Friday, October 30, 2020

Book Review: Love Offline


By Sara Steven

Online dating isn’t working for introvert Emily. Although she’s comfortable swiping right in her PJs, the idea of meeting a guy in person fills her with dread.

So when her best friend challenges her to ditch the apps, attend a load of awkward singles’ events and find love in real life, Emily wants to run for the hills.

Then she meets Josh. He’s handsome, kind and funny, but Emily’s had her heart crushed before and knows he's hiding something…

Is Josh too good to be true? Can Emily learn to trust again? And if she does, will it lead to love or more heartache?
(Synopsis courtesy of Goodreads)

This was my kind of book. 

First of all, I loved the concept of having Emily disconnect from her phone and social media and dating apps, getting back to the basics of removing her face from a screen and getting out there and socializing in person again. I often have this love/hate relationship with technology and social media, so reading about Emily’s experiences made me want to do the same thing. Not to mention her supportive best friend Chloe who speaks my pre-mid 90’s language. While Chloe goes to the extreme when it comes to her lack of technology, it was nice having her challenge Emily in doing something outside the walls of her apartment, in an effort to get Emily to get outside of her comfort zone.

So much of Emily’s reason behind hiding away has a lot to do with past hurts. That was the other thing that I could relate to, well really, most of us could. There is a lot of fear and trepidation, and reading about her experiences when she finally does get out there contained moments of success and moments that were cringe-worthy. But along the road, she begins to remember who she’d been before the hurt and before she’d made the decision to let go of her own wants and needs in lieu of someone else’s, and that’s when Josh enters the picture.

Josh was well-written as the perfect heartthrob for Emily. Yet as mentioned in the synopsis, it appears that he has something to hide from her and isn’t always available when she needs him, very reminiscent of the types of experiences she’d had before. It was obvious that even when I could clearly see Josh for who he really is, it takes Emily longer to catch up to that, and in her mind, people are who they are not so much based on their character, but whether they are male or female, no matter what. 

There was a ton of character evolvement for Emily. In the beginning, we see a woman who is lost and too afraid to step outside and try to trust again, and gradually over time, we see her letting down her guard. Not only that, but it was nice to see a character that decides not to let another character define their happiness. If Emily does learn to trust again, whether it leads to love or more heartache, she knows she’s going to be okay, and that’s the most important lesson of all. I really enjoyed this deeply transitional, charming read!

Thanks to Rachel's Random Resources for the book in exchange for an honest review.

Purchase Links:

Love Offline is available to read for FREE in Kindle Unlimited. It is also available to read for FREE in Prime Reading until late November. 

Olivia Spring is a British, London-based writer of contemporary women's fiction, sexy chick lit and romantic comedy. Her uplifting debut novel The Middle-Aged Virgin, which was released in July 2018, deals with being newly single in your thirties and beyond, dating, relationships, love, sex and living life to the full.

Olivia published three novels in 2019: Only When It's Love, Losing My Inhibitions, and Love Offline. The Middle-Aged Virgin in Italy, the hotly anticipated sequel to The Middle-Aged Virgin and Olivia’s fifth novel, was published in July 2020. 

When she's not writing, Olivia can be found making regular trips to Italy to indulge in pasta, pizza and gelato and of course, seeking inspiration for her next book!

Visit Olivia online:
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