I didn’t ask to slip on a piece of gum then fall in love with a man who would die before the ink was dry on our marriage certificate. But that’s what fate had in store and it broke me. I vowed I would never fall in love again. Five years later, fate has one more thing in store for me. It wants to play around in my life again. Its tool? Another blasted stick of gum. Same place, only this time, it … this time, it was Jude Baker, a university lecturer, who slipped on the gum.
Despite being a pacifist, he wasn’t particularly happy about it and made his distaste abundantly clear.
But that stick of gum was the catalyst of a series of events where our paths would continue to cross. There would be a broken nose, a fractured hand, a cat on a lead and a crashed corporate Christmas party that would align our hearts and make me realise that I wanted to be happy again.
But there would be tears. Many, many tears. Because falling in love isn’t easy, especially when you’re still in love with another man.
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Jude & Sarah’s Story Is About Second Chances! Their Mature Love Is Colored By Their Troubled Pasts, But Together They Find A Path Forward That Heals Their Open Wounds.
This is the second book in the 47 Things series. It is Jude Baker and Sarah Kennedy-Lohan’s story. It reads as a standalone, although the story is more full and tremendously enriched by having first read book one in the series. Like the first book, this book is a tear-jerker, but as devastating as it is, the love story is incredibly worthwhile.
This book opens one year and three months following the epilogue in book one, which celebrated little Ty Lohan Junior’s birthday. It begins October 20, 2016 – six years from the day of the infamous gum incident that finally brought Tyler and Sarah together. In this story, Sarah’s future begins to shift on a second fateful day when an arrogant professor slips on the piece of gum that she spits onto the sidewalk in memory of Tyler.
Sarah Kennedy-Lohan, twenty-seven, has been in mourning for nearly five years. Tyler left her and this world behind before she even knew she was pregnant with his child. She remains in the apartment he left her with their four-year-old son, Ty, and keeps Tyler’s room as shrine to him. Susan Lohan, Tyler’s mom, remains nearby and helps out with Ty while Sarah works as a physiotherapist. The two have grown quite close over the years, but the pain of their loss remains. The burden of Tyler’s absence weighs more and more heavily on Sarah as she tires of the darkness. His ghost visits her, reminding her of her promise to smile again, to live a full life, and to find love and a new happily ever after. She also realizes how unfair it is to burden little Ty with being the primary source of her happiness. Still, she believes that Tyler is her one and only forever love, and has no inclination to move on. Just as she does each year, when the anniversary of the day that brought them together arrives, Sarah grabs a piece of gum and returns to the university sidewalk where Tyler and she had finally met.
Jude Baker, thirty-two, lectures at Sydney University and works part-time on campus as a speech therapist. He loves books and enjoys deep intellectual conversation. He lives a rather quiet and solitary life, and has largely given up on dating. His stepmother had moved him and his younger brother and sister to Australia from their native England when he was seventeen. Soon afterward, he left home and began his university studies. People tend to consider him arrogant, though he prefers to think of himself as blunt and truthful.
Jude’s life gets caught up in Sarah’s when he steps onto the hunk of gum that she spits on the sidewalk in memory of Tyler, marking the same spot that his gum had tripped her six years earlier. He is far from pleased, and when it turns out that they live in the same apartment building things go further south. Despite that awful beginning, however, Sarah senses something in Jude. And for the first time since Tyler, she begins to wonder if she might one day be happy again.
For those that read Tyler and Sarah’s story, the raw pain that Sarah feels as she battles through her darkness is real. Tyler was larger than life and a hard act to follow. He was loved by all, and the enthusiasm with which he lived his life was infectious. Sarah was stubborn. She was more bookish and independent. But Tyler challenged her to live life in the moment and be adventurous. To cherish each day. He had lived to make her smile, and her smile had been little more than a mask for nearly five years. Sarah finds that smile again when she meets the bumbling, stammering British professor. Jude is a nerdy heartthrob who happens to get adorably nervous around Sarah once his anger over their initial meeting recedes. And when she and Ty bump into him near home, it is bittersweet to see Tyler’s little boy take so quickly to him. Tyler remains a part of this story, though. He is the love of Sarah’s life and serves as a counselor. Don’t worry – Tyler and Sarah’s love story is handled respectfully even though she begins the process of moving on.
