From the national bestselling author of Before We Were Strangers, Swear on this Life, and Wish You Were Here comes a powerful story of two people who spend years denying their scientifically proven chemistry. Penny spends her afternoons sitting outside a sandwich shop, surrounded by ghosts. Fourteen years ago, this shop was her childhood dance studio–and she was a dancer on the rise. Now she’s … studio–and she was a dancer on the rise. Now she’s a suburban housewife, dreading the moment her son departs for MIT, leaving her with an impeccably decorated McMansion and a failing marriage. She had her chance at wild, stars-in-her-eyes happiness, but that was a lifetime ago. After The Kiss. Before The Decision.
The Kiss was soulful. Magical. Earth-shattering. And it was all for a free gift card. Asked to participate in a psych study that posed the question, “Can you have sexual chemistry without knowing what the other person looks like?” Penny agreed to be blindfolded, make polite conversation with a total stranger, and kiss him. She never expected The Kiss to change her life forever and introduce her to Gavin: tattooed, gorgeous, and spontaneous enough to ask her out seconds after the blindfolds came off.
For a year, they danced between friendship and romance–until Penny made The Decision that forced them to settle for friendship. Now, fourteen years later, both of their lives are about to radically change–and it’s his turn to decide what will become of their once-in-a-lifetime connection.
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Interesting concept for a book! One of my favorite authors
I really wanted to love this book more than I did. I thought it was because I have a massive book hangover but it’s just not a book that kept me going.
This is a friends to lovers story in an unconventional way. I just feel like it kept going and every time one of them could get with the other something happened days before that kept them apart.
Gavin and Penny met with an experiment a blind kiss that curled their toes. They wanted to explore this but they also wanted to finish college. So they did what any couple that has massive feelings for each other would become best friends.
Gavin is in love with Penny but he can’t seem to get his timing right. Penny wants to be a dancer that’s all she has dreamed of and she’s so close to graduation and making her dreams come true.
When Gavin and her choose to leave this attraction go. They are just both storms that keep passing. When they do collide it just makes things worse.
I really hoped that this book was going to be more explosive with the love but it was boarder line depressing. I really had trouble paying attention to the story as well.
The writing was pretty good but the plot is one of my least favorite. I hate when the characters (her) make some pretty stupid decisions and the H and h are not even together until the last couple of pages. So much wasted time. ( I guess my cup is half empty??) I know it was Gavin’s choice to stay friends, but I just felt like Penny tortured him for years. And there was no payoff for sticking with the angst.
With an off the charts angst level, Blind Kiss left me with all the feels. Honestly, I finished this book 24 hours ago, and I still haven’t been able to process exactly how I feel about it! Laughter, tears, screams, and everything in between will be felt while reading this emotional story.
14 years ago Penny & Gavin agreed to be part of a “Blind Kiss” study, both wanting free coffee, and neither expecting it to change their lives forever. Despite their undeniable chemistry, Penny keeps Gavin firmly in the friend zone yet their relationship is anything but platonic. As the years go by they each make decisions that change the course of their lives, but their bond never seems to falter.
With a story that spans decades, Renee Carlino takes readers on an emotional rollercoaster. While I’m still torn on how I ultimately feel about the story and characters, I can say without a doubt that it was a beautifully written book. While I wanted to scream & jump through the pages to strangle Penny, or hug Gavin, I was so engrossed that I couldn’t put it down. I felt every emotion, and that right there is the sign of an amazing author.
4.5 Stars!
I love a good slow burn romance, but this one nearly killed me. I’m such a fan of this author’s writing style and her always amazing dialogue. Even if I’m not fully in love with the overall story, I’m pulled in by the wonderful writing. That being said, I really did like this one. I enjoyed the unique story development, even if it was angsty as all get out at times. My biggest frustration was wanting a little more story after the hea, but that is often the case for me in slow-burn romances. As usual with this author, I found the story compelling and appreciably unique.
I the story of Gavin & Penny! I felt so connected to the character Penny, at times. We all have issues with self-doubt and believing in the possibility of what seems impossible! Just read it…it’s so worth it!!
