MIA.It was so close, I’d tasted it–the freedom. But the only thing I could taste now was the end. Over the last two years, I’d let all outside forces dictate my life, my feelings, my head. I’d allowed everyone to control what my punishment should be for all my wrong-doings. I’d been tested and learned my lesson.I’d paid my dues and suffered long enough. Because in the end, even the … the end,
even the once-upon-a-damned deserved to be happy too.
OLLIE.
How far are you willing to go?
I’d asked myself this very question countless times.
But never in my wildest dreams thought I’d go back in time,
chasing ghosts from my past for a chance to save our future.
So, there was no limit.
No boundaries.
I’d cross time, the world, my morals.
Yes, I’d even double-cross myself.
So, how far would I go?
The answer had always been simple.
I’d go an eternity plus a day past crestfallen.
more
Now open your eyes is an edge of your seat suspense romance with twisted minds and a bunch of what the hell just happened! My heart was in my throat the whole time. Your constantly gasping wondering what’s going to happen next. This being the conclusion to Ollie and Mia’s story, I couldnt couldnt imagine it ending in anything than the glorious bang it ended in!
I recieved an ARC in exchange for a honest review
“She walked through the valley of the shadow of death, looked fear in the eye, and fell in love.” – Oliver Masters
Someone once said that you know you’ve read a good book when you turn the last page and feel a little as if you have lost a friend. I turned the last page of Now Open Your Eyes and I lost a friend.
Now Open Your Eyes is the third and final book in the Stay With Me series and there is no single series that has wrecked me in the best possible way, made me wish that it wasn’t over and at the same time made me so thankful for the HEA that was so well deserved for a couple.
This book starts closely to where the second one ends. But very quickly takes you on an emotional rollercoaster of epic proportions. I will always love a good rollercoaster. Let me tell you, Nicole brings that ride and then some. I love that feeling when your stomach drops with the thrill and anticipation of the ride. And this book doesn’t just give you one dip and swirl. It is a never ending rollercoaster from beginning to end that made me want to throw my kindle in anger (I hate you Ethan), tuck my kindle into bed with the utmost care and a box of tissues (Mia and Ollie it will get better I promise) and make me want to put my kindle in a place of pride and honor to display how proud I am of how tough and strong Mia has become and of her growth and development from page 1 of Stay With Me to the end of the epilogue of Now Open Your Eyes (Mia, I want to be you when I grow up). In the first book it was said that their love is greater than one lifetime . . . and there has never been a truer statement. Mia and Ollie . . . Evermore.
I have said this from day one and I will continue to say it until I can no longer form words: Nicole, you are amazing and your talent astounds me. Your words continue to blow me away and I do not know how to move on from them. And if I am honest, I don’t want to. I wish I was better with the words to give you the credit that your books deserve. But that is why you are the writer and I am the reader.
This series owns a part of me and always will. I hope that you take a chance on this series because it will change your life for the better. It sure changed mine. Thank you for taking me to Gibraltar. But can we talk about the pink dress you put me in?
Lay your head, Evermore . . . Now Open Your Eyes
I’m not sure why this series or author came into my life, but I have a feeling fate played part. This story is something so close to home for me.. This first series of hers took hold of me from the beginning and it didn’t let go right till the very end. I honestly don’t know if I can do the book justice with my words. This series hit home hard for me from the beginning and Ollie and Mia’s story mixed up a lot of emotions for me, hitting some hard truths about my youth. The way the author mastered this was to perfection. I cannot fault a single word. It’s as if I was reading something she had gone through or someone close to had and being able to relate to most of it I think is why I fell so deeply into this plot, Mia and Ollie’s story and their intense and all-consuming love story.
This was no typical love story. It was much more. So much more drama, so much more emotions, so much angst,… It was just MORE.
