Book review
A fantastic book. Judith McNaught has once again captivated me with another story. Julie Mathison is a small town, Texan school teacher. After being abandoned as a baby, Julie was put in many foster care home where she stole to survive and tried her best to help the other orphaned kids. Because she had no one to care for her she feel behind greatly in school leaving her illiterate at the age of 11. Finally when a doctor takes notice of Julie’s potential to be great she decides to send her to the Mathison’s, a preachers family, where she is given the love and affection she never had. They taught her to read and adopted her into the family. From there on out Julie vowed to always be perfect for her family and try her best in everything she does. Zach Benedict was a rich teen under the care of his strict grandmother along with his siblings. After a tragic misunderstanding, Zach is kicked out of the house with nothing but the clothes on his back. He moves to LA and swiftly becomes the next big actor and director. Years later Zach is framed for the murder of wife on set. After Zach caught her having an affair with her costar, It was unfortunate timing that the next day while filming Rachel was shot with the prop gun. All signs pointed fo Zach as the suspect and he was imprisoned for three years. By this time Julie is now a superstar in her community. She teaches elementary school, she runs a disabled sports league and teaches illiterate adult women to read in her spare time. She has done everything in her power to make her family proud. Zach makes his escape from prison and when his transportation plan gets thwarted he meets Julie at a rest stop and asks her for a ride. Shortly after Julie discovers that the nice man hitchhiking is actually an escaped convict. Zach explains that he needs her to drive to Colorado to a safe hideout. Julie unwillingly complies as she’s threatened at gunpoint. Despite her attempts to escape during the drive she notices that he never tries to hurt her nor does he use his gun. Finally they reach the hideout in Colorado which happens to be a beautiful cabin from one of his friends. During their week together they realize that their playful banter is more than just small talk and that they have feelings for each other. Zach has never met someone as bold and inspiring as Julie. And despite everything she has heard about Zach Benedict, Julie believes in his innocence and wants to help him. They fall in love obviously. But Zach realizes he’s only hurting Julies future by being with her, so he sends her back to her family. By this point Zach and Julie are national news and Julie returns only to make a positive statement about her time with Zach and proclaims his innocence. Zach is still on the run and Julie is being hounded by the FBI. Still despite their forbidden love and obvious obstacles they want to be together. A story of passion, mystery and charm.
It was heartwarming and sweet, yet it affected my emotions more so than any book I’ve read recently. I expected Judith to tear my heart out somewhere during this book like her other books, and she did. When Julie turned him in to police and the fbi swarmed him while she sobbed holding the wedding ring. I was physically affected for hours and was so genuinely upset. The reuniting of Julie and Zach felt earned and satisfying. I could’ve cried tears of joy when Zach read the letter intended for her parents. The last quarter of the book was essentially romantic fluff and it felt like a treat after all the hardships. I loved the wedding and all the effort Zach put into it. Mcnaught always has phenomenal plots that are not solely based around the romance itself. There is mystery and intrigue, I was anxious to see who really murdered Rachel. There is a huge emphasis on side characters and their separate plots. It is truly storytelling at its finest. I appreciate that there was no long periods of time being flashed forward and that the timeline was consistent. The characters felt real in every way and their personalities were so detailed. I LOVED Zach and Julie. They had beautiful beautiful beautiful chemistry. This book had the perfect ratio of enemies to lovers, as well as the best build up to the relationship that I have seen in a while. I also GREATLY appreciated that there was no huge miscommunication trope in this book. They talked through their feelings and weren’t irrational. I felt like I was actually present for their story, and was there to laugh and cry along with them. The vibe was immaculate. From the small town to the coziness of the Colorado cabin, this book had great setting. I could think of 10000000 other compliments to give this book honestly. I really loved it and is definitely one of my favorites. It rivals my other favorite novel of hers, “kingdom of dreams” and I’m fairly sure “perfect” wins. I brought it with me to the dinner table and became emotionally distraught at the conflict, if that’s not good writing I don’t know what is. It was perfect (pun intended).
- Goodreads rating – 4.30
- SUMMARY – Anna