I won a copy of this book in a random draw. Having never read a book by this author previously, I had no idea what to expect. I thought the synopsis of the book sounded interesting, entered the random draw, and won! So, I started reading as soon as I could. This book was written in alternating POVs and from past to near present/present in alternating chapters. I’m not a huge fan of that writing style, therefore my 4 star rating. Other than that, I LOVED this book! I am not a fan of reading reviews that tell me the whole story, or everything about the characters, so let me just say that I found this book to be an intense study in human behavior, friendships, loving relationships and not-so-loving relationships. It was funny, sad, joyous, depressing, and pretty much ran the gamut of one’s emotions. The characters were captivating. I felt like I knew these people personally. The storyline pretty much held me hostage until I read “The End”. I was so fraught with relief at the ending that I just broke down and had a good cry. Nothing better than a book that can elicit so much emotion from me! I hope to read more from this author soon. If you haven’t read Blind Kiss, I encourage you to give it a try. I hope you love it as much as I did.
REVIEW: 5 STARS
“I’m not trying to hurt you. I’m trying to keep you close.”
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I know a love triangle is not everyone’s cup of tea. In fact, I see very often that it’s vehemently denied by many as a trope they’re willing to read. However, it’s high on the list of my favorites, if not the favorite trope for me. No, I’m not a cold hearted woman that loves a cheating partner in her books. Quite the contrary. In truth, I seek the emotional challenge of a story that, if written well, can make me empathize with the characters that are questioning their relationships and what is drawing them to another person. The reason that they can’t stop their heart from pulling them towards someone else. I like the mental and moral challenges that need to be worked through because the decision isn’t an easy one. It’s that why that is very important to me. Because in a black and white world, there is always some gray. There is always another side to the story, whether we agree with it or not. That’s the side I like to listen to. I want to feel it. I want to hurt for those characters and feel that pain they are going through.
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Case in point with Gavin and Penny. It’s not how it appears, yet it is exactly how it appears. It also depends on how deep you want to get into their story – take it for what it’s worth, or dig deep and find out what is actually happening. The emotions were real, the pain was evident, and the implications were broad. There was so much to work through that my mind was racing with every possible outcome – good and bad. In the very beginning, after originally only getting one side of the story, I was honestly shaking my head. I thought Penny was a raving lunatic!! Here I am wondering how I’m going to get through this book with a heroine that has literally lost every single one of her marbles. But as I got deeper into the story, I saw how her emotions warred within her mind. How she tried to protect her heart, but found out that was a mistake of epic proportions. I loved seeing that part tear them up inside, singularly and together. Because the reality was, they were inseparable and she couldn’t deny it no matter how hard she tried. It was a love that was intertwined deep within the fabric of their friendship and the lines were smudged….blurred beyond recognition.
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Gavin was everything you could ever want in a friend, but wanted even more in a lover. Patient, kind, funny, smart, playful…he had it all. He skirted every realm of perfection….with very evident imperfections. He was the devoted friend that you could call on anytime, the one that would always be by your side, but he also fought for what he believed in, even if it was to the detriment of his own heart. His conviction and his personal truths about his love for Penny was unreal. There were many layers to these two, and that gave their characters a depth that worked well in this story. The pull Penny had on Gavin was just as strong, if not stronger than the pull Gavin had on Penny, but they were never on the same level playing field at the same time. That variable added many other conditions to contend with. The emotions were real, the pain was evident, and the implications were broad. There was so much going on and so many challenges to work through that my mind was racing with every possible outcome – good and bad. I’ll admit I was scared from time to time, but I loved this book so much. The journey was incredible. Painful, but incredible.
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This book will probably rub many wrong, and I can totally understand why. Many will question why Gavin and Penny couldn’t just be together – why the back and forth. But I was able to see the reasons and the emotional dilemma they provided. I was able to connect with the characters and their fears. I was able to understand why the barriers to their love were real – whether in their mind or a truth in their world. I loved this turmoil, this torture and anguish they felt. It was all consuming and heartbreaking and I soaked it all up! I read straight through this one and couldn’t put it down – completely hypnotized not only by the storyline, but by the intensity between Gavin and Penny. So so good. So good.
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I love the discussions that come from stories like this because the variables are great, and the opinions even greater….
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There’s something to say about the depth of one’s love and the lengths they will go to for said love.
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“I know, but it hurts to be this close.”
