You Loved Me Once

Corinne Michaels has told her readers that You Loved Me Once is a deeply personal and meaningful story for her, and it was one that she never intend to write, let alone publish. I’ve been looking forward to reading it since. Corinne also told readers that this was more of a women’s fiction story than a traditional romance, meaning expect more heart than heat, but having read it, I can tell you unequivocally that the love story is a big part of this tale. If you’ve been following my reviews for any length of time, you know that I exclusively read romance. Even still, this is Corinne Michaels, so of course I was going to read it. I’m glad I did, because this was a memorable, poignant and deeply moving love story, and it was exactly what I expect when I pick up Ms. Michaels books.

I don’t want to give a lot away about this story, but I will say that it sure did pack a heck of an emotional punch, unsurprising consider all of Michaels’ works tend to do so. I’ve read all of Corinne’s books, and honestly, this may very well be one of the most emotional stories she’s ever told – so that’s really saying something. It’s not that there is no heat in this book, there definitely is, it’s that the love story and the plot rightfully take the starring role here. I’m going to be honest, Serenity wasn’t the easiest character to like. I’m also going to caution readers not to throw the towel in on this heroine, but instead hang in there, and I promise you, her growth will make the frustration you’ll feel because of this character in the first half of the book worth it. Westin is everything you expect one of Corinne’s heroes to be. He’s sexy, charming, smart, alpha and that’s all wrapped up in a devastatingly gorgeous package. He’s also incredibly patient and understanding with Serenity, almost unbelievably so, until he justifiably reaches his breaking point with her. But don’t worry, he quickly recovers.

You Loved Me Once is definitely different than Corinne’s usual stories, but it’s no less captivating or romantic. This was such a beautifully written, touching love story, and it was brimming with all of the emotion and angst I’ve come to love from Michaels. Her thoughtful storytelling here paints a vivid picture of these characters, their struggles and every facet of their complex relationship. I felt all of the feels, and oh boy, did I cry all the tears. While there was a lot of painful emotion to sift through in this story, it was a rewarding story about making hard decisions, facing the consequences of your actions and recognizing your worth. Five smooches from me for You Loved Me Once by Corinne Michaels!
~Danielle Palumbo, Red Cheeks Reads

“’ .”

I started this book on a recommend from Sarah. Let me just say, when this mama gives her love for a book like she did this one, you damn well read the book!

Dr. Serenity “Ren” Adams is a Gynecological Oncologist. She is married to her job; to the hospital and has always worked hard for the life she lives. All she wants is to find a cure for ovarian cancer; after all, it turned her life upside down when she lost her mother to it. The reason why she does what she does.
Dr. Westin Grant is the head of Neurosurgery. He is kind, confident – but above all, he is patient. He has the biggest heart, and is behind Ren with all that he has. They are seeing each other but unofficially – he has chased her for two years.
And then, Serenity’s past crashes back into her life in the most unexpected way.
“… ‘ . “
This is my first by Corrine Michaels, and I didn’t know what to expect going into this. There are things I want to share and say, but won’t for fear of spoiling it. It was so very raw and so emotional.
The flashbacks were full of torturous slow burn and the storyline was just perfection.
You feel it in your soul. This book hurt. The whole book hurt – but it hurt so good.
Serenity is human. And we as humans sometimes have difficult choices to make; we have pasts, we make mistakes – and sometimes, it affects us more than we’d like to admit.
“ , , .”

“… , , .”

So I have read all of Corinne’s books and let me tell I cry in all of them. Even her funny and quirky scenes sometimes make me cry in a funny way too. Her writing is something that I have never seen before. Her characters are always too sweet and lovable. In this book we met Serenity and Westin. Their journey was full of ups and downs, there were times Serenity wanted to commit to Westin but circumstances in her life would stop her to do so. Again I would definitely recommend it to all. Corinne Michaels is and will always be my favorite author. Most definitely worth more than 5***********

I feel compelled to come and tell you all to buy this book and be prepared to set aside time to devour it in one sitting.

I feel like my heart has been broken and repaired by this story. This is undoubtedly Corinne Michaels at her best- Westin and Serenity’s story is one I will remember for a long time. I have wiped away a few tears on the heroine behalf as well.

The plot gave me that stomach twisting feeling at times that CM is so good at (especially when the bottom drops out of our heroine world and her past catches up with her)
The characters and their dilemmas are enthralling. You care about what happens to them – even the ones who turn out to be deeply flawed. They are well drawn and develop through the course of the story.
Westin is the knight in the shiny armour for me but Serenity is not an easy woman to conquer so be ready to be frustrated.

Love is at the heart of this story and CM excels in making you feel what love really means- loss, heartbreak, hope.

Make sure you are ready to embark in an emotional journey that will leave you breathless, make you weep and give you the biggest book hangover.

If you’re a fan of Grey’s Anatomy, this is the book for you!

