THE ENDING I WANT
Standalone
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Author: Samantha Towle
Release Date: May 10, 2016
Taylor Shaw had the perfect life—until she was sixteen. That was when everything changed. From that moment on, life went from bad to worse…to the worst.
After recovering from a brain tumor, months later, she suffers the tragic loss of her whole family.
Since that fateful day, she’s been coasting through life.Now, the brain tumor has returned, and Taylor decides she’s had enough. She’s going to take her fate into her own hands.
No more hospitals. No more surgeries. No more anything.
She’s going to join her family.
It’s her decision.
What she longs for.
The ending she wants.She just has a list of things to do before she goes.
First, go to England.
Second, kiss a stranger…Only, Taylor didn’t expect Liam Hunter, the stranger—with his handsome face, his six-foot-three of gorgeousness, and his oh-so-hot English accent—to change things.
To change her.
To change the ending she wanted.What is a girl, who is standing on the edge of nothing, to do when offered the chance of everything?
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Recently, I’ve found myself wishing for a lot of things. Things I have no right to wish for. But the heart can be a selfish and foolish thing. And mine is certainly both.
I have been sitting here for days trying to figure out how to rate this book. I adore Samantha Towle’s books. The Mighty Storm is still one of my all times favorites. When I first read the blurb to The Ending I Want, I knew I had to read it. It sounded like exactly the highly emotional reads I love that would tug at every heartstring. Unfortunately, that’s not quite what I got and what I had to sit and think on is expectation vs. reality. But the more I thought about it, the more I realized that it wasn’t just reality not living up to expectations for me, it was my lack of connection with the characters and their story that ultimately brought my rating down. So what do I rate it? Ultimately I had to go with a 2.5 because it just didn’t feel like a full 3 stars for me because aside from the first 15% and final 20%, I felt no emotional connection to the story whatsoever. Don’t get me wrong, I didn’t hate it. Not by any means. But I didn’t quite like it either. I had to push myself to finish, and that’s what my rating reflects.
I loved the first 15%. The buildup, the chemistry between the characters, and then it progressively began to lose steam for me. The H and h connection was super quick, but still believable. I applaud the author in pulling that off because it’s not easy considering they get together pretty much right away.
I struggled with my connection to both Taylor and unfortunately even Liam. Taylor just never clicked for me. I didn’t buy her reason for choosing to die. I wanted to feel her reasons and never did. This holds especially true with the decision she made at the end because it just didn’t add up with what she kept saying for the entire book. I didn’t buy it. It felt….dare I say…shallow. There’s quite a bit of sex that happens in the book and ultimately it began to take away from the possible emotion it could have had. 15-20% the characters spend going on dates and having sex and I just wanted more. I wanted to feel Taylor’s plight. I wanted the emotion, the angst. And yet it never came. Not really.
Liam was incredibly sexy and enigmatic, but I struggled even with him. As much as I hate to use the word cliche, at times that’s what he read like. A billionaire with a tragic past. Nothing really new for me here. I wanted more. (view spoiler). It was all too much. I’d almost rather he was an average Joe. I simply didn’t need all that.
I also found some of the dialogue, especially the sex talk, to be forced and stilted at times. It almost felt like those parts were written by someone else. I don’t even know how to explain it, but it just felt…off.
…
One of these days, I’m going to fuck you where everyone can see. Where they can watch me fuck your hot, tight pussy.”
Don’t get me wrong, it was really hot at times, but at other times it was almost cheesy in an OTT way.
That’s it, babe. Fuck my finger. Just like I’m going to fuck you with my cock. God, I want to fuck you now- so bad.
….
I think we we both know that you and I are more than friends. I think my thumb up your arse while I was fucking you with my cock earlier on should have confirmed that fact to you.
I spent the majority of the book waiting to be hit with the emotion that the blurb promises, and I barely got that in the last 20%. Unfortunately for me, by then it was simply too little too late.
Now to be fair, the author does an amazing job with Liam. I truly felt for him and I loved getting his POV.
I may not have fully connected with him in the story, but that doesn’t mean I didn’t enjoy him. Because I really did.
Don’t let my rating deter you from reading this and judging for yourself. Sometimes you click with a book and sometimes you don’t, and sadly this fell into the latter category for me. Many people loved it; I’m simply getting too picky for my own good. I will without a doubt read any and all future books from this wonderful author. You can’t love every book, even from your favorites, and this was my one fluke. I look forward to what miss Towle will write in the future.
