Member Reviews

This is Not How it Ends is a beautifully written, poignant and compelling story. This book is an emotional journey, as we get a deep, intimate look at Charlotte; her loves, her hopes, her fears, her guilt, her dreams, her desires, and her losses. I was completely swept away by this novel, utterly captivated and involved in Charlotte's story. I felt as if I were in her skin, making choices, dealing with circumstances beyond her control, chance encounters, moving on from her feelings of abandonment, and vacillating between her two loves. This book made me fall in love with the characters; I laughed with them, I cried with them, I suffered with them, I celebrated with them--mostly, I simply loved them. And I am going to miss them, although they will be safely stowed in my heart. There are such beautiful lines in this books, sentences that I read over and over to recapture the emotions behind them. Here is one: "There comes that moment when you're holding someone and the pieces of you just fit. Words are useless. The parts of you string together--souls touch through gentle fabric--and when you separate you know there's a lingering strand that forever connects."

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Sometimes you just need to listen to your heart, and this book clearly showed that. Remarkable love story in a different mode. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for honest review.

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This is a novel chock full of complicated emotions! Classic love triangle, one woman, two men who are good friends. Lots of question life’s direction and soul-searching going on here. Characters are easy to relate to.

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

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

SUMMARY
Charlotte and Phillip are accidental seatmates on a flight from Miami to Kansas City. By the end of the flight sparks are flying. Together they moved to the Florida Keys with plans to marry. But just as they should be planning their wedding Charlotte feels as if Phillip is slipping away. Philip’s constant traveling and excessive absences has her wondering if this is really what she wants in a relationship. When Charlotte meets Ben, Phillip’s, best friend a close friendship naturally develops. She tries to ignore the pull between the two of them but a hurricane drives them together and challenges both of their their loyalties.


REVIEW
THIS IS NOT HOW IT ENDS is a beautiful and emotional story of friendship, love, loss and forgiveness. It’s women fiction with great and highly relatable characters. You’ll fall in love with them all...Charlotte, Phillip, Ben, Billy and even Sunny. The storylines are creatively intertwined

Author ROCHELLE WEINSTEIN’s writing is brilliantly plotted and full of emotional storms. It’s a gem of a novel you don’t want to miss. The very beginning of the story grabs you with this lyrical statement from Charlotte...“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 choose for us.” I loved this statement when I read it in Chapter 1. And then I fell in love with it again at the end of the book. It’s is the epitome of the book.

Thanks to Netgalley for an advance reading copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Publisher Lake Union
Published January 1, 2020
Review www.bluestockingreviews.com

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This is my second book from Weinstein and this one did not disappoint. Let me dry my tears so I can write this review.

This is Not How it Ends is definitely a tear jerker of a story. It took me a bit to get in to the book but once I did, I could not put it down. This is a love story of a different kind. There are at least six different stories of love woven throughout this book.

I have a feeling this book will be the talk of many readers to come.

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A medical emergency, brings strangers together In this beautiful story of love, friendships, disappointment, losses and struggles. Charley meets a sexy, attractive businessman Phillip, on a flight. An instant attraction turns into deep love, although Charlie always feels that she doesn’t have all of him, as he travels for extended periods, often not where he claims to be, Phillips best friend Ben and his son Jimmy are both a large part of their lives, and Ben follows Phillips instructions to watch out for her in his absence.
Rochelle Weinstein creates an interesting cast of characters that draw you into their story. The Florida Keys provides a beautiful backdrop to the story. It is an emotional roller coaster that will bring tears to your eyes.
My thanks to #NetGalley, #LakeUnionPublishing for an ARC for my personal review. I enjoyed it very much.

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Well, it has been a long time since a book has made me cry like This Is Not How It Ends did! Wow, what a beautiful and oh so emotional story this is! I am in awe over the talent this author has with capturing such emotion and drawing in the reader so completely, thoroughly, and easily. It’s not just that she has the ability to create great characters, it’s so much more to it than that. She was able to capture their personalities, thoughts, and emotions and write about them so passionately that you can’t help but relate to them and empathize with them. I could feel their love, their sadness, their pain, their happiness.

I was not surprised to read in the author’s acknowledgements that she has experienced similar pain and loss. She wrote about it with such passion, such raw and real emotion and turmoil, and with such detail. My heart goes out to her.

I had such a hard time putting this book down, I did not want to stop reading! I have not read any other books by this author but I am absolutely going to, I am a new fan 100%!

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Thank you to Lake Union Press and Netgalley for an ARC of this novel for my honest opinion.

Rochelle Weinstein's writing is like poetry that weaved together a very emotional story about love and loss and family. A lot of this book is so sad and you just hope the characters find some happiness in their lives.

Overall I enjoyed this novel but the writing may be a little over the top sometimes. If you want to take an emotional ride I recommend this novel.

