This has only happened one other time since I started writing reviews. I really…have no words. I don’t know how to describe what I feel, or how to attempt to tell you what to expect from Interim. Maybe that’s just it – It’s unexplainable. It doesn’t fit a specific niche within romance, it doesn’t go with the flow of so many others out there, and maybe it’s not what you’re used to, but all of those aspects made me love it even more. I still truly don’t have a clue how to write this review... Summer, you’ve rendered me speechless.
One word that I’ve read over and over from others that have read Interim is brilliant. Now that I’ve finished, I can say with absolute certainty, that one word can sum it all up. The characters. The storyline. The feelings it will evoke. It’s all pure brilliance. I’m betting at this point, you’ve read the synopsis. You’re scratching, or maybe shaking, your head, thinking this book is all horror and grief. It’s not. It’s a lot of things, but it’s not necessarily that. It’s a war on emotions. It’s good versus evil. It’s love versus hate. It’s right versus wrong. And when you turn that last page, you’ll feel exactly what she wanted you to feel. She nails it in that aspect. Hell, who am I kidding? She nails it on every single aspect of this story. You’ll feel hatred, frustration, heartbreak, shock, and somewhere in that crazy mix, you’ll feel the romantic connection between two lost characters.
One word that I’ve read over and over from others that have read Interim is brilliant. Now that I’ve finished, I can say with absolute certainty, that one word can sum it all up. The characters. The storyline. The feelings it will evoke. It’s all pure brilliance. I’m betting at this point, you’ve read the synopsis. You’re scratching, or maybe shaking, your head, thinking this book is all horror and grief. It’s not. It’s a lot of things, but it’s not necessarily that. It’s a war on emotions. It’s good versus evil. It’s love versus hate. It’s right versus wrong. And when you turn that last page, you’ll feel exactly what she wanted you to feel. She nails it in that aspect. Hell, who am I kidding? She nails it on every single aspect of this story. You’ll feel hatred, frustration, heartbreak, shock, and somewhere in that crazy mix, you’ll feel the romantic connection between two lost characters.
I fully expected to not like the main character. I knew the point of all of this is that it is, somewhere in there, a romance novel. Even knowing that, I just didn’t expect to care for the main character as much as I did. It was a slow, albeit intriguing, burn for me. I didn’t instantly fall in love with Jeremy. I was interested in his story. I felt this overwhelming desire to know more about him, his home life, and why he is the way he is. But it was a different, much deeper feeling than we might usually see in romance novels. Where Jeremy was very mysterious to me and it took a bit to really emotionally care about him, Regan grabbed me from the get go. As dark and intense as this story is, Regan made it fun. She made it so easy to read, and brought light and humor to this book. She’s also not afraid to speak her mind, which gets a huge high five from me. Way to be a badass, Regan.
There are two specific points I want to point out. The first being, think outside of the box with this one. Go into it knowing that it’s not your generic book that you probably have a thousand of on your Kindle. It’s what S. Walden does best. Not only does she push the boundaries, she shatters them. So yes, it is different. Yes, it’s a bit intimidating when considering what you might think this book is about. Try it. Do it. You won’t regret it, and you will be very pleasantly surprised. It’s not as it might appear. Mostly. The other point is that she tackles the subject matter in a realistic way and doesn’t coddle you, as a reader. You’ll face it head on, and I love that she forces that. She handles bullying, abuse, and well…I’ll just say it, school shootings with care. It sounds crazy, but it just worked so well.
There were also small things I really loved. The side characters were as well developed and believable as the two main characters, whether you love or hate them. So many different relationships were written so perfectly - the relationship between Regan and her sister, Jeremy and Roy, or Regan and her parents. She somehow made me hurt and feel for certain characters that I despised throughout much of the book. To me, that’s the sign of a truly talented author. An author that makes you love the enemy.
Overall, after all of those words, I still don’t really know how to describe how I feel. I’m amazed that she took a plot such as this and turned it into something beautiful. I just said to Summer, “my insides are like goo” when she said to write what I feel. Not helpful huh? If you’ve had that gooey feeling before, you’ll get it. It’s almost like an overload on emotions. I’ve laughed, cried, gasped, swooned, and felt my heart race while reading Interim, and I have no doubt you’ll feel the same. Seriously. Think outside the box with this one.
<3 Erin
There are two specific points I want to point out. The first being, think outside of the box with this one. Go into it knowing that it’s not your generic book that you probably have a thousand of on your Kindle. It’s what S. Walden does best. Not only does she push the boundaries, she shatters them. So yes, it is different. Yes, it’s a bit intimidating when considering what you might think this book is about. Try it. Do it. You won’t regret it, and you will be very pleasantly surprised. It’s not as it might appear. Mostly. The other point is that she tackles the subject matter in a realistic way and doesn’t coddle you, as a reader. You’ll face it head on, and I love that she forces that. She handles bullying, abuse, and well…I’ll just say it, school shootings with care. It sounds crazy, but it just worked so well.
There were also small things I really loved. The side characters were as well developed and believable as the two main characters, whether you love or hate them. So many different relationships were written so perfectly - the relationship between Regan and her sister, Jeremy and Roy, or Regan and her parents. She somehow made me hurt and feel for certain characters that I despised throughout much of the book. To me, that’s the sign of a truly talented author. An author that makes you love the enemy.
Overall, after all of those words, I still don’t really know how to describe how I feel. I’m amazed that she took a plot such as this and turned it into something beautiful. I just said to Summer, “my insides are like goo” when she said to write what I feel. Not helpful huh? If you’ve had that gooey feeling before, you’ll get it. It’s almost like an overload on emotions. I’ve laughed, cried, gasped, swooned, and felt my heart race while reading Interim, and I have no doubt you’ll feel the same. Seriously. Think outside the box with this one.
<3 Erin