Book Review: This is Not How it Ends | Rochelle B. Weinstein

A woman torn between the love she feels now and the love that was always there for her before. In an emotional novel of forgiveness and being true to ourselves, Rochelle B. Weinstein explores the intricacy of love and how we move forward as relationships evolve. A beautiful novel that will pull you in.

About the Book

When Charlotte and Philip meet, the pair form a deep and instant connection. Soon they’re settled in the Florida Keys with plans to marry. But just as they should be getting closer, Charlotte feels Philip slipping away.

Second-guessing their love is something Charlotte never imagined, but with Philip’s excessive absences, she finds herself yearning for more. When she meets Ben, she ignores the pull, but the supportive single dad is there for her in ways she never knew she desired. Soon Charlotte finds herself torn between the love she thought she wanted and the one she knows she needs.

As a hurricane passes through Islamorada, stunning revelations challenge Charlotte’s loyalties and upend her life. Forced to reexamine the choices she’s made, and has yet to make, Charlotte embarks on an emotional journey of friendship, love, and sacrifice—knowing that forgiveness is a gift, and the best-laid plans can change in a heartbeat.

This Is Not How It Ends is a tender, moving story of heartbreak and healing that asks the question: Which takes more courage—holding on or letting go?

Reflection

I found this to be a very emotional book to read. And while it may not be like this for everyone, this one definitely made me cry a few times. It’s a credit to Rochelle Weinstein’s writing that she drew characters and a story that hit me in a very raw way. The characters themselves feel very authentic and I found them to be relateable. I didn’t really find any character to be good or bad, which was important to understanding the challenges that come with this type of situation.

The book shows Charlotte and Phillip from the moment they meet on a flight through their relocation to the Florida Keys, their engagement, and beyond. I really enjoyed the way this was written. The story wove back and forth in time so we got to see their instant connection and then where they are now that they have moved and things aren’t as simple as they were when they first met. Back then, it was all spark and discovering one another.

The way Charlotte experienced Phillip seeming to pull away from the relationship was also very real. I thought that the evolution of the circumstances that allowed Charlotte to begin to feel drawn to Ben, while still holding onto her love for Phillip was so subtle that I became completely immersed in the events unfolding. I understood how emotions can deepen without someone meaning for them to. I understood how a break down in communication over an extended time can deeply impact a relationship.

I also understood how all three of these people did things that were not okay. None of them is the hero or the villain. These are just people who make mistakes and who feel things that they may not have intended to. That’s what I mean when I say that I found it raw and authentic. This was a deeply touching story and one that it was hard to not get pulled into and feel as though it were happening to you instead of to the characters in a book.

A beautiful story of friendship, forgiveness, imperfection, and ultimately discovering what you value. I loved the theme of not just learning to let go, but even before that how you decide whether to hold on or to let go.

Thank you to Suzy Approved Book Tours for my copy. Opinions are my own.

About the Author

Rochelle B. Weinstein is the USA Today bestselling author of emotionally driven women’s fiction, including Somebody’s Daughter, Where We Fall, The Mourning After, and What We Leave Behind. This is Not How it Ends releases January 2020. Rochelle spent her early years in sunny South Florida, always with a book in hand, raised by the likes of Sidney Sheldon and Judy Blume. Upon graduating from the Philip Merrill College of Journalism at the University of Maryland, Rochelle moved to Los Angeles, where she handled advertising and promotions for major film studios and record labels at LA Weekly. After returning to Miami, she continued her passion for entertainment as a music-industry executive at the Box Music Network. When she’s not writing, Rochelle loves to hike, read, and find the world’s best nachos. She is currently working on her sixth novel. Please visit her at www.rochelleweinstein.com

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