Without giving anything away. Now Open Your Eyes is emotional and just like books one and two it was packed with a punch and went out with a bang. It had my heart pounding almost outside of my chest. The way each character is developed throughout these three books was insane, mind-blowing, and so flawlessly done. The author didn’t skip a beat in my opinion. Each character was different from one another in so many different ways. Ollie and Mia shouldn’t have worked so well together but there was just something so tragically perfect about these two… and then you add in other characters and I will be the first to admit I wanted to gut them.
I won’t dive into this. But I will say, be prepared to cry, be prepared to be angry, to want to seek blood, be prepared for an epic rollercoaster of emotions that will leave you on your knees begging for mercy by the end of this book. I cried more times than I cared to admit. Mia and Ollie and their story will stay with me forever. I was devasted to have to let them go, but I am excited to see what’s next for this author. If it’s as real, raw, emotional and tragically beautiful as this. I know I will love it. Nicole has become an automatic one-click author for me and is in my top favorites and this book is one of my top favorites of 2020 so far!
This book was like nothing I have read before. It hit so many home truths and left me a ball of emotions. This was flawlessly written, it was deep, intense, all-consuming and addictive and will most definitely be a series I will continue to go back and re-read time and time again.
6 Stars!!!
“I’ve always been the dark, but you’ve always been the light, Ollie, and together, our love burns in color.”
Speechless. That is what Nicole has done to me. She’s left me speechless.
Stay With Me sucked me in. Even When I’m Gone held me captive. Now Open Your Eyes stole my heart.
Nicole has this way with words that completely consumes you. Her words are masterfully written and beautifully constructed. You can just feel how much she put her heart and soul into these characters and their story.
Now Open Your Eyes is the final installment in the Stay With Me series and it is by far the BEST of all three.. and that is saying a lot because both of the other books were both 5 star reads for me.
Ollie and Mia both show a different side to them in this book. But their love never dulls. They will forever be engraved in my heart.
This story was incredibly flawless and raw. The devotion Ollie and Mia have for each other is unreachable. This book is the definition of unputdownable.
This book, it’s going to be hard for me to put into word how much it affected me. I loved it. Phew . This book sends you on an emotional roller coaster, the first couple chapters you have you praying Ethan and Mia get their lives on the right track. The next couple chapters have you second guessing Ollies life choices. Then when you think things are good, it’s only the middle of the book and you know something crazy Is going to happen. What happens you will never see coming. Some of the Surprize is wonderful and the rest will blow your mind Ollie and Mia had to make some tough choices and thankfully the ending proved to be worth all the heart ache, pain, and suffering. Their love story will be one for the ages.
This is gonna be short cuz I have no words and I don’t want to spoil anything……
The has got to be one of the best endings to a series I have read in awhile!!! This whole series is just incredible and needs to be read. Each book sucks you in more. I just adore Ollie! God he is the best.
And I love Mia as well and to see how far she has come from book 1, just simply amazing!
5⃣ and more!!!!
plusssss recommendation!!’
This book is soul crushing and beautiful all at the same time. Fiorina writes with passionate eloquence and delivers a love story that personifies the concept of fate. The dark attributes within the writing add a distinguishable element that grabs ahold of the reader and doesn’t let go. Absolutely love this series.
I have been waiting for the rest of Mia and Ollie and Nicole did not disappoint. Hold on because you are going on quite the emotional rollercoaster ride with this one. An amazing ending for these two. I was breathless at the end waiting to see what was going to happen. She had me on the edge of my seat reading this one. Mia is kidnapped but Ollie never gives up hope that she is still alive. Mia goes through something when she is with her kidnapper. Once they come back together will they be able to get past what they have beem through to be happy together? Will Ollie’s actions destroy them? What a storyline. What an ending for these two. Amazing loved it. I now want the whole series in paperback. Highly recommend this series. Nicole was a new author to me and i cant wait to read more from her.
I don’t know if I’ve ever felt so many emotions going into the last book of series, and I hadn’t even opened it up yet. Excited because it’s Ollie and Mia, and I love them. Trepidation because these two characters haven’t ever had it easy. Anticipation of what is to come, and sad that when I’m done reading it will all be over.