Jude and Tyler are entirely different men at first glance, but when it becomes clear that Jude, too, has some secrets in his past it raises all kinds of red flags with Sarah. They, too, have challenges as their relationship shifts from strangers to friends, and later when they begin to date. But all along Sarah holds onto the idea that Tyler had something to do with bringing her and Jude together – with another hunk of gum on the same spot that he and she met. After many tears, Jude, Sarah, and Ty earn a happily ever after.
Grab the tissues! By my count there were twenty-two teary moments (some of them blended together into longer episodes). Jude and Sarah’s story is about second chances. Their mature love is colored by their troubled pasts, but together they find a path forward that heals their open wounds. The writing is beautiful and thoughtful. There are some minor editing issues. The plot is complex. The characters are carefully crafted and three dimensional. The story is written in first person in Sarah’s POV. Excerpts from Tyler’s journal are in his POV. I rate this book 4.5 stars.
I received an advance copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I haven’t read Sarah and Tyler’s story, but I need to remedy that soon. There are so many ways to go through grief. Not everyone deals with it the same, and as the story reminds us, not everyone goes through the same grief timeline. Watching Sarah go through grief and watching Ty have his little piece, even though he had no memories of Tyler was bittersweet. Tyler’s Mom still had a panicked anger. But life does move on if one lets it. Jude was another puzzle to unscramble and figure out, but I liked that Jude and Sarah had each other to help move forward in life. I loved that Tyler’s journal was used as well.
This is my first time reading something by this author. What a heartwarming and touching story so full of emotion. This is a story that will definitely keep you reading well into the night. Make sure you have a box of tissues near by when you read this because I can guarantee the tears will come! It is such a captivating and gripping story you won’t be able to put it down. Sarah lost her husband at a young age and wasn’t sure she would be able to open up her heart to love again but fate had something special in store for her. A beautifully written story of hope, healing, and learning to love again, it will surely touch your heart. I really enjoyed it. I will be looking for more of books of this author to read!
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
How much did I love this book? Reading until 2.30am in the morning, that’s how much!
Despite this being sub-titled as 47 Things #2 it CAN be read stand alone. I know that because I haven’t read 47 Things. I don’t know if my heart and soul could stand it, I cried enough at this book – even though we were getting a forever love story. Jude, Sarah, Ty and Tyler made me laugh, smile and sob. They made my soul ache with a longing for something that would never be and my heart sing with joy at them finding their always.
“The man in my arms made everything better. The moment he stepped into my life, he started shining a light on all my darkest moments. He could brighten any bad mood and he loved me in all the best ways.”
Listening to Sarah’s struggles, her pain and loneliness, and then reading Tyler’s journal extracts, lord that didn’t just break my heart, it shattered it into a million tiny shards. Thank goodness there was the awkward, bumbling, geeky Jude there to glue it back together.
“I would give anything for the chance to have grown complacent with Tyler. Anything. I think that was part of what made life without him hard. I missed everything we never got to have. I missed it every moment of every day.”
I did miss having Jude’s voice in the book, it meant I didn’t connect to him at the same level as I did Sarah. However I still felt I knew him and I still really, really, REALLY loved the book.
Sometimes fate demands a do over….but do you go along with the plan?
One More Thing is the second book in the 47 Things series by Lilliana Anderson. Not having read the first book of the series but having read several other books by this author I had a pretty good idea what to expect. Well this one blew me away. It is well written with a story-line that will have you reaching for the tissue box long after you finish the last page. The characters of Sarah and Tyler are written with a great depth, maturity, emotion, and soulfulness.
This is a a truly fabulous book that I cannot RECOMMEND STRONGLY enough!!! But make sure that you have that full tissue box next to you when start in as you will need it.
