A Place Without You

4.5 Stars

A Place Without You is the all new stand-alone novel by Jewel E. Ann. If I could sum up in one word how I am feeling it is-WOW!!!! I was not expecting that. AT ALL! I know whenever I pick up a Jewel E Ann novel, I am 100% confident that I will love it. A Place Without You was no different. It was angsty and full of so much heart. I laughed and I cried and my heart ached. But above all of that, it was filled with so much love.

Without giving anything away…Henna and Bodhi unexpectedly meet at a music festival. Their connection is instant. It’s explosive. Neither though are in a place for any type of forever. So they go their separate ways with hopes of someday somewhere they will get their time. Even if it takes a lifetime.

There are no words to adequately describe how much I loved this story. It was extremely well written, with amazingly developed characters, that I could not put it down for the life of me. I loved Henna and Bodhi. They both stole my heart. Another fantastic story from Ms. Ann! I highly recommend reading it!

Writing my reviews for Jewels books always has me wanting to scream to you all about it and then I remember NO SPOILERS because they suck. So I’m going to try and convey here how FREAKING AMAZING this story was without messing the experience for you.

Let’s start by letting you know this book was an avalanche of emotions. You’ll be constantly laughing and crying and laughing and crying some more. Oh and sighing and swooning are so so there too.

Jewel’s stories are real. Everything about them feels like it could be your life or your friends life. You can’t resist identifying and loving each and everyone of her characters. They are flawed, loving, generous and as real as you and me. I wanted to get inside this book and hug them all so many times. Her heroines are always creative, strong with a heart of gold. Her heroes are totally alpha, sexy, sweet and swoony. So see A Place Without You wasn’t an exception from my Jewel induce book hangover.

A Place Without You is a book about growing up, living life, self discover, family, fate and love. It has a bit of everything including second chances, forbidden love, music and art.

In this story we meet Henna Eve Lane “HEL” and Bodhi Kaden Malone. It took a share ubber ride, one day of music at Coachella, fun banter, fries, ketchup and freedom to fuse this two souls together.

If you want to experience a rush of emotions, a unique story that will bring you brightness, passion, pain and soo many types of love into your heart you need to read A Place Without You. If you want to experience the best book hangover of your year or even so you life YOU NEED TO READ A PLACE WITHOUT YOU.

Jewel never ceases to amaze me..and I suppose I should always expect this feeling when I read her books but dang it lady….The ugly cries were real with this one. Bodhi and Henna’s story is more than just your average love story. It transcends time and space and even when you know it the minute you first meet each other’s eyes–that you belong together or that you will always love someone– sometimes you have to go THROUGH the pain and live WITH the pain in order to get to the other side to what may be your happily ever after. I had a lump in my throat through many different parts in the story because, these people could be people you know. Take away the money and those big moments that money buys, you have people you know…living with pain…living with heartache….living with cancer…dying with cancer…depression…accidents…despondency. BUT you also know people who have lived through all these things…who have come through to the other side…on THEIR terms. This will definitely stay on my list of favorite reads of 2019.

“Vulnerability takes more strength than anything else in life. You have to be willing to feel absolutely every emotion. Vulnerability is the sharpest knife, the longest marathon, the highest mountain.”

There is no possible way to ever pre-prepare my heart before stepping into a story by Jewel E. Ann! Every time I read a story by Jewel Ann, I’m reminded of why I read. Her stories are filled with so much passion, and heart and soul, and they burrow deep inside you.

“You’re so beautiful.”
“You can’t even see me.”
“Baby, I don’t see your beauty with my eyes.”

I don’t even want to talk about the story. There are so many things that happen, so many things to feel, you need to experience the wonderment that is Bodhi and Henna! Jewel Ann brings us characters in Bodhi and Henna that you fall in love with instantly. They’re real and relatable. Their chemistry is intense. You feel as if you’re moving along within the story with them. I smiled and chuckled so much throughout this story. My heart ached, I cried and sobbed. And I loved so hard.

“So this is what it feels like to understand that the world is not a place or a destination. It’s a moment. When we touch, it’s the world. It’s life.”

This story is so beautiful. It’s written with such passion and care and love and it wraps around your heart. It elicits so many emotions and stays with you long after it’s been read. It’s not an easy journey, but it is filled with healing, acceptance, and love. My heart is full.

“Bodhi and Henna forever.”

3.5-3.75 stars. This was a pretty good book. This is Bodhi and Henna’s book. As always with this author, there are some major twists so I don’t want to spoil anything plotwise. I will say, it has a lot going on and is a bit schizophrenic. This book is part insta-connection/near insta-love, part high school student and guidance counselor romance, and part illness/impending death of a parent book.

I liked Bodhi and Henna. When they meet, Henna is 19 and, due to a health issue delaying her schooling, is about to enter her senior year of high school. Bodhi is 26, a high school guidance counselor (although Henna doesn’t know that until later) and is running himself ragged running his family farm and taking care of his ailing father. I liked them both, although Henna has a few moments throughout the book of immaturity and naivety. The two have a tumultuous romance spanning years with leaving, separations, pushing away, hurting each other, and coming back together. They go through a lot together and on their own. It was a little bit much for me and a little too much drama. I liked both characters so much and I really felt like they had a soulmate connection. They were definitely meant to be together and were sweet and sexy. I felt bad for them to have to go through so much and wanted them to have a simpler romance.