All of this still didn’t prepare me for what is to come. Fiorina has the ability to pull a whole slew of other emotions out of you, and is part of what makes this series so fascinating and addicting. The other part is all of the plot twists you won’t see coming. Everything that these two endure only makes my attachment to them grow.
“I’ve always been the dark, but you’ve always been the light, Ollie, and together, our love burns in color.”
Ollie and Mia’s love story is one that will stay with me evermore. They are imprinted on my soul and I can’t wait to revisit them in the future. Do yourself a favor and read it!
Where do I even begin with this? I have no words for this book. It took my breath away from the very first word to the very last. Nicole Fiorina has a way with words that completely sucks every single ounce of your being into the story and the lives of the characters.
Ollie and Mia’s story has not been easy from the moment the met in Stay With Me, to the troubles in Even When I’m Gone to the emotional continuation in Now Open Your Eyes. I am still at a loss for words. The best was saved for last and this book was pure perfection. Ollie and Mia’s love, devotion and connection to one another was tested numerous times but they are both fighters and will fight for what feels right to them.
While this story had me in tears and my heart was hurting, I loved the few moments of lightness and happiness that had me laughing and smiling. You can feel every single emotion these characters do every single moment of the story.
NOYE is raw, emotional, consuming, and beautiful conclusion to Ollie & Mia’s love story. I wasn’t prepared to feel so many different emotions while reading this book or this entire series.
Now Open Your Eyes is a MUST READ, along with the entire Stay With Me series, but it is also one of my top reads of 2020.
#MIAANDOLLIE
FIVE DEBUT STARS for Mia and Ollie !!!
I went completely blind into this trilogy and it was one of my best decisions I’ve ever made because these books are EVERYTHING.
I can’t say I was the whole time happy with the decisions that characters did make but that is the beauty of a good book worth reading and your time.
“Now Open Your Eyes” is a new adult romance book that will absolutely wreck your world.
Mia and Ollie’s relationship is the real roller coaster because one second they are together and everything is perfect and the other they are not and everything going to apart.
And that’s my favorite part of all three books because Nicole didn’t give us a fairytale.
She gave us a story with a lot of emotions that will make you cry and smile but also it will make you angry.
This is a story about two broken people that will show you if you fight with your heart and soul, you’ll get your happily ever after, even that sometimes it seems impossible.
If you’re looking for a unique romantic story with so much more, then you MUST READ THIS TRILOGY!!!
Highly recommended!!!
P.S. I can’t wait to see what incredible story Nicole will write the next!
ARC REVIEW
A poetic masterpiece, a thrilling work of art, everything you never knew you needed in your life but somehow craved.
Honestly, I thought I knew what to expect from the last book in this trilogy, ‘Now Open Your Eyes’ by Nicole Fiorina. I expected something beautiful, thrilling, emotional and undoubtedly unique. But what I read blew my mind, like gun-to-the-head, tears-in-my-eyes, hands-uncontrollably-shaking kind of thing.
I devoured the first two books in the series, dived headfirst with my eyes closed, not knowing when I’d surface to breathe again. I loved every word written, felt every syllable on my skin and soul, craved more and more.
‘Now Open Your Eyes’ was not different, in fact, I feel like it was more powerful if you could put together every single thing I felt during the first two books and somehow made it 100 times more powerful. If the first two books were a storm, this one was a combination of pure power, the baby of a hurricane and an earthquake.
I know I have stated previously that Nicole’s books are one of a kind, poetic and magical books that will impact your life forever, and if I have to be honest, repeating it a third time feels almost as if those words are not as powerful as the first time I had said them.
BUT I can’t help and repeat myself, because words cannot express the power in these books, the fire that burns through every page, the blood that pours from every word, the ability each chapter has to make you dream with open eyes, transporting you to a place you never want to leave, no matter how bad it gets, you just can’t get enough.
