Far away, on a beautiful Mediterranean island, a little girl writes a letter to the Universe, with one wish – for something to change so that her father, Luke, can be happy again.
Little does she know, there are two strangers in search of Luke already. Bee, who has just found out a deep secret about her past. And Alex, who dreams of his mother finding some of her memories again, and who believes Luke might be the key.
As Bee’s and Alex’s lives are drawn together – in entirely unexpected ways – will they only find what they’re looking for? Or could the Universe also have a love story planned for two people who might just be soulmates, if only their paths could cross… (Synopsis courtesy of Goodreads.)
Debbie Howells does an excellent job of weaving storylines together that intertwine, compliment one another, and at times, parallel one another, all in an effort to eventually get the characters and their storylines to collide. Bee is down on her luck and feels she’s at the lowest point in her life–so much so, she finds herself back at “home” with her emotionally unavailable mother. This one choice propels her onto a path she never saw coming, with a small brief moment with a stranger somewhat fueling her on, not knowing just how serendipitous things will get for her.
The same can be said for Alex. While his mom isn’t emotionally unavailable, she is withdrawn and different, and he finds himself making all of the decisions for her, often putting his own needs aside. A chance encounter in a hospital leads him to discover more about his mom’s past–and for both Alex and Bee, all roads eventually lead to Luke. Luke is the central character that ties everyone together, mostly enlightening Alex on the stranger he remembers running into not so long ago, a time where he felt like maybe he could do something outside of his comfort zone, despite not really having the opportunity to do so.
What follows is a path to finding a way for everyone featured in This Thing Called Love to heal, all in different ways and what works best for them and their individualized characterizations. Bee is trying to figure out what family really means, and Alex needs to spread his wings more and know that in the end, everything will be OK. Luke could arguably be dealing with the most profound moments of healing out of everyone, and given everything he’s been through, it makes sense. Watching everyone grow and adapt was beautiful to see.
I wanted to discover where the storylines would end up, how the characters would deal with the collision, and the fallout (or wins) that would follow suit. The story was beautifully told and had a mix of everything I appreciate in a well-written romance/friendship novel–love; loss; heartbreak; perseverance; revelation. It was a definite five-star read!
Thanks to Rachel's Random Resources for the book in exchange for an honest review.
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