I received a copy of this book for my honest review. My opinions are all my own.
Stunning reading i couldn’t put it down beautiful sweet and just wow. Beautiful gorgeous read loved it.
Tissues are going to be needed and and it would be a good idea to read book 1.
Again loved it.
It’s five years after Tyler’s death. Life goes on for Sarah, though she’s still consumed with sadness, and not ready to move forward. Until another gum incident, when she meets Jude. They’re just friends. He turns out to be the best friend she could ever have. Except for Tyler. When she and Jude become closer, she’s not sure she can leave Tyler behind. And Tyler’s mother doesn’t help any with her decisions. Tyler’s journal entries are scattered throughout the book, and I love that she’s read and re-read that journal. The relationship that Jude develops with Sarah’s son Ty is priceless. I don’t know how many tissues I used while reading this book. It ripped my heart out, broke it into a million pieces, stomped on the pieces, and then put it all back together. This is an incredible and moving story of moving forward to love again after a devastating loss, and opening up.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I rarely cry when I read a book. This book got me a few times. Truly breathtaking from start to finish. I didn’t want to put it down. Sarah had a heartbreaking story, she learned Jude had one as well. It was so emotional to read about both of their lives prior to meeting. He is swoon worthy from the start. It was just such a beautifully written story. I would love to read more about their life!
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Flawless
Brilliant
Gorgeous
Real and wholeheartedly shattered me, only to make me stronger with each page turned !
This was hauntingly beautiful tale & one that continues on from 47 Things…..
Sarah can’t let her late husband go & his death is explained in this & the previous book. However her rather bad initial encounter with Jude leads to more. Sarah does face a few obstacles in her journey at finding love again.
When you add in a cute kid & animals this also pulls at your heartstrings. This is such a touching read & one that will stay with your for awhile.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I bawled my eyes out reading this book. It felt like i lived through Sarah’s (FMC) heartbreak along with her with losing her husband – Tyler. It was worse with reading snippets of Tyler’s Journal. Reliving his brief but happy time with Sarah and all the ways/things he loved about her. It just broke my heart reading it. Life, Love, Loss, Forgiveness and a second chance to love again. This book comes full circle and shows Sarah that theres light at the end of the tunnel after you lose the love of your life. That you can have love again and its not the end. Just a heart achingly beautiful read. Yes theres a little dark parts especially in their backgrounds but the love story was genuine and you cant help but want Sarah to find happiness again
Wow!
You will need tissues for all the ugly crying, that this beautifully emotional and heartbreaking story. The loss of love and the journey to live again honouring his memory while raising his child.
I think I cried with so many emotions throughout this book that my heart felt pain for all the losses shared with all the characters.
Sarah is still devastated to a be a young widowed woman to her young son Tyler after devastating death of her husband Tyler to MS.
While on the anniversary of their journey together 6 years later Sarah sits with her grief and heartache as she remembers where everything changed.
Jude a speach therapist teaching at the university can not just believe that a person had just spat chewing gum at his feet. What was wrong with this woman.
What comes next is one hell of a love story like no other.
So much of this book was so emotionally beautiful. I found I was crying through so many emotions.
I thoughly enjoyed reading even through the puffy eyes.
Side note not a book to read on the train. Happy tears, sad tears and healing tears.
You will not be able to put this tragic love story down. A beautiful heartache a beautiful story.
*5 Stars*
Copy kindly received in exchange for an honest review.
I absolutely devoured 47 Things, the first book in this series. When I saw that there was a sequel, I just had to read it. I really wanted a HEA for Sarah after everything that happens in book one.
And whilst this one has a much happier ending, it still managed to rip my heart out into little pieces, and having me ugly crying whilst I was reading.
There are still many things to be dealt with in this book, but Lilliana has written it wonderfully. And while I think Tyler still has my heart, she managed to piece it back to together again with the way that she progresses this story for Sarah and their family and friends.
I smashed through this book, and I definitely recommend reading this series. Must be read in order though.