This is Not How it Ends by Weinstein had me feeling so many different emotions. I loved it! The real question of this novel is "do I stay or do I go". And how. I feel as if many individuals relate to this story and will enjoy it.

I felt strongly for the main character Charlotte as she moves through life and all of the challenges that come with it. She falls in and out of love. Her lover does the same. As she is struggling with life's battles, will she ever recover from heartbreak and heal her heart?

2.5 stars

I’m a sucker for love triangles but not stories that involve death and grief. The good news is that this book delivers on the former....the bad news is that it also delivers on the latter.

Told in the first person, it’s about two people, Phillip and Charley, meeting on a plane and falling in love. As a couple of years pass, Charley starts to feel disconnected from Phillip. He travels so much and he’s never around. Then she meets Ben....

I was brought into the narrative instantly and intently, but somewhere along the way, it lost some of its magic. It seemed like the MC became increasingly confused about her relationship with Phillip, sometimes contradicting herself. This was confusing as a reader and made it difficult to emotionally engage. I’m also not a fan when plots focus on grief during a love story. I find it to be a tiresome and overused plot element. These were the main factors that didn’t work for me and hence impacted my enjoyment of the book. With more consistent focus on just the love stories and eliminating the side stories to allow for more character and plot depth, this would have been a much better read for me.

Thank you to publisher and Netgalley for a reader’s copy in exchange for an honest review.

This is Not How It Ends is a great novel by Rochelle Weinstein. I enjoyed seeing the love and friendship develop between Phillip and Charlotte and Ben. There are so many twists and turns in life. What I expected to be a fluffy rom-com at the outset, soon proved me wrong with complicated situations and the depth of character development. I highly recommend this book and wish I had read it sooner. I received an ARC if this book, all opinions are my own.

This Is Not How It Ends was a good book. I liked it, I didn't love like I had hoped I would. The narrative jumps around more than I would like and I found it a bit slow in spots. I loved the cover. The book had promise but fell flat for me.

The cover of this book is gorgeous, and that was what made me interested me in the book .
Sadly, it just wasn't for me. I couldn't connect to the storyline at all. The characters were really unlikable and I don't generally like to give up on books, but I had to do it for this one. :(

From the moment they met on a plane Phillip was smitten with with Charlotte. The same was not true for Charlotte, she found Phillip to be rude and entitled. As the plane ride continues and the conversation begins to flow Charlotte becomes drawn to Phillips English accent and his charm. As they part ways Charlotte thinks this is the last time they will see each other but Phillip had other plans.

Soon the pair end up engaged and settling into their home in the Florida Keys. Charlotte knew how often Phillip traveled for work however she had no idea the effect it would start to have on her. She begins to feel like even when they are together Phillip is so distracted and is not totally there.

After a chance encounter with a man named Ben who is also Phillips best friend, Charlotte begins to fight the draw she feels to Ben and focus on her love to Phillip. When a hurricane comes through their town Phillip urges Charlotte to shelter with Ben and his son who Charlotte has become quite attached to. Charlotte begins to see the future she had been planning might not be the future she is wishing for now. As she realizes her life is about to take a major shift an unexpected discovery puts her whole life on hold. Charlotte puts herself and her desires on the back burner while she focuses all her attention on someone else. Heartbreaking and gut wrenching this book is a beautiful representation of love and forgiveness.

I loved very page and every word of this amazing book. Words can’t describe the emotions you feel as you read this fantastic book. If your looking for a book that will make you love, laugh and cry I definitely suggest picking up this great book..

I had heard rave reviews for this novel and knew that I had to check it out for myself. I really didn't know what to expect when I started it, even with the synopsis available. However, it was extremely well-written and had me hooked right away.

There was so much happening and so many fateful events coming into play throughout. It starts off with Charlotte coming to someone's rescue in an emergency and then goes back and forth in time, talking about how she met Philip and how she eventually ended up where she is now. The descriptions are incredible and bring Islamorada to life. The characters also felt so real, like they were standing right in front of me. I loved how Sunny the dog was such a big part of the story and he seemed so real that I wanted him to curl up in bed with me!

It's definitely an emotional story. However, I had a hard time staying committed to Philip and Charlotte's relationship because of how he was creating a distance between them for some time and because of how I really wanted her to be with Ben. I had no idea where the story was going, but then I started to guess at some things and hated that I was right. I found myself really caring about Charlotte and what happened in her life.

