3.5 stars

This is a nice romance, but it's also a book about a complex mother-daughter relationship and about forgiveness. During her childhood and teen years Eden and her mom spent every summer at camp in Grand Trees, California. Up until the year when Eden witnessed something that caused her family to fall apart and her relationship with her mother to become so distant that they barely talk anymore. Now twenty years later, a recently divorced Eden gets a call from one of her mother's friends telling her her mom's condition is deteriorating... when Eden didn't even know about her mother's diagnosis up until this phone call. So Eden returns to the place she used to love, up until she started to hate it. Among trying to repair her relationship with her mom, she also meets her mom's found family - including Caleb and his teenage daughter. While Eden and Caleb definitely get off on the wrong foot, there's an undeniable attraction between them almost from the start.

I liked Eden as a main character, she felt relatable, and the more that was slowly revealed about what happened that fateful summer when everything changed, the more her actions and feelings made sense. Caleb took a while to grow on me. He comes across as very judgmental of Eden, and since we never get his POV, his initial reaction to Eden made me dislike him at first. It seemed like he was being an a-hole for no good reason, which made me question how Eden could be attracted to him. Caleb's daughter Abby on the other hand, I fell immediately in love with. She was hilarious, and seeing how Caleb was with her is a huge part of what made him seem redeemable, like maybe he had his reasons for how he acted towards Eden (even if they were based on misunderstandings or false/incomplete information). Also, how he is so nice to everybody, with Eden (at the beginning) being the only exception, is a nice twist on the trope if the broody love interest who is an a-hole to everyone except the main character. Generally speaking, Caleb is not an a-hole at all.

I enjoyed the journey of Eden and Caleb getting to know and understand each other. And I also enjoyed the exploration of the past and current relationship between Eden and her mom. The small town setting was also very nice and their little community really came to life for me. This is a story about forgiveness, getting over bad memories of a place by making new good memories, coming to terms with the fact that parents are also just people and make mistakes, that most people aren't black or white but shades of gray. It is a book about second chances, unexpected romance and re-evaluating your outlook on life. It is filled with complex characters experiencing many complicated emotions.

The only thing I didn't love was the insta-lust, which had Eden salivating over the guy even when every time he opened his mouth, he was being mean or hurtful (whether entirely intentional or not). Their intense love seemed to develop very fast, especially considering the initial dislike, which is brushed off in favor of the physical attraction-at-first-sight.

Thank you to Lake Union Publishing for providing a review copy via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

The Epicenter of Forever dives deep into family, trauma, and forgiveness. Eden’s return to Grand Trees after her mother’s illness brings raw emotion and complicated relationships to the forefront. The dynamic between her and Caleb was filled with tension, and I loved how their flawed personalities unfolded.
Eden’s detachment at times was a bit hard to connect with, but Caleb’s grumpy yet patient demeanor was refreshing. The small-town vibe mixed with a unique mountainous setting added an interesting layer. While the insta-lust was a bit much for me, the emotional depth and realistic gray areas of the characters’ actions made up for it.
A heartfelt, emotional journey!Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

The Epicenter of Forever follows our main character Eden, who's a new divorcee with complicated parental relationships. Her mother's diagnosis with Parkinson's brings Eden to Grand Trees, a place filled with the worst - and, arguably, the best - memories. There, she experiences a torrent of emotions, managing her broken relationship with her mother all while enduring her mother's insufferable primary caretaker, Caleb Connell.

I loved how every character in this book is anything but surface level. The way each one of their emotions were so raw and real is just * chef's kiss *.
Eden was a fascinating character to follow because it feels like she had almost treated her life as if she isn't the one living it? So unaffected and unemotional towards everything that has happened?
Caleb was your usual grumpy/broody (borderline a**hole) MMC but I feel like this is one of the very few times where I felt he was (mostly) valid. Just need to work on his delivery 😀. But what's interesting and new in this book is that he's patient and nice to everyone EXCEPT the FMC - that is, at the start obviously.
This book gives small town vibes but with a unique mountainous setting which I loved! The way this book shows actions (this is NOT a justification btw) as gray and not just black & white was such a breath of fresh air for me, however, I'd have liked a bit more explanation from her mom for what she did.
This book has it all - trauma, healing, envy, complicated relationships, forgiveness, second chances - and it does everything so well.

I don't like how insta love/lust this book is or how Eden just keeps thirsting over the mmc despite having somewhat intense back and forth with him, and one of them always ends up getting hurt. One other thing I disliked is that his teen at times doesn't sound or act her age, like at all. Oh, and I would've REALLY liked it more if we had gotten Caleb's POV.

