Review: Then There Was You by Kara Isaac

My rating: 5 stars / It was amazing

Synopsis

Would you give up everything for a life you hate with the person you love?

Paige McAllister needs to do something drastic. Her boyfriend can’t even commit to living in the same country, her promised promotion is dead on arrival and the simultaneous loss of her brother and her dream of being a concert violinist has kept her playing life safe and predictable for six years. Things need to change. A moment of temporary insanity finds her leaving her life in Chicago to move to Sydney, Australia. There she finds herself, against many of her convictions, as a logistics planner for one of Australia’s biggest churches, and on a collision course with her boss’s son.

Josh Tyler fronts a top-selling worship band and is in demand all over the world. But his past failed romantic relationships almost destroyed both his reputation and his family. He's determined to never risk it happening again. The last thing he needs is some American girl tipping his ordered life upside down. Especially one who despises everything he’s ever worked for and manages to push every button he has.

When Josh and Paige are thrown together to organize his band’s next tour, the sparks fly. But can they find a way to bridge the differences that pull them apart? Or will they choose the safety and security of what they know over taking a chance on something that will require them to risk everything?

My Review

I LOVED the setting of this book in Sydney, Australia! It's always fun to "travel" when reading a great book. Paige is a contrast of professionally competent and emotional wreck. She's very impressive when she's in her element of organizing massive events, but it's her moments of vulnerability and pain that made me connect with her character. Her memories of her brother and the significance of his loss are unfolded slowly throughout the story and the poignancy of the healing moments drew me in. Paige's volatile interactions with Josh and her prejudice against megachurches created drama but things smoothed out over time, even as conflict builds in other aspects of the plot. The author's writing is fluid and I never got bored as the dynamics of the story and characters worked together. Josh and Paige spend much of the book fighting their attraction to each other, so it's no surprise that their romantic relationship is bumpy. I enjoyed their friendship and banter more than their romance to be honest ;) Overall, the powerful themes of grief, healing, and grace made this a book to remember.

(I received a complimentary copy of the book; all opinions in this review are my own)