I loved this book. It was captivating, suspenseful, heartbreaking, and beautifully sweet. Oliver is an endearing character. He is probably the sweetest character I’ve ever read and I absolutely loved it. He’s wholesome and intelligent and has this innocence about him. The growth of his character was unbelievable.

Oliver has returned home after escaping captivity after 22 years, where his childhood best friend Sydney still lives next door and we learn how much his disappearance affected her. She cares for Oliver but has a hard time getting close to him. The tension and angst as she fights her feelings and pushes Oliver away left me frustrated but in a good way.

This is a slow-burn love story with a suspenseful subplot that takes a few twists and turns. I loved everything about this emotional and addicting story. I will warn that this is an emotionally sweet story, but does include content that may be difficult for some readers. Pay attention to content warnings.

So, I have actually read this book before when it was self published. I was so excited when I received an ARC of this title to read it again now that it is being published through Bloom Books. Luckily, I could not remember all of the details about what happened in the story, so it was almost like reading it for the first time.

Have a box of tissues and be prepared to laugh when you read Lotus. It is an emotional roller coaster. I love Oliver Lynch. He is one of the sweetest MMCs. His innocence as he discovers the world and falls in love is so endearing. Even though bad things have happened to him, he is not hardened by his past, and he allows himself to love, laugh, and live the fullest life possible. Lotus is very much a story of healing: Oliver from being kidnapped, Sydney from the trauma of losing her childhood friend, and other characters have a journey as well that I won't mention in order to avoid spoilers. (I highly recommend reading Still Beating first as there are some characters from the novel who show up in Lotus. Knowing who these characters are make their story in Lotus more impactful for the reader, at least it did for me).

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Bloom Books for an advanced readers copy of Lotus! I enjoyed it so much.

I read this cover to cover in one sitting. Yet again, Jennifer Hartmann leaves you broken and then repaired with her words. Another absolutely stellar, emotional, beautiful book written by her!!

Please check triggers before reading.

Filled with angst and all the feels, it was a wonderful friends to lovers romance and the ending was very satisfying.

I am in love with book, it's such a beautiful story if I could read it all over again I just would. Thank you for letting me read this wonderful book.

Thank you to NetGalley, Bloom Books, Sourcebooks, and Jennifer Hartmann for this arc!

This book had challenging moments to read but it was so worth it! I was on a rollercoaster of emotions throughout this whole book. There were unexpected twists and turns.

I found the characters to all be enjoyable! You see some great character growth with Sydney and Oliver. Oliver's coming to terms with his feelings after coming out of captivating for 22 years and Sydney is trying to open herself up after losing Oliver when they were children.

There are some pretty hard topics discussed in this book so please read trigger warnings! That being said great story!

OLIVER MY SWEET BABY. I really loved all of the characters in this book. the pacing was impeccable. It was dark but in a good way. i WILL be reading more of this author’s work.

Jennifer Hartmann’s writing is new to me, but I am shocked by how easily her stories reel me in.

Lotus was angsty, thought-provoking, emotional, and spicy, but also on the darker side, and at times, uncomfortable. The plot was unique and the element of suspense kept me turning the pages. I was literally shocked towards the end and when I found out the meaning of Lotus, my heart bursted. Sydney and Oliver are characters you will be rooting for as they rediscover what their relationship means to them. I would definitely check the trigger warnings prior as there is sensitive content.

What to expect:
▪️Childhood friends to lovers
▪️Forced proximity
▪️Opposites
▪️Overcoming trauma
▪️An amazing bromance
▪️Suspense
▪️It’s always been you

Thank you Bloom for the ARC! This is out 9/5

Oliver went missing on the Fourth of July over two decades ago. He was everything to his best friend Sydney. When he was taken her heart shattered.

Now 22 years later, Oliver returns, and Sydney is overjoyed. Oliver was held underground all these years, cut off from the outside world.

With all the time that has past, can Oliver and Sydney break down their walls and let love bloom?

