The Quick Cut: A girl with Rheumatoid arthritis finds herself breaking her no dating rule when she meets a boy with Gaucher disease.
A Real Review:
Thank you to Entangled Publishing for providing the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
When you find someone who understands your struggle on a deeper scale, they tend to speak to you on a spiritual level. It's more than just support or understanding, it's a true sense of synergy. That's the connection found between Isabel and Sasha.
Isabel has been living with Rheumatoid arthritis for years now and knows her way around the hospital. With a doctor as a father and a passion for her newspaper article that she writes, she's happy with the way things are. Her no dating rule has helped her deal with relationships while keeping people from getting to close to her pain. It all works until she meets Sasha: a boy who understands how complex living with a chronic illness can be. Will her no dating rule hold up to the new man in her life or will she feel the need to break it?
I have some very mixed feelings about this book. Although the chronic illness aspect of this story is portrayed in a realistic light I rarely see in fiction, the lead characters themselves left me unsatisfied. The chemistry between Isabel and Sasha feels a little forced rather than happening organically. Due to that, I kept seeing myself getting pulled out of the narrative.
On the upside, this one was a quick and easy read compared to many books with heavy page numbers attached. Having a shorter story that goes to the point is always a refreshing take.
Chronic illnesses have a tendency to get portrayed as something that can be risen above with the right person. In truth, that's not reality and you always end up dealing with the constant struggle. It's the coping and dealing with that internal battle - no matter whether you're single or not. You learn how to stay above the gray.
With a story centered around chronic illness, this couple struggles to create sparks but makes a compelling point.
My rating: 3 out of 5