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ARC Blog Tour: Near & Far by Nicole Williams {Review+Giveaway}

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Welcome to my stop on the ARC tour of Near & Far hosted by AToMR tours!
To see other stops on the tour for reviews, guest posts, and excerpt click here.
 
Near & Far (Lost and Found #2)
  by: Nicole Williams

Publication Date: July 30, 2013
 Genre: Contemporary Romance
Age Group: New Adult
Source: e-ARC provided by AToMR tours and the author in exchange for a fair and honest review.
Page Count: 350 pages
Order Links: Amazon | B&N
My Rating: 4.5/5 stars


There’s optimistic. And there’s Jesse Walker.

If he wasn’t so charming, his sunny disposition and incessant grin would get old. Fast.

Falling in love with the broken girl who had at first seemed immune to anything resembling love was the best thing to happen to Jesse since the Walkers adopted him when he was five.

As Jesse’s life continues at the ranch and Rowen begins making her mark in the Seattle art community, they wonder where the middle ground is. Or if there even is one.

As push comes to shove, they’re forced to make choices neither are eager to make, and Jesse and Rowen have to face what their lives might look like without the other.

Can two people with such tragic pasts and different presents expect a promising future together? Whatever the answer, they’ll need a lot more than love to make it.
 

My Review:

I am really glad I just recently read and reviewed Lost & Found! See my review here. This way all of the characters were still fresh in my mind and I wasn't struggling to recall the smaller details that I usually forget after reading a ton of other books! Lost & Found ends with Rowen planning on heading to community college in Seattle to study art while Jesse continues working on his family's ranch. In Near & Far their story continues (in dual POV!) with Jesse and Rowen learning to handle a long distance relationship. What I love most about these books is that Nicole doesn't create these unrealistic circumstances and situations for her characters. Long distance relationships take work and effort and Rowen and Jesse really start to see that. In fact, the first line of the book is this:

"Sometimes love was about compromise, and sometimes it was about sacrifice. Most times, it was a little of both. I'd learned that the trial-and-error way."

As I said in my Lost & Found review, Jesse and Rowen's relationship was not easy. They had to work at it and overcome some pretty heavy issues. They had to learn to trust one another and learn not to push the other away when things got tough. Now separated, the two must continue to trust in one another and not let others plant seeds of doubt in their minds. We have a couple of new characters that make an appearance in this book: Jolene, Josie's cousin, who is helping out Jesse's mom for the summer and Jax, a T.A for one of Rowen's art classes. It is clear Jolene has her sights set on Jesse and that Jax wants more than a friendship with Rowen. Garth is back in this book and let me just say: I cannot wait for his book!!! Garth was a straight up douche in Lost & Found: he and Jesse were on the outs due to an incident involving Jesse's ex girlfriend, and Garth really poisoned Rowen's thoughts, making her feel that she wasn't worthy of Jesse and that she would never fit in with his golden boy lifestyle. However, Garth did redeem himself by the end of the book and has come a long way since. Now, (while still an egotistical asshole) he and Jesse are working back towards a friendship and actually has some really great moments.

We don't get as much of the family dynamic that I loved so much in Lost & Found. Instead, we are caught up in the forces working against Rowen and Jesse and watching them believe and trust in one another to make it through. In Lost & Found, Rowen was the one who had to overcome some pretty heavy stuff. Here it's Jesse's turn. Jesse, as we learned before, did not a very good childhood prior to coming to live with the Walkers. We really see the extent of how bad his life was before and just how deeply it did still affect him. My poor heart was absolutely shattered for him. It's very difficult to sit by and watch someone become consumed by their demons and know the only person that can pull them out of it is them.

However, I think for relationships to truly last and survive, they have to be tested. Again, it's about compromise and sacrifice and sometimes the old saying "If you love someone, you have to let them go" really does ring true. Rowen and Jesse's relationship is tested greatly in this novel and being away from one another certainly doesn't help matters. Can their relationship survive jealousy, secrets, and haunting pasts? Guess you'd better read and find out!