This was so emotional and so good. I loved Sydney and Oliver and reading the story from their points of view. Sydney was a little extra, but not so much so that it didn’t work. I ultimately ended up loving her character and adored her growth throughout the book. Oliver was the star for me though. He was just amazing! So much to love about him. This book was also very unique. I have never read something quite like it. I haven’t read Still Beating yet, but this book made me want to read it right away. This can be read as a stand-alone, but I hear some of the characters from Still Beating make an appearance. It didn’t affect my enjoyment of the book though. The ending was just perfection and I enjoyed it so much.

If you are looking for an emotional, dark, and suspenseful love story then check this one out.

Please note there are some things in this book that may be triggering.

Thank you so much to Bloom Books for sending me a finished copy and Netgalley for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

Oh my goodness, this book was everything I thought and heard it would be plus even more. I’m officially a fan!

Lotus was a slightly softer than Still Beating but still emotional story, of two childhood best friends reunited 22 years after one was kidnapped. This follows Oliver’s return to the real world as he tries to acclimate after being held in a bunker for most of his life. I loved his journey and his pure innocence. He had a very hard life but watching him work through this newfound freedom was genuinely delightful, and also very funny at times.

Sydney never forgot the boy next door, so when Oliver returns to her she can’t stay away. She was kind of a messy character but in a really great realistic way. The two had such an intense bond and eventually chemistry you just knew as the reader they were meant to be. It was just such a gorgeous love between them.

I really liked how unique this book was , I’ve certainly never read anything like it before and just loved the passion and intensity. Again, there are triggers galore so be careful, but if you are looking for darker romances that are still full of heart this is a great choice!

Lotus was a romance and mystery and trauma story? I don't even know how to identify it since it jumps genres without settling. This young boy Oliver was taken at age 5 or 6? Kept under a man's floor for 22 years. Huh? His friends and family moved on and stopped looking after that long except one girl Sydney who is basically stuck in the past after he went missing. Suddenly Oliver shows up, 22 years later having gotten out of the underground that was his life. After dealing with police and normal stuff they try to get him into normal life. Instantly get him a phone, instantly tell him to find a girl and find a job. Why does no one help him with therapy instead of trying to get his cherry popped? When he eventually goes to therapy it's hypnotherapy... He falls for his childhood best friend Sydney but she gives him mix signals and basically makes him fight for it where as she is basically meh this whole book. A very unappealing character. Even Oliver who I want to care about because of his situation is brushed off of his initial problems way to fast. I mean there's not even evidence of PTSD outside of maybe 3 flash backs to the same day he was taken and fireworks? The last 30% of the book is the tying up of loose ends but opening a whole new thread that makes no sense to add in? It was all very outside view, not dragging you into the story or feeling for the characters. It's almost as of even the author kept her characters as arms length. I honestly am surprised sourcebooks picked this up.

My 3rd Jennifer Hartmann read this month after reading Still Beating and falling in love with her emotional journeys and storytelling. This is probably my 2nd fav of hers after Still Beating (I also read The Wrong Heart). I love a reunited childhood friends to lovers and this book was definitely that but in a more traumatic way….Sydney and Olivier grew up as childhood best friends and neighbors and are reunited 22 years after Oliver was abducted. Oliver is an incredibly sweet hero and I adored him! He was raised in an underground bunker-like situation believing the world above (and most of the population) had been destroyed in a nuclear war and the air was toxic. So he definitely had a lot to catch up on after being abducted at 8-years-old. He does have a connection with Sydney still after all the years that separated them and they are able to heal together.

This book is a sort-of spin-off from Still Beating, they can both be read on their own but you will have a couple characters make appearances in this book. While a lot of this book really worked for me and was a really sweet romance, other parts kind of irked me. Which I know it’s a book and all, but the fact that his brother was trying to push him to date and get laid or find a job…like the dude had been underground for 22 years, he has a lot to get used to before trying to get on tinder. There is a bit of mystery-suspense around Oliver’s disappearance and Sydney having an intruder situation at her house early on, since I did figure out the culprit/what was going on there pretty quickly it kind of lost my interest, but I was more curious about other parts of the read and liked how those were explained (the title of the book being lotus for one).