You Loved Me Once brings on the determination, love, passion, and talent that you see in Grey’s, mixed with the lyrical words of Corinne Michaels. You can envision the doctors, the patients, the hallways, and feel the emotions as the story goes on and on. Definitely one to ready over and over again.

Corinne Michaels has always been a one-click author since I first found her a few years ago. This book is no exception. You get allllll the emotions and it’s got just the right amount of heartbreak for her to put you back together again. I couldn’t put it down!

Since the first time I read Corinne Michaels Corinne Michaels I fell in Love with her style. Her stories put my emotions all over the place. I cry, I smile, I swoon, I curse, I laugh, I scream… I’m one of those readers who always get deeply involved with the characters in a book and when it comes to Corinne, I prepare myself every time for an emotional ride.

You Loved Me Once is so different from her other books and yet, it brings the same amazing style that I love and amazing prose which always make me enjoy the story so damn much.

Serenity is a doctor who is committed to her job and had her heart broken once, which is why she doesn’t let herself get lost in a relationship; even if Westin Grant, a doctor who is as dreamy as a man can be, is handing her his heart on a silver platter. She doesn’t want to commit. Being f-buddies is okay, right? Well, not for him.

When Serenity finally starts to realize that maybe she needs to let her guard down and enjoy life with this awesome man, her past comes to make things almost unbearable, leaving her so out of her mind that she ends up in a situation which can potentially compromise her career with no chance of ever making things up. Will she be able to look at things through a different perspective and see all she has to lose?

Serenity is not a common heroine and I kind of struggled to like her in the beginning. She is stubborn, cold and there is this man whose feelings she takes for granted. I was angry at her! But as I read, I could see that there are so many layers to this woman that it’s impossible not to simply get her.

If I were to choose a word to describe this book, I would choose dense. This is not your light and easy-read. That being said, this is another AMAZING book by Corinne Michaels and I’m sure lovers of angsty, women’s fiction/romances will enjoy this one immensely.

Five stars!

So I liked this one, but I also struggled with it. Let it be known that I love Corinne Michaels and her work, and as someone who INHALES Corinne Michaels books, something just felt …. off? about it, and made it difficult for me to love as much as her previous works. The story had promise, and definitely is a great written version of Grey’s Anatomy, but it also dragged out just a bit too long. This story tackled a lot of dark subject matter and definitely was a lot to process, and it’s not that it wasn’t done well (it was for the most part) but there was something about how it was written that just made the book feel like it was going on forever.

I also, no matter how hard I tried, could not tolerate our heroine, Serenity. I’m all for flawed heroines, and, as Hannah Montana says, “everybody makes mistakes, everybody has those days” so I get it. She made a lot of mistakes. But the problem is that, for a heroine that prides herself on being detached and clinical, she was the most emotionally invested and impulsive person I’ve ever seen. It was one selfishly foolish decision after another, and honestly, her redemption came a little too easily for me to stomach. I know what we were SUPPOSED to feel, but I just, I didn’t. Her inner monologue was wishy-washy, her reasoning never sound, and I just couldn’t handle her.

Westin deserved better.

And overall this story was a bit anticlimactic after all the drama. I expected it to be more? Or at least it felt like it should have been?

Regardless, I loved the idea of this book, I think it had so much potential, and I really did love a lot of the other characters, especially Westin. I wanted to like this story so so much, but I just really struggled with the heroine and the writing style of this story and it detracted a lot from what I was enjoying.

{Many thanks to Valentine PR for my review copy!}

Corinne Michaels is an author that I can always depend on to give me something to think about long after I’ve finished one of her books. I mean the woman knows how to write a page turner. I had so many thoughts about You Loved me Once. I’m still not finished really processing it through my brain lol. I’m going to start on the audio this week. I absolutely can not wait to listen to this story.

It’s not at all what I was expecting when reading a romance story. I usually know I’m in for an ugly cry when reading one of Corinne books. I expect it and can’t wait for it. Hahaha but this book, it was something else all together. The characters were so real and faced the unthinkable. I know this is a book that is going to stay with me for a long time.

I don’t know what else to say without giving away so much of this story. So I’ll end this by saying Corinne Michaels remains ruler of my one click buy/pre order list. Lol

4.5 Stars

“I’m not known for chasing a woman. You make me want to run . . . Not away though, Serenity, but to you.”

Serenity is a gynecological oncologist and I could not imagine doing her job. Let’s be real; it takes special human beings to become doctors and surgeons, to enter the medical field. I could NOT do it. SO many props to them I really enjoyed this book! It was one of those books where you finish it and you’re like “wow, that was different than anything I’ve read” and it really was! We only get Serenity’s POV in this book but I was totally fine with it. The story is focused on her and how she is finally able to move on from the past, be present in the now and the good things she has, and also be more present in the future, while also making up for lost time, and make plans for what’s to come. I absolutely loved Westin. He’s Serenity’s rock, the calm to her storm. He loves and cherishes her, and would sacrifice so much for her. He’s sweet and swoony and romantic and he’s definitely a top BBF!

ARC received in exchange for an honest review.