From USA Today bestselling author Rochelle B. Weinstein comes a moving novel of hearts lost and found, and of one woman torn between two love stories.
When Charlotte and Philip meet, the pair form a deep and instant connection. Soon they’re settled in the Florida Keys with plans to marry. But just as they should be getting closer, Charlotte feels Philip slipping away.
Second-guessing their love … away.
Second-guessing their love is something Charlotte never imagined, but with Philip’s excessive absences, she finds herself yearning for more. When she meets Ben, she ignores the pull, but the supportive single dad is there for her in ways she never knew she desired. Soon Charlotte finds herself torn between the love she thought she wanted and the one she knows she needs.
As a hurricane passes through Islamorada, stunning revelations challenge Charlotte’s loyalties and upend her life. Forced to reexamine the choices she’s made, and has yet to make, Charlotte embarks on an emotional journey of friendship, love, and sacrifice—knowing that forgiveness is a gift, and the best-laid plans can change in a heartbeat.
This Is Not How It Ends is a tender, moving story of heartbreak and healing that asks the question: Which takes more courage—holding on or letting go?
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This is Not How it Ends is a beautifully heart wrenching story of love, loss and hope. A word of warning. Have the tissues handy and don’t read the ending on your lunch hour. I can’t wait to read Rochelle B. Weinstein’s next book!
Charlotte has a mistrust for men abandoning her thanks to her father so she keeps her distance emotionally. That is, until she meets Phillip on a plane. For some reason, he seems difference. He is just as infatuated with her as she is with him. With promises to make her happy beyond her wildest dreams, she moves with him to Islamorado, near the Florida Keys. Once there, his traveling goes into high gear but when he is home, he is hers. Circumstances begin to change as Phillip is gone more and more and Ben is there for her. Charlotte has had a lot of heartache in her life but she dealing but nothing can prepare her for the next big blow. The heartbreak, reconciliation with her father, and Ben and Jimmy leaving the island. How much can a girl take? How does it really end? This is my first book that I have read by Ms. Weinstein. She has created a story that you can connect with the characters and feel the good times and the bad times. Thanks to Ms. Weinstein, Lake Union Publishing, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.
Solid. Then Waterfall. I’ve heard a lot of friends talking about this book for a few months, and even though I had it already there were always more pressing deadlines, so I didn’t actually manage to read it until release day. And damn. For the first 2/3 ish of this book, it is solid but on par with the level expected from Lake Union Publishing – a high ish standard already, as they’ve never once let me down and given me a subpar book. But then you get to the last 1/3 ish of this text and suddenly your eyes are effectively waterfalls for the next 100 pages or so. And I began to see why so many friends were praising this book so highly. Truly excellent work, and very much recommended.
I received an ARC from NetGalley and I have to say this book was a surprise. Reading about the book, I was expecting the relationship between Charlotte and Philip but the book has so much more depth. It was the depth that captured my attention and made the book different from others. I don’t want to tell you the different things that made the depth of the book because I hope you can discover them on your own as I did. The description of the book enticed me to read it, the things going on that made the depth made me enjoy the book even more and then when Charley visited TINHIE it brought the book home for me. It wasn’t a rollercoaster ride but a fast-paced, keep you reading a book. I am not saying too much about the book because the nicest part of reading it is all the things woven together. When I got to a part, I said the title is This is not how it ends and the title was perfect. I think you will love it as I did.
What a beautiful story of love! Though it is filled with grief and ever so many struggles, there is love in all forms and shapes. The emotions are raw and real. I was so invested in the characters, there where times I just wanted to throw the book across the room, because it hurt too much to read about another struggle! This book is so well written and worth the investment of having your heart broken but put back together with such care!
Charlotte is a character that has had many losses in her life, yet she manages to keep going, keep loving, and keep living. As the story goes on, I couldn’t help but wonder how much one person can take and then I figure it out. She can take all that she is given because she is strong, and she surrounds herself with people who lift her up when life gets tough.
Phillip starts as a jerk but quickly redeems himself when he asks Charlotte real questions and really listens to what she has to say. He woos her and wins her heart, all while helping her with her mother. Their relationship wasn’t easy with him being gone so much but he makes the most out of the time they are together and shows her how much he loves her with every call and touch. As the story goes on I worry about him and about their relationship. I wonder if he is aware of Charlotte’s feelings and how he will make things okay between them.
The third main character is Ben. He has an adorable son but he has also had a tough loss. He is a master chef, a wonderful father, but he is so lonely. I love how he was woven into the lives of Phillip, his best friend, and Charlotte. He loves them both as family and will do anything he can to make them happy.
I had tears, fears, and love all while reading this amazing story. The characters are all relatable, the storyline is unique and wonderful, and the setting of the Florida Keys breathtaking. Rochelle B. Weinstein is such a talented author. I’d recommend any of her books to anyone looking for a book that will pull at your heartstrings.
