Review of Noah
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Katie Simpson Bower
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Review of Noah
[Following is a volunteer review of "Noah" by Gary Hope.]
Noah, Trying to Find Lost Love by Gary Hope, is about two people who feel like they lost their true love and both are carrying a hurt that strong drinks, bad choices, and wandering in the beauty of nature cant alleviate.
Noah is a columnist with the Salt Lake City Tribune in Utah, and his work responding to people's questions has started to become harsh and cold. His boss has noticed and lets him know he needs to figure out how to get back to his old self, so his writing will improve. The problem is Noah can’t. He is buried in hurt from losing not only one woman he loved but two. His first is Ana an online love interest that he fell for hard. He loves her wit and humor and her sweet disposition, even if he has never met her in person. The second is the lovely Dorothy, a National Park ranger who he has attended hiking and rafting trips with. While on a hike she gifted him an arrowhead and it is almost always with him. As the sorry starts, Ana has shut down her email account and Dorothy has transferred to a new park far away from his Utah home. They move through their lives in a haze of loneliness and fight to keep their heads above water. Noah tries to move on but despite his best efforts his thoughts always drift back to emails he used to get and to the arrowhead in his pocket. He gains new people in his life that give him the companionship he's been missing but he still feels the loss of what he could have had. They eventually find new friends along the way that help in their journeys back to each other despite some big misunderstandings and a universe determined to keep them apart.
One thing about this story is that it was so frustrating but interesting. Throughout the story, there are several missed opportunities that could have brought the love interests where they should be. Being in the same building but not noticing the other. Being at the same intersection but not seeing each other due to bright sunlight. They want to have their love back but each side thinks the other doesn’t want them back. I can't tell you the number of times I stormed off and grumbled to myself about how they just need to talk to each other! It's nerve-racking to read but makes for a good story that keeps you coming back to find out what happens. I like that this story was focused on the mental and emotional journey of the characters rather than a physical one. It has wonderful depictions of the nature surrounding the characters and makes me want to almost give hiking a try. Almost.
What I found to be lacking in the story was a true happily ever after. Do they really rekindle their love? What happens with the other characters? They were all interesting and learning more about them would be great. I would have liked to have seen an epilogue or sneak peek at a possible sequel, so I could possibly get some answers to my questions or see their happy ending. This just ends with no real resolution.
Ultimately I am rating this story a {3 out of 4}. It was well written, beautifully descriptive and there was no filler or unnecessary plotline. Everything revolved around the leads and how they navigated getting back to each other. The lack of information about their ending or re-beginning left the story feeling a little incomplete.
I would recommend this book to someone who enjoys a very clean romance and is older. This story is more about complex emotions and less about the angst or tension that younger readers in their teens or twenties would usually prefer in a romance. This is more for people who enjoy the anticipation of wondering what will happen next.
******
Noah
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Noah, Trying to Find Lost Love by Gary Hope, is about two people who feel like they lost their true love and both are carrying a hurt that strong drinks, bad choices, and wandering in the beauty of nature cant alleviate.
Noah is a columnist with the Salt Lake City Tribune in Utah, and his work responding to people's questions has started to become harsh and cold. His boss has noticed and lets him know he needs to figure out how to get back to his old self, so his writing will improve. The problem is Noah can’t. He is buried in hurt from losing not only one woman he loved but two. His first is Ana an online love interest that he fell for hard. He loves her wit and humor and her sweet disposition, even if he has never met her in person. The second is the lovely Dorothy, a National Park ranger who he has attended hiking and rafting trips with. While on a hike she gifted him an arrowhead and it is almost always with him. As the sorry starts, Ana has shut down her email account and Dorothy has transferred to a new park far away from his Utah home. They move through their lives in a haze of loneliness and fight to keep their heads above water. Noah tries to move on but despite his best efforts his thoughts always drift back to emails he used to get and to the arrowhead in his pocket. He gains new people in his life that give him the companionship he's been missing but he still feels the loss of what he could have had. They eventually find new friends along the way that help in their journeys back to each other despite some big misunderstandings and a universe determined to keep them apart.
One thing about this story is that it was so frustrating but interesting. Throughout the story, there are several missed opportunities that could have brought the love interests where they should be. Being in the same building but not noticing the other. Being at the same intersection but not seeing each other due to bright sunlight. They want to have their love back but each side thinks the other doesn’t want them back. I can't tell you the number of times I stormed off and grumbled to myself about how they just need to talk to each other! It's nerve-racking to read but makes for a good story that keeps you coming back to find out what happens. I like that this story was focused on the mental and emotional journey of the characters rather than a physical one. It has wonderful depictions of the nature surrounding the characters and makes me want to almost give hiking a try. Almost.
What I found to be lacking in the story was a true happily ever after. Do they really rekindle their love? What happens with the other characters? They were all interesting and learning more about them would be great. I would have liked to have seen an epilogue or sneak peek at a possible sequel, so I could possibly get some answers to my questions or see their happy ending. This just ends with no real resolution.
Ultimately I am rating this story a {3 out of 4}. It was well written, beautifully descriptive and there was no filler or unnecessary plotline. Everything revolved around the leads and how they navigated getting back to each other. The lack of information about their ending or re-beginning left the story feeling a little incomplete.
I would recommend this book to someone who enjoys a very clean romance and is older. This story is more about complex emotions and less about the angst or tension that younger readers in their teens or twenties would usually prefer in a romance. This is more for people who enjoy the anticipation of wondering what will happen next.
******
Noah
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Latest Review: What did you do at school today? by C.C. Lacavera