A true work of art that has shown me both light and darkness, something that speaks a billion words and more to every reader that touches its magic, something as beautiful as the moon, as powerful as the sun and as incredible as the stars.
To be able to read this book, you must read the previous two in the trilogy, to be able to properly understand the characters, to feel them and love them the way they should be loved, to live through them and have them live through you.
Mia and Ollie are a force to be reckoned with, characters we have loved from the very beginning, broken people that don’t let the world define them or what they do, beings so strong and yet so weak, they have to find a balance within them to finally exist and live.
We have seen them grow up, make mistakes and change throughout their story, but they aren’t finished yet.
In this particular book, we will see them mature and become the best version of themselves, but they will still make mistakes, wrong each other and learn how to most past those hiccups together, they will have to find each other time and time again, knowing nothing could break their bond.
Despite this book being the end of the series, this is not the end of them though. They will live through us. Through every reader, every dreamer, every soul they have touched. They will live through every tear, every smile, every war cry, every scream, every dream and hope and every doubt that ever crosses our mind.
So if you wanna experience a love so big and unique you will see it in the stars, recognizing its power and admiring its strength and the strength it will breathe into you, then I suggest you pick this amazing series up right now.
You and I, forever.”
I smiled. “Evermore.”
What an ending to Mia and Ollie’s journey. I can’t believe we have to say goodbye to these incredible characters.
I was scared to read this book because it was the last one it this series and I delayed reading it ,but once I started I couldn’t and I didn’t want to stop.
This whole series was heartbreaking,raw and SO beautifully written. Each one of those poems has a special place in my heart just like Mia and Ollie do. I love them with my whole heart. I’ve said it before and I will again,there aren’t two characters that share the same connection that Ollie and Mia do! Their love is something beautiful, rare and unique and I don’t think it’s possible for me to ever get enough or tired of them. Now Open Your Eyes was everything I expected it to be and my emotions were all over the place while I was reading it. I wanted to strangle some characters,erase them from this book and from Ollie and Mia’s world but in the end they didn’t matter at all.
I’m someone who usually prefers to read standalones but one book was not enough for this couple,they deserved more.And I’m so happy we got three. This is without a doubt my favorite trilogy. I CAN’T wait to read more from this author, I will forever be in love with her words,they are like therapy for my soul.
“Loving her until it kills me seems like a wondrous way to go.”
“He was always too busy dreaming and gazing at the stars,but unlike all the others,the stars loved him back”
With tears in my eyes, I write this review, but I don’t regret them. These tears are the solemn prove that a good writer is capable of capturing the most raw, beautiful and complex feelings we have to face our whole lives and they are here, ALL OF THEM are reflected here in Now Open Your Eyes by Nicole Fiorina.
I never in a million years thought it would end up like this. I didn’t predict this kind of story. One that was simply made by someone who understands the ups and downs, the flaws and virtues of people hearts.
Ollie and Mia’s story gutted me. It hurt so much to read their struggles, all the obstacles, all their demons that kept them apart but at the same time, were a fundamental part of their journey. That’s why this story is so magic. LOVE IS MAGIC and Nicole wasn’t afraid to bleed heart-wrecking words into this book.
The writing was hypnotic, full of verses and poems, full of emotions that left me breathless, crying happy and sad tear but I carried on because I knew it was all worth it.
I honestly feel my words will not do justice for what this book is and what it meant to me and (I’m sure), to others, but I’ll try my best.
I found everything in this book, moments of sadness, deep loss, confusion, betrayal, heartbreak, grief, redemption, healing, love, hope and FOREVER.
“This world needs more
women with spines bitten
by fortitude, and more
men with hearts kissed
by a tender grace”
OLIVER MASTERS
I learned more about Ollie than I could have ever learned from another character. I learned that a love can be so unconditional that you are willing to risk everything if it means being with your soulmate; your partner in crime. It is true that love can makes us blind and most of the time, we make mistakes but we need to keep fighting, we need to keep doing emends, we need to keep living. Just like Ollie did.
