Official Review: Loving Marie by Dawn Reno Langley

hailvilla18 · Post by **hailvilla18** » 01 May 2017, 03:25

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Loving Marie" by Dawn Reno Langley.]

4 out of 4 stars

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Loving Marie by Dawn Reno Langley is a contemporary fiction of love and friendship. The story was written in first-person point of view. It was narrated by the main character, Krysta, Marie’s best friend. Krysta and Marie used to be the closest. However, they had to go separate ways after college. They kept in touch with each other through letters. Krysta believed that her friend lived a perfect life. Although Marie died from an incurable disease, Krysta thought Marie found peace in Colorado.

She decided to move to Colorado after her divorce from her abusive and cheating husband. There, she slowly falls into the life of her dead best friend’s life. She also met Peter Gordon, a man who was also connected to Marie. One day, she accidentally found Marie’s journal. The contents revealed Marie’s deepest secrets. It was then that she realized that Marie’s life had not been as picture-perfect as she believed. She concluded that there was no such thing as “happily ever after.”

I applaud the author for crafting an exceptional story. I especially loved the plot. Additionally, there were minimal interruptions in the flow of the story caused by lengthy descriptions of places and characters. The dialogues and characterization were realistic. This made it easy to be inside the story. There were no noticeable errors in grammar, punctuation, and sentence construction.

The author also created a set of notable characters. Among these were Peter and Krysta’s mom. Peter became Krysta’s confidant. He listened as she shared her adversaries and he gave her pieces of advice. He also protected Krysta from his abusive ex-husband. Most of all, he treated Krysta’s daughter as his own. Contrary to Peter’s character, I had grown to despise Krysta’s mom. Instead of supporting her own daughter, she chose to support Krysta’s ex-husband. When Krysta's father tried to contact his daughter after leaving for Colorado, her mother also kept the letters he sent. I could not understand why her mother antagonized her that much. Normally, a mother would always choose her child’s side, but this was not the case for Krysta’s mom. Although I could not grasp the logic behind her actions, I was still happy with how things turned out in the end.

In a nutshell, I give Loving Marie by Dawn Reno Langley 4 out of 4 stars. I would highly recommend it to anyone, especially those who love romance and mystery.

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Loving Marie
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Chrys Brobbey · Post by **Chrys Brobbey** » 09 May 2017, 21:44

Quite a convenient co-incidence for Krysta to stumble on her dead friend Marie's dairy, and getting to know of her secret life. It goes to show that secrets must not be written in dairies. What do others think?

Amagine · Post by **Amagine** » 09 May 2017, 22:18

I love contemporary stories. They tend to be my favorite genre. Also I love that the book has notable and exceptional characters. It makes the book sound even more interesting.

Azeline Arcenal · Post by **Azeline Arcenal** » 09 May 2017, 22:46

Chrys Brobbey wrote:Quite a convenient co-incidence for Krysta to stumble on her dead friend Marie's dairy, and getting to know of her secret life. It goes to show that secrets must not be written in dairies. What do others think?

That may be true, but diaries are a way for some people to express their feelings. Some find it easier to write about their feelings rather than talk about their feelings. I think it's okay to write secrets in diaries, but if you don't want anyone to read your diary just find a good place to hide it in.

Moniquejm · Post by **Moniquejm** » 11 May 2017, 05:59

A story of real and unconditional friendship. Thanks gor this great review.

Shakiz amani mbaire · Post by **Shakiz amani mbaire** » 11 May 2017, 13:01

Oooh my I just finished reading the book n as long as many know women violence is all over worldwide, but this books explains how one can overcome those fights either by perseverance or moving out like she did .great book which explains life experiences

Post by **kandscreeley** » 12 May 2017, 14:51

This ones sounds interesting. It doesn't sound like your typical love story. Good job on the review.

Jaime Lync · Post by **Jaime Lync** » 15 May 2017, 11:11

I want to take you up on your offer since I love mystery and romance. Great review. This sounds like my type of book.

Manang Muyang · Post by **Manang Muyang** » 21 May 2017, 17:23

Thank you for your insightful review. It seems the book is not only about love and friendship, but also about rising above one's failures and surviving life's challenges. A broken marriage is a big blow that can sometimes make people unhappy for a long time. I hope Krysta finds happiness in the end.

hailvilla18 · Post by **hailvilla18** » 26 May 2017, 04:34

Miriam Molina wrote:Thank you for your insightful review. It seems the book is not only about love and friendship, but also about rising above one's failures and surviving life's challenges. A broken marriage is a big blow that can sometimes make people unhappy for a long time. I hope Krysta finds happiness in the end.

Thanks for the feedback. I recommend you read the book and find out what happened to Krysta. I'm sure you'll enjoy reading the story.

shish_by_design · Post by **shish_by_design** » 25 Jun 2017, 00:44

I adore strong heroines. Krysta was a good mother, a good friend and above all that a strong lady. The author did good while building this character. this was a great read, well worth the time spent