Still, I enjoyed the book and the story in general. I was entertained and it kept my attention. The writing was good. So, while this book was not my favorite by this author, it was still a pretty good read. I still enjoy Ms. Ann’s books and look forward to what she comes up with in the future.

A Place Without You is a story that shows that love isn’t easy or convenient, it’s not all smooth sailing. Real love is messy and it does hurt.

Bodhi and Henna start off as a forbidden love but that grows into something that’s so much more than that. This story has all the feels, the characters quickly worked their way into my heart and are both great characters and very easy to like.

I’m a huge fan of Jewel E. Ann. She has this unique talent of been able to mess with my heart with every single book. She throws these unexpected twists into her books that knock me on my ass every single time. I spend the full book with my heart in my throat and a nervousness because I don’t quite trust her to not rip my heart out…and I LOVE it! I can’t get enough of her story telling and Bodhi and Hennas story has everything that I’ve come to expect from this author. It’s emotional, it’s addictive and I can’t recommend it enough.

Don’t sweat it. Everything is temporary.” Except A Place without You.

Quite frankly, it has taken me a few days to really put my mind around Jewel E. Ann’s newest book and offer a review that would do her book justice. So here goes.

Before I begin, you need to know that Jewel E. Ann wears the crown of romance in my opinion. She is my #1 favorite author. Don’t get me wrong. If you have read any of my blog posts/reviews, you know I have several favorite authors. But Jewel is my creme de la creme. You should know that before I move further into the review of her latest book, A Place without You (APYM), releasing January 2nd. Also, you should know that she allowed me to edit the draft of this book, so I’ve read it twice — once in production and once after publication. There’s that.

There are three truths you should know about Jewel and her writing:

She is a wordsmith. When I read her books, there are actual nuggets of word joy that spread goosebumps over my skin and build butterflies in my stomach. I want her to put together a Most Quotable Jewel E. Ann reference book simply so the words of her books can be compacted together and treasured. There is something vibrant and delicious in the way she weaves words into gleaming truths for her characters.
Her characters usually struggle with some societal challenge, some taboo topic or concern. In When Life Happens, infidelity is explored. Look The Part reveals the emotional and physical consequences of drinking and driving. Her Transcend duet toys with the idea of soul mates and reincarnation (not in a paranormal way). These tomes are just a smattering of this. What she does through her writing is give you space to consider your values or thoughts on the topic.
Jewel writes soul mates. Sometimes, the characters recognize this early; other times, it may take them longer to understand that their souls find completion in each other. Her characters don’t engage in empty relationships. They find solace in each other, oftentimes making her stories heartbreaking as they struggle through the challenges of their lives. Her Jonesies (the FB reader group for Jewel E. Ann) find exhilaration in reading the heartbreak and coming out a bit broken but resolved in the end.
All of these truths are evident in A Place without You.

As I read her draft and subsequent publication, I was bowled over by her words. Here are a few of my favorite lines from this book:

“Time is a weak force compared to other earthly phenomena like magnetism. Attraction doesn’t give a shit about time. It wants what it wants. I know one thing for sure—long after our time ends, I will feel an invisible pull to her for the rest of my life. Yin and Yang. Positive and negative. Bodhi and Henna.”

“We are greater than you and greater than me, and we are definitely greater than our life’s circumstances.”

“Timing guides our lives more than love. Love is just an emotion—timing is our destiny. Missed opportunities. Serendipity. Fate … it’s all about timing, not love.”

“His words overflow my heart, dripping down…staining my soul with the most beautiful promise.”

“Except for Bodhi. With Bodhi, I live. I breathe. I dream. I imagine. I’m limitless with him. But without him, I’m…”

“The Law of Henna and Bodhi: When love breaks, fall inward, fall together, and fall hard. Then let time pick up the pieces.”

“Hi. I’m pretty sure you’re still my greatest memory.”

“Funny…” I shake my head. “Because after two years, a million new faces, and countless cities … every place was simply a place without you. So it doesn’t matter that everyone wanted that for me. I only wanted you.”

“The world is big, but our time here is small and precious. Life is meant to be lived, not solved. And love … well, it’s like a white T-shirt with french fries and ketchup. It’s messy, but worth the risk.”

“The hate, the immaturity, the fear, the pain … it’s no longer part of us. Henna and Bodhi are simply more. More love. More days of living. More nights of passion. Just so much more…”

When you read her words, you breathe the life of her characters, Bodhi and Henna. In this book, though, it isn’t just Henna and Bodhi and their story. It’s the ancillary characters such as Barrett (Bodhi’s father), Juni (Henna’s mother), Zach (Henna’s step-father), and Mitchell (Henna’s father). With each of these characters, Jewel’s words flow. There is an emotional depth to all of their words which lets you know this story matters. These characters’ stories matter.