I had a hard time putting this book down. I wanted to keep reading it even when I could be catching up on my shows or going online. I didn't even want to start a new print book until I finished this one on my Kindle. I just needed to be absorbed in the story. All I know is that I need to go back and read Rochelle B. Weinstein's other novels, now that I know what she is capable of!

Movie casting ideas:
Charlotte: Caitlin Thompson
Philip: Alex O'Loughlin
Ben: James Wolk
Liberty: Catherine Keener
Claudia: Vanessa Hudgens

I DNFed this book because I didn’t like Philip at all he was very arrogant and would flaunt how rich he was. I couldn’t believe Charlotte didn’t see the red flags. Both characters were super unlikeable and I don’t like reading books with characters I don’t like!!

This Is Not How It Ends opens with Charlotte taking her beloved dog Sunny for a morning walk in beautiful Islamorada, Florida. Charlotte's first-person narrative begins: "I've heard it said that life is about choices. Paths stretch out ahead of us -- sometimes, we make conscious decisions and other times, fate intervenes and chooses for us." Indeed, Weinstein effectively illustrates how, had Charlotte taken a different route on her walk that morning, her life might have been unfolded entirely differently. Instead, she happens upon a little boy who asks if he can pet Sunny and suddenly suffers a medical emergency. When his father panics and freezes, Charlotte jabs the EpiPen into Jimmy's thigh and saves his life. Ironically, Charlotte is employed by a local doctor who has had success employing unconventional methodologies to treat allergies, and Jimmy becomes a patient.

Through alternating chapters, Charlotte relates how, two years earlier, she met Philip on a flight from Miami back to her Kansas City home where she was a teacher. Philip "came crashing down the narrow walkway," taking his anger out on a flight attendant because his first-class seat had "dissolved into economy." Once settled into his seat, however, he calmed down, bought drinks for his fellow passengers, and proceeded to charm Charlotte. Although he had been boorish, flaunting his financial status, he was undeniably worldly and sophisticated, with "something in his eyes that was too forgivable and too blue." And thus their relationship began over a discussion of Charlotte's limited travel experiences and love of literature. "I've been everywhere I need to go. Places you've never been . . . would never understand . . ." referring to "the stories that kept me alive and took me all over the worlds -- their destinations only rivaled by the depth of what I'd come to understand about living . . . about life. 'You don't always have to physically go somewhere to experience something magical.'"

Weinstein explores Charlotte's deep, but unsatisfying love for Philip, a man who plainly adores her and is able to provide her with every physical comfort, but fails to provide the deep emotional connection Charlotte craves. She agrees to give up her teaching career and move to Florida with him, but he refers to home as "[s]uch a fluid term." As Philip leaves Charlotte alone for extensive period of time while he travels the world on business, she becomes acquainted with Ben, the handsome chef and restaurateur who is still mourning his wife, and Jimmy. She finds herself increasingly drawn to Ben, even though she is devoted to Philip. Still, she finds herself wondering if Philip's commitment to her has waned, whether he has become bored with her, and if their engagement was a mistake. Their emotional distance leaves her frustrated, lonely, and bewildered by her own neediness. She wonders where and if she truly fits into Philip's world, despite his assurances that he loves her and misses her when they are apart.

Charlotte learns that Philip and Ben have a long-standing friendship, which only complicates her burgeoning feelings for Ben. All she had wanted was a live with Philip and she finds the connection she and Ben share horrifying. While Philip loves her, Ben listens to her. Her relationships with the two men are different, but each is intense.

And just as Charlotte's emotional turmoil threatens to tear her apart, Weinstein injects a heartwrenching turn of events that causes Charlotte, along with her readers, to view everything from a different perspective. Suddenly, Charlotte's world is again upended, but she gains new insight into her relationships with both Philip and Ben, as well as a deeper understanding of both men.

Weinstein's characters are fully developed and empathetic. Charlotte's struggle for the kind of love she has always wanted and her deep disappointment at not having found it with Philip is palpable and believable. Ben's and his son are reeling from the tragic loss of his wife, and his struggle to establish a new normal for himself and his child is portrayed credibly and compassionately. And Philip, the bigger-than-life businessman whose life, like Charlotte's, has been shaped by loss and abandonment, is a soulful revelation. His choices bring Charlotte to a place of "less thinking and more living" where she recognizes and appreciates his capacity for giving.