~BEE
Yea I never really got into this book. I can see why people would love this book and possibly find it angsty, but that’s not how I felt about this book. I did not connect with Penny or Gavin. Their relationship was frustrating and childlike. Their behavior was ridiculous and it was clear that their feelings were more than friendly but they are both dumb. I didn’t care about the missed moments, chances not taken, and decisions that led them on different paths. The things that Penny put Lance through were so wrong and even the pain she made Gavin endure was selfish of her.
I gave this book two stars because I personally did not enjoy it. I felt compelled to finish it because I started it. I had to skim through the last third of this book because I just didn’t care anymore.
ARC generously provided by NetGalley for an honest opinion.
This is my 3rd book by Renee and hands down my favourite! Once I started I didn’t want to put it down. I was absolutely hooked.
This book seemed real to me, things happen in our lives making us put others on hold. We push and fight what we sometimes really want because we are scared of what the outcome could be. We should do the “right” thing even if it’s not what we really want.
We play out all the what if’s in our mind and sometimes let the things that scare us most decide our fate. We sometimes let our fears lead us a little even when we know better. The unknown can be scary.
I also really liked how this book was delivered. It was told in sections, 14 years ago, 9 months ago and present. I loved seeing how it all began and how the choices they made lead them to where they were presently.
Penny, was a beautiful dancer and kept to herself, without many close friends to count on. She met Gavin in a Blind Kiss experiment that her one and only friend was conducting at school. She felt so much in that kiss but quickly placed him in the friend zone because at the time it is what she thought she needed more. When tragedy stuck Penny’s life, she was convinced she was doing the right thing by pushing for friendship only.
Gavin, I absolutely LOVED Gavin! He made me love this book a little more. He was loving and loyal to a fault but he loved and he loved hard. He was funny, easygoing, talented a bit of a playboy. He wanted more than Penny did but he took what she was willing to give and tried to make he most of it.
I have to say, Penny’s character frustrated me a lot! She was so back and forth, however I found her to be a little relatable. She made her choices (which I hated) but she lived with them, right or wrong.
I felt for Gavin though, he had always just wanted her, so he took her any way he could have her.
I did find that she kind of lead Gavin on for years but at the same time he was still doing what he wanted to do and still holding a flame for her.
Towards the end though, I found her to be very hypocritical towards Gavin. She was faulting him for the same choices she had made so many years ago. She was finally thinking she would get what she wanted but once again life threw some curve balls at the . She wasn’t going to be his everything anymore and it scared her.
I was however happy with the way things ended.
All in all I loved this book, it is a solid 4 stars for me!
Blind Kiss by Renee Carlino is a second chance romance for the ages. Told in dual POV and spanning from college through adulthood the story is told in a well woven intricate balance of now and then, past and present, Penny and Gavin’s first meeting to their current situation and all the drama that unfolds in between is epic. Highly emotional and bittersweet at times, this story will have you flipping the pages faster and faster to finally see what happens when two best friends stop denying fate and allow love and what was meant to be just be.
Penny is a dancer. It is her love. Her relationship with her father is strong, but her mother’s focus is on her much younger sister and the beauty pageants she is always involved in. In college she is bribed with coffee shop gift cards by a friend to participate in a study – a “Blind Kiss”. It is nerve wracking leading up to the experiment but once her lips land on Gavin’s she is hooked. She refuses to allow a boy to deter her future goals however and keeps him at arms length. But the chemistry between them is off-the-charts.
Gavin is flighty with women but serious about Penny and all the new things she has stirred up inside him. Taking her anyway he can get her, if friends is what she wants, friends is where he’ll be but he’ll always be ready for more. The bond they build is nearly indestructible until the one tragic accident that splinters their friendship and sets them both on the wrong course, heading away from each other. It takes years, but they always remain friends and eventually the story ends on a happily ever after. Enjoy!
The tone for this whole book was longing and yearning. Wanting the person you can’t have. Loving this person but staying within the confines of a close friendship. Years and years of this. I felt my heart constrict as I read this book, hurting for these two souls.
The book is written in dual POV’s and in different time frames: current time, fourteen years ago, nine months ago, three months ago, back and forth. Yet, the author does a brilliant job and ties it all together seamlessly and I never got confused. The information is given in a timely manner and I loved that nothing is held back, so we learn everything as it happens. It was a great book to read, even as my heart was wrenching.
