I should have known that kissing the new guy would be nothing but trouble.Of course, it doesn’t help that I’m terrible when it comes to relationships. In fact, avoiding men is what I would call my forte. In my personal experience, they’re good for one thing only, and love isn’t it. These days, working as a comic book artist – my lifelong dream – is the only thing that keeps me happy.That is, … happy.
That is, until I remember about my handsome co-worker Amos St. Clair and the kiss we shared once, before I pushed him away like the coward that I am.
Just as I find out that there’s no way for us to be together, fate keeps bringing us closer, offering us both the work opportunity of a lifetime – in Tokyo, Japan, a place that harbors many memories, good and bad.
How can I avoid falling in love with Amos when we’re supposed to work side by side every day? How can I guard my heart when he’s all I never dared dreaming of?
The Art of Us is a standalone romance inspired by a true story. It is intended for readers 18+
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Bad At Love
*** I was given this ARC in exchange for an honest review. ***
I was so excited when I read about this because I love when books are about artists, let alone a comic book artist. I couldn’t wait to get my hands on this. Once I started reading about Lena and Amos, I was so attached to them and their story that I would take my kindle anywhere just to keep reading about them. Then I would get angry when my kindle died and I was in a place where I couldn’t charge it back up to get back to their story.
Which by the way had so much going on just in the plot and emotionally. I thought that I wouldn’t end up crying while reading this book, but I did. Lena struggles through heartache a lot in this book and I felt for her, hell I felt with her.
These trauma events that happened in her life have shaped the way she is. So yes, she avoids many, many things that could risk her heart because the poor girl has been through the ringer. She is very jaded, not afraid to share her opinion and get in your face. It is very hard not to love her as a character.
She doesn’t know how to love anything else, but her job. So she’s bad at love, doesn’t mean she doesn’t try… things just tend to not go her way at first. So she runs away.
I loved how the cultural aspects were brought into this book so well. It was almost like I was in Tokyo. I have never been outside of the U.S. so that was a very nice experience. With the sharings of history and about the restaurants, I really enjoyed that. The diversity was shown between each town/city they went to as well and the difference between the people that lived there. I found that fascinating, rivating even.
Since this was my first book by Hilaria Alexander, I feel like she really outdid herself. I loved this book and thought the ideas that she came up with for her characters to draw in their comic books was great! I will MOST DEFINITELY be reading something by her again.
This book is amazing,it brought back my excitement for manga and anime,Japan and the japanese culture.
Lena is a broken woman who lives in a bubble made up of her work and her drawings,she has given up the hope of finding love and happiness years before,fortunately she met Amos who will bring her out of her head and will make her understand she deserves to be happy and to live her life in the best way she can.
“You don’t hold the reins of your life.Fate does.”
Hilaria Alexander definitely know what she wrote. The accurate descriptions of the places and the habits of the japanese are so real that I easily thought I was there with the characters while I was reading.
I am not sure where to start with this book or where to go with this review. This was my first book by Hilaria. It won’t be the last; in fact, I own a couple of her other books already that I do plan to read.
I have dawdled over how to rate this book for a few days. For me, there were equal amounts of positives and negatives in what I would have expected or wanted from this book once I started it.
Hilaria is a very good story teller. She has created a unique love story that I haven’t read or seen. Two comic book authors who are in love, but they refuse to allow or admit their love to not only each other but themselves too. Much of this book focuses on that aspect.
This story flowed from start to finish. As I moved my way through, I was anticipating their happily ever after.
Since I already said there were some negatives for me in this book. I can’t just ignore them. I am not one for being patient with a story that seems too drawn out. This one was that way from time to time…
I had a difficult time with having too much self-reflection of feelings and resistance. Instead of much of this, I needed more interactions, more scenarios to help build the much needed angst I needed.
For me to have been head over heels with this book, I needed to see the characters actual interactions more instead of just being told they had them. I think the ending of this book would have been much more emotional for me had I had these.
Overall, this a really good story. I am honored to have read it and have experienced it. I can truly appreciate a touching and unique love story. This one is one of those.
The Art of Us is a raw, emotional, inspiring tale of death, isolation, hope, healing, and… soulmates.
Sōrumeito. That’s what Amos and Lena were. They were as destined and obsessed with each other as they were with their art from the very beginning. And it was intoxicating and wonderful and fulfilling.
I saw a lot of myself in Lena, and her life’s journey was soul-shattering to say the least. Throughout her life, she had been an expert at escaping and alienating people. She was “her own woman” … until HE came. BOLD and BRAVE, I am glad her story was told; both her and Amos’ lives were tales of so much loss and acceptance.
I lost myself in this novel. I dove into it almost completely blind, and I’m glad I did. It was very refreshing to read about the life of comic artists and the industry. I vanished into the culture of Japan as if I live and breathe the place!
This is the first Hilaria Alexander book I’ve read and I loved every moment in this book! I loved how Lena and Amos were presented: very relatable and realistic. The tension between them was palpable, almost like you could actually feel it. And I liked that there wasn’t any flirtation happening between them, given their apathy toward each other. But somehow those feelings of dislike transformed into something resembling like? Friendship? Possibly love?
One thing I was immediately drawn to was how realistic Lena is. I’m sure there’s not one woman out there who’s read this book and thought “I can’t relate to Lena on any level”. To me, that is the mark of an outstanding author: when you can create a character so realistic it resonates with every reader. She’s guarded, and I liked how she took baby steps when it came to letting her vulnerability show, especially with Amos. He’s got her feeling things she’s not experienced before, so seeing her resistance, hesitance and acceptance of her changing feelings felt like I was on the emotional journey right along with her.
I loved that the story seemed to go full circle, starting and ending in Japan, but especially that the ending seemed to help bring some sort of peace after the heartbreaking beginning (you’ll have to read the book to understand my statement). I enjoyed reading about the Japanese culture (I was born in Japan and left as a toddler).
Loved this book!! Perfect mix of love and heartache.
I loved that this book was so diverse. Based mainly in Japan and focused on manga and anime, which I did not have much knowledge of at all. However, it was so exciting to me to read Japanese in a book and learn about the comic world.
Lena didn’t really do love. She couldn’t stop thinking about a kiss she had with a co-worker and he made her get feelings she really didn’t know what to do with. They start doing a comic together and it leads them on their journey to Japan. While in Japan their feelings for each other grew and turned into a unforgettable love story. Lots of heartache in this story, but woven into a love story that will stick with me for some time.
Hilaria is a superb writer, I really enjoy her work.
Not one word I am about to write will do this beautiful, uplifting and surprising story justice.
Hilaria Alexander has written a poignant and moving story of love and healing. The story is utterly emotional and breathtaking.
Lena is perfectly imperfect and a true representation of a Heroine. She is snarky, sassy, independent and broken. She is real and true.
Amos is… Amos is everything you want in a partner. He is kind, sexy and intelligent. He is caring, sweet and cocky. He is the yin to Lena’s yang.
Amos and Lena’s story, which takes us from the wet road of Portand to the neon street of Tokyo, is moving and astounding. It’s a story of healing, acceptance and growth. It’s the story of two halfs becoming whole.
Hilaria is an amazingly talented author. He words are ripe with emotion and beauty. The Art of Us is, in my opinion, her best work yet and I cannot wait to see what she has in store for us next! Cheers and FIVE stars to Hilaria and The Art of Us!