This is Not How it Ends is a fabulous story that pulled me in immediately and had me riveted through to the very end. Charlotte’s journey was told via alternating chapters of “now” and “then”. I loved Charlotte, Phillip and Ben so very much and between the three of them, my heart was broken a couple of times because the happy ever after I wanted and hoped for always seemed just out of reach.
Phillip’s secrets, Ben’s medical challenges with his son and Charlotte trying to balance the two was handled so well by Rochelle B. Weinstein that I didn’t know who to root for and found my loyalties changing repeatedly. The setting of this book is great and Weinstein’s descriptions of people and places are beautiful. I haven’t been to the area of Florida that this book is set in, but I definitely want to visit now. When this story ended, all I wanted was more. Another book, another 150 pages or something. It was fantastic.
If you’re looking for a book to take you away to a beautiful area, pull you in and keep you turning pages so quickly that you don’t want to put the book down, this is the story for you.
Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and author for approving my request for an ARC. Thoughts in this review are my own.
There were definite tears with this one. Told in the present and before, we follow Charlotte and Phillip and their relationship now, and before as they fall in love and come to the point. When the book opens, Charlotte is engaged, living in a beautiful house in the Keys, and unhappy. She loves Phillip, but knows something has changed in their relationship since they became engaged. She used to be content with the relationship, including Phillip’s constant travel, but now she wants more. A chance meeting with Ben and Jimmy brings them into her life before she finds out that Ben is Phillip’s best friend.
Phillip’s constant travel has him pushing Charlotte and Ben together, trusting his friend to take care of his fiancée. The friendship, along with Charlotte helping with Jimmy’s allergies, contribute to the deepening of the Ben and Charlotte’s relationship, leaving her confused and torn between two good men. When a storm comes, she makes a decision, and then circumstances dictate another choice. No spoilers.
This story is not what you expect or what it sounds like. This is an emotional novel that tears at your heart. The story and characters are so well-developed that I was invested from the beginning. This is the first time I have read a book by Rochelle B. Weinstein and it won’t be the last.
Thank you to NetGalley for my advanced review copy. All opinions and thoughts are my own.
#ThisIsNotHowItEnds #RochelleBWeinstein #LakeUnionPublishing
This is Not How it Ends by Rochelle B. Weinstein is a full length, standlone contemporary romance novel. Before I start my review let me say two things. The author is new to me and it took me exactly one chapter to fall in love with this wonderful, heart wrenching, gutting read.
This is Not How it Ends tells Charlotte Myers’ story. Charlotte is a woman in her thirties, engaged to a great man. They’re deeply in love and he’s all he has. Her family is gone. But his often absence puts a strain in their relationship. When she meets a single dad at the store they have a deep and insta-connection. Charlotte is torn. What to do? To make matters worse, the men know each other.
Til this point I was captivated and thought, ok she has to chose her knight in shining armor and they ride into the sunset. But no, nothing, nothing had me prepared for the unexpected twists and major turns that the story took.
This Not How it Ends is an emotional read and I needed quiet a lot of tissues, be prepared. I fell in love with the writing, the story and the characters. I was hurting for them, I laughed with them and at some point I was angry at them. The story is told in a fitting single POV and I can’t express how easily I connected with the characters. I could feel every single one of their emotions in the words, their suffereing, their love, their desperation.
I highly recommend the book, it’s one of my favorite reads this year and give 5++ stars.
The beginning of this story left me conflicted but soon got pulled into Charlotte’s life. At times I wanted to shake her but keep reading and rooting for her. Book follows two timelines…two loves, how they intersect and how it all ends up. Set in the Florida keys scenery is tropical and described well. The end of the book makes up for any shortcomings you might have in the beginning. Read it!
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It broke my heart and then put it back together. Bring the tissues for this one.
Emotional. Incredible characters. The Florida Keys. Just about perfect.
Five amazing stars !! Oh how I loved this book. It is a love story that is heartbreaking and beautiful with relatable characters that will be difficult to forget. It had me in tears and left me with a book hangover. Rochelle’s storytelling just keeps getting better and better. I highly recommend it.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the review copy.
This was a good story that had me feeling all sorts of different things – sad, happy, annoyed…There were moments where I felt sorry for Charlotte and others where I was frustrated with her for not communicating more openly with Philip about her needs and for not being more aware of what was going on with him. I liked that this was not your typical story about a love triangle – it definitely had a different twist.
Thank you to Lake Union Publishing and NetGalley for providing a copy for review.
This is a new to me author. From what I’ve read about her is that she writes stories that are very relatable. This couldn’t be more true with this one.
