How to Say Goodbye
by Amber Lin

Type of Book: Contemporary / Romance

Rating: 3 / 5 Stars

Synopsis:

Amy has a secret: no one’s ever held her hand. She doesn’t even know how to hug. Everyone thinks she’s smart, but straight A’s are way easier than making friends. Then she meets Dane, a golden-haired surfer whose easy charm and hot touch teach her what she longs to know.

Dane lives for the salty breeze and a sweet wave, because that’s all he has. He’s been on the streets since he was fourteen. A drifter. Homeless. Then he meets Amy. Smart and accomplished, she’s everything he’s not. He wants to be the sort of man who deserves her.

Except that means facing down his past—and that past might very well swallow them both.

Review:  This ARC provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.

This book was an easy read! I liked the story line and how much the characters contrasted each other. I was expecting this book to end with a cliff hanger based on the title, but there was a happy ending that I throughly was satisfied with. There were some flaws with the flow of things, but over all it was a beautiful story about two people finding not only each other, but themselves too.

The two main characters are the epitome of the phrase “opposites attract”. Though they seemed completely different, their pasts were somewhat similar to each other. I thought they brought out the best in one another too – two halves make a whole really.

Amy came from a very complicated and strict family. She was taught that nothing was more important than her education. She was never shown any kind of affection – including hugs, hand shakes, you name it. After an accident took place with her father in America when she was younger, her mother left her with her uncle and took off back home to Japan. Now she is trying to figure out her life and where it’s going to take her after college.

I found Dane very charming and charismatic. He’s very secretive about his past and shares very little about himself. As I got to know his character, I really understood and loved him; he stole the show. His situation is highly complicated and I can’t speak of too much without giving it away. Although he depends on no one but himself, he does a lot for others and asks for very little.

There were some major plot twists that I didn’t expect, and there were some that I found a bit predictable. It was nice reading about these two figuring one another out and getting to know each other personally and physically.

The intimate scenes were written very well. I loved how Amber Lin was able to describe in detail, and yet it wasn’t too much and overly done like some other books I’ve read.

One of the biggest things that I couldn’t get passed and what made me rate this book a little lower than I wanted was Amy’s personality and the way she handles things. Personally, I love a strong female lead and I felt that Amy’s character was without. I felt she lacked a little bit of “oomph” and was quite boring for me. I completely understood her situation and how she grew up, but I was waiting for her character to grow even more and was a bit disappointed when she didn’t meet my expectations.

Another thing that I didn’t care for too much was how quick some of the story happened.  Amy didn’t know anything about Dane, and Dane never shared and yet she didn’t care. I get that there was chemistry and that they enjoyed being around each other, but I feel that their love story was just rushed. I would’ve liked to see a little more dimension in their relationship rather than things just happening.

The secondary characters were kind of a blur as well. I felt that they were just there to fill up space. The only character that I felt was necessary would be Remy. He’s pretty spunky and there was a part with him and Dane that completely threw me for a loop; I was not expecting it at all. I would’ve liked to learn a little more about his character.

Overall, I enjoyed the read. I would recommend this book for anyone who is getting over a book hangover and looking for something with a happy ending :)