One Month by You by Suzanne Ewart is told from the perspective of Jess. Jess attends her 9-5 job but rarely goes out after work, she barely has any friends, and has several rules for herself, the main being absolutely no dating. When Jess isn’t at work she’s caring for her mother with late-stage Huntington’s disease, a disease which Jess herself has inherited. She refuses to put anyone through what she is experiencing caring for her mother at home but Alex, the cute local bartender, is persistent and convinces her to agree to one month of dating. 

Alex is completely unrealistic and as close to Prince Charming as a person could possibly be. There are only so many times a person will face constant rejection before they move on, at least in my experience. Alex is more patient and more understanding to a situation he has no idea exists than I certainly ever would be. I don’t think he exists in real life but a person can certainly hope.

It’s a well thought out story in terms of all the nuisances as to how a disease like Huntington’s affects not only the person with it but their loved ones. I think the author handled the disease and Jess’ own fears with accuracy and consideration. As someone fortunate enough to never have had someone in my immediate circle experience a degenerative disease like this it certainly brought to light implications I hadn't considered previously.

This book is a heartbreak wrapped in a silver lining.

Thank you to Sourcebooks Landmark for providing an ARC through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

After learning that her mother has Huntington's disease, Jess gets tested for this hereditary disease. It's positive. So Jess has made herself a list of rules to follow. The first rule - Do not fall in love. As Jess watches her mom's disease progress, she is determined to keep everyone away.

That is until she meets Alec and after a fun night together, he proposes spending one month dating.

This story is beautiful, haunting and it pulls on all the heartstrings. I did not want to put it down. This isn't a typical romance book. Jess is trying to care for her mother while trying to come to terms with knowing that she will face the same fate. The author does an incredible job of tactfully dealing with a challenging topic and providing insight into a caregiver's life. I slipped into Jess' shoes and questioned what I would do in her shoes - would I change how I live my life?

Alec felt like the perfect fit for a love interest. He is kind, caring and patient. I loved following these two during their dates and watching Jess reveal more and more of her story.

This story is heartbreaking and heartwarming, devasting and redeeming, tender and raw. It has everything you want in a romance, but with a devastating cloud that needs to be overcome.

The ending definitely got me. I love when a story hits you in the feels and I will definitely be recommending this one.

Thanks to Sourcebooks Landmark for the copy of this ARC.

Sad romance is my JAM, especially when there’s a grumpy/sunshine trope is involved. However, this one missed the mark for me.

I really disliked the main character. Normally, I relate pretty well to a grumpy female MC, but Jess was just awful and experienced no character development over the course of the book (okay, she did in the epilogue, but….). Characters sidestep her and are afraid of how she’ll react. The main MC was way too sweet and didn’t deserve her. I also didn’t feel their chemistry, so it was hard to cheer for them together.

Some story elements / side character stories felt out of place and unnecessary, taking away from the main focus of the book. Meanwhile, Jess never actually learns to deal with her mom’s or her Huntington’s. She just finds out and then freaks out and makes rash decisions. There was no exploration of this, which I would’ve really appreciated.

This just wasn't the book for me, unfortunately. The premise sounded great, but the writing style wasn't for me. I skipped to the last chapter to see how it ended. Very disappointing.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

WOW what a beautifully sweet read. This is a touching and heartfelt story between and mother and daughter. If you loved A Walk to Remember then you will love this book. But I will worn you have some tissues on hand. I highly recommend this book.

Thank you NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for allowing me to read this ARC.

I went into this book thinking it was going to be a swoon worthy romance…although it had some cute parts, it did drag on and left me honestly a little annoyed with the FMC, Jess.

I feel like the main point of this book was to show the relationship between Jess and her mom, Susan, who has HD. The bond they have, as well as with the caretakers, is very sweet…but I think the pages and details on all of that could have been cut down a little. As for the romance piece, I adored Alec and was beyond annoyed with the wall Jess had up - I feel like I wanted to scream everytime she pushed him away, came up with an excuse not to see him or went back to her “rules.”

Overall, I think I was expecting more than what this book delivered. Although this may be a great read for some, it just fell a little flat for me.

3⭐️

Super emotional, and at times a little cheesy for me - and while clearly Jess was dealing with a lot overall, she’s pretty unlikeable. Alec gets a thumbs up as main man, but I’d pass on this one if you aren’t a hopeless romantic, or don’t like crying (I’m clearly not! And I absolutely did 😭 )

The blurb originally pulled me in because I loved A Walk to Remember. However, I don't feel like it's a good comparison. In this story, the focus wasn't necessarily on the main character, Jess's disease, but rather her mother's disease (which is the same) and the things Jess would have to endure when her symptoms start to advance.

