Review of Hello, My Love
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Rashmi K
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Review of Hello, My Love
[Following is a volunteer review of "Hello, My Love" by Evy Journey.]
Hello, My Love!, by Evy Journey, is the first novel of the Between Two Worlds series. The plot appears to be your typical boy-meets-girl tale followed by the dance of undeniable attraction between them; however, there is a twist. Greg Thorpe isn't just any boy. He is tall, dark, handsome, rich, and widely known for a charisma women can't help fawning over. Elise Halverson (the woman Greg cannot stop obsessing over) is beautiful, intelligent, ambitious, and seemingly indifferent to the likes of Greg Thorpe. Greg has to do more than just turn on the masculine charm to woo Elise. He is desperate to earn her trust and make an impression, even willing to go as far as just being a friend if that's what it takes to be a part of her life. While Greg firmly believes that Elise is The One, Elise has her share of doubts in giving her heart to a person who is famously believed to have none even as her heart stubbornly wants what it wants. Relationships when forced into something they aren't organically, especially a platonic one in the face of intense desires, are bound to combust and leave scars. And the fact that Greg is engaged to be married, and has been so for a year, is yet another sword hanging over their heads. Hello, My Love!, in a nutshell, follows the life and experiences of Greg and Elise, the happiness they share, the hurt they give each other, the decisions they make, the regrets they have, and the consequences they come to bear from wanting each other.
Hello, My Love! has its laudable points. I love that Elise, the female protagonist, is described as "fiercely independent," but not in a cliched I-do-not-need-anyone kind of independence. It is refreshing to see a woman who stands her own, yet has no qualms reaching out to her loved ones when in need. In fact, it is a common theme among all the characters involved. Another positive, for me, is how these characters are in touch with their feelings, possess emotional clarity, and are pragmatic in their approach. As a seasoned reader, I look for depth, layers, and flaws in characters - in short, everything that makes them human. Journey paints the strengths, weaknesses, and vulnerabilities with accuracy for the most part.
All the same, there is a lot about this narrative that deems it unfavorable. The story is lackluster and barely holds itself together. While the author appears to be decently skilled in writing barring the very few syntactical errors, her storytelling is mediocre at best. I get the feeling the author was unclear on what she wanted of the book and created a melting pot of romance, drama, and mystery. Unfortunately, the unsavory mix leaves the reader confused and very much bored. There is an art to detailing a narrative — be it a cozy setting a hardworking woman retires to at the end of a tiring day or a manipulative go-getter contemplating his next move at revenge; the idea is to conjure an immersive canvas of the author's imagined world for the reader to lose into. Most of Journey's detailing feels merely factual and informative. Likewise, dialogues are exchanged that come across as uninteresting logistical discussions, sometimes both unnecessary and irrelevant. The male protagonist is redundant to the point of annoyance! Perhaps the biggest turnoff for me is the clear absence of evolution in these character(s), and that's not for a lack of trying. I give the author full credit for her effort, however, these discrepancies (among many others) just left me stumped: a father who takes pride in his daughter's individuality and intelligence also happens to believe girls are weaker when compared to boys; a scorned lover, supposedly ruthless in her quest for vengeance, makes errors in executing her plan that are downright foolish! A few times these stark contrasts in personalities are accompanied by a preamble to help understand the change in the character; most times, though, it does not. The narrative does not take any particular direction, instead, it oscillates randomly from one situation to another. The pace of the book is very slow, but the timeline shift within the narrative is jarringly jumpy.
Stephen King (in his memoir) opines that deciding the plot in advance, as opposed to creating the characters and situations and then allowing them to unfold by themselves, changes the way the narrative takes shape. My mind kept bringing up this nugget of wisdom throughout my reading experience with Hello, My Love! It felt that the author drew out a flow chart and resolutely stuck with it. The story, the people, and everything in between felt impersonal, mechanical even. Not even the steamy scenes, which are moderately explicit in terms of description and several in number, managed to breathe life into the story! I remained disengaged. I felt like an observer observing — barely doused, quite very far from the usual emotional tethering that leads up to nursing the consequential hangover in the wake of wrapping up a read. None of that happened, and I could not wait to be done with the book. I rate this book 2 out of 4 stars.
A reader who enjoys drama and steamy romance, who is willing to ignore a couple of minor grammatical errors, who does not insist upon a polished-looking narrative, and who does not mind a slow-paced plot might enjoy this book. If I weren't an avid reader and not as nit-picky, I probably would have appreciated this paperback as a no-brainer beach read.
