The Man I Love

I'm staring at my iPad trying to find the exact right words to sum up how I feel after finishing The Man I Love. Well, first I had to splash some cold water on my face cause my eyes were swollen from crying, then I had to take a few breaths to gather my thoughts. I'm still having difficulty finding words. 

The Man I Love is unlike anything I've ever read before. I feel like I've gained four new friends in the form of Erik, Daisy, Will and Lucky. I've experienced writing like I've never experienced before. This story was extraordinary. It was such an intense journey and I think the reason it worked so well for me was that I got to follow these characters through fifteen years. I formed a bond with them. A connection. I felt I lived vicariously through Erik especially but also Daisy. Their relationship was raw, honest and real. 
This was also an experience in relationships and emotions. How to love and forgive. To accept and let go.
What Erik and Daisy went through was real and believable. Their relationship was a journey and I cherish every moment. No matter how ugly it got because it's a part of their history. It made them the people they are. Shaped them.

Suanne Laqueuer's writing is insanely addictive and beautiful. It was like reading poetry. The words took on a whole new meaning and gutted me. Page after page. My heart was filled with love. Love for her words and these fabulous characters. The Man I Love is proof why I love to read. This isn't just a story. It's an experience!!

5 BadAssIBreatheYouStars

Stunning. Shocking. Heartbreaking. Harrowing. Profound. Powerful. Exquisite. Passionate.

April 17, 2015, I received a review request for THE MAN I LOVE. My schedule was full but I was intrigued by the blurb. I emailed the author letting her know I was not able to read it at the time but wanted to. Now, almost 1 and a half years later, I finally had the chance. And I am so glad I did.

There have been a few books over my life (including this year) which had a profound effect one me, this was one of them. It is going to be hard to break my thoughts down into a legible review, but I am going to try.

❝You said you were waiting for the one.❞
❝I think I was waiting for you.❞

THE MAN I LOVE started with beautiful lyrical writing that lulled me into a stable emotional state. I was captivated by the beautifully crafted words which made up intricate sentences, and exquisite paragraphs. I fell in love with the story, the characters, and their intense love for one another. When suddenly Suanne Laqueur started throwing punches. To my stomach. To my head. And to my heart. I felt physically ill, I was spell-bound and crushed. I couldn't make sense of what I was reading and I was in a panic trying to read faster, trying to feed my soul, trying to get to the end point to find everything okay.

The author explores recovery, both physical and mental, from trauma and senseless tragedy. Her characters try to make sense of what occurred, try to simply exist in the new normal they find themselves in. It isn't easy, it is ugly, it is brutal and it is harrowing. People react, things happen, things go wrong, can they forgive? Do they still love?

❝At some point, you just have to start living the truth of who you are and what you feel.❞

It was the exquisite writing of this author and the stunning storytelling, that made this book shocking, powerful and harrowing. I felt the pain and the anguish these characters went through. I was devasted, depressed, I was an emotional wreck. Believe me, this is NOT a light read.

❝The fairy tale was over, yes, but a truer, grittier human tale had begun in its place. A book with the strength of blood in its bound pages.❞

But it was beautiful and profound. The author's attention to detail is magnificent, her insight is, ...I am without words to explain it. I felt like I was in therapy, I learned so much about myself and the people around me.

❝We are all shaped by our scars.❞

And told in the third person. This shocks me. Because I didn't care. I am a 1st person POV snob. But here, the 3rd person POV worked beautifully.

Admittedly, I didn't want this book to end. But if there had not been a series, I would have been satisfied with the ending. For me, it is an HFN and I think it could be a standalone. BUT thank goodness there are more and the story isn't finished.

Not what I would classify as a traditional romance, but Women's Fiction with romantic elements. I recommend this to anyone who loves angst, loves love, and/or loves storytelling at its finest! A Top Favorite Of The Year!

The Man I Love is not my usual kind of read, but my GR friend Bianca's enthusiasm for Suanne Laqueur's books made me curious so I decided to give this one a try when it became available on Netgalley. I'm glad I did; It made for a lovely lighter but emotionally engaging read. The narrative arc is a fairly traditional love story, but what made it original and engaging is that it was told from male protagonist Erik's perspective and that the characters -- including the men -- defied male/female stereotypes while being believable contemporary characters. I must admit that it took me a while to get into the story -- the beginning felt like lighter YA fare -- but this is a situation in which sticking with the book paid off. Something happens about a third of the book in that changes everything and that had me fully engaged for the rest of the book. I don't want to say too much about the story to avoid spoilers. It turns out that this is the first of four books in a series -- I'm not sure how this will work as a series but based on my experience with this book I'm willing to give the next book a chance. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an opportunity to read an advance copy.

An ARC of this book was generously provided to me from the publisher via NetGalley.
Unpopular opinion alert!
I know this book is highly reviewed and rated, unfortunately I sadly don’t agree. This book just didn’t work for me. I felt the writing at times to be very dry, third person can feel like that to me unless it’s extremely well done. So that was strike one for me.
I felt it was very bogged down in details, way too many details. I understand authors want to build a setting for you, but I felt this was overdone in this instance. So that was strike 2 for me.
Strike 3 was the characters. I just couldn’t relate to or care for Erik. While he was extremely unique, which I usually love, I found no common ground or emotion welling up in me to connect with him. While I liked Daisy well enough, the writing style and her connection to Erik just didn’t fit for me. Sadly I DNF @20%. [almost a 100 pages in, so I did give it a good try].

I didn't know anything about this book. I just knew a friend had recommended it. I was ill prepared for how intense this book was. How powerful. How meaningful.

"The Man I Love" follow Erik, also known as Fish, over a period of 15 years. We observe his life when he meets Daisy, a talented ballerina, and falls in love. We follow him through the ups and downs of their relationship and then some.

"This is it, Erik, this is surviving. It's not one event, it's a process. And it's not a linear process. You don't start at point A and just get to point B and you're fine again. It's a matrix. It's a three dimensional scaffold you build around your life."

This is an amazing tale of love, loss and tragedy. The author does an amazing job of portraying all the emotions and thoughts of the characters in a very realistic manner. Its easy to follow them into the highs of love and then into the depths of tragedy and despair. The psychological ramifications of the aftermath are explosive. This not a quick, easy read. Plan to spend some time digesting it both while you are reading it and again afterwards.

***Copy obtained from Suanne Laqueur via Netgalley***