In this book, the topics are heady: euthanasia, forbidden romance, and timing. I don’t want to touch the first topic because it will give too much away in the story, and I implore you to read this book, especially to challenge your thinking on this topic. However, this book is something of a forbidden romance. When Jewel announced her intent for APWY to involve a “student-teacher” relationship, I was nervous. As a professor, the thought of a romance with a student makes my skin feel tight (and not in that sexual way you read about in books). She told me it would be tasteful, and I’d be “okay” with it. She wasn’t lying. Bodhi and Henna’s relationship, under romantic terms, would be deemed a forbidden relationship (age difference and guidance counselor/student), but it is tasteful. You accept their relationship, and you find yourself wanting to punch Principal Rafferty’s face due to her lack of grace for Henna. I never felt uncomfortable reading Bodhi and Henna’s relationship. It is natural; it is beautiful; it is necessary to understanding the biggest truth of this story: time.

Isn’t it true? Love is about timing, finding the right moment in your life to love someone else. There is no doubt that Henna and Bodhi are soulmates. That is a truth evident from the start. However, even though we understand that truth from the start, it doesn’t mean that their story is meant for now. And that is a truth for everyone. Not every relationship is meant for “now.” So, with that truth, you must know that this story covers time and space. If you are expecting something quick and fast, you will be disappointed. You will need to wait. Be patient. Trust Jewel.

Lastly, the story isn’t grandiose. The characters and their connections to each other are the strength of this story. This is where I shed most of my tears. (Yes, you will cry with this story. Either that, or you have a dead, cold heart). The development of relationships is never without heartbreaks, never without strife. A Place without You will show you that. And the depth of Henna and Bodhi or Bodhi and Barrett or Henna and Barrett or Henna and Juni is the gold of this book. It was a privilege to read about them, to encounter them in the story, living their lives. The connections between them all is, for me, the story’s zenith. If your romance kink is character development (which is mine), then you will love this book.

There is one more thing I love about Jewel E. Ann and her books. Like any good romance, there is $ex in her stories. However, unlike other stories, it is never a focal point. I’ve read so many books wherein the author writes an amazing se%ual scene, a little story, another amazing se%ual moment, a little story, etc. When you read a JEA story, you get a story with wholly-developed characters and little sexy mixed in. It never dominates or takes control; instead, it elevates and adds layers to the complexities of the characters’ stories. It is one more reason that she is my Queen Bee of Romance.

Overall, buy this book, read this story, and wrap yourself in Jewel E. Ann’s amazing prose. If you read on Kindle like me, you will have so many highlights that you can revel in later. From someone who has read this book a couple of times, A Place without You can never be temporary; it can only be eternal.

Overall:+

Henna and Bodhi. Bodhi and Henna. I kind of loved them!
Fate has a funny way of showing up at the most unexpected times. When Henna and Bodhi first meet at a music festival, their connection is instant and unforgettable. They bond over the love of music and adventure. Once the weekend is over, they both head back to the real world and to their real lives, and sometimes life can be harsh and painful. At the young age of 18, Henna has had to do a lot of healing and realizes that life is a gift to be treasured. Her YOU ONLY LIVE ONCE attitude is contagious and refreshing. Bodhi has been living a life plagued with guilt and lives his life trying to make up for past mistakes. He has put his future and his happiness on hold, but when Henna shows up after their weekend together he can’t deny himself the pure joy she brings into his life. Both Henna and Bodhi realize that some people that come into our lives are meant to leave a permanent mark on our heart, body and soul. I was left a little unsettled with some of the choices and decisions that were placed in Henna’s path, but I absolutely loved Henna and Bodhi’s journey. Highly recommend!

There were so many things I loved about this novel.

I loved Henna’s care free and wild spirit. Her gypsy like personality, not taking anything too seriously, living in the moment, and not wasting a profound connection with someone even if it’s just meant to be temporarily. And the connection she shared with Bodhi was immediate, tangible, and epic.

Bodhi was a DREAM!!! The mother lode actually!! He was such an amazing guy, even with everything else that was going on. And the way he was with Henna – SWOON!!!! These two were a dream come true. They just fit. You know like Yin and Yang – two halves belonging together.

But as it is often in life, timing is everything. And at times fate and karma can also be a bitch.

For me Henna and Bodhi were meant to be. I loved them, actually adored them together. Their love for each other was beyond reason and without a doubt meant to be. It’s just that life had other plans.

The author wrote a gorgeous love story. Absolutely beautiful, meaningful and touching. I adored it until l got to the second half of the book. It would have been one of these magical stories that left me all glowing and and grinning like a maniac, because that’s how much I loved it.

But then the author went her merry way and ripped my heart out!! It became emotionally wrecking and left me with this huge hole in my heart. But besides all that, A Place Without You was exceptionally well written, crisp, clean, with dialogues that just jumped off the pages. It also helps that the author writes some of the most enjoyable characters.

I just need to remind myself that she also excels in ripping out my heart when I least expect it.

I loved Bodhi and Henna were amazing! They meet at Coachella, a music festival. When Henna reports to her guidance counselor, she is shocked to discover that Mr Malone, is her Bodhi. Get ready for a story destined to be one of your favorites of 2019.