I also don't agree with "a stunning love story" in the blurb. I don't feel like it was stunning, nor a real love story. Jess treated Alec like shit. She was so rude to him and didn't even bother to tell him about why she acted the way she did or what was going on with her. She took it upon herself to assume how he would feel.

The two things that I did like were Jess' relationship with her mom and her friendship with Olivia. In her mom's better days, they were really close, which was nice to read. It's a bit heartbreaking to read about everything she has to do to take care of her mom. Her friendship with Olivia was fun. They work together and I liked the parts where they're trying to get away from working.

Overall, I give this a 2.5/5 (rounded up to 3).

Thank you to the publisher for an early arc copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

Jess is a woman with rules. Her mother has Huntington's disease and because it's hereditary, Jess was tested and knows she carries the gene as well. Rules keep people out. Jess has one work friend who is intent to see her happy. Alec works at the local bar and likes Jess. After spending a night together, Jess is a complete "B" to Alec. I honestly don't know why he continued to want to be with her. Throughout the story, Jess is dealing with her mother's illness and she's hot and cold towards Alec. She knows she really likes him but with her diagnosis in her head, she feels she shouldn't allow feelings to grow between them. Alec proposes dating for a month and Jess eventually agrees. The overall story was interesting but Jess's behavior with Alec really was not becoming. Alec's behavior at the ball was odd but otherwise it was always Jess pushing him away. 3 1/2 stars.

THIS. WAS. BREATHTAKING!!!! I loved every single second of this beautiful, thoughtful, heartfelt story. These characters just worm their way right into the very center of your heart, and they live there, becoming part of you throughout the story, and a piece of them will remain.

Ewart is an *INCREDIBLY* skilled writer. Her character development is top notch. Her ability to draw these distinct images of characters, scenes, and settings in my mind is something I SO appreciate in a novel.

The pacing was spot on. The love story was heartbreaking yet hopeful. I love this wonderful cast of characters; they feel like old friends.

This book made me FEEL!!!! Love love love!

This was such a wonderful book and I will be singing its praises from the rooftops!!!🎉

Well freaking done!!! 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

Thank you NetGalley and Sourcebooks for the gifted eARC. This was such a pleasure!

▫️REVIEW▫️

One Month of You ~ Suzanne Ewart

QUICK TAKE:
* Genre: romance
* Pub Date: February 7, 2023
* Pages: 400
* Gist: should I or shouldn’t I with the local hot bartender

Jess has rules when it comes to falling in love. Rule #1 - don’t do it. So when Alec, the charming bartender from the local watering hole starts to take interest, Jess is tempted but holds strong to her boundaries. Her diagnosis of Huntington’s disease just makes love to complicated. But Alec has a plan - date for a month. As Jess and Alec gets closer, her boundaries start to fall and Jess has to reconcile what’s more important - protecting her heart or opening it up to love.

So I got an email for this one from the publisher and thought why not - I was in my romance phase so was into it. And I would have enjoyed it if Jess wasn’t such an awful main character! She alone made me almost DNF a few times - angry, rude, downright mean, and immature, I don’t know why Alec didn’t tell her to take a hike. The Huntington’s was used as the reason why but my god - such a bad message to send that you have the right to treat people the way you feel.

This could have been a great opportunity to show how one can process a negative and turn it into positive but the character development just really fell short for me. It’s a skip!

What an emotionally raw and thought provoking read. One Month of You reminded me a bit of Me Before Up mixed with One Day in December. Jess and Alec’s story reflected so impactfully what true dedication and love means. It’s the most beautiful and meaningful thing in the whole world when a person makes you feel brave and seen, when they make you feel free and make you want to throw away all your rules and just take the leap. Watching these two characters figure out their love for one another was so touching and incredibly emotional. I also thought so much of my deep love and affection for my mother. This book will make you laugh, cry, and also remind you of how brave and selfless it is to truly show up for those you love.

4 stars

Thank you @ netgalley and @bookmarked for the early copy

Grab your copy out 2/7!

