The beautiful cover drew me to this book. I found this contemporary romance novel to be an emotional ride. There were couple of times when it definitely pulled at my heartstrings. It is sad and heavy and filled with loss. However, I struggled with the pace of the book. It felt like it moved rather slow at times making it hard for me to stay engaged. I didn't exactly connect with any of the characters and wish Charlotte's character would have experienced some growth along the way. I can see how so many people love this book, it just wasn't the perfect read for me.

Wonderfully emotional - beautifully unpredictable - amazing characters and heartbreaking situations - loved this book all around.

When was the last time you cried after reading an amazing story?

Weinstein pulled every string I had in my heart and in my gut for the most beautiful and unpredictable story about three lives interwoven into a remarkable story about love and friendships, guilt and loss, and mistakes and forgiveness. I absolutely thought the storytelling to be brilliant with amazing casts of characters. I was sucked in to the story from the first two chapters and did not want this to end at all.

What a fantastic read and highly recommend!!!

So this book was a bit of a tragedy p*rn aka a story where it seems that the author is trying a bit too hard to make the reader feel things but... there are also enough happy/hopeful moments, and I actually quite enjoyed myself. It reminded me of Colleen Hoover books and lo and behold, looking at the other reviews, I'm not alone. I probably liked Rochelle B. Weinstein's writing better, though.

There was a distance between me and the characters (maybe partially because I find these kinds of stories quite ridiculous), and the book made me feel more thoughtful than emotional. Reading about the messy love triangle ended up being quite enjoyable. The story deals heavily with topics like grief, loss of loved ones, and terminal illness.

The characters made some Choices but I wasn't there to judge them for them. I guess another reason why I didn't end up super attached to the characters was that they didn't really come alive in my head. We knew facts about them but they didn't jump at me from the page. I disliked Philip. He almost felt like a caricature of a person. When we first met Ben, I imagined him much older and he stayed quite hazy in my imagination. Jimmy was a cool kid but he read like a much younger child and it was a bit weird that with severe allergies, he would grab a snack and start eating it while in a grocery store before paying for it and without checking the ingredients at eleven years old.

The two timelines were also quite confusing. They were called "back then" and "present day" but sometimes there were years between them and sometimes just months. I don't keep in my memory which dates the previous chapters mentioned and flipping back is even more awkward with an e-book.

Part of the plot was an alternative method of treating mild and severe allergies, which I've never heard about and which seems to be heavily criticized by scientists. Two things can be true: one should be very careful with severe allergies and consult a doctor (which the author does say in the author's note at least), and Western medicine does suck sometimes at treating chronic health problems.

I liked the setting with lots of time spent at the beach. The scenery felt much more vivid than the characters. So I could feel the salt on my lips but couldn't picture what the love interests looked like.

I'm probably not going to rush to read another book by this author but I don't regret reading this one.

Quotes:

"Philip loved, and Ben listened. There was a distinction I was just beginning to understand."

"'You're so strong, Charley,' she said before slipping out of the room. I didn't feel strong. I felt angry and broken."

"'When you love someone,' he began, "nothing should keep you apart."

Thank you to Lake Union for an advanced copy.

.A beautiful and emotional story of friendship, love, loss and forgiveness.

Charlotte Meyers meets slightly older Philip Stafford on a plane, she’s a high school teacher from Kansas, and Philip’s a globetrotting business man. Philip’s rather keen on Charlotte, they buy a house together in Florida Keys, and Philip gets her a dog Sunny to keep her company. With Philip being away as often as he is, Charlotte’s feeling restless, despite being engaged and they haven’t set a date for the wedding.

She meets Ben and his son Jimmy, he’s a single father and she helps him during a medical emergency. Philip has a friend he calls Goose, Charlotte has never met the restaurant owner, and she’s shocked to discover its Ben. Philip’s away when a hurricane is quickly approaching Islamorada, Charlotte's scared and not at all prepared. Ben think she should stay with him, Philip agrees, they spend the evening playing board games and hoping the roof doesn’t blow off.

Ben and Charlotte feel a real connection, if she wasn’t with Philip, she could easily fall in love with his best friend and she feels terribly guilty. The day after the storm, Charlotte discovers, Philip’s been keeping a devastating secret from her and he’s very sick.

This Is Not How It Ends by Rochelle B. Weinstein is a heartbreaking story, about friendship, commitment, love, sacrifice, and forgiveness. I couldn’t stop reading the book, I was emotionally invested in the characters, and by the end I was a sobbing mess .I received a copy in exchange for an honest review, fans of JoJo Moyes might also like this book, and five stars from me.