Weinstein weaves a tangle of longing, lack of fulfillment, and striving for more into a cohesive story about assumptions as to how love is or should be demonstrated, choices, forgiveness, and, ultimately, the power of love. Her writing is insightful and elegant, her examination of her characters' inner demons unsparing, but compassionate.This Is Not How It Ends is full of surprises that propel the story forward, never losing momentum until it reaches a conclusion that feels logical, natural, and somehow inevitable. Which is, of course, the point of Weinstein's poignant, engrossing tale.

Except for her beloved mother, there is nothing Charlotte loves more than teaching. Until Philip. A chance meeting on a flight brings the impressive, charming businessman and the lovely, diffident teacher together, and is the beginning of a new life for Charlotte.

Convinced that she has finally found forever love, Charlotte agrees to move her life to the Keys in Islamorada, Florida to be with Philip. Charlotte meets a grand new friend and ends up working in her homeopathic practice. The ever-popular Philip introduces Charlotte to his best friend Ben – chef and single father and congenially asks Ben to watch over Charlotte when he’s away on business. Life is idyllic…seemingly.

Charlotte is used to Philip’s travels for work but as time passes, his trips become more frequent and longer, and she begins to sense a shift in their relationship. Charlotte’s suspicions feed her uncertainties and she starts to doubt Philip’s commitment. As she begins to spend more time with Ben, Charlotte soon realizes the connective attraction between them. Is it fair to love more than one person at a time?

I felt where the story was going, fairly early on. However, Weinstein’s poignant and splendid writing has the reader savoring the slow getting there and reaching for tissue by the end.

There will be times when an outcome in life has reached an impasse...but you might just need to pause for a moment. Breathe deep and think...perhaps, TINHIE.

I highly recommend this remarkable, heartrending novel.

Thank you to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for Rochelle B. Weinstein’s read of, This is Not How it Ends.

Opinions expressed in my reviews are my own.

A roller coaster of emotions in this book. Deep, moving and raw. I enjoyed this a lot. Well written and easy to follow and fall into.

I felt a roller-coaster of emotions reading this one - it alternates part of the book sharing the couple’s heartwarming meet-cute to some serious issues in the relationship a couple years later. I think the alternating chapters ( I liked the couple in the past and didn’t like them in the future) made it harder to care for the relationship. I had mixed feelings. But the book fully engaged me and it left me thinking about it after finishing.

I enjoyed this book so very much. It was my first read by Rochelle B. Weinstein and it definitely won’t be my last. The characters were great: Charley, Phillip, Ben, Jimmy, Liberty and more. I liked the love story but there were definitely some elements of the story I didn’t love. I am normally turned off by cheating in a novel but by the end of the book it worked for the plot line. There were the right amount of hints of what was coming so I wasn’t really surprised by what happened with Phillip. The ending of the book was beautiful and really tied up the story well. I’m really glad I read this book.

What a way to end the month of May. Rochelle writes with such beauty & grace in the utmost delicate fashion. I appreciate the characters she created, the structure, and over all story that she wove together. She takes on constructs of relationships, love and life in such an interesting scope that I deeply appreciate as a reader. Thank you Lake Union Publishing for the opportunity to read in advance.

After falling in love on a flight, Charlotte and Philip are settling into their new home and life together. Sure, Charlotte knew he traveled a lot for work, but will she be able to deal with the day to day reality of what that really means? After all, she's already grief stricken and lonely after the recent loss of her beloved, single mom, so how will she cope with Philip's elusive behavior? Do they have a future together, or is it time to move on with single dad, Ben?

"Life throws shit at all of us, and it's how we deal with it that defines who we are."

Due to the loss of my own mother two years ago, I was deeply moved by the portrayal of loss and grief suffered by Charlotte. As I've often wondered myself, "when the person who gives you life disappears, how do you go on living?" As Charlotte learns, the answer is day by day and sometimes minute by minute. What is her best path forward, and will she be able to forgive herself for hurting someone she loves?

"Forgiveness is a gift. Life holds no guarantees. Happiness comes with risks."

Location: Islamorada, Florida and Kansas City, Missouri

I received an advance copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

4 Stars

Charlotte is a woman with a huge capacity for love. Who knew that it would tear her in two?

Charlotte meets enigmatic Phillip on a plane to Kansas City. Though they only share a few hours together, both feel it. Their connection doesn’t happen everyday and it’s only a matter of time before he slips a ring on her finger.

Moving to Florida seems like an easy decision once Charlotte loses the only other person in her life that she cares about besides Phillip.

If only Phillip wasn’t always away on business. If only she didn’t always feel so alone.

