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After Love Leaves Book Review

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My readers know that I am not a huge fan of romance novels--yet, every now and that, I find myself drawn to one.  After Love Leaves caught my interest with the cover--and I found myself adding it to my reading list.  What did I think of After Love Leaves by Michelle Alstead?

I received a complimentary copy of this ebook for use in my review.  All opinions are my own.



About the Book

When Brad Sorenson crossed paths with Zoe O’Loughlin at a high school graduation party, the connection was undeniable. He noticed her when no one else did; she inspired him to want more out of life. But it would be years before they’d meet again…and in the most unlikely of places. Brad was looking for a good time online, not love. But Zoe was so sweet, so kind. Everything about her was perfect—until she fell in love with him. Zoe doesn’t know why Brad left her standing in an airport; he won’t return her calls or texts. With her self-esteem and dreams shattered, she can’t imagine ever loving anyone else. A single phone call changes Brad’s life forever. Now he wants just one thing: to make amends with the only woman that’s ever mattered.

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Alstead creates more than a love story in this novel.  Rather than following her characters for a year or two--she follows them from teens through adulthood--as life's experiences cause their paths to cross over time.  Readers become parts of the characters lives as their stories unfold.

After Love Leaves Offers Wonderful Characters.  While the characters are certainly frustrating at times--they behave just like real people in the real world.  They are imperfect, they make bad decisions and they take time to discover who they are--and who they want to be.  Readers will become very invested in the lives (and decisions) of Alstead's characters.  Readers will really want a happy ending--but, not in a fairy tale sort of way.

Would I recommend After Love Leaves by Michelle Alstead?  This book is more than a romance novel--it is almost a character study of sorts.  Readers will follow the characters through love's ups and downs--and life's ups and downs.  Readers will find characters to love (and hate)--sometimes even at the same time.  This book is not the run of the mill, sappy, frivolous romance novel.  Readers who enjoy romance novels--especially those with a lot of real-world/real-life mixed in will enjoy this book.  I am not always a romance novel fan--but, I found myself reading the book from cover to cover in an evening.  I enjoyed the characters, I enjoyed the story line, and I enjoyed the author's writing style.  I look forward to reading more books from Michelle Alstead.



Meet the Author



Michelle Alstead is a single, divorced mom of a child with Autism Spectrum Disorder, who tries to promote autism awareness and advocate for gender equality while raising Sheldon Cooper and searching for some semblance of a love life. Michelle has experienced a wide-range of reasons for being dumped by the opposite sex (her favorite reason of all time - "she wasn't crazy enough and crazy girls are so much fun"). She maintains that she is both Irish and Spanish and can bring the "crazy" just as good as the next woman. This author copes with the difficulties of raising her challenging child and failing at love, by eating copious amounts of chocolate, binge watching Netflix late at night, and writing novels about characters who find happy endings. Every great story has a grain of truth. Truth inspires freedom. Michelle has decided to free herself by acknowledging that life can be ugly, brutal, and wickedly unfair. Her stories aren't the typical romances or the standard young adult fare. She seeks to be honest in her storytelling rather than playing it safe. Blending in wasn't much fun anyway.

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