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The Progress Series (2013)

by Amy Queau(Favorite Author)

3.91 of 5 Votes: 1

languge

English

genre

Romance

publisher

Smashwords Edition

series

Progress

review 1: I really liked this story. At first I wasn't too sure about how the story will go because it seemed a little weird and jumped around a little plus it is different from what I have been reading lately. It turned out to be really good. I read the whole story in about 2 days. I loved it and couldn't put it down. I was really sad that the story ended in a cliff hanger though. I didn't want the story to end. Amy did really well with the beginning story of Jesse and Charlene.
review 2: Let me just start off by saying I've never read anything like this before. I was drawn to the story when it first came out, but couldn't get myself to purchase due to the original cover. Since the new cover, I went ahead and took the plunge.THE COVER - It's beautiful and right away I h... moread an appreciation for it on multiple levels. I love how the mysterious guy (who looks like a younger version of McSteamy on Gray's Anatomy by the way) was subtly covered by the trees and the faint red coloring in the corner. It really is a gorgeous cover. So anyways, I bought the book and added it to my To Be Read list of books that is about 100 deep right now. So for about 12 hours it sat on my computer desk and I couldn't stop staring at that cover. Guess what happened? It just got bumped to #1 on the To Be Read list.THE STORY - I don't know how else to explain this except for it was kind of like a train wreck. I'm going to say probably the biggest thing I liked about this book is that it's making me look at things differently and remember my early 20s. I probably shouldn't even mention that it made me miss smoking and just living sort of a carefree life. Beer after work anyone? Those were the days. Anyways, back to the train wreck. I never had a relationship like this, but it does remind me of some of the stupid choices we make when we are young without even caring that they are stupid. We follow what we feel a lot at that age and I think that's what happened here. So I'm not angry at the choices Charlie makes. I actually get it.CHARACTERSCHARLIE - I loved her from the start. She very well could have been a friend of mine in real life. You want to protect her and reassure her, but at the same time, you get frustrated with her insecurities. I was fascinated by watching her weight loss journey. But more striking about Charlie is that she has this thing for this guy who basically treats her like shit. So we find ourselves wondering why in the hell is she allowing this, but for me, I also understood there was nothing she could do about it. She was drawn to him and it was going to happen, whether she liked it or not. Charlie is a bit of a glutton for punishment, which actually matches the rest of her personality. It's strange that the author was able to convey that in a way where I understood. When I first started reading this, I thought I was going to just be pissed off that she allowed someone to treat her this way, but getting to know Charlie and Jesse allowed me to see the gray in my black and white world. Speaking of colors, Charlie is too white and pure for this inky world. What an amazing friend she is. The story is told in two viewpoints and undoubtedly, I preferred Charlie's.JESSE - I understand the allure here. I mean the guy's hot for Pete's sake. There are a couple of things that he does to Charlie that would have led ME right out the door and never looking back, but like I said, the author has a way of making me understand why Charlie kept trying and not just because he was hot. I think she thought he was broken and maybe she was trying to fix him.This book wasn't perfect and neither were the characters, but it was compelling and unforgettable. What I found refreshing is that it seemed REAL. I don't even know if I've ever read a book that felt that REAL. I was very surprised at how effective the milieu was, in that I could actually picture the setting and environment almost perfectly. I am also from the Midwest, so that helped, but I think the author's ability to convey setting was one of her strengths. Her other strength was letting truth of human nature onto the pages. The events that happen in this story are not pretty and certainly not your typical romance. Sorry folks, no dreamy Edward from Twilight here, but I think that's what I appreciated so much about the story.The bottom line is that this was a heart-wrenching, gripping story (I read it in less than two days) that I will probably be thinking about for awhile. I really can't state this enough, I've never read anything like it. less

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