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Jess is struggling with a horrible situation- her mother is dying of Huntington's and she's got the gene- so she's more or less shut herself off from emotional attachments to others. Especially men. So Alec, the hot bartender at the pub where she goes with her work colleagues (and only friend) is going to be a one night stand only, except that he's not. Jess tells this story of a young woman who carries a huge black cloud and who slowly but surely lets someone in. Alec keeps after her until, as the title indicates she agrees that they will date for one month. That month is interrupted by life but Alec is persistent. Not a rom com to be sure, although there are some smiles, but more a poignant portrait of Jess and a love story. Debs, her mother's carer, is awesome. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. Terrific storytelling and while emotional, it never tips over into melodrama. Looking forward to more from Ewart.

One Month of You is a decent book, but it's not what the summary sounds like. It's more about the struggle of seeing a loved one deteriorate from Huntington's Disease. The romance part is a very small part.

A little disclaimer: I have a neuromuscular disease, one that progressively worsens over time and weakens every muscle in my body. This makes me read books centered around diseases different than how I read other books. Because of that I rarely read books where the disease is the focal point, especially when it's one with similar symptoms and struggles as mine. I read One Month of You because the summary on NetGalley compared it to A Walk to Remember and Jojo Moyes (Me Before You). I have read and watched both and I absolutely love both, but One Month of You is not like them in my opinion. They are about love, finding light in the dark, and give you hope. One Month of You is about the struggle of Huntington's.

I can maybe understand Jess' desire to not get close to people. However I don't understand not enjoying life and living life while you can. I understand that she needed to care for her mom so sacrifices need to be made, but it's like Jess let Huntington's define her and her future which is heartbreaking. I don't allow my disease to define me and I don't want people to define me as my disease.

I felt that Jess was a difficult character to like or feel empathy for. She was at times extremely selfish and somewhat bratty if she didn't get her way. I did like Debs and Alec though. They were like little small glimmers of light and had wonderful, real personalities.

I do think a lot of people will enjoy One Month of You. The issues that I have with it is for me personally. One Month of You is a decent debut and I would like to read more by Suzanne Ewart.

Thank you to Sourcebooks Landmark for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

One Month of You is a touching, emotional story of Jess. Told from her POV she is caring for her mom with Huntington's disease. The degenerative disease is debilitating and as Jess loses her mom more and more as it progresses, she is engulfed with the reality that she has inherited it from her mother. She sees her future self in her mother and never wants to fall in love and put someone else through what she is going through. The story is heartbreaking and still the author has given us hope through out.
Alec has fallen for Jess. He shows her that she can have a happy life after all. Alec is a nice counter to Jess. While at times he came across too eager and Jess's rebuffing felt mean, ultimately, they are wonderfully created, very human characters.

Thank you, NetGalley and Sourcebook Landmark for the arc.

Short Synopsis:
After Jess’ mom is diagnosed with Huntington’s Disease, she makes a set of rules for her life. Her main one is that she doesn’t date. But then she meets Alec and struggles to stay away from him.

My Thoughts:
This book brought quite the emotional punch. Alec was just a precious human. Jess however wasn’t. But given her circumstances, that’s justified.

The whole story through watching Jess’ mom suffer and deteriorate from Huntingtons Disease was quite heartbreaking. It was insightful and emotional and I’d recommend it if you’re looking for some emotional damage.

I did find parts of the book quite repetitive though.

I am also confused with the Rick storyline. He was such a jerk and that never got resolved…?

Read if you like:
💙 Sad Romances
💙 The Man I Never Met or Always in December
💙 Having your heart torn out
💙 Bartenders
💙 Wine

I am on love with book. The characters were well developed and the premise was different and unique. It was emotional and wwll written i need more from this author. Hoghly enjoyed

While I didn't love this book, I can definitely see how so many readers do. It's emotional and intense and has lighter moments that readers will latch onto, not to mention the writing is done well. I can already think of a list of patrons who will really enjoy this -- we will be purchasing several for the collection.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me the opportunity to read an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. I had high hopes for this book after reading the book summary and the comparison to “Me Before You”. I must say I was a bit disappointed as the story moved along very slowly for the first half and the characters felt a bit flat at times. I did think the story of the love between mother and daughter was very touching and it really became the predominant storyline … even greater than the “love story” between Alec and Jess.

Would you spend one month with a person knowing that might be all you have to give? Jess has inherited Huntington’s disease and is determined to live her life alone. Alec keeps asking her out. When Jess finally confesses her reasons for staying single, Alec proposes a compromise: one month of dates. But, can you truly walk away after one month?

This book nearly ended me. It was that good. Jess was so stubborn and Alec was that wonderful in all the things. I don’t want to give spoilers, so I’m leaving it at that.