Currently looking for a rooftop that I can go to and shout to the world that they need to read this book. I honestly did not know what I was expecting when I picked up this book, but what I got was a beautiful, sad, touching, loving story. It also was sprinkled with little moments of humor that made me laugh out loud. I HIGHLY recommend reading Still Beating before this since the characters overlap in a couple ways.

It is dark and has sensitive topics so please check trigger warnings before reading.

This book is a great romance suspense with a boy next door, childhood friends to lovers trope. The male mail character, Oliver goes to something tragic, and it all unfolds when he comes back after being missing. I loved how Sydney and Oliver’s relationship develops and there was definitely times that I was teary-eyed definitely recommend.

i wasn't sure what i got myself into at first, but once i committed to reading it i was very glad i did! more depth than a rom-com, and a sprinkle of mystery and suspense! i laughed, i cried, i loved the characters. syd and her sarcasm were so fun and oliver’s way with words was hilarious. great read!

Oliver went missing on the Fourth of July. For the last twenty-two years, Sydney has all but given up hope that her best friend would be found safe. Shockingly, he returns...no longer the little boy she remembers, but a man changed by the last twenty-two years they spent apart. They slowly rekindle their friendship, but the years spent apart have created space between them. Can they overcome the pain and heartache to become something more?

What I liked: This is a tough topic, but the author approached it beautifully and tenderly. Oliver is a gem of a character - smart, resilient, so open to love - despite all he's been through. You can tell that they are soulmates, despite all the walls they have standing in their own way. I was transported into their world and seemed to feel their emotions along with them. Jennifer Hartmann is the queen of emotional, heart-felt romance, and I bow down to her!

What I didn't like: Some of the supporting characters felt a little empty - would have liked to see them built up a little more. But then I suppose that might have taken away from our leads!

This book is heartbreaking and hopeful all at the same time. If you want a book that will make you feel something - this is the one.

Lotus by Jennifer Hartmann is such a beautiful book. It follows childhood best friends Oliver and Sydney after Oliver is kidnapped as a child only to return years later after escaping. Thank you so much to Netgalley, Jennifer Hartmann, and the publisher, Bloom Books for this ARC!
 
Oliver is reeling and adjusting to a world he hasn’t been a part of for years and years. When he moves in with his brother and discovers his childhood best friend lives next door, it’s an opportunity for Oliver to reconnect with his past and begin to move forward. Sydney has felt Oliver’s absence for years and years and to get him back just feels like fate. With both of them as adults, their reconnection strikes up something on a deeper level.
 
Oliver and Sydney are just 2 characters who you have to root for. Their love story is beautiful and epic and this is my favorite book by Jennifer Hartmann.

I was excited to read this book by Jennifer Hartmann, because I loved Still Beating. I am definitely a fan of her writing. I loved Oliver and how he had to reaclimate coming back into the world. He also was such a kind soul. Sydney also had her own trauma to overcome. The author has such a great ability to write a love story between two characters that have had their fair share of trauma. I also love how Tabitha from Still Beating was brought into this story. This book is definitely worth the time to read.

"Lotus" was both heart-breaking and heart-warming, the author crafted a storyline that will take you through a rollercoaster of emotions.

I think my favorite part of this book was the dynamic between the three main characters, I like stories that have strong friendships at the core of the plot it gives off a found family vibe.

Overall I enjoyed this read though parts of it were hard to get through, this book does touch on sensitive topics so I would recommend checking the Trigger Warnings noted from the author before reading.

Thank you Jennifer Hartmann, Net Galley and Sourcebooks Bloom Books for providing me with an ARC of this book!