Penny and Gavin met in University when they participated in a psychology study about kissing a person while blindfolded. Hence, the title. When they kissed, Penny swooned, he was that good a kisser. Then when they remove the blindfold, they had such a great connection that Gavin instantly declared Penny his best friend. Before Penny, he was a player; now he met Penny, he wants to take care of her, protect her, love her.
Penny was very driven and ambitious; her sole purpose in life is to be a dancer and she subjected her body to strenuous work preparing to be the best there is. She didn’t have time for boyfriends, so Gavin was firmly situated into a friend zone.
Then life happened, and Penny couldn’t realize her dreams, and through a series of missed opportunities, bad decisions, short tempers and impulsivity, Penny ends up married and pregnant to another guy and Gavin just ended his relation with a crazy girlfriend.
We live the incredible love this couple has for each other, limited to best friends, but a love that transcends the bounds of Penny’s marriage to Lance, Gavin’s many girlfriends and travels around the world. They are always there for each other, and are loyal to each other above everyone else.
Gavin was dramatic and impulsive, but I found Penny to be emotionally congested. First, the dedication to ballet, then the loyalty to a marriage that was based on duty instead of love. She was loyal to everyone but to herself. She felt like a ghost, not a vibrant woman who would stand for herself. All the missed chances, all the miscommunications where she insisted on the status quo, and all the time there was Gavin wanting, yearning, longing for all that Lance had. It broke my heart.
All the books I’ve read by this author have been very intense. This book was no less. I read it in a state of anguish (totally enjoyable), waiting for this couple’s HEA. I just wanted to bash their heads so they could get their act together and do it sooner rather than later.
I don’t think I have read a book that frustrated me as much as this one. Talk about some angst and the connection these two characters had. This is a book you will either love or hate. This was an intense story that would make me so mad at times but I couldn’t stop reading, I had to know what happens next.
Penny and Gavin have been best friends after meeting in a study. They have an instant chemistry. Penny is a dancer with a fierce personality and only wants to focus on finishing school. Gavin is a musician and a mechanic who can make any girl swoon.
This book was so good but there were times I was ready to throw my kindle!
Renee Carlino wrote a fantastic story that takes you on a bumpy roller coaster. It days later after finishing this book and I am still shaking my head. I loved this book and I highly recommend it.
Blind Kiss is a friend to lovers and second chance romance rolled into one it’s concept was nothing like I had read before and to be honest I wasn’t sure where this story was going to go, it intrigued me, it’s unique and it has its fair share of angst and intensity but once I started reading I couldn’t put it down I needed to know where Gavin and Penny’s journey took them.
Gavin and Penny meet in college where they agreed to kiss a stranger while being blindfolded but the timing was all wrong and even though the attraction has been there since day one it’s taken them fourteen years of being just friends to realise they belong together.
This book is an emotional roller coaster it’s a story about a man pursuing a woman who has put him in firmly that box we call a friends zone, a couple unhappy apart but scared to be together. This author is not afraid to tell you the good the bad and sometimes the damn right ugly that happens in life and love. Second chances are just that but you also need to be brave enough to take the chance when fate steps in with an opportunity. Great read.
4 Gotta love angst STARS
There’s a reason why I read Renee Carlino’s books every six months or more… because they break you in little pieces and won’t let you get over them.
This was an emotional, beautiful, and heartbreaking read.
These were my reactions while reading Blind Kiss:
I had to spend my day with puffy eyes covered by sunglasses
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I was losing him. And it was my fault.
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Gavin and Penny met while participating in a experiment called Blind Kiss during their senior year in college that studied if attraction was based in the appearance or in the personality.
Their chemistry and attraction was palpable, you could actually feel their connection.
But then circumstances and fears kept them in the friend zone, mostly because of Penny’s decisions.
I would take whatever she would give me as long as she was in my life.
I loved them since the beginning, they just understood each other, even when they were completely different. Gavin was just perfectly imperfect and Penny was simply great.
But then, she made mistakes and forward 14 years later, her marriage is wrecked and she’s about to loose her friendship with Gavin.
Honestly, I hated how Penny pushed him away time and time again.
It’s been this way forever. I’ve always been your lover . . . for a lifetime in my mind.
My heart broke for poor Gavin. *I hate you, Penny* I think he deserved better, but he and Penny were meant to be and, time and fate always have a way to put everything in place.
This is must read, but please have tissues close!
