Review: Winter Longing by Tricia Mills

Book Description via Goodreads:

A plane crash in Alaska takes
Winter’s first love away forever . . .

When Winter's boyfriend is killed in a plane crash in the Alaskan wilderness, she's robbed of the future she'd only just allowed herself to believe might be hers. Winter and Spencer had been destined for one another. And after his death, Spencer's presence continues to haunt her.

But when her next-door neighbor becomes an unlikely friend, Winter begins to accept all that she can't change. Can she open herself to a new future . . . and a possible new love?

Source: Tricia Mills (Thanks!)

My Thoughts:

Imagine loving someone for as long as you can remember and having the pleasure of knowing that you have his heart. Imagine that high level of bliss that you’re in – that phase of ecstasy that leaves you drunk with total happiness - only to be harshly pulled out of it with the news of your love’s accident the next day. That is exactly what Winter experienced.

Mills presented the sweetness of young love, laced the bitterness of a shattered dream, showed a hazy future, and explored a broken heart. The race of two strong emotions: guilt and love coincide in this story of mourning and falling. Winter is holding onto the memory of Spencer and at the same time she is confused about the unexpected concern in her neighbor, Jesse. When a simple neighbor-to-neighbor relationship becomes something much more complicated and charged with attraction, Winter finds both a disloyal issue and a chance to move on.

The unexpected death of Spencer brings to life a heavy loss that freezes the present and drags miserably forward. The personal dramas of the characters are revealed one by one, increasing and decreasing the tension at the same time. However, despite the supposed intensity of the death and the loss and the pain, it seemed to lack in a way. I was not able to connect with Winter as much as I wanted to.

The little flashbacks produced by the quotes that come up every chapter give glimpses into a time of suppressed feelings. I wish they revealed more of Spencer. It was hard for me to visualize this guy who spelled perfection in Winter’s eyes. His absence did not have a strong effect on me, as to draw heartbreaking reactions from me.

Winter Longing is a light read despite the fact that it deals with such a tragic and melancholy experience. Fans of bittersweet tales and young love will adore this.

Rating: