Review of Simply by Love

[Mutai Marshal]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Simply by Love" by Jimmy Hugoson.]

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3 out of 5 stars

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Andrew and Elisabeth were a close-knit couple. Andrew worked at McDonald's, while Elisabeth had a love for cooking. They were well off until Andrew lost his job, leaving them financially unstable. The kindness of others helped them to see the good in life, even during their time of hardship. When Andrew found a new job, they were eager to give back to the community that had helped them.

Despite their wealthy upbringing, Erickson and Jane Goldsmith go against their parents' wishes to challenge the status quo. Similarly, Scarlett Vanderbilt, who comes from a family of fashion moguls, chooses to follow her path. Together with the Goldsmiths, she establishes the Goldsmith-Vanderbilt Foundation, which aims to promote education, entrepreneurship, and environmental sustainability.

The three families were thrown into chaos when the cook, Elisabeth, was hired by the Goldsmiths. Erickson, already in a relationship with Scarlett, developed feelings for Elisabeth, and he was torn between the two women. Did I mention that the latter was a married woman?

The theme of love stood out for me in Simply by Love by Jimmy Hugoson. First, we meet Andrew and Elisabeth, who diligently invest in their relationship. They are unshaken by the trouble of having children or financial hardships. Instead, adversities seem to bring them closer to one another in the quest to protect and cherish each other. Even when separated by distance, they find a medium to keep in touch. The same applies to the two highly-esteemed families. Because of the love they have for their children–Jane, Scarlett and Erickson, the parents compromise their stands.

The realm of virtual reality blossoms in this novel. Andrew, a thrill-seeker, died virtually while participating in a virtual reality combat simulation. The decision to participate in the simulation had profound consequences that shaped the outlook of the events that followed his adventure. I relished the suspense created by Andrew’s curiosity.

Unfortunately, the repeated phrases about love and resolutions were not effective in creating emphasis. In fact, they became burdensome to read. I was distracted by the shifting plots. In one paragraph, the author would be talking about one thing, and in the next paragraph, Jimmy would introduce a different plot line. Some paragraphs also seemed out of place; they did not fit into the rest of the story. Again, Erickson’s name sometimes shifted to Erikson and from Elisabeth to Elizabeth. The novel deserves another round of editing to expunge the highlighted issues and other grammatical errors.

Due to the disconcerting issues, I rate this book 3 out of 5. The colorful and conspicuous pages and the well-addressed themes discouraged me from giving this book a lower rating. I encourage lovers of romance and sci-fi to check out Simply by Love by Jimmy Hugoson.

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Simply by Love
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[Francis Kapola]

Having to read a book with paragraphs out of place must be confusing. It disrupts tracking the storyline as the plot develops and unfolds. I second the option of having the book edited to correct the errors.

[Laney K]

This does sounds a bit confusing, though a solid concept. Thanks for the informative review!

[Seta1234_H]

I think this book kind of teaches you about real love but also has some complications coming with it, however, the book was okay, not bad.

[patricia MGBEMENA]

I would love to read and learn about the three families discussed who were thrown into chaos. I would also want to know what relationship between Scarlett and Erikson was like.

[Nati Jiniya]

Thank you for this beautiful review! The book sounds interesting and unique, I'd love to give it a try. I don't have much experince with this genre, so it would be adventurous.