This is a beautifully written women’s fiction book. The main character, Charlotte, has met two guys and needs to choose. She met Philip on a plane and they’re engaged. Philip travels frequently and they spend a lot of time apart, and as the wedding approaches he seems to be drifting away from her. She met Ben and his son at the grocery store when the child had a terrible allergic reaction. Philip and Ben couldn’t be more different, and when a hurricane hits her Florida area, it forces Charlotte to look closely at her life.

This is a character driven plot, with lots of angst and up and downs. I enjoyed it initially but I was just trying to finish it by the end. I just couldn’t relate to the characters. 3 stars.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own

**Thank you Netgalley, Rochelle B. Weinstein, and Lake Union Publishing for an advanced reader copy of this book.**

This story of heartbreak and healing will take you on an emotional rollercoaster. When Charlotte begins to question Phillip, the so called love of her life, she realizes that Phillip might not be her true love after all. When a force of nature forces Charlotte to re-examine her life, she goes on a journey of finding love, healing from heartbreak, and more.

This story is such a touching book. Each character and their story was compelling and had me coming back for more. I love how their stories entwined and we got to really feel how each character dealt with situations that were handed to them.

Does love come more than once in a lifetime? Is there such a thing as a broken heart? Can you love more than one person? Rochelle Weinstein is a master writer in drawing out all of your emotions! Be prepared to go through several boxes of tissues while reading this book. Just when you think you have cried your last tear... out come more.

Exceptional book - I finished it in less than 24 hours! Weinstein created distinct and compelling characters that I am still thinking about. Tackling love, marriage, tragedy, parenthood, and the boundaries of friendship, she weaves all the feels into a story that readers are sure to love as much as I did.

This was a lovely, emotional novel! The story is Charlotte’s story. Beginning with the first time she meets Phillip and throughout their whirlwind years together. Phillip, who is older, is full of life and excitement. He pulls Charlotte along into his world. Throughout the story, Charlotte experiences a deep love, but she also begins to question exactly what she really wants.

A truly moving read about whirlwind love, unmet expectations, hope, and tragedy. I will say that I did not see the plot twist coming. At. All. I loved this book!

This was my first Rochelle Weinstein book, and I think I'll be reading more of her books. She writes very well in terms of story and grammar. She wrote it really well but I felt the main character, Charlotte, had received a bit of a disservice by not exactly growing personally. I was rooting for her but it really revolved around the relationships, which is fine when she's also growing herself at the same time. It was a good story and well written but somewhat predictable and solely romance driven. I like her writing style so I will check out some other things!

Rochelle wrote such haunting words that came together into a storyline that I couldn’t stop thinking about for days after finishing.

Books are always an amazing way to get through tough times in life but this was definitely a favorite of mine. I couldn’t stop thinking about it when I wasn’t reading it and had to turn every page till the very end. I was beyond saddened that it was over but was so much better for the content.

This is Not How it Ends was simply not for me... I didn't enjoy the storyline. I'm not huge on romance novels but I can get into the right kind of storyline - this was depressing and fairly basic.

When a main character starts out with boorish and arrogant behaviour, it becomes impossible for me to enjoy the rest of the story. What's more it becomes unbelievable when he becomes like a different person for the remaining of the book. Also, when I question certain actions or inaction of a character because it is not plausible, it just totally spoils it for me. The one I'm thinking about is Ben freezing when all he had to do was jab his son with the epipen to save his life!

Having said all that, the writing style is the type I like and the dialogue sounds natural (both factors also of vital importance to me before I can enjoy a book.)

Thank you Netgalley and Lake Union Publishing for the ARC. This is my honest opinion.

I had just finished reading a bunch of psychological thrillers and needed a change in genre - I really liked this book! It follows the story of a young woman trying to understand her own emotions as she struggles to reconcile her needs with those of the people around her. Full of love, humor, personal trials, and bittersweet moments, this book gave me all the feels. Highly recommend!

The cover of this book is what caught my attention in the first place. Then, when I started the reading I couldn't put it down. It was so full!
Charlotte is a woman in love, ready to start her life with Phillip. But just when she was getting comfortable in her new stage, she meets Ben and his son. Then, everything changes. Her life as she imagined it turns out to be lacking the fulfillment she once thought she would like.
The author does a very good job in developing the characters even going back and forth in time. The result is a beautiful story full of reflection.

Thank you Netgalley for the chance to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

This is Not How it Ends by Rochelle B. Weinstein. This book was a rollercoaster of emotion and human experience. Charlotte is caught between the love she has and the love she deserves. There is cancer and death, a hurricane, baby and more. The book teeters between the past and present with the end of the story in present day. It did anger me in some points, but I understood the internal struggle of losing loved ones and more. I was quite pleased with how well this story read and flowed. I'd give it 4 stars.

I love a book with two love interests! I could immediately see why both Ben and Phillip were so taken with Charlotte. I loved her character.

Also.... that ending! My god! Have your tissues ready because I ugly cried!