn from their mistakes. The road to healing is paved with old wounds, each one threatening to tear them down completely. Carrying their own scars close to their hearts, they must both confront what's gone before or lose their second chance.

The measure of who we are is what we survive. Who we become is up to us.

I actually came across this book not so long ago and fell in love with the cover. I immediately checked it out and felt like I had hit the jack pot because this book had a second chance romance and I am a sucker for those.  

This book may not be the best thing I’ve ever read but it definitely did not disappoint. In fact I was very happy with the book and it wasn’t even because of the romance.

I don’t usually like reading books that involve the death of a spouse because it always seems as though there isn’t enough mourning. I realize that everyone deserves a second chance at love but does that mean you forget about the person who you were married to? Or say stuff like ‘I didn’t love him as much as I loved you’? Whenever that happens, I just get extremely annoyed.

The author really did a good job with that though. I don’t think I can describe how happy it made me that the main character’s life did not revolve around finding love but it also involved healing after the death of a loved one.

Oh she was attracted to Dean alright, they had history together but the fact that he was back in her life didn’t mean she was ready to move on with him.

What I also loved about her was the fact she didn’t compare her love with Dean to her love for Grayson. She may not have loved Grayson the same way she loved Dean but that didn’t change the fact that he had been there for her and she had loved him. The author didn’t try to push Grayson out of the way. His ghost was always looming in the back, even in her HEA, she just made his death easier to deal with for the main character.

Dean wasn’t the best love interest out there. I wanted the two to get their HEA but I was more in love with Grayson than I ever could be with Dean. I did like him as a character though. Some people may think the fact that he continued helping Josh out was a stupid thing to do but I actually liked that. He was willing to give his friend a chance until he went too far. He realized when that happened. He didn’t blind himself to that. The point is that he didn’t just give up on his friend even when things seemed hopeless, no matter what anyone said, whether it was Sawyer, Lily or Adrian, he wouldn’t take shit about his friend.

 I wasn’t the biggest fan of the actual romance either. There was some regret but the choices both characters made weren’t the best. The relationship of the secondary characters was a lot more enjoyable for me (that’s a new thing for me).  I think the problem was that Sawyer could act like a Mary Sue from time to time. She needed to be stronger for a change instead of having everyone rescue her all the time. I understand she is dealing with grief but still.

The fact that Dean actually dated Sawyer’s best friend really annoyed me. If he had really loved Sawyer he wouldn’t have done that to her. I suppose his reasons weren’t as bad as they come seeing that Lily was actually there for him when no one else was but it still annoyed me. I don’t know if we’re meant to like Lily or not but I certainly did not like her. For starters, she broke the bro code (strike one) and she chose a relationship over her best friends. Strike two. Out.

The writing could have been better as well. Some of the sentences were just awkward but it didn’t bother me too much.

In the end this book was enjoyable. The author made me hope for the ‘right’ things. It wasn’t about the happy ending but the journey towards one. It was an engaging tale of loss, second chances, regret and love. I definitely recommend this book to someone looking for a light read.