Arc Review: UNTIL IT FADES by K.A. Tucker

Genre: New Adult
Publisher: Atria Books
Pages: 368
Release date: June 27th 2017

Twenty-four-year-old truck stop waitress and single mother Catherine Wright has simple goals: to give her five-year-old daughter a happy life and to never again be the talk of the town in Balsam, Pennsylvania: population two thousand outside of tourist season.

And then one foggy night, on a lonely road back from another failed attempt at a relationship, Catherine saves a man’s life. It isn’t until after the police have arrived that Catherine realizes exactly who it is she has saved: Brett Madden, hockey icon and media darling.

Catherine has already had her fifteen minutes of fame and the last thing she wants is to have her past dragged back into the spotlight, only this time on a national stage. So she hides her identity. It works.

For a time.

But when she finds the man she saved standing on her doorstep, desperate to thank her, all that changes. What begins as an immediate friendship quickly turns into something neither of them expected. Something that Catherine isn’t sure she can handle; something that Catherine is afraid to trust.

Because how long can an extraordinary man like Brett be interested in an ordinary woman like Catherine…before the spark fades?

Until It Fades is a sweet and fast-paced read. The slow-burn romance is executed very well, the dialogue is fun and engaging, and the characters are all complex and developed. There is very little angst and drama, even through the surprising and realistic twists, and the plot really grasps your attention and takes you away.

K.A. Tucker is a fantastic writer. This novel has a solid premise and an amazing execution, especially as it deals with some rather sensitive themes. The writing is engrossing, which makes this for a pretty quick and entertaining read.

This is the first New Adult novel I’ve read in some time, and it was so worth it! This is such a cute and endearing story, with an explosive beginning that hooks you right away. It holds the steady pace through most of the book, with the narration shifting smoothly to the slow reveal of past secrets.

The entire novel is told from Catherine’s POV, and she’s a delight to read about. She’s a single mom who’s struggling to give the best possible life to her daughter, while trying to keep some really deep secrets about her life hidden away. Catherine, as a character, feels incredibly real, especially as we come to find out about her story. Brett is also super charming! He’s an interesting character who is going through a tough time, and Tucker really knows how to touch on that pain.

When it comes to romance, Until It Fades is the slowest of burns. There is a self of doubt and hesitation between Catherine and Brett, giving the circumstances in which they met. All of this is explored throughout the novel, so the progression of their relationship is great and really believable. We get to fall in love with them as a couple as they fall in love with each other.