Don’t Let Go by Sharla Lovelace
Contemporary Romance/Women’s Fiction
E book, 301 pages
April 15, 2014
Beyond The Page

Reviewed by Tori

Favorite Quote: “We’re all mad here.”

Some Spoilers below

Fans of Rachel Gibson are sure to enjoy Sharla Lovelace’s newest release-Don’t Let Go. An appealing mixture of humor and heartbreak, Ms. Lovelace writes a poignant contemporary of lost love and second chances playing out under the eyes of a small southern town. A classic trope of young love that was brought under by the manipulations of family. Unplanned pregnancy, misunderstandings, lies, and smoldering chemistry will leave you smiling and sniffling as you watch two former lovers try to find away to forgive each other and themselves for decisions made in the past. Engaging dialogue keeps the story flowing along at a steady pace. Multiple plot lines keep you entertained; intertwining together to offer up a well earned conclusion as lessons are learned and forgiveness is given.

Heavily character driven, the entire story revolves around Jules Doucette. At seventeen she was in love with her best friend and got pregnant. Her parents hammered at her day and night to give up the child and Jules eventually gives in. Once the baby is born, Jules has a change of heart but as her and her boyfriend, Noah, are under age, the deed is done and the baby was given up for adoption. When Noah abruptly leaves, feeling betrayed by Jule’s decision, we learn this essentially breaks her. Jules ends up living her entire life by her mother’s rules and buries all her pain. When Noah returns home, twenty six years later, with his pregnant fiancee in tow, cracks begin to form in Jules. All her pain, sorrow, and anger comes rushing to the surface, especially when new information comes to light and Jules realizes just how much her parent’s controlling ways cost her.

I was instantly drawn to the fact this particular trope involved two older than average protagonists. Both are in their 40s. The emotional dialogue speaks to their age and it adds an attractive cadence to the story. Though touted as a romance, there is much more involved than simply rediscovering a lost love. It’s a journey of self discovery and revelations as Jules learns to forgive herself for the difficult choices she made when younger. Emotionally structured with a strong vein of realism and dry humor, it’s easy to submerge yourself into Jules story and feel for everything she had to deal with back then and now. Her parents not only took away her choice, they took away her life and replaced it with one of their making. When Noah appears back in town, Jules is at a loss. Her walls start crumbling and no amount of shoring will bring them back to their previous strength. She never thought to see him again and while her heart sings with joy, she can’t help but remember how he left…and why.

Fabulous character development reveals Jules slowly, presenting the reader with the version she shows the world, only to peel back her layers until the real Jules emerges. Emotionally walled off, she allows everyone around her to only see so much. Jules is a solid presence the resonates throughout the book.  Her backstory is heart wrenching though not manipulative. I liked that Lovelace doesn’t make Jules larger than life or the perfect heroine. She’s made mistakes and paid a heavy price for them but she doesn’t allow herself to stay mired in the past.

Ms. Lovelace doesn’t give us an easy fix to Jules and Noah’s relationship. The characters have to work hard to repair the damage to their lives and hearts. You can feel the anger, resentment, confusion, and hurt rolling off both of them. Ms. Lovelace addresses what happened in their past though she does so in a way that moves them forward. It’s painful as you watch these two struggle to cope with being in each others space again; especially when certain events come to light. I appreciated also that Noah’s fiancee isn’t made into a villain in order to push Noah and Jules back together.

Well developed quirky secondary characters round out the storyline, verifying past events and helping to bring our protagonists into the present. I loved meeting everyone who all had a hand in helping to shape the woman Jules is now.

The main conflict resolves in a predictable fashion as Noah and Jules learn to deal with what happened so long ago and are able to work beyond it. Various smaller storylines also wrap up, giving Jules the closure she needed. My only complaint would be not seeing any scenes from Noah’s point of view. I felt like that cheated me out of really getting to know him as well as I did Jules.

Don’t Let Go is a deceptively complex contemporary that addresses life, love, loss and the power of forgiveness. While this was my first time reading Ms. Lovelace, it won’t be my last. This appears to be the first in a series centering around the town. I look forward to reading the next book, Stay With Me, which is set to release summer 2014.

RATING: B

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