Eden acaba de divorciarse tras diez años de matrimonio, convencida de que su esposo simplemente ya no la amaba. Pero la verdad la golpea con más fuerza: él no solo le fue infiel, sino que también dejó embarazada a su amante. El impacto es devastador, sobre todo porque Eden había renunciado por años a su deseo de ser madre, creyendo que él no quería hijos... cuando en realidad solo no los quería con ella.

Mientras intenta lidiar con esta traición, recibe una llamada urgente: su madre, Nicki, está enferma y necesita tratamiento, pero se niega a recibirlo. Eden es la única que puede convencerla. El problema es que su relación con Nicki es prácticamente inexistente desde hace dos décadas, tras una ruptura profunda entre madre e hija. Aun así, Eden accede, esperando que solo sea una visita rápida… pero termina quedándose semanas.

Al llegar, descubre que su madre ha formado una vida de la que ella no sabía nada, incluyendo a Caleb, a quien Nicki crió desde que era adolescente y que ahora la considera una madre. Caleb ve a Eden con recelo y la culpa por su ausencia todos esos años. Ambos chocarán en más de una ocasión, intentando lo mejor para Nicki, a pesar de sus diferencias... y sin esperar que una conexión inesperada comience a surgir entre ellos.



----


Disfruté mucho del libro, sobre todo el desarrollo de la relación entre Eden y Caleb. Sin embargo, no me gustó cómo se manejó la historia de Nicki, Sonny y Len. Hay cosas que simplemente no se pueden justificar. Que Nicki llevara cada verano a Eden a Grand Trees con la excusa de pasar tiempo juntas, cuando en realidad era para tener una aventura con Sonny, fue una traición enorme. Además, Sonny se hizo amigo de Eden, lo que hace todo aún más cruel. Imaginar el dolor de Eden al descubrir esta doble vida, y ser ella quien tuvo que decírselo a su padre, fue desgarrador.

Lo peor es que, cuando todo se descubre, Nicki se hace la víctima. En vez de intentar reparar su relación con su hija, se va a vivir con Sonny y forma una familia feliz junto. Y Len, el verdadero afectado, nunca logró rehacer su vida. Nicki decía amarlo, pero también amaba a Sonny, y creyó que podía tener una vida doble sin consecuencias. Len quedó destrozado, nunca volvió a enamorarse, y dedicó su vida a Eden. Incluso al saber que Nicki estaba enferma, no dudó en ayudarla, porque aún la amaba. Fue horriblemente injusto para él: merecía mucho más que una vida de dolor por alguien que no lo valoró.

Me molestó que Eden, supuestamente tan dolida por lo que su madre le hizo, evitara el tema con ella, mientras que con su padre era dura e injustamente crítica. Él fue la verdadera víctima y nunca logró superar lo que pasó.



Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for the ARC in exchange for an honest

A beautiful and emotionally h heart wrenching story about family and second chances and healing trauma. I cried twice.

The Epicenter of Forever by Mara Williams, published by Lake Union Publishing is the second book by M. Williams.
Eden is unhappliy divorced when her mother's ailing health brings her back to her childhood home. There she finds her mother's new found family including Caleb.
Caleb is a single dad and he and Eden bicker banter and battle of will like the best of them. A wonderful story, exquisitelly written and told. Eden gets a beautiful and well deserved hea, including everything she ever wished for. A beautiful second chances at love and family.

A rich, layered story about forgiveness, family, and starting over, The Epicenter of Forever is the kind of book that teaches you something about yourself and will leave your heart racing. Williams weaves her signature wit and lush prose through a California landscape filled with big trees, bigger feelings, and love that shakes the world. This was the most magical, immersive, heart-pounding read I’ve had in ages. Don't miss this stunning book!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

O Epicentro do Eterno" é um romance de Mara Williams que mistura mistério, fantasia e drama psicológico. A história acompanha Elisa Thompson, uma adolescente que, junto com outros jovens, é convidada a estudar na World Academy, um internato internacional localizado em uma ilha remota no meio do Oceano Atlântico. No entanto, pouco antes do início das aulas, o internato é destruído por completo. Sem muitas opções, os estudantes são realocados para a Major International Academy, uma escola semelhante nas proximidades. O que eles não sabem é que seus colegas não são pessoas comuns: são filhos e filhas dos líderes de todos os países do mundo.