Talk about angst galore. My heart is beating overtime after finishing Blind Kiss. Holy moly I’m exhausted emotionally after have experienced Penny and Gavin’s story. Their story is one emotional roller coaster. My primary emotion while reading Blind Kiss was frustration. I was frustrated with Penny and Gavin. Frustrated by their choices and of course because their story didn’t went where I wanted it to go but that’s also why I enjoyed Blind Kiss so much. Their fourteen years of friendship is filled with so much love and pain but despite their struggles they were always there for one another. As years went on they were never out of touch with one another. When it finally did happen it was because it was what they both needed in their life. To gain perspective and to be ready for their next chapter in their lives.
Their first meeting, the blind kiss is truly a remarkable and intense scene of human connection. Emotionally and physically. Wow. I felt their kiss and their connection instantly. Penny and Gavin were inseparable from that moment and a beautiful friendship was formed. Not only with one another but also with each other’s parents. Their dads played a very important role in both their lives. Their scenes were highlights of mine.
To watch Gavin and Penny holding back and not just say screw it all and try a relationship was excruciating at times because their love was so obvious but life always came in the way making years fly by but they always drifted back to one another. They truly were each other’s constants and best friends.
Blind Kiss is angst at its best. I really enjoyed Gavin and Penny’s story. I had my doubts as the story went on but Renee Carlino delivers flawlessly with a perfect ending. The last five chapters almost tore my heart out but that’s really what this talented author do best and I welcomed the hurt. The epilogue healed me and left me feeling content. If you want a story about unconditional love, friendship and angst then Blind Kiss is THAT BOOK.
4 Lifetime Stars
Blind Kiss is a very different friends to lovers/second chance romance, and I loved every moment of it. It was almost told backwards with flashbacks of very important moments shared between Penny and Gavin that would determine their future. It is one of those rare books that just wrapped me up into it, and I hated telling the characters good-bye!
While the book is full of angst and emotion, at its core, it is one of the most beautiful friends to lovers/second chance romances I’ve had the pleasure to read. To say Penny and Gavin had a complicated relationship over the past 14 years would be an understatement. One chance encounter, literally a blind kiss, brought these two together. It seemed like they were soulmates from the beginning, and love should have been easy. But, it was anything but that. Misunderstandings, hidden feelings would keep them apart romantically for years, but their underlying friendship kept them in each others’ lives, although at times, they hurt each other and those close to them.
I loved the way Carlino told the story, in the present and months and even years in the past. It showed the way in which their relationship/friendship developed and deepened over the years. I really liked both Penny and Gavin. They were far from perfect which made me relate to them even more. I could see how much in love they were with one another, and I wanted to slap them at times when they hurt one another or made the wrong decisions! Carlino was excellent at using secondary characters to show the emotion and feelings Penny and Gavin shared with each other, even showing how much pain their relationship caused their significant others.
As much as I wanted these two together, I also knew they needed to work on themselves before that could happen even though they were with other people during that time. I liked that Carlino told the story in both POVs. It gave me a great deal more insight into who Gavin and Penny were and what each one of them struggled with. It is always amazing to me when characters grow from the beginning of the book until I get to the end. Both of them were very different people by the end.
This is my very first read by Renee Carlino, and I’ve heard so many wonderful things about her writing, and she far exceeded everything I read about her. I can’t believe I waited so long to read one of her books. I have already downloaded her other books, and I can’t wait to read them!!!
Renee Carlino has a knack for writing some of the most angst-filled stories I’ve ever read, and I almost always hate her Heroines. That was certainly the case with Penny. I think I was angry the entire time I read this book but also had trouble putting it down. When a story makes me feel emotions so strongly, I know that it’s well written. I almost threw my iPad against the wall but overall I was thoroughly entertained.
It’s hard to categorize this story. It could be considered a love triangle but in all honesty from the moment Gavin and Penny met, you know right away that they’re meant for each other and that anyone who comes between them is just a temporary distraction. While Penny and Gavin label each other ”best-friends”, there is no doubt that they were lovers from the start. These two were so wrapped up in each other and obviously head over heels in love, it’s just Penny’s stupidity that drove the wedge between them. I spent almost the entire length of the book thoroughly disgusted with Penny. I thought she was extremely selfish and Gavin was just a little too good to be true. While the chemistry between Gavin and Penny was palpable, it almost seemed like their relationship was more toxic than healthy.