“Don’t mistake her calm,
for she’s dangerous.
Cooper skin wrapped in gunfire;
backbone sharpened by knives.
Silent but mind-altering;
the shiver up your spine.
You mistake her for a siren,
but she’s the eerie black night,
devising to devour you whole.”
OLIVER MASTERS
Mia is our warrior. I respect her in so many levels that it brings me to tears just to think about her journey. I feel like a proud mom, right now lol. Mia blossoms into a magnificent woman, ready to slay the demons that try to invade her life. But just as much Ollie needs her to keep moving forward, Mia also needs him to ground her, to make her see that her imperfections are part of that long list of reasons why Ollie love her so much.
I love love these characters but most of all, I love the amazing job Nicole Fiorina did with this story. I have no doubt there is a bright future ahead of her.
This is just the beginning.
PS: I was so happy to know Ethan was having his own book and I can’t wait to read it. Since day one, I knew there was something more we needed to see about him. I’m eager to see what’s next.
Evermore and beyond.
5 STARS
Now Open Your Eyes took me on a journey of EPIC proportions! Nicole Fiorina’s debut series is an original masterpiece… a heartbreakingly, beautifully, poetic work of art!!!
The conclusion of Mia and Ollie’s is as enthralling as the first two books in the Stay With Me series. Their intense love for each other transcends distance and whatever obstacles they face that you feel it in the depths of Nicole’s words.
This book and series are ones you don’t want to miss, so get your copies now and enjoy the journey! Now Open Your Eyes by Nicole Fiorina will join the ranks of the BIBLIO-ARISTOCRACY!!!
I bow down to Nicole Fiorona for such an epic debut series!! This book and series deserves all the stars! I had to sit and think about my feelings after completing this book.
There aren’t enough words to sum up Ollie and Mia’s story. NOYE will consume you and Nicole Fiorona has penned such a poetic novel that touches your heart and captivates your soul. My love affair with these characters began with Stay With Me. When I blindly went into Book 1 I was completely enamoured. Each book had Ollie and Mia battling different obstacles keeping them apart and each time their love prevailed. Now Open Your Eyes is a beautiful story to end an amazing series. The author has given us characters that will stay with me as they are two souls destined to be together and their love story is so unique and compelling.
From the first page of the first book in this series I knew that these books were going to be different. I knew that these stories needed to be told and I personally needed to read them. I knew they were going to leave an imprint on my heart and in my soul. I understand that that sounds dramatic but unless you’ve read these stories and maybe even experienced the things these characters have, you just might not ever understand.
I wasn’t sure what to expect when I started reading this book because my jaw was still laying on the floor from the ending of Even When I’m Gone but I knew I was done for when I was already crying and had only read the note from Nicole. It’s not only the love and forever bond between Ollie and Mia that sucks you in. It’s the pain and the suffering, the challenges and the triumphs. Not to mention the way the story itself is so beautifully written. You don’t want to read this quickly, you want to savor every word. You want to close your eyes and really feel those words. When I finished this book I felt like things were the way they were supposed to be. Was I happy with every chapter and every character? HELL NO! But I felt at peace with where the characters that I had become attached to and grown to love had ended up. I don’t know what Nicole has planned for her next book but I already know I’ll be the first person to raise my hand when that book is ready to be read.
“Let’s get drunk on cheap rosé, confess our deepest darkest secrets and create playlists of our best mistakes. Let’s kiss like crazy in this magical dark place that doesn’t have a name but where we’re both free.”
Oliver Masters
I don’t have enough words to describe my feeling about the series, and especially this third book.
It was really a rollercoaster of emotions in every chapter I passed and I never knew what to expect each turn of a page.
