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| TITLE: Forever Night Stand AUTHOR: Ysa Arcangel PUBLISHER: Blvnp Publishing Inc PUB DATE: Dec 20 2015 |
"What the mind forgets, the heart remembers."
Brandy Curtis is a strong and independent career woman who does not care for commitment. She prefers no strings-attached, one night stands because that's all she can give with what little free time she has. This is the life she has chosen and the life she is used to.
However, everything changed when she met Ivo, a gorgeous doctor with irresistible charm. He was just supposed to be another hookup, but he quickly became so much more. The more nights they spent together, the more Brandy felt that life had given her something to live for.
Things seemed perfect… until a visit to the doctor sends her world crashing. The timing couldn't be worse. As her heart gets closer to Ivo, her memories begin to fade.
Will Brandy be able to actually live her life with Ivo… or will she succumb to the condition that threatens to claim her forever?
Find out how this touching journey of life and love turns out.
Brandy Curtis is a strong and independent career woman who does not care for commitment. She prefers no strings-attached, one night stands because that's all she can give with what little free time she has. This is the life she has chosen and the life she is used to.
However, everything changed when she met Ivo, a gorgeous doctor with irresistible charm. He was just supposed to be another hookup, but he quickly became so much more. The more nights they spent together, the more Brandy felt that life had given her something to live for.
Things seemed perfect… until a visit to the doctor sends her world crashing. The timing couldn't be worse. As her heart gets closer to Ivo, her memories begin to fade.
Will Brandy be able to actually live her life with Ivo… or will she succumb to the condition that threatens to claim her forever?
Find out how this touching journey of life and love turns out.
Source: Goodreads
Rating:
"Unrequited love is a very painful experience one can have. Falling in love is akin to an addiction that can destroy you and him, but only if you let it."
Brace yourselves; this might get slightly brutal…
Forever Night Stand is a particularly heavyset new adult story. Judging from its premise alone, I thought it would be one of those book where I would end up depressed over after finishing. C’mon, it’s a story of a girl with Alzheimer’s and I’ve had my fair share of watching movies with memory loss and romance and all things that’ll make you cry like a big, big baby! So, yes… I started reading FNS with real hopes of getting my heart broken. No pressure, Ms. Arcangel.
I suppose I should not have done so, because not only did I put so much pressure on the author (albeit without her knowing, until this review), I set up such a high standard even for myself. It had to be epic beyond proportions and that’s just bad. As you can see the rating I ended up giving this book. Let’s get in on the details, shall we?
I wanted to like Brandy. The tragic parents backstory and the Alzheimer’s inheritance, it was enough to make me want to hug her and be her friend. But I didn't get the chance to know her a lot deeper than I was hoping for. While her emotions were open and showed all throughout the entire book, I have yet to understand the reason behind most of them (i.e. running away from Ivo, freaking out over a prick of her finger, etc.). I mean I get that she doesn't want to feel attached to anyone because of her condition, but I want to know the details of what made her act in such ways. What triggered this certain situation? What made her react the way she did? There isn’t much emotional connection I could hold on to for me to feel empathic.
I was confused with the whole "no strings" sentiment Brandy and Ivo have established. You don't give butterfly kisses to your random hook ups, do you? That's kind of intimate for a one-night stand. As far as I can tell, if you're having a "friends with benefits" arrangement with someone, you don't call the hook up 'making love' it is simply having sex or, pardon my French, a f***. I do not understand a thing about how Brandy and Ivo's relationship is even working. Here’s a side note which is probably unnecessary, why does this guy [Ivo] coo so much? It felt creepy and just got on my nerves.
I feel a bit squeamish over the whole story progression. I can't tell how much time passed with each scene, sometimes it feels too soon, and other times it’s dragging to the point where it seems to go nowhere. For example: the part where Brandy asked the Secretaries of Juliet to use the letters send to Juliet for an article she writes. They deny her request but the moment when Ivo steps in and Agata ushers Brandy out for a walk then all of a sudden the SoJ had a change of heart and gives Brandy the letters she could use along with it came the approval of the letter senders. Wow, how did that happen in just a span of, what? A few sentences? It feels weird.
I have a lot of comments and questions about certain events in the book that are rather petty but irked me to leave out of the review: (1) The whole wedding thing is confusing for me. Who makes a total stranger their maid of honor? And how is it that the maid of honor can invite people to attend a wedding? Isn't there a guest list? Is this just some cultural difference that I don't quite understand? (2) Who the heck goes on a steady relationship with a guy and doesn't even know he has a sister who's marrying you're own brother? Let’s say, for argument's sake, that it happened, but your brother would have met the family of his bride so clearly he would have mentioned that your ex is the brother of his bride! Is it an Alzheimer’s moment for Brandy? (3) Who introduces a date to an entire class of college students? Is that even possible? And if it is, it sounds very unprofessional. A setting at a bar with college students would have been a much better way to make the introduction in my opinion.
I got more but I’d totally spoil the whole book if I went on.
I have to give it to the author for Forever Night Stand’s sex scenes. Wooh! *fans self* They aren’t filled with fluffy metaphors that some NA books have that I sometimes don’t get the references to. They’re simply written in a way that’s vivid and steamy, yet simple.
The final chapter was the best part, and I admit, I cried. Hell, (spoilers be damned!) we are talking about a mom sacrificing getting to see her children grow up because it would be for the better, of course I cried. I've only been a mom for a year and I can't imagine what Brandy went through.
Movie-wise, Forever Night Stand would have been a definite "Notebook" drama where I would cry my eyes out. In fact there are certain elements within the book that reminded me of certain movies. Book-wise though I think this needed a little more work. I also think, [in my personal OC opinion] since it’s a pretty hefty read, that this should have been split into parts to give the reader a clearer perspective on the events that were happening instead of simply chapters.
I admire the idea of story in its entirety, but I think this book should have gone through more editing. The pacing is uneven, the characters are underdeveloped and their personalities are inconsistent, and the execution is rather rough. In spite of that, I do believe that Forever Night Stand has potential and is quite a memorable read.
*Thank you, Ms. Ysa Arcangel for providing a review copy of Forever Night Stand.
