In This Life
by Christine Brae
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Pub Date Jan 22 2016 | Archive Date Sep 01 2016
Description
They’re in each other all along.
RUMI
It starts out so simply. Anna runs away to Thailand, drags her best friend Dante with her and spends a few weeks away, taking on other people’s problems while getting away from her own. She meets the enigmatic Jude Grayson, and for as long as it’s clear to both of them that it ends when they leave, she thinks she’s got the perfect fling planned out.
Or does she?
Anna returns home to find that her life is no longer the way it once was, and that she can’t stop thinking about him. She learns through tragedy that nothing she’s ever believed in has turned out to be true. The worst part? The people she loved were keeping a secret from her. And that no matter what she does, no matter how hard she fights against it, every path she takes keeps leading her back to Jude.
This is a story about love, found in a faraway place by two very unlikely people. It is also a story about friendship and loyalty and fighting for what you have despite the illogical mystery of fate. With the struggle between morality and guilt, faith and acceptance, there comes a learning that even the best-laid plans are powerless against the alignment of the universe.
From the beaches of Thailand to the streets of New York, three friends, Anna, Dante, and Jude will learn the hard way that once providence steps in, there is nothing in the world that can change what is truly meant to be.
Featured Reviews
Reviewer 340469
In This Life by Christine Brae chronicles the love triangle between Anna, Dante, and Jude. Anna and her best friend of many years, Dante, take a mission trip to Thailand. While there, Anna meets Jude who she falls into a whirlwind 10 day romance with. When Anna's trip is cut short due to the death of her mother, she and Jude promise to meet up again.
The book then picks up 5 years later and we find that Anna and Dante are now married. In the 5 years since her trip to Thailand, Jude has never contacted her. While she loves Dante, Anna is unable to fully commit her heart to him as she still has feelings for Jude and can't help but to wonder what could have been.
The last thing Anna expects is to run into Jude again at church. Jude has been hiding his own secrets and his reasons for not contacting Anna. What will happen with Jude back in the picture? Will Anna leave Dante? Or will the secret Jude kept from Anna cause him to leave for good?
In This Life is the first book that I have read by Brae. While I gave the book 4 stars, there were aspects of the book that really irritated me, however the message Brae leaves you with after reading this book lead me to rate it higher than I would have.
Brae's writing is absolutely beautiful and the story flows at a good pace. However, my problem was with the characters of Anna and Jude, and their relationship.
I'm not a fan of inta-love. I didn't find it believable that after only knowing each other for 10 days, Anna and Jude formed this connection that they would still have 5 years later after not seeing each other. Anna honestly really annoyed me with her indecisiveness. I didn't feel a connection to these characters and I didn't feel a connection between them either.
Dante was the standout character of this book for me. I felt for him. I connected with him. I felt that his emotions and responses to certain situations was real unlike Anna's and Jude's. You could also feel the love he had for Anna.
Despite the negatives, I enjoyed the message of the story. I'm not a religious person, but I do believe in some type of higher power and afterlife. I believe in fate and that everything happens for a reason. Brae does an amazing job in making you believe that there is a reason for everything and that there is a plan for all of us, both in life and after life. Her words are beautiful and they were the true star of the book.
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