Meeting Ben happens by chance. His son Jimmy has an allergic reaction and Charlotte acts fast. As it happens, Phillip and Ben are close friends. Their lives intertwine. Feelings surface and Charlotte is torn. How could she not be?

Nothing is ever that simple.

Admittedly, I had this novel figured out almost immediately and that, I think took a bit away from my enjoyment of it.

That being said, in “This is Not How it Ends” by Rochelle B. Weinstein I was immediately entranced by the character of Charlotte and I could see how both Phillip and Ben were too. Yet I wanted more. I didn’t feel wholly invested in Charlotte and Phillip’s relationship. I felt as though it was missing something - as though it were lacking (even though Phillip was extremely kind, generous and loving and boy was he ever!!), yet I did not feel that way once Ben came into the picture. That felt like the real thing to me and that is when I was all in. Ben got me hook, line and sinker.

Even though I knew what was coming, when the ending came I admit to sobbing like a baby. Thank goodness I had tissues at the ready. Rochelle B. Weinstein, how could you do that to me?!

What more can I say? “This is Not How It Ends” is a novel I took a chance on simply because I saw stellar reviews from friends. The pub date had already passed when I thought about reading it and I debated about it and decided to grab it anyways and boy am I glad I did.

A huge thank you goes out to Jennifer, Berit and Mackenzie for convincing me that I need to read this.

Thank you to NetGalley, Lake Union Publishing and Rochelle B. Weinstein for the arc.

Published on Goodreads on 1.28.20.

This is Not my usual read but, this cover of How it Ends by Rochelle B. Weinstein just appealed to me. Don't judge a book by its cover! So, hands up I requested the book. I was not disappointed, one thing I should say It should have warning signs over it "You need tissues and lots of them...........This book too emotional for me and played with all my emotions!...........and it became a stop start kind of book for me. I got there in the end and finished it. Rochelle wrote with so much passion and How it Ends was beautifully written.

I recommend it......But don't forget your tissues.

Big Thank you to Netgalley, Lake Union Publishing, and Rochelle B. Weinstein. for a copy of this book for an honest review.

Book blurb…
From USA Today bestselling author Rochelle B. Weinstein comes a moving novel of hearts lost and found, and of one woman torn between two love stories.
When Charlotte and Philip meet, the pair form a deep and instant connection. Soon they’re settled in the Florida Keys with plans to marry. But just as they should be getting closer, Charlotte feels Philip slipping away.
Second-guessing their love is something Charlotte never imagined, but with Philip’s excessive absences, she finds herself yearning for more. When she meets Ben, she ignores the pull, but the supportive single dad is there for her in ways she never knew she desired. Soon Charlotte finds herself torn between the love she thought she wanted and the one she knows she needs.
As a hurricane passes through Islamorada, stunning revelations challenge Charlotte’s loyalties and upend her life. Forced to reexamine the choices she’s made, and has yet to make, Charlotte embarks on an emotional journey of friendship, love, and sacrifice—knowing that forgiveness is a gift, and the best-laid plans can change in a heartbeat.
This Is Not How It Ends is a tender, moving story of heartbreak and healing that asks the question: Which takes more courage—holding on or letting go?

My thoughts...
PLOT
During this story the Author describes the character's situation as one right out of a Nicolas Sparks movie. This made me realise that the plot was so like the voice of Sparks. The story line was straight forward and predictable, but , like a Nicholas Sparks, an enjoyable, light read.
PACE
The pace was steady (maybe a little slow at times) but a book needs ebbs and flows. In saying that, the story read well, was entertaining and the ending satisfying.
LANDSCAPE
I normally enjoy the landscape and consider it as important as a character in a novel. On this occasion, however, aside from situating the characters in a particular house (or restaurant) landscape did its job and that is all.
CHARACTERS
The characters are well-developed, with Charlotte being pivotal as the story is hers, and told in first person. The author crafted Phillip and Ben well and I had a perception of how they were as men. Unfortunately I felt no emotional connection. I had a good understanding of what made them who they were but could not get close enough or involved enough. The author missed an opportunity with this one.
OVERALL FEELINGS ABOUT THE STORY
Overall an enjoyable story but with a plot that played out rather predictably. I think the cover grabbed me.

This was my first book by Rochelle Weinstein. I had previously heard great things but unfortunately, it just didn't come together for me. While there was lots of drama and deceit, it was surprisingly slow-paced and just felt hard to engage with.

I had a hard time with the main character, Charlotte and struggled with the narration jumping back and forth in time. This ended up being a DNF for me. This book obviously was a hit for many others but it just didn't work for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.