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This was a sad love story. I found the story predictable and knew how it was going to end early on. I found that Charlotte really didn't know Phillip. I didn't understand how he could become so sick and she didn't really question his change in appearance. I did enjoy the characters and each of their roles in the triangle relationship.

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A fantastically written story that covers love,betrayal and second chances. The pages were turning quickly and I was sorry when it ended. I want more! Thanks again netgalley.

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What an amazing story! Covered all the "feels" and lots of tissues required.
(And I would like to add, mirrored part of my life so double tissues for me!!)
The writing, the plot, the characters, all near perfection as I read this non put-downable story. I am still haunted by my reading experience and have listed this in my top books of the year. 5 stars!

Thank you to NetGalley the author and the publisher for a ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review

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Thank you for the early copy from NetGalley.

This book was so great. Truly unputdownable and it kept me up all night reading.

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Charlotte Myers has an unexpected seatmate on her flight back to Kansas City. This pretty, small town school teacher is immediately entranced by Philip’s charm, good looks and irresistibly sexy British accent. More worldly and generous than anyone she has ever known, she is swept off her feet - all the way to Islamorada in the Florida Keys. Philip’s constant business trips leave Charlotte lonely with a little bit too much time to contemplate her future. The ring placed firmly on her finger may not represent the life she was once certain of. As mother nature tempts the couples resilience with a hurricane, a handsome chef tests Charlotte’s desires and it is the calm after the storm that slowly tears her apart. Have the tissues ready, this heartbreakingly beautiful story is sure to be the romance of the year. Releases January 1, 2020.

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What a sad book. I read 3/4 of it and just could not continue. Too much sadness for me. I spent way too much time crying.

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A gripping and emotional tale of loss, love, friends, betrayal, and healing. Really great read that i could NOT put down.

I received an Advance Review Copy of this book from NetGalley and the publisher. All opinions are my own.

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This Is Not How It Ends is a decent but sad story. Charlotte is in love with Phillip, but he's acting strangely. She becomes attracted to his best friend and ends up having an affair with him. As Phillip's secret is revealed, Charlotte feels remorse for cheating and denounces any feelings for Ben. I couldn't really bond with any of the characters and honestly didn't care much for Charlotte. Ultimately, the ending works out for all the characters and it was fairly predictable.

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Charlotte and Phillip are planning their wedding. When Phillip seems to change, be traveling for work more, and changes his appearance, Charlotte doesn't understand what is going on with Phillip. She is very lonely. When Phillip's friend Ben moves to town with his young son, Charlotte begins spending time with them. Charlotte needs to reexamine what she needs from life and what is best for her. This is a beautiful love story. I loved the characters and I continue thinking of them even after finishing the book. I received an advanced readers copy and all opinions are my own.

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If there is one thing I've learned from reading Rochelle Weinstein's novels, it is that she has a uniquely talented way of creating characters that readers are able to relate to and when she places them in heartbreaking situations, the reader is able to go down that emotional journey with the character, a feat that is certainly not accomplished often.

In her prior novel, Weinstein tackled a tough side of parenting and in This is Not How it Ends, she returns with an exploration into relationship perils. While Charley and Phil should be enjoying their engagement and the happiest time of their lives, Phil's constant absence due to work trouble has Charley leaning on a new friend, a widowed father. Now, you might be thinking - a love triangle, an emotional affair - been there, done that. I'm telling you now - no you have not. And you certainly have not read this story the way Weinstein writes it.

Pick this one up on January 1st and find out just what makes this one the magic it is.

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Thank you NetGalley for ARC. 4⭐️ for this page turning read. It’s Love Story (Book/Movie) meets a love triangle set on Florida’s Islamorada. But this is no beach read. Grief and abandonment are strong themes as are love, friendship and sacrifice. Put this one on your January 2020 TBR. In the meantime, read the author’s 5⭐️ Somebody’s Daughter.

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THIS IS NOT HOW IT ENDS by Rochelle B. Weinstein is an emotional and heart-wrenching story of love, family, loss and healing that touched me from the first chapter and never let me go. I was drawn into the lives of Charley, Philip, Ben and his son, Jimmy and felt like they were people I knew personally and cared for deeply. Told from Charley’s point of view and alternating between past and present, the reader learns how two chance encounters dramatically alter the lives of the characters in ways they could never have imagined. This book has explores many difficult themes such as infidelity, betrayal, illness and death with raw honesty and compassion. There is also hopefulness and redemption in how the story plays out. The plot was expertly portrayed and interwoven. I never saw some of the twists and turns coming. I found myself at times both laughing and crying with the characters. I could feel their pain and their joy and every emotion in between. I truly enjoyed this moving and thought-provoking book and highly recommend it! Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the chance to read an early copy.

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