I love Sarah Ready’s books and writing style so I knew I was going to love this one. But, I wasn’t prepared for the emotional roller coaster Jace and Andrea’s story took me on! It broke my heart and ripped it clear out of my chest! Yes, it put it back together but it was quite the journey! Andrea is from a wealthy family and Jace is an orphaned musician. This story spans throughout about fifteen years and is beautifully written. I absolutely loved Jace’s brothers and would love more of them! There is so much character growth, not only from our main characters, but also the side characters. This book pulled me in from the beginning and I couldn’t stop reading! It is pretty long but I feel it is needed for the whole story. It never felt too long for me. I absolutely loved Jace and Andrea and even though their story was heartbreaking at times, it is also beautifully told. I can’t wait to read more from this author!

I also listened to this as I read along and James Fouhey and Rachel F. Hirsch did a fabulous job with the narration and brought this story to life for me!

This is a story that takes place in the space of 14 years of longing, heartbreak, first love, loss, death, adolescence, adulthood, maturity, and the act of fate.
Our heroine Andrea (Andi) Leighton-Hughes is a very rich young girl at the age of 18 years old. As Leighton-Hughes she had to always live by the rules of society. However, Andrea lives a somehow double life when she dresses like a normal girl and sits around Central Park, and that is where fate brings her to Jace.
Jace Morgan is a normal boy from a normal family who grew up surrounded by love and music. As a family, they were a music band and they couldn't be happier despite their poor status. One day, The 3 brothers lost both of their parents and all is left is their band and the promise to make it big and fulfill their parent's dreams.
So when Jace meets Andrea an instant connection is formed and somehow both of them knew they were their each other soulmates.
However, life has a different saying on the matter and them being together is not easy as it seems.
I loved this book so much and what made the reading experience way better is that I read and listened to the audiobook simultaneously🤩 Although I'm not a big fan of audiobooks this one was perfect, the narrators did an excellent job with it.
There were so many emotional parts I cried which doesn't happen often and that means I was deeply affected. The storyline was surprising every time I predict something a twist comes and leaves me speechless.
I could talk about it for hrs and it won't be enough. So I will just say, this is Sarah's best work yet and a MUST read😉.

Thank you to the publisher and @netgalley for granting me an ARC of #TheSpaceBetween in exchange for my honest review.

Xoxo

What is the lyric of your life?

genre: contemporary romance
pages: 540
audio: dual narration
rating: ★★★★★ [5/5]
spice: open door

<i>“I never needed you to love me back. It was enough knowing I loved you.”</i>

Jace and Andie. Andie and Jace.

Never has the term 'opposite worlds' been more accurate than for street musician Jace and society darling Andrea. Yet, their serendipitous meeting one evening in Central Park sets off a chain of events that neither could have foreseen.

Although their all-consuming love irrevocably ties them to each other, the young love is tested to the breaking point by people closest to them and the two will have to face the difficult question what will happen to them in the time they aren’t together?

<i>"I decide to join him in the space between the inhale and the exhale."</i>

Review

This was my first ever Sarah Ready book and I went into it fairly innocently. Never could I have foreseen the emotional agony I would be in, or the cathartic tears that would stream down my face reading Jace and Andie's story.

The first half of the book centers around their teenage years, their different upbringings and hopes in life up until their chance encounter and ultimate breaking point. It is the second half of the book that really punches you in the feels with its twists.

Although the narrators did a great job bringing both MCs to life, I did wish they would've alternated in dialogues so that each voice stayed consistent through the chapters. The story jumps between their two POVs at such well-timed moments in the story, it simply flowed seamlessly and felt raw and honest.

Themes:
-First Love
-Coming of Age
-Found Family
-TW: Attempted assault, grief and death

All quotes are subject to change prior to release.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ALC in exchange for an honest review.

A story of love and told from both the main characters points of view, so it’s easy to understand all the drama and challenges they face. It’s an easy read and was an easy listen

This dual POV story spans across many years of the relationship and events that happen in Jace and Andrea's life.
No one gets them. No one really supports their relationship. It took one night for things to come between them and really throw a wrench into what they thought their relationship was.
This book is the definition of if it's meant to be it will be! It's heartwarming and has so many real-life struggles within. It ends and wraps up perfectly, in my opinion.

I listened to the audio, and it was so well narrated. Such a good one to listen to.

Thank you to W. W. Crown, Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA), Members' Audiobooks and
@netgalley for allowing me to read and give my honest review.

4.5 Stars rounded down. I worried that I wouldn't like this one in the beginning, but once the teenage years were over, I really enjoyed it! Loved the journey that Andy went on, and how it all came together in the end.

I have mixed feelings about this book. I am impressed with aspects of the plot development and how the main characters change and grow. I was incredibly frustrated with the way lack of simple communication drove the entire plot.

I wasn't a fan of the timeline of the plot as it shifts eight years and then another five years and then a few months and then another few years. It just took away from the enjoyment for me.

The characters' ethnic diversity seems to be thrown for its own sake without true development of context.

Spoiler:
The ending in particular seems incredibly unrealistic and bothered me. What mother would take her five year old with what amounts to a complete stranger to the child across the globe for months at a time?

