Monday, April 18, 2011

Winter Longing by Tricia Mills

When Winter’s boyfriend is killed in a plane crash in the Alaskan wilderness, she’s robbed of the future she’d only just allowed herself to believe might be hers. Winter and Spencer had been destined for one another. And after his death, Spencer’s presence continues to haunt her.

But when her next-door neighbor becomes an unlikely friend, Winter begins to accept all that she can’t change. Can she open herself to a new future . . . and a possible new love? (Summary taken goodreads)
For some reason, I expected so much out of this book. I thought it would be a really powerful story, but it just disappointed me. To be honest, I don’t even think I really liked it at all. It was really simplistic. Basically, Winter and Spencer had been in love with each other practically for as long as they had known one another. Finally, they both admit their feelings and then days later, Spencer dies in a plane crash. Now, Winter is left grieving over the loss. Enter Jesse. The cute boy that lives next door to Winter.  He becomes Winter’s shoulder to cry on and is always there for her when she needs him. Will it be enough for her to move on?
            Okay, normally I start with how I feel about the characters, but I’m going to have to start with the plot. At first, I thought the concept was really, really good. Yet, when I read it, I ended up hating it. Yes, it’s wicked sad that he died so suddenly, but it just seemed really out of place.  Also, I understand the fact that everyone grieves in their own way, especially when you lose someone so close to you. However, it seemed as though that’s all that Winter did. Even the supposed relationship with Jesse didn’t really do much. I mean, there was some romance, but just not nearly as much as I anticipated and hoped for.
            Now, the characters. At first, I sympathized with Winter. She seemed like a genuinely nice character, but as the book went on, I started to get annoyed with her. As I mentioned before, she grieved a ton. I understand she lost someone extremely close to her and everyone deals with the death in their own way, but she started to reach the point of being obnoxious. It was like she couldn’t even function properly without him. Then there’s Jesse. I found him to be likeable, but nothing really stands out about him. It was truly sweet what he did for Winter. He was so supportive and kind. Overall, the characters were just okay.
            The writing style was easy to follow and the book was a short read. The fact that her name was Winter and she lived in Alaska seemed a bit cliché, but it wasn’t as though it would stop me from reading this book or anything. I did enjoy the setting though. Not many stories are set in Alaska, so it was quite refreshing to read something new.
            All in all, I’m not sure I’d recommend this book. It was slightly touching, but if you’re looking or expecting something deep and moving, this is definitely not it. This book just didn’t live up to my high expectations, but that doesn’t mean it won’t live up to yours. So check it out if you want and let me know what you think about it :)

8 comments:

  1. Oh it's too bad you didn't enjoy it as much as you you expected to .. I love the cover though =) !

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  2. Regarding the book-I so dislike when I've invested time, and the book disappoints. When I'm not sure, I do my own cliff notes version. I read the cover, first chapter, and last chapter. If I feel that was worth my time, I proceed. I know. I know. ;)

    Regarding the change of scenery- my little sister lived in Fairbanks, Alaska and all the pictures from the stuff she got to do, and see was amazing. Stuff like having to have black out curtains when the sun was shining days on end, and freezing temps weren't so much fun, but seeing moose in her backyard, dog sledding, ice palaces, and slides, salmon fishing, gorgeous boat rides-all of that made up for it!

    P.S. Thank you so much for the visit, and follow!

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  3. Aw, such shame you didn't enjoy the book: I hate it when that happens. :(
    Brilliant review though! :)

    Thanks for your comment! I loved Witch Child! I've had the books for ages, and I only just refound it. So now I'm over the age, but still loved it! (: :)

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  4. i hate when a book doesn't live up to your expectations. i just seems you get so attached to the characters and then it just ends.

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  5. Thanks for following my blog! It means a lot :)

    I have never heard of this book and I think I won't go for it. When it's a story like that, I want it to be moving and somewhat deep. Thanks for the review, it's a shame that it wasn't all to be expected. Anyways, I will be back to read more reviews! (I read your IMM post, SO JEALOUS!)

    Returning the love and following back :)

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  6. Ugh! This book looked really good too!! >:( That bites! I'm wicked sorry you didn't like it! BTW, ur in my mailbox books look really good!

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  7. @ Elodie It's okay. The cover is pretty though :)

    @ My Beautiful Life That's actually a great idea! This book was pretty predictable from the get-go, but I'll have to keep that in mind when reading others. That must have been so cool for your sister to live in Alaska! It's somewhere I'd love to visit, I'm just not sure that i could live there. Thanks for following me :)

    @ TheBookAddictedGirl Thank you! And Witch Child is so good! It's one of those books you sort of have to stumble upon, if that makes any sense.

    @ amy b.s. I agree! It's so disappointing too :(

    @ Lulu Thanks so much for commenting and following!

    @ Sonny I know, didn't it? Oh well, what are you going to do? Haha

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  8. Hey...I just wanted to say I think it's funny that I disliked this book for the OPPOSITE reasons. I found it annoying that Winter seemed to get over Spencer so quickly, while you were annoyed she seemed so despondent over it for so long.

    I think the difference is, I feel like I lived this book. My best guy friend since age 11/former high school sweetheart died in a car crash when we were 20...and I mourned a LOT longer than a few months. I was probably pretty annoying to be around too...but that kinda blow, from the loss of that type of relationship, can take a long time to recover from.

    Anyway, just think it's interesting how different life experiences play into how we read
    stories! I'm off to explore the rest of your blog...hope this didn't come across as harsh! :)

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Thank you for commenting! You've just made my day :)