******
Hello, My Love
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon | on iTunes | on Smashwords
Hello, My Love!, by Evy Journey, is the first novel of the Between Two Worlds series. The plot appears to be your typical boy-meets-girl tale followed by the dance of undeniable attraction between them; however, there is a twist. Greg Thorpe isn't just any boy. He is tall, dark, handsome, rich, and widely known for a charisma women can't help fawning over. Elise Halverson (the woman Greg cannot stop obsessing over) is beautiful, intelligent, ambitious, and seemingly indifferent to the likes of Greg Thorpe. Greg has to do more than just turn on the masculine charm to woo Elise. He is desperate to earn her trust and make an impression, even willing to go as far as just being a friend if that's what it takes to be a part of her life. While Greg firmly believes that Elise is The One, Elise has her share of doubts in giving her heart to a person who is famously believed to have none even as her heart stubbornly wants what it wants. Relationships when forced into something they aren't organically, especially a platonic one in the face of intense desires, are bound to combust and leave scars. And the fact that Greg is engaged to be married, and has been so for a year, is yet another sword hanging over their heads. Hello, My Love!, in a nutshell, follows the life and experiences of Greg and Elise, the happiness they share, the hurt they give each other, the decisions they make, the regrets they have, and the consequences they come to bear from wanting each other.
Hello, My Love! has its laudable points. I love that Elise, the female protagonist, is described as "fiercely independent," but not in a cliched I-do-not-need-anyone kind of independence. It is refreshing to see a woman who stands her own, yet has no qualms reaching out to her loved ones when in need. In fact, it is a common theme among all the characters involved. Another positive, for me, is how these characters are in touch with their feelings, possess emotional clarity, and are pragmatic in their approach. As a seasoned reader, I look for depth, layers, and flaws in characters - in short, everything that makes them human. Journey paints the strengths, weaknesses, and vulnerabilities with accuracy for the most part.
All the same, there is a lot about this narrative that deems it unfavorable. The story is lackluster and barely holds itself together. While the author appears to be decently skilled in writing barring the very few syntactical errors, her storytelling is mediocre at best. I get the feeling the author was unclear on what she wanted of the book and created a melting pot of romance, drama, and mystery. Unfortunately, the unsavory mix leaves the reader confused and very much bored. There is an art to detailing a narrative — be it a cozy setting a hardworking woman retires to at the end of a tiring day or a manipulative go-getter contemplating his next move at revenge; the idea is to conjure an immersive canvas of the author's imagined world for the reader to lose into. Most of Journey's detailing feels merely factual and informative. Likewise, dialogues are exchanged that come across as uninteresting logistical discussions, sometimes both unnecessary and irrelevant. The male protagonist is redundant to the point of annoyance! Perhaps the biggest turnoff for me is the clear absence of evolution in these character(s), and that's not for a lack of trying. I give the author full credit for her effort, however, these discrepancies (among many others) just left me stumped: a father who takes pride in his daughter's individuality and intelligence also happens to believe girls are weaker when compared to boys; a scorned lover, supposedly ruthless in her quest for vengeance, makes errors in executing her plan that are downright foolish! A few times these stark contrasts in personalities are accompanied by a preamble to help understand the change in the character; most times, though, it does not. The narrative does not take any particular direction, instead, it oscillates randomly from one situation to another. The pace of the book is very slow, but the timeline shift within the narrative is jarringly jumpy.
Stephen King (in his memoir) opines that deciding the plot in advance, as opposed to creating the characters and situations and then allowing them to unfold by themselves, changes the way the narrative takes shape. My mind kept bringing up this nugget of wisdom throughout my reading experience with Hello, My Love! It felt that the author drew out a flow chart and resolutely stuck with it. The story, the people, and everything in between felt impersonal, mechanical even. Not even the steamy scenes, which are moderately explicit in terms of description and several in number, managed to breathe life into the story! I remained disengaged. I felt like an observer observing — barely doused, quite very far from the usual emotional tethering that leads up to nursing the consequential hangover in the wake of wrapping up a read. None of that happened, and I could not wait to be done with the book. I rate this book 2 out of 4 stars.
A reader who enjoys drama and steamy romance, who is willing to ignore a couple of minor grammatical errors, who does not insist upon a polished-looking narrative, and who does not mind a slow-paced plot might enjoy this book. If I weren't an avid reader and not as nit-picky, I probably would have appreciated this paperback as a no-brainer beach read.
******
Hello, My Love
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon | on iTunes | on Smashwords
Latest Review: Hello, My Love by Evy Journey