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

I really enjoyed this! A story told from two perspectives, Andie and Jace, and spanning 15 years it is a love story of two people separated by their social status, wealth, and distance. Obstacles keep them apart, but the music brings them together and back again. It was a great story.

Themes: 🎶❤️💔🗣️🗣️👩‍❤️‍👨

My feelings: 😀😍😢😭🥰🤩

@netgalley
#netgalley
#thespacebetween
#audiobook
#readmorebooks
#readmorebooksbywomen
#readersofinstagram
#mybookishlife
#bookstagram
#bookstagrammer

I am fast becoming a Sarah Ready fan! The Space Between, which I listened to on audio narrated by James Fouhey and Rachel Hirsch, is a romance that explores the love between Andi and Jace, who live in different worlds but fall hopelessly in love as teens. As fate and life gets in their way, they never stop loving each other even though life and circumstances intervene. The narration alternates POV between Jace and Andi, and the narrators' voices meshed well with their characters' personalities.

Unlike other books I have read by the same author, this one is not a romantic comedy, but more of a straight up romance. I loved the relationship between Jace and Andi, and also the relationship Andi developed with Reece over the years. I was brought to tears a couple of times, which is, in my estimation, the true measure of a romance novel. This novel is several love stories within one grand, sweeping, lifelong romance. I loved it!

Thank you to Netgalley and W.W. Crown for the audio ARC of The Space Between by Sarah Ready. The opinions in this review are my own.

I love Sarah Ready's books as they always make me feel so much more than I think I'm going to and in ways that I don't expect. Jace and Andi's love story is sweet and beautiful and heartbreaking and healing. Sarah took me on another lovely emotional journey that left me feeling like I lived another life and came through it with tears and laughter. Her writing style is transportive and effortlessly flows. Her characters feel real, flaws and all, and are very relatable. This story highlights a misunderstanding and how that can affect a relationship long term and Sarah brings it full circle with redemption and love.

What an emotional roller coaster. This books surprises you at every turn. Just when I felt like I had it figured it out, it threw a whole new twist. I bawled a few times and laughed a lot, but overall it broke my heart and put it back together over and over again. 

This is the first book since I read Kate Stewart’s Drive that I truly was torn about the love interest. It was such a beautiful love story within the love story and the woulda-coulda-shouldas are still making my heart hurt. 

I loved the dual POV, but I wanted to see more of Jace in the time in between. The focus was more on Andi and that makes sense based on what she went through and her story arc, but I would have just like to see what Jace had been up to besides just a general description of his career taking off. I'd like to have seen how his personal life evolved. I can't imagine that he was just stuck on pause for so many years.

I was not ready for this book!

I went into it knowing I liked Sarah Ready’s last book and planning to like this one as well. Wrong. I loved it.

Andy and Jace take you on a heartbreaking journey of love when life happens. Between them, Jace’s brothers (Dallas and Pauly too!), and people from Andy’s past will destroy you and then through love healing will happen.

Do not pass this book! But definitely be prepared for the tears to flow.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a chance to read and review.

Genre: Contemporary Romance
TW: Please Check
Spice: Closed Door
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️[5/5]
Review written by: M
Thank you NetGalley for this Audio Arc in exchange for an honest review

Plot:
This story follows the life of Jace, an aspiring musician, and Andrea, a lonely heiress. It’s a story about how they fall madly in love and what tears them apart. It’s about finding your place in life and the space between those major life events.

Thoughts:
It has been a while since I read a book that had tears streaming down my cheeks. This book tore my heart to pieces, mend it back together, tore it apart again, and glued it back together. This book kept having twists and turns in unexpected moments that kept me on the edge of my seat while listening and I loved every one of those moments! Sarah Ready has an incredible ability to create well-written characters that you fall in love with and root for! I loved having the ability to listen to this as an audiobook because the narration brought the characters to life for me.

If you are looking for a romance that touches upon grief, family dynamics, loss, found family, love and second chances then please give this book a chance.

I will say I went into this book entirely blind, and it was quite a shock for me. This was my second Sarah Ready book, my first was “French Holiday.” I went into this book expected a very cutesy romance, with crazy lobster scenes and great banter, but I was entirely wrong, it was the opposite. It was raw, heartbreaking, and heartwarming. I can’t wait to read more from her because she does both styles divinely.

The only criticism that I have of this book is the fact that at times does feel like it drags on in certain areas, but don’t let that stop you. Push through because it is well worth it for that ending!

🩶 Multiple timelines
🩶 Opposites attract
🩶 Different worlds
🩶 Second/ third chance
🩶 Band member MMC
🩶 Dual pov

This book had me 😡 fuming (at a certain character), laughing, smiling, swooning and crying like a baby.
The epitome of an emotional rollercoaster. I felt like I was right there on this journey with them.
Some people have said this was too long and honestly it's not. Each timeline gets the perfect amount of time and it never felt slow. Is 540 pages a lot, yes but the other option is a duet and this is just so much better.

This is my 4th book by this author and not only my favorite from her now but a tip 5 book for me this year (out of 168 books read this year!)

