****5 Stars*****
Where do I even start? As of this moment, there are 209 reviews for Harley and Rose, mine will make 210. If you've gotten this far and are still deciding whether or not to read it, you might be a little dumb. (And I mean that in the nicest way possible). So, back to my review. I bought this book based off of the suggestions of some good friends of mine, although now I might be rethinking that "good friends" part. Who suggests a book that has the power to RIP your heart from your body and show it to you still beating out of your chest. Those are not good friends (or maybe they are the best of friends--I haven't figured it out.) Our story starts with the beautiful Rose (Wendy), and her equally as handsome best friend Harley (Pan) at his "This-B-and-Her-Leaving-Me-At-The-Altar-Cry-Fest" Party. And by party, I mean his head deep in her chest, drunk and bawling like La Ganja Estranja and the night she got eliminated. And don't judge, Carmen made me DIE laughing when she referenced my favorite show RuPauls Drag Race! The Shade of it All!
"On the flipside, some of the pieces of my shattered heart are jumping for joy. This makes me a horrible friend because I shouldn't be happy right now. I shouldn't be, but I am"
Rose dusts them off, packs their bags and takes them on his honeymoon to Hawaii. Sure she's hesitant to go, and her mom's like "Hold up...What?" But she does it anyways, because what are friends for?
At this point in the story, you start to really catch a glimpse into the relationship that Harley and Rose seem to share. There isn't really any personal space, and no need to turn around when getting dressed. They've seen it all, tasted it all, and touched every inch. It's hot, charming, and a little sad, that this couple, who seems to care so greatly for one another (almost as if they are still in love), aren't actually together? You may even start to get a little confused. But WAIT, there's more.
"And you've seen it before." He shrugs. "You two were getting close on the plane a few hours ago--are you really freaking out about my junk now?"
Carmen, like the brilliant and talented writer she is, starts giving us BACK STORIES! YAYS!!! Prom, Thanksgiving, Sandpit throwing, nothing is left out when it comes to the flashbacks between most of the chapters, and to know AS THE STORY unfolds, how we got to this point, is brilliant.
Now, onto the part where I wanted to rip out my eyes, and heart, put them in a blender and pour my tears over it.
*Insert Dramatic eye roll here*
After Hawaii, things start heating up between our two on again, off again lovers. Harley with all his beauty and his sarcasm and witty words is the man of my own dreams. I love him. He is a character you want to hate so bad, but in the back of your mind, and your heart, you can't do it, and neither can Rose. The love between the two of them is absolutely palpable. Rose is torn between giving Harley her heart, yet again, or moving on to the sexy, older, I imagine a softer, Christian-Grey-at-50-type, Dermot. Although he's a side character I kinda loved him too. Hey Rose, you can pass him over to me if you'd like ;).
But Rose's mind is made up after Harley delivers a beautiful gift to her and then does dirty wicked things to her right after.
"Give me it Love," He says against the shell of my ear and my skin pulls taut with goosebumps as I smile at his words. "I've waited too damn long to hear those cries come from your mouth again."
P.S. I don't recommend looking up "My Wedding Affair" on google for Gif's. You will NOT find what you're looking for!
Anywho, I've sidetracked a little. After a beautiful night with Harley, Rose doesn't see him again for SIX. WEEKS. At this point I'm a little ticked off with him, and I'm almost starting to root for Dermot (Just Kidding). They had some good chemistry too, but just like Rose, we all know it'll never work. She loves Harley just too much.
And then.... jeez..... then..... I'm gonna give a PSA. Do NOT work in a call center and read the last 10 chapters of this book. Just don't do it. Take your queue from me, and read this in the privacy of your own home, curled in a blanket, a box of tissues at the ready, as well as wine, chocolate, and ice cream. You're going to need it. You think I'm kidding? Yeah no... promise... you'll need it all.
"Was it because you didn't love me enough? Or because you loved me too much?" I say, and I know my words have hit their mark because it's as if could pinpoint the second his heart breaks."
I haven't cried so hard in my adult life......EVER. And then my phone would ring at work, and I'd have three seconds to wipe my tears and put on a happy face so I could answer a call from some weird idiot that didn't understand that my LIFE WAS FALLING APART. Only to end that call and commence with the overflow of tear duct water.
I'm not telling you what happened, because even though I was warned that this book was a tear jerker, I was still not prepared. I wasn't ready to feel the intense emotional pain. I wasn't ready to feel like my own world had collapsed, shifted and put back together with a few missing pieces. I wasn't prepared for the term "It Isn't Fair" to course through my head the entire day. This book sunk me to a low I haven't previously felt before. It was cathartic, and beautiful, as well as traumatizing and heartbreaking.
If you've read this far, and still haven't bought it, I don't know what more I can say to change your mind. This was by far one of my favorite reads of 2016, and one I will remember for years to come, or anytime I need a good ugly cry. Carmen Jenner, you are absolutely stunning in your writing, and I cannot wait to read more of your work. You pulled me from my own, slightly dull, world into yours, where you made me feel things.... beautiful things.... ugly things, and I thank you so much.
Pick up your copy of Harley and Rose today. I can't recommend it enough.
*Purchased and Reviewed by The Royal B from BnB*
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Have you seen that scene of Steve Carrell in The Office when he screams 'no' over and over? Yeah, that's how I feel right now.I'm going to do my best not to spoil this for others, but just be warned before you continue.....It's been a while since I've read a romance novel or woman's literature, or whatever it's called these days. It's been a while since I've pined over two characters, completely and utterly engrossed in the words on a page to the point the world just closed in around me. It was just them, and me, and a story that was inevitably going to break my heart.Harley & Rose have known each other their whole lives. From the get-go, it's obvious that the chemistry is overwhelming yet they've always either been kept apart or utterly inseparable by their incompatibility that makes them completely compatible. Yes, it's that complicated. But I knew it wasn't going to be roses and daffodils. I knew it from the minute I turned the first page, this book was going to shred me.And it did.This story is far from your normal boy meets girl. Protagonist, Rose tells the story of her and Harley, every now and then dipping back into the past to weave the tale of their friendship throughout the years, yet for one brief and glorious chapter, Harley takes the reins and suddenly this whirlwind is a full blown hurricane.So who is Carmen Jenner? I'd certainly like to know. Within this crazy relationship of two childhood friends is a story that takes you by surprise. I was laughing and crying all at once. It's funny. Witty. Emotional. Heart breaking. Jenner possesses something grand. Something I want to tap into. A way with words. This is a writer who can pull every emotion from you in a single chapter.Each page of this story will take hold, shake you wildly and leave you for dead.It reminds me of a quote I once read by Nikki Gemmell (The Bride Stripped Bare) that struck a chord with me: I'm quite happy for the right buttons to be hit, but I also like to have the political edge in there, too, and the beautiful, poetic prose.This book encompasses this quote. In one moment I was elated. In the next, I was reading paragraphs that embraced my inner bibliophile. And then the dialogue had me quite literally fighting for breath, which will only make sense to those who have braved the final chapters of this ruthlessly, heart breaking tale.Carmen Jenner, in the space of a handful of hours, you have torn my heart out and stolen my sole. For that, I am eternally grateful.
Top reviews from other countries
Victoria Pamela
Second star to the right and I'll be waiting....
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 3, 2018
ash hosking
Jenner is a mean, terrible person who loves to make you cry, and I love her more for it!
Reviewed in Australia on February 11, 2017
