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The Story of Us by Tara Sivec [arc review]

Hello Hello Sunnies!
Two amazing books coming out today. The review for the first went up yesterday, and today we will talk about The Story of Us by Tara Sivec!

The Story of Us, Tara Sivec

The Blurb:
How much can a man take before he breaks?

1,843 days. That's how long I survived in that hellhole. They tried to break me, but I resisted. And I owe it all to the memory of warm summer nights, the scent of peaches, and the one woman who loved me more than I ever deserved to be loved. Now, I'll do anything to get back to her. 

Only Shelby Eubanks isn't the girl I left behind all those years ago. She's someone else, a stranger. My Shelby-my little green-eyed firecracker-would never give up her dreams, would never disappear into her mother's ambitions. But I won't give up on her. On us. I may be broken, and scarred, and not the man I used to be, but I will do whatever it takes to remind her of the story of us.

*thank you Read Forever for the book (given in exchange of an honest review). 

The review: 4 Stars/3 Stars 
I will explain...
It will sound strange to start the review from the end of the book but it just has to be done... the last 50 or so pages were heartbreaking. I did not see that twist coming and it took me completely by surprise. Up to that point the story felt rather flat, something that as a huge romance reader I have read a million times before. But no, I was wrong, so very wrong. That twist changed everything and made me look at everything that happened up to that point on a completely different way. Masterpiece twist right there!
And therefore, 4 Stars for those last 50 or so pages...

Now let's go back to beginning 🙈
The Story of Us is a very emotional second chance romance between a soldier and the girl he was forced to leave behind.
Eli went through hell the last five years and the only thing that kept him going is the hope to go back to the woman he loves and fix things. Shelby thinks Eli is dead, when he is found and rescued her world is turned upside down. She is completely under her mother's thumb and going against her will have strong consequences both in her life and Eli's.
All in all it was a good read, but the amount of drama and almost 'soap opera/telenovela' like story-line got on my nerves at times. There was something worthy of an eye roll far too often and it also got a bit repetitive at points. Still, it was a good story, a solid 3 Stars!

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