The audio was done really well and kept me intrigued the entire time.

Thank you Netgalley and W.W. Crown Books for this ALC to read in exchange for an honest review!

The Space Between by Sarah Ready
Format: ALC 🎧
Narrated by: James Fouhey & Rachel F. Hirsch
Pub. date: July 25/23

Sarah Ready has done it again. She has given us a book with complex and interesting characters. The Space Between, with the main characters Andrea and Jace, is a heartbreaking love story but different than you might expect. We get to know the characters from a dual point of view learning what is important to each of them. We learn that Andrea feels unseen and unimportant in a family where appearances are most important. While Jace, although well loved, is tricked and manipulated by the people he trusted the most.

I listened to the audiobook and really enjoyed it. I liked the narrators and how they shared the emotions of the characters helping to keep me engaged. I also enjoyed the story and was pleasantly surprised by the twists and turns that happened in the character’s lives. Learning about Andrea and what made her do or say the things she did led me to care for her. Jace was also represented however I would have liked to learn more about him as it seemed he disappeared for a while.

All in all this is another wonderful book by Sarah Ready whom I have quickly become a fan of and whose books are going to be continually on my TBR list. Many thanks to NetGalley, the author, and Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA), Members' Audiobooks for the opportunity to review this ALC for my honest review.

I did NOT know what to expect going into listening to this ALC. I had never read Sarah Ready but she was recommended by a friend, so I was excited to give her a try. This book was a complete doozy of emotions - it broke me apart and then put me back together again.

Jace & Andrea were the definition of young love - coming from different lives and trying to buck whatever expectations were placed upon them. They fell for each other fast at a young age and tried to make it work despite the odds being stacked against them. When their breakup comes, it’s devastating - there was such a strong build-up for them as a couple. Their personalities fit perfectly from the start, and never faltered.

But then, after the breakup, that’s when the story really starts to hit. The years that go by for Jace and Andrea come with so many twists and turns - success, grief, growing up, surprises. I couldn’t stop listening once we hit that 50% mark…it felt like a love story that had to end well, but the road to get there was so windy. Jace became a beloved musician but he was ultimately sad, and Andrea had become a hardened shell of her former happy self. Both needed each other but it took time to find their way back.

The audio record was fantastic - the pacing and emotion that the narrators brought to the record was so good. I’d strongly recommend going into this book blind but know that there will be a lot of sweet moments and a lot of tears.

This was a GREAT story to listen to! AWESOME narration! Great main characters. The plot was easy to find. The story was engaging and easy to follow. Will be purchasing this book. Shout out to Netgalley and publishing for allowing me to listen and review this story.

4 STARS!

This is one of those stories that touches your whole heart. I felt such a variety of emotions while listening. The story alone is fantastic - full of hard life lessons, friendship, love, trust and heartbreak. The characters are witty, amusing and prone to human error.
The narration is what really tipped me over into loving this story. The depth of emotion that both narrators put into their reading has the power to transport you into the story completely.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝗽𝗮𝗰𝗲 𝗕𝗲𝘁𝘄𝗲𝗲𝗻 by Sarah Ready
Published: July 25, 2023
Reviewed by: Mel
Format: ALC Audiobook via @NetGalley

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝗶𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲
✽ Complicated romance
✽ Friends to Lovers
✽ Enemies to Lovers
✽ Family drama
✽ Dual POV

𝗧𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗴𝗲𝗿 𝗪𝗮𝗿𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀
✽ Cancer/Death
✽ Parental death
✽ Abandonment

Thank you to @NetGalley and @sarahready for gifting me an audiobook ALC of this book. It was definitely not a book that would have been on my radar otherwise, and I’m so incredibly glad I got to experience it! #gifted #netgalley #thespacebetween #sarahready

𝗠𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵𝘁𝘀
Between the writing, the story, the character development, and the narrators — this audiobook was *chef’s kiss*. I really enjoyed both narrators (FMC and MMC) and felt that they not only allowed me to feel even closer to the characters but added that extra level of engagement and emotion into the storyline.

I read another review where the reader thought that the book reminded them of another story, and when I sat back and thought about it, I could absolutely see some elements of The Notebook in certain aspects of this one, but not enough to feel like it was too similar or that it detracted from my enjoyment of this one. Both stories share certain elements list lost love, young love, love triangle, rich vs. poor, and the story spanning many years.

This one doesn’t release for another few weeks, but if you’re looking for a heartwarming love story that feels like a breath of fresh air — definitely pick it up!

The audiobook was enjoyable. I did prefer the female narrator over the male narrator. But overall it was easy to listen to. I recommend the audio.

I didn't love this book but then I didn't hate it. I'm not a fan of the whole Insta-love plot but I got past it and it was turning out to be a cute read. But then the miscommunication trope was introduced and from this point the story turned more into a melodrama than romance. I felt like this book was a little longer than it should have been but I did finish it. While this story wasn't my favorite it was still a good read.

Book Releases July 23, 2023

Thank you to NetGalley and W.W Crown for the E-ARC

All thoughts and opinions are honest and my own.