The whole tone of the story was depressing. I couldn’t wait to be finished reading this one, just to shake the gloomy feelings off.
Here are my overall ratings
Hero: 4.5
Heroine: 3
Plot: 4.5
Angst: 5
Steam: 4
Chemistry Between Hero & Heroine: 5
“I wish it were you, Penny.”
I don’t even know where to begin. I don’t think I’ve stopped crying since I hit about 40% of this book. I couldn’t put it down. I couldn’t stop turning the pages and feeling everything. This book has certainly put my heart and soul through the wringer and I’m emotionally spent. Hell, tears are still streaming down my swollen and puffy eyes even as I’m writing this. Blind Kiss is definitely one of the BEST and a TOP READ of 2018! It just deserves all the damn stars in the galaxy.
Whenever I’m reading a book by Renée Carlino, I make sure that I brace myself for the massive onslaught of feels and that I’m prepared to drown in tears—not only for when I’m immersed in the story, but even for days and weeks after. Because that’s how potent her words are and the impact they have on you. The story will just stay with you for a long time, and hit you right where it hurts and matters the most. And this is exactly what I’m going through right now, fresh off of turning the last page of Penny and Gavin’s book.
“I was just thinking about what it would be like.”
“How what would be like?” I had asked.
“If you and I had ended up together.”
They say love is friendship set on fire. But Penny and Gavin’s friendship? It wasn’t only on fire—it was a blazing inferno that could burn the whole world down. Their relationship was so uniquely theirs. Their intimacy might’ve been platonic, but the connection they had was completely real and bone-deep. For a person looking from the outside, it can really be easily misconstrued. They were the only ones who truly understood the extent and gravity of their relationship, but I think that’s what made it so much more special. And as years passed, it only got stronger, more intense and unbreakable.
Every sacrifice they’ve made gutted me. Flayed me wide open and ripped me to shreds. I may have not agreed with every single decision each of them made, but I got them. Going through this journey with Gavin and Penny was so incredibly tough—a vast understatement—but I don’t regret a single second of bawling my eyes out. Because these two just showed me and proved to me that sometimes, life just has other plans for us. How timing will not always be on our side. But if something is truly meant to be, then you’ll just have to be patient and never give up.
“Life will change and change again. You just have to find a port in this storm. It doesn’t have to be another person, Penny. Find something just for you.”
Blind Kiss will leave you with one of the biggest book hangovers you’ll ever experience. And honestly, I’m not even complaining. Because this page-turner was absolutely something I didn’t know I needed. I took so much of it to heart—all the lessons, the heartache, just everything that Penny and Gavin went through from the very beginning. It’s all going to be tucked safely and perfectly in a special place in my heart.
Gut-wrenchingly beautiful and emotionally poignant, Blind Kiss is undoubtedly an unforgettable tale of not just love, loss and longing, but also of life-changing moments and an extraordinary kind of friendship that lasts beyond a lifetime. It will break down your walls, shake you to the core, and leave your heart beating anew. If you have to choose one book to read this year, let it be this one.
I’ve sat at my computer for two days, staring at a blank document, trying to come up with the proper words to describe how I felt about Blind Kiss by Renee Carlino. Honestly, I’m still at a loss. Penny and Gavin’s story was intensely emotional, heart-wrenchingly complicated, and one of my favorite love stories from Renee to date.
Blind Kiss left a raw ache in me, a bruise I keep poking as I think back on this book and all the emotions it brought out in me. This story has worked its way under my skin and made a permanent home in my heart.
We all love books that make us feel things, and Renee told this story so wonderfully, I had a physical reaction to it. I felt like I was experiencing all the bliss, all the sadness, all the pain, and all of the joy right along with these characters.
This dual POV novel takes the reader on a journey between the past and the present, detailing the unusual beginning of the intense relationship between Gavin and Penny, cataloguing the far-reaching consequences of the decisions, be them right or wrong, that the two have made along the way.
In my experience, Renee Carlino delivers a fantastic story every time. Every book I’ve read of hers has been a rich reading experience, leaving me breathless after the impossible highs and devastating lows, and eager to do it all over again. She’s got a place in my author Hall of Fame, and Blind Kiss will surely be a top read of the year for me.