Dear Everly,We promised each other forever, and now that’s gone. My memory of you is our daughter. I said I would never move on, but something happened. Someone moved into the house next door. She works at our daughter’s preschool. Everywhere I go, she’s there. My forever is changing now… I’m falling in love with her. Loving her means forgetting you. Loving her means letting you go. Loving … go. Loving her… means everything to me.
I love you endlessly,
Jake
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A breathtakingly emotional but exquisitely beautiful journey to go on with Emily and Jake. Jake is drowning in grief and in comes Emily: she someone he doesn’t know what to do with. Their connection isn’t instant but as time passes they develop a unbelievably fantastic friendship. This story tugged at my heart, made me tear up a little, and left me smiling in the end. I absolutely adored this story,
DEAR EVERLY By Jaxson Kidman and London Casey
I loved this story. It is my favorite of Jaxson’s catalog. I have read the book, and this time I listened to the audio book and narration is very well done by Jay Skelton and Serena St Claire. This story pulls at the heart from start to finish. Jake is so very broken and trying to survive. Emily moves in next door and is the bane of his existence. Jaxson has such a knack of taking people that are so damaged and bringing them to life and healing their heart. Definitely a 5 star read.
Literally cried for this entire story. The letters to Everly so very sweet and extremely heartbreaking.
Such a different take on a love story! A few more editing misses than I care for, but not bad overall.
Jake has an adorable daughter – Sadie – but he is really just moving through the motions of life. The love of his life, Everly, went out for diapers and tragedy slammed into their lives. The house next to his sells, and Emily moves in. Jake isn’t ready for – or interested in – anything resembling really living and especially finding new love. He just wants to do his best for Sadie, and the less he feels beyond her, the better. But sometimes, when you least expect it, love finds you. But does the possibility of something new mean you are turning your back on the love of your past? And while Emily herself isn’t really looking for love, she is willing to take a risk on a broken man and his sweet little girl.
Grief has no rhyme or reason. There is no right or wrong in how one processes loss. You move through, flowing with the ups and downs, and one day you find it is better than the day before. Jake and Emily both have loss, they both have grief, and they are both learning to move through. In a world full of insta-love, self-centered angst, and miscommunication novels this is something different. It reads like something real – real life, real tragedy, real grief, real process, and real love. While there is sadness, there is also new beginning. Enjoy.
One of my favorite books ever . Jaxson ripped my heart with this story and I recommend it to all .
What a fantastic introduction to a masterpiece by London and Jaxson! Jakes life was destroyed in a single heartbeat when Everly died. He had Sadie to consider so he had to keep it together and not fall into a heap. He had to remain strong for her because he had to fill the role of her father and mother. When Emily moves in next door, he becomes torn between his guilt and his emotions and needs. It was a raw and vulnerable look into how his life evolved after losing his eternal love!
My God!! What can I say about Dear Everly?! Well, first off, it’s painful to read. It’s emotional. It’s heartbreaking. It’s really sad. But, there are flashes of light, mainly in the most adorable little girl named Sadie and her stuffed unicorn named Bo. And when the hero and the heroine finally get together, I was cheering. But, their road to get to that point was like I said – painful, emotional, heartbreaking and sad.
Jake has lost his wife Everly and has still not gotten over it two years later. He’s just coasting through life, taking care of his daughter, Sadie, and going to work. He writes Everly letters every day and it’s painfully obvious that he still loves her. Misses her as if his heart is with her and he will never be whole again. But, then, a ray of something happens when Emily moves in next door. At first, she’s just an annoyance, a distraction, but Sadie bonds with her immediately, and Emily with Sadie. And when Emily starts working a few days a week at Sadie’s school? Yep, Jake can see the ties forming immediately and it bothers him. REALLY bothers him. Makes him angry. Makes him furious that he’s noticing someone other than his daughter. Someone other than his dead wife that he misses so much, loves so much. So he lashes out at Emily, with really cruel words. And damn, I felt for her! But it’s like she’s one of those weeble wobble things we had as kids where a punch or a kick makes her wobble a bit, but never knocks her down. She just takes Jake’s hits and keeps standing. She’s there for him even when he’s a giant ass to her. She’s there for Sadie because she’s fallen in love with her (and with Jake). But how can Jake even think of being with Emily when his heart so clearly belongs to Everly? Everly whom he still writes letters to, still misses 24 hours a day, still loves with all his heart?
Sigh…Dear Everly was such an emotional read, so damn heartbreaking that I absolutely felt Jaxson and London’s pain through my Kindle. I can’t imagine this must have been easy for either of them to write. But, it’s a beautiful read when it’s all said and done, and I’m so grateful to have read it. Thank you Jaxson and London for this amazing story.