About the Author:

I am the New York Times and USATODAY bestselling author of the LOST & FOUND series, the CRASH series, and a handful of others. Basically, I get to do what I love. Every single day. I write romance because I’m a sucker for a good love story, and I write happy endings because there are too few of them in real life.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 Giveaway:
 
Enter to win:
 
    • 2 Print copies of Near & Far - International
    • $50 Gift Card from Amazon.com - International
a Rafflecopter giveaway

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28 comments

  1. That last line of your review was just mean..... I'm reading this now and I'm dying. I love it so much already but I know my heart is gonna get mangled. So if you see me on twitter dying just save me kay. Love this review *hugs*

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    1. Awww. :D I will always save you Teresa!!!!! *tackle hugs*

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  2. I must check out these books! I really like the sounds of it and I'm glad to hear that Garth character redeems himself a bit. Great review!

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    1. They are such cute books Sara! I really enjoyed these!

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  3. Wow! I want to read this book it sounds really good
    Great review
    Ruty@Reading...Dreaming

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  4. So glad you liked this. I didn't really read your review yet since I haven't read it but I am reading it soon so I will be back!! :-)

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    1. Haha! We are too funny Chelsea. I love us. Just sayin'.

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  5. Great review! I loved this so much. Nicole truly did her characters justice. I can't wait for Garth's book either!

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    1. Thanks Andrea! I absolutely agree- she really did do them justice. I need to read her Crash series!

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  6. Jesse's POV! *swoons* I can't wait to start this one! Right now I'm drowning in review books so I HOPE I get to read it soon! Your review made me more excited for it!

    Ally @ Book Fixation

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    1. Oh Ally! You're going to love it! And I hope you can read it soon too! But girl, I feel you on the drowning in review books. I have SO many to read! :D

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  7. Sounds like a good series. Why do you keep tempting me like this Jess!

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    1. Haha! Trish! This is such a good series. I really loved it. I needed a really great NA.

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  8. I cannot wait to get to this one!! I'm so excited! And it being in dual POV! Amazing!! And I'm ready to see Garth redeem himself. :) AMAZING REVIEW!! Definitely getting to this one asap!

    :D

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    1. Yay! I can't wait for you to read it either Magen! Yes, I saw it was in Dual POV and I squealed. I love getting in both of their minds. And Jesse? OMG. SWOOOOOON!

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  9. I can't wait to read this series and experience all the emotions so many readers are enjoying about this series. Plus, I just can't wait to meet Jesse! Glad you enjoyed this one! Great review! :D

    ~ Maida
    Literary Love Affair 

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    1. Thanks Maida! :D This is such a great series. I was starting to get tired of the same old NA, but this is so fresh and different!

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  10. I want to read this book so bad!! I love me some Nicole Williams : )

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    1. Aw! Yes! She's amazing! I need to read her Crash series now! Because I loved the heck outta these books!

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  11. Okay so I didn't read your review. Because I'm reading Lost & Found right now. But I will come back. =) And also, just fyi.. I'm smiling right now just thinking about Jesse. hahaha

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    1. Hahah. I love that me, you, and Chelsea do that. And I'm so glad you're loving Jesse. He makes my heart so happy!

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  12. I am interested in this bookk as it reminds of a very hard choice I had to make almost 20 years ago. I had to leave the one I still believe was my soulmate. We both actually still speak but we are both also happily married to other people.

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    1. Aww, Silvia. This is a really sweet romance and I definitely recommend it!

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  13. I don't read a lot of contemporary romance novels but this one actually looks really, good! I think I am going to have to go and find the first book first though :)

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    1. Yay! Definitely look into them Colleen! They are a really sweet read.

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  14. I never realized this is a sequel to Lost and Found. Thank you for your review and for the giveaway

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