Review Detail

What I loved: I expected this to be just another tragic love story between a "good girl" and a "bad boy" but instead, I found a story that focused on the bonds of family and the heartbreak that comes from watching a disease slowly steal someone you love, one precious memory at a time.

I enjoyed these characters and the witty banter had me laughing at loud. Jude is smart, funny and determined not to be swayed by the tall, dark and temptuous, Emilio Vargas and she fails, hilariously. Jude quickly learns that despite her sisters' warnings about the Vargas men, Emilio is nothing like his older brothers. He's definitely cute and wastes no time trying to charm her but Emilio also possesses a unique level of compassion that even her closest friends aren't able to provide. He sees the good, the bad and the ugly that is her daily life and he doesn't run screaming for the hills. *smooshes Emilio* He's patient and understanding but Emilio also calls her out on her "stuff" as he tries to make her see that life is meant to be lived, here and now.

When everything comes to a head, Jude will have to decide for herself what and who she's going to live for but deciding is only half the battle, actually living will require risk, but it's always a risk worth taking.

What left me wanting: I didn't want it to end but I loved the way it did!

Final verdict: There are two kinds of people in this world, the kind that read this beautiful, heart wrenching story of family, first loves and learning what it really means to live, and those who don't.