I don’t think I have ever been emotionally heartbroken by a book as I was with this one. Jake just tore me apart with what life threw at him and how he dealt with it. His daughter Sadie was my favorite. She knew how to make me laugh when my heart broke. I loved this story and it took me a while to read it because I knew it was a tear jerker. Jaxson and London have done it again. This will probably be one of my favorite books. It’s an emotional ride but one I was happy to take!
Loved it
This was was a great story that breaks your heart and slowly puts you back together. A second chance at love that makes you laugh and cry an emotional ride but well worth it
This book is so touching. It reaches deep down and grabs a hold of you. Well written romance that to me is more about second chances after life having thrown you for a loop. This book is written so well I forgot until reading at the end that it was actually written by two authors. Be sure to have tissues handy.
EMOTIONAL, GRIPPING, & DIVINELY ENTERTAINING !!!
Title: Dear Everly
Author: Jaxson Kidman & London Casey(Karolyn James)
Designation: Full-Length Novel(373 pages), Standalone, NO Cliffhanger
Reading Platform: Kindle Unlimited
My Rating: Five Tug-At-My Heartstrings, Divinely Entertaining Stars*****
Where do I begin? For one of the few times in my life, I can’t find the words to describe how I feel about a book. Without a doubt, Dear Everly by Jaxson Kidman and London Casey is one of the best books I’ve read… and not just this year. Oh no, this is one of the most emotionally moving books I’ve ever read, and I’ve read thousands and thousands of books in my 65 years. And surprisingly, Dear Everly doesn’t even fall into any of my favorite romance tropes, it’s in a class of its own. It doesn’t follow any of the rules of traditional romance… yet, it’s absolutely perfect. Don’t get me wrong; I’m not saying there aren’t a few mistakes in grammar and punctuation because they’re there, but they’re small and insignificant compared to the raw, heartfelt emotions exploding from the pages of this book. And the characters… they were absolutely divine. I fell head over heels for the two protagonists, Jake and Emily. I say two because that’s what everyone always expects but, in reality, there were three major players in this heartwrenching tale, and the third was from a woman who only had a voice through the shadow of memory from a heartbroken husband… but it was still strong and affected the future of three lives. Jake is a widower, single father, and grease monkey, trying to raise his four-year-old daughter, barely managing to survive and holding onto his sanity by a thread after the tragic loss of his wife. He’s rude, gruff, impolite, discourteous and most days, a complete arse, but not with his daughter Sadie. His entire world revolves around his little princess and for that alone, Jake won my heart. Jake was imperfectly perfect. And Emily… well, simply, she was perfect, perfect for Jake and his daughter. She was kind, sweet, loyal, loving and giving, and so wise for her years. That’s not to say she didn’t have a few problems of her own because she did, but that’s what made this story so great – the imperfections. The imperfections made it real. This story meant a lot to me because I understood it, I felt it, I experienced it, I lived it. You see, I became part of the lives of two young children many years ago, and it was the greatest gift I’ve ever been given. It probably saved my life. So yes, this story was really special to me. I won’t waste your time by trying to analyze the components of this story and tell you what I thought the authors did right and what they did wrong because in this case, none of it really matters. But what I will do is give you a piece of advice and a recommendation. If you read one story this week, this month, this year, heck, in your lifetime, read this book. If you love raw, heartfelt, emotional, sob-your-eyes-out, unconventional, unforgettable, and beautifully written contemporary romance filled to the brim with laughs, love, heartache, hope, redemption, and characters that will demand your undivided attention and completely capture your heart, then this book is screaming your name. This story will remind you that tomorrow belongs to no one, each day is a gift and sometimes, no matter how much we try, forever can’t be forever.
Did I like this book? No, I LOVED it! Would I recommend it? You bet and I am but only for adult readers since it does contain adult themes, explicit language, and dreamy sex. Will I read this author again? Absolutely! I’ve read several of Kidman and Casey’s stories but Dear Everly is my favorite. Jaxson Kidman and London Casey have become a dynamic writing duo that delivers some of the most well crafted and emotional romance I’ve ever read. And finally, was I entertained? Completely! Once I started reading, I could not stop. I sat glued to my seat, white-knuckling my ereader with my heart fluttering wildly in my chest as the pages flew as quickly as the time. I snickered, snorted, sniffled and sobbed through the entire book but by the end, I was happy, satisfied, and well entertained. Fabulous entertainment and an awesome read.