The intensity fo the love Ollie and Mia share it’s one of a kind and as a reader, Nicole makes you feel everything they are feeling. It’s been a while if not the only time something like this happened to me with a book. We got to see both of them at Dolor during the first two books and trying to overcome all the obstacles the people and situations created there. It was raw and ugly but necessary so they could become what they are in this third book. Yes, they are not at Dolor here, but in a new society with new people and obstacles, who are going to do everything to threaten their relationship. Here we see a different Ollie, who has to battle his anxiety and thought to do what he has to do to protect her, and a more independent and loving Mia. It’s like they made a 360-degree change since we first saw them in book one. Their love expands a little more every day. The intensity. The feelings. The chills. The happiness they spread. This love changed them and each and everyone who’s been around them.
The perfect closure for this couple, who had to go through a lot. Just like the saying, “If you want the rainbow, you have to put up with the rain”. They made it, they got their happily ever after.
5 brilliant stars !
This book (and this series for that matter) left me speechless, gobsmacked. A total and complete emotional rollercoaster ride that kept me on the edge of my seat , some twists that surprised me and plenty of the poetic love that Is Ollie and Mia !
I first fell in love with Ollie and Mia in ‘stay with me’ Ollie is perfectly imperfect and their journey to love and healing is nothing less then epic.
This book brings us through the ringer again and the highs and lows of their story is captivating and engrossing . It had my heart racing and tears falling and you’ll have to excuse me while I go nurse a severe book hangover now
Nicole fiorina has a beautiful way with words . Poetic is the perfect description for her ability to describe and bring her characters to life . I have never highlighted so many quotes in one book then I did for all three of the books in this trilogy !
I love Ollie and Mia and I’m sad that we’ve come to the end but oh so so happy to have discovered Nicole’s art and talent !!! Can’t wait to see what she comes up with next !
Nicole Fiorina took my heart & soul for a ride on a massive roller coaster with this book. The emotions that I felt bone deep, she tore from me with each and every word that she poured between the cover of NOYE. My heart will forever be altered by the love story that existed within the pages of this book…to be honest all 3 books. Because Mia & Ollie’s love story is too monumental for just one book, the journey they take together, the memories, the brokenness, the healing and the growth…both separately and together. There are probably not even enough pages in this world to truly contain their love.
I love reading stories where you just KNOW you’re connecting with a part of that author. You can almost feel them woven inside the binding of the book. Not just from the time and energy they put into their novels but bits and pieces of their heart, soul and mind. When the author writes about something they are passionate about, something that has affected them or maybe affects them daily and the reader connects with that story for that same reason. It’s just one way that particular reader and author are forever connected and THAT is such an amazing feeling.
Before you go further into my review…..
If you HAVE NOT read any part of this series STOP and GO READ IT NOW!
This novel picks up where EWIG (Even When I’m Gone) left off! If you’ve read it you KNOW the massive cliffy that Nicole threw our way and how it made you feel. I’ll go ahead and get this out there, Ethan is one of my FAVORITE characters! I love Ollie & Mia! TRULY LOVE THEM! Regardless of what’s happened between them all…I have loved Ethan since his first appearance, that man touches the darkest parts of my soul and it’s almost euphoric. That said, I never wanted him and Mia together.
Mia belongs to Ollie! FOR EVERMORE!
One reason I loved NOYE so very much is because we get a version of Mia that we never got before, we got tiny glimpses of this person in the past two but now …the person we get is an exceptional woman!
This book is the journey Ollie takes to bring Mia back to him and keep her there. To push through all the roadblocks that not only life puts between them but also people. Sometimes the biggest roadblocks between us and the ones we love are also ourselves; whether consciously or subconsciously. Especially after spending so much of your life in a dark place, sometimes we need to heal ourselves before we can heal each other or be part of something bigger.
Even though Nicole put me through an emotional blender with this entire series, it was this NOVEL that kicked me right in the heart! NOYE is an absolute MUST READ! If you’ve already read the first 2 then YOU KNOW YOU NEED IT! If you haven’t read the first two GET READY TO BINGE! You won’t be able to put another book or days between these novels!
Tidbit of advice: TISSUES!!!! AND Vodka…If you’re a Vodka girl! Wine won’t cut it!