Charlotte falls in love with Phillip hard and fast. He travels for work, and at first that doesn’t bother her. However, when she moves from Kansas City to Florida, life begins to change. She no longer likes being alone all the time. Which is understandable. Kansas City is all Charlotte ever knew. Now she’s in a new state, surrounded by new people, and she is lonely.
Then she meets Ben while helping save his sons life. Ben is everything Phillip is not. He’s a family man , he has a job that’s local, and he’s attractive. When Charlotte finds herself attracted to Ben, she knows it’s wrong, but she can’t help how she feels.
Well low and behold, Ben and Phillip are best friends! Which makes Charlotte feel even more guilty. What worsens her guilt is when Phillip pushes his fiance and his best friend to get to know one another while he’s traveling. However, Charlotte can’t figure out why Phillip would be pushing her towards another man when he seems to be pulling away from her.
This is a whirlwind of a book with a sad, but happy ending. Charlotte is a good person who wants to do the right thing, but who is the right man for her?
I found myself rooting for Charlotte and Phillip at certain points and then Charlotte and Ben at other points.
Thank you Suzy Approved Book Tours, Get RedPR, Rochelle B. Weinstein and Lake Union Publishing for letting me be on tour today.
Grab your copy January 1, 2020
When was the last time you cried after reading an amazing story?
Weinstein pulled every string I had in my heart and in my gut for the most beautiful and unpredictable story about three lives interwoven into a remarkable story about love and friendships, guilt and loss, and mistakes and forgiveness. I absolutely thought the storytelling to be brilliant with amazing casts of characters. I was sucked in to the story from the first two chapters and did not want this to end at all.
What a fantastic read and highly recommend.
WOW! Kudos to Rochelle B. Weinstein, Author of “This Is Not How it Ends” for writing such an emotional, intense, witty, intriguing, and thought-provoking story. I love the author’s vivid descriptions of the characters and the beautiful landscape. A key theme is forgiving and second chances. The story takes place in the present and goes to the past when it pertains to the characters or events. The Genres for this novel are Fiction, Women’s Fiction, and Romance. The author describes her colorful and dramatic cast of characters as complex, and complicated. The author also describes loyalty, betrayal, and love.
I was so emotionally invested in this story. I was hopeful, I chuckled, I cried. The characters and their story pulled and tugged at my heartstrings. I appreciate that the author discusses topics such as Cancer and the effects on family and loved ones. The author mentions other important topics such as infidelity and homosexuality. The author also discusses the importance of family, friends, forgiveness, communication and love and hope.
Charlotte is a teacher and actually bumps into Philip on an airplane. Soon the two move to the Florida Keys. Philip is there for Charlotte when there is a tragedy in her family. Philip travels for business, and also gets a “puppy” to take care of her. It seems that Charlotte feels that Philip is keeping secrets, or keeping her at a distance. Charlotte trusts Philip but starts to feel that she needs more. Philip even has his best friend who is a chef look after Charlotte when he is away.
When a hurricane hits the area, Charlotte finds herself in an impossible situation and has to make choices. Little does she know what lies ahead. I loved everything about this novel and would highly recommend it.
A medical emergency, brings strangers together In this beautiful story of love, friendships, disappointment, losses and struggles. Charley meets a sexy, attractive businessman Phillip, on a flight. An instant attraction turns into deep love, although Charlie always feels that she doesn’t have all of him, as he travels for extended periods, often not where he claims to be, Phillips best friend Ben and his son Jimmy are both a large part of their lives, and Ben follows Phillips instructions to watch out for her in his absence.
Rochelle Weinstein creates an interesting cast of characters that draw you into their story. The Florida Keys provides a beautiful backdrop to the story. It is an emotional roller coaster that will bring tears to your eyes.
My thanks to #NetGalley, #LakeUnionPublishing for an ARC for my personal review. I enjoyed it very much.
I was given an advanced copy to read in exchange for an honest review.
Wow what an amazing heart felt story about love and life. I loved this book. I highly recommend reading it if you enjoy a live story.
This is a story about Charley who meet Phillip on a flight back from a conference. Phillip is spontaneous and exciting, it is not long until Charley is madly in love. When Charley’s mom gets sick the cancer Phillip does all he can to help Charley through it. After her mom dies Charley moves to the Florida keys with Phillip.
Phillip has a demanding job that keeps him traveling. This causes Charley to wonder if they want the same things. Will Charley and Phillip get married? Will the loneliness be too much for Charley? Will she walk away from a man she dearly loves but he just can’t give her all she needs?
Highly recommend! Loved this book!
This was a sad love story. I found the story predictable and knew how it was going to end early on. I found that Charlotte really didn’t know Phillip. I didn’t understand how he could become so sick and she didn’t really question his change in appearance. I did enjoy the characters and each of their roles in the triangle relationship.