I'll preface this review by saying that back in November, over the span of 16 days, I read every single one of Nikki Ash's book she had published up to that point and since then, I've read all her new releases. So when I received the arc for this one, I dived in, thinking I knew what to expect. I couldn't BE more wrong (yeah, go ahead and read it in Chandler's voice coz that's how I said it!).
I started reading and I kept saying to myself, "yeah, just a bit more and it will go like I know it will". I'll be honest, I struggled a little with this book and that's totally on me and my expectations due to past reading experience with this author. But then it hit me! The point of the story and what Nikki was trying to say. Before I Die is certainly not her normal storytelling but that doesn't mean Nikki didn't deliver. This wasn't her normal romance book full of sexy times and heartfelt moments, not that they weren't present in this story, but it was more.
It was about the journey of a sheltered young woman finally escaping her figurative prison, spreading her wings and finding her true self. It was a lesson in learning to live to fullest and not just making plans to live. It was about taking chances and opening your heart to new experiences and to love and to accept the past for what it is and not let it define you.
It was a story full of heartache, heartfelt moments and a little bit of suspense. I would have loved it even more if the story revolved more around the events of the second part of the book, which felt more solid and raw and real than what happened in the first, which I get those events happened to bring the main characters together but it kinda left me feeling like there were two separate stories.
I was happily surprised by Nikki Ash and Before I Die and I'm glad to see her evolving as an author and I'll be here to read her new stories and cheer her